Tattoo Internship (Ellen)

Adriana Hallow balances her time tattooing between New York City and New Orleans. Utilizing innovative use of saturated color in combination with neo-traditional techniques, Hallow has created her own world and a niche style of tattoo art. Dark magenta, turquoise, and lilac are her go-to hues; used in unison, they create soft, dreamlike images that flatter anyone’s body. Hallow also specializes in tattoos on darker skin tones— a talent that is rare in any tattoo community.

Thursdae and I finalized our sketch for Doug’s tattoo today! In the final version, the water sorrounding the flower of life will be realistic & the flower of life itself will have cool colors throughout. Very excited to see the result!

My next artist is Lyle Partridge (@neodognecropolis on insta). Atop their tattoo art, they post their paintings, drawings, and zines! I love how thinly they’re able to create lines with a stick n poke tattoo, as well as the recurring theme of dogs and wolves!

Notes and design from a client consultation. Doug, the client, wants a sentimental & symbolic tattoo to cover up a surgery scar on his spine. Pic 2 is notes on ideas- snake, sacred geometry, Aquarius sign, and mandala signs to name a few- and pic 1 is a rough sketch of an idea. I wanted to include the flower of life design in the center to symbolize new beginnings, the infinite snake around, and the sequence of 222 on the corners or the triangle.

A sketchbook page from a studio work day ✨

My first artist review on this account is for the Instagram artist @chimhwasa (all of the work in these pictures is theirs). They specialize in delicate line work and saturated colors packed into tiny, intricate, adorable tattoos. Butterflies, snakes, dragons, bugs, and cranes are their main subjects; Their art draws inspiration mainly from nature. Some of their most interesting tattoos have been the ear tats (3rd pic), where a clear image flows along the shape of the ear. Overall, their work is unlike any artist I’ve seen. Small details are extremely hard to achieve with a tattoo machine, especially within a small space, so their work is quite admirable!

Through this program, I hope to learn about the history of tattooing as well as the industry today. I’ll be posting about my experiences in the studio, my improvement as an artist, and the work of other tattoo artists on this blog.