Skull and Flowers Tattoo

You know I love tattoos, and you know I keep adding to my collection, so it won’t be a surprise that I have a new one.

Suzy Todd, at Two Birds Tattoo in Seattle, designed and inked this for me. The outline, leaves, and skull background were done in July. In August, I went back for the paisley and daffodils. The skull is on the side of my left thigh.

I wanted this design because I like the idea of Mexican sugar skulls and the Day of the Dead/All Saints’ Day celebrations. This is a bit like that, but different. I wanted pink and purple paisley to commemorate my Oma (her favorite colors and shapes) and daffodils to commemorate my grandma (her favorite flowers). I’m not sure my grandmothers were fans of tattoos, but surely they wouldn’t complain about the sentiment behind this one.

Speaking of tattoos, I recently went to the Seattle Tattoo Expo with my friend Amy. She’s shopping for an artist who can design a Japanese Maple and sleeping Buddha piece. We saw dozens and dozens of booths with artist from all around the world. A few stood out from the crowd:

The best portraits I’ve ever seen were by Ganso Galvão, an artist from Brazil. If you ever want a photorealistic grayscale or color portrait, it’s seriously worth the trip to South America for his stuff.

Rich White at Action Tattoo in Auburn, Washington, is an amazing portrait artist as well. I’ve never been interested in realistic pieces, but Ganso and Rich and making me change my mind.

Tribal Rites Tattoo in Fort Collins, Colorado had such creative designs and wonderful color. I loved the birds, moths, and other creatures they created.

Of course Suzy was there too–in fact, I saw her getting a tattoo. The tables were turned and she was a client. Two Birds had a booth too though.

All the artists were talented and creative, but Amy didn’t make a decision that day. She was there solely for research. She gathered business cards and looked through portfolios. Talking to the artists is important too; you have to like the style of the work and the person who will be using your body as a canvas.

A week after the expo, Amy booked an appointment with Eddie at Super Genius Tattoo. I’ll be sure to share the end result with you.