A personal note from Shannon

I’ve been tattooing for nearly half of my life and have met some amazing and very interesting people, it’s part of why I love this job so much. I thought this blog would be a great way to share some of those experiences while paying tribute to the super cool individuals who make it easy for me to go to work each day.

For the most part, this will be a lot of “shop talk” combined with some totally unrelated topics – some of them may even be mildly entertaining.  I’ll do my best to keep this up to date!

Welcome!

This is the blog of the staff of Foxfire Tattoos & Piercings, a shop in the Vancouver, BC area (New Westminster, to be precise).

Foxfire is:

Shannon Walters – Owner, Tattoo Artist

Matt Walters – Manager, Body Piercer

Danyel Dahling – Body Piercer

Andrew

This is a reminder to myself to post about Andrew…. I can’t believe I haven’t posted about Andrew yet!

Artist? Yes please!

I often think my latest tattoo is my best piece of art, until…. the next one.  As an artist I am constantly growing and trying new things and that likely has something to do with it.  When I have clients who trust me to do whatever I want something cool happens and I get into my groove and the end result is “my” art.  Now for something a little different…

Kathleen came into the shop after being referred by a co-worker.  She came in with something particular in mind and had a lot of input to the design of the tattoo.  Kathleen is an artist.  I used to say “I hate tattooing artists”, but I can’t say that anymore.

Artists are very picky and often have a clear vision of what they think the tattoo should look like (and usually different than my vision).   Kathleen was flexible in all of the right ways but wasn’t scared to speak up if she thought something should be done differently.  She allowed me to pull her out of her comfort zone when I thought it was needed but still stayed true to her vision (artists don’t like being called “picky”) 

I always respect my clients’ opinions and ideas, but usually end up bringing them around to see things my way … unless their ideas are better than mine – it does happen occasionally!

I can take credit for the tattooing and half of the designing, but the other half goes to Kathleen on this one.  I couldn’t tell you who suggested what in this piece – all I can say is that it was a collaborative effort, and two artists are better than one!

I will post pics as soon as I remember how.

In memory of….

When you’re in the tattoo business you meet a lot of people who are looking for a unique way to remember and/or pay tribute to a loved one who’s passed.  It’s hard sometimes listening to the stories and you can’t help but get sucked in (or at least I can’t, because I’m a big softy).  I’ve done quite a few “in memory of” tattoos, but this one really made an impact on me.

I was approached by Russ and his wife Amy a couple of months ago about doing this tattoo – Russ had lost his father and wanted something special, something he could look at and feel his dad was always with him.  His father was a miner, and Russ wanted a rock drill with his father’s hard hat somewhere in the design – he didn’t really know what the final design should look like, but trusted me to do whatever I wanted with it.

The decision to keep the tattoo in Black & Grey was an easy one, and once we got started it really came together.  The detail in this piece is what I love the most, I always enjoy a challenge!  It was Russ’ idea to add his father’s initials in the rock drill and add the silhouette at the opening of the mine and I think it worked so well!

We finished this tattoo about a month ago, and I still remember the look on Russ’ face when he first looked in the mirror.  We shared some tears and a hug afterward (which I was expecting) but I think most people are surprised by the rush of emotion when seeing a piece like this finished.   I don’t think I can put into words how good it feels to be able to help people in this way and give them something so special – I get choked up just thinking about it.

Hot enough for ya?

I have to say that I’m definitely not a “summer” person.  Any day that I can get through and not have sweat dripping down my face and pools of it running down my wrists is a good day (imagine wearing latex gloves for 9hrs in this heat).  Yes foxfire has AC, but the little unit just can’t keep up with the temperatures we’ve had this week.

Two reasons I’m looking forward to fall :

1.  I won’t have to keep splashing water on my face througout the day.

2.  I’ve had many of you dropping in or calling to say you’d be in soon for more ink!

While summer is always interesting and we see many new faces in the shop, I’m excited to get back to work with some of my favorite clients.  See you all soon!

UBC research study: call for participants

A pleasant fellow named Paulo dropped by the shop today, asking us to post a flyer for him.  He’s doing his Master’s degree in Counselling Psychology at the University of British Columbia; as part of it, he’s doing a study on women who have tattoos and / or piercings and have experienced significantly stressful or traumatic events in their lives.  His particular interest is the experience of getting piercings / tattoos and the meaning that women attribute to them.

He figures that interviews will take around an hour; they are completely confidential (i.e. he will not use names or identifying details in the final report).  Those who take the time to share their experiences with him will be entered in a draw for $50 as a compensatory reward.

Paulo is looking for people with the following attributes to participate in his study:

• Adult females, 19 years or older, and
• Have at least one tattoo or piercing (other than nose or ear piercing), and
• Have experienced at least one significantly stressful event involving a relationship (ex. breakup, separation or divorce, death of a loved one, sexual abuse / rape, abandonment by parents / caregivers), and
• Are willing and comfortable to discuss all of the above.

If you match his criteria, I think it would be pretty cool for you to take the time to participate in this study.  As Paulo mentions, most of the information out there about tattoos and the people that have them is inaccurate (or worse, intentionally negative) – it would be excellent to see a study of some of the positive psychological aspects of the art published.

Paulo Matos can be reached at (604) 789-5041.

Summer is nearly here – some tattoo care tips

It’s hard to believe, but summer is almost here!  Everyone’s walking around in shorts and tank tops, showing off their ink and making everyone else think about getting more.  That’s great for business, of course, but it’s also bad for tattoos.  Since it’s been unbelievably beautiful in Vancouver for the past week, I thought it might not be a bad idea to post some helpful tips for tattoos and fun in the sun.

• Don’t expose a fresh tattoo (less than 4 weeks old) to the sun, period.  Since the layer of skin that covers the injected pigment isn’t whole, UV can more easily penetrate and bleach the tattoo.  Worse than that, the fresh skin will burn faster and deeper, which can cause scarring (to say nothing of increased risk of melanoma and other ugly things).
• Don’t go swimming with a fresh tattoo (especially in public pools or the ocean).  Infections, premature scab loss, etc. – yikes.  Just don’t do it, please.
• If you’re going on a vacation soon, especially to a sunny place, wait until you return to get your tattoo!  I know, it would be really nice to show it off on the beach in Maui, but you’ll be doing both of the things that I’ve just mentioned you shouldn’t do.  Even if you’re going to London in the winter, you don’t want to limit your vacation experience just because of a fresh tattoo.  You’re going to have the tattoo forever – waiting another few weeks to get it rather than risking having an ugly, scarred blotch on your body forever is simply the right thing to do.
• Don’t get a tattoo in Mexico/Laos/Egypt/etc.  You’re drunk, it seems like a good idea, I understand.  Hepatitis and HIV, unfortunately, last as long as a tattoos do.  No matter where or when you are going to get a tattoo, know the artist and the shop.  Again – you’re going to have it forever, don’t rush it!  Take the time to ensure that you are getting what you want in a safe, clean environment.
• Once the tattoo is healed, use the highest-SPF-rated sunscreen that you can find over it!  Although practical limits of the SPF rating are around 50-65, using a sunscreen with 30+ SPF will help protect your tattoo and keep it looking fresh.  As UV bombards the tattoo’s pigmentation, it breaks up – some of it will simply bleach, but some of it (especially darker colours) will tend to spread (it kind of looks like smearing) as it is broken down .  Lines will become less defined, colours fade, blacks will turn blueish and the whole tattoo may appear fuzzy.  A good artist (like Shannon, of course) may be able to fix some of it, but only by widening lines and expanding the tattoo to cover the colour bleed.  Definition will be lost.  You will be sad and so will we.

This concludes my summer tattoo safety lecture – I hope it has helped you in some way.  If you’ve got questions about things that weren’t covered in this post, we’re happy to answer questions at the shop – (604) 525-8580 is the number that will reach us.

Open House, Saturday May 23rd.

I can’t believe it’s that time of year again!  Foxfire had it’s Grand Opening on May 26th 2007 and we’ve decided to keep the tradition by having the Open House each year.  It’s a fun day with the Hyack Festival Parade going right by the shop (don’t expect to find parking) we always have lots of people stopping by.  If you’re a regular client come say hi, if you’ve never been to the shop before it’s a good day to come by and meet the staff and check the place out… draws will be ending at 4pm.  See you on the 23rd!

Cheating on your Tattoo Artist

“I screwed up, Im sorry… it was just one time I promise… it meant nothing to me!  Can you fix it?”

Ok – so I can understand the thought of getting cheap or free ink is appealing to some people, but when you take into consideration this shit is permanent and you already have a tattoo artist you see regularly who does everything  just the way you like it… why would you risk going elsewhere?  Bargain shopping is cool if you’re hunting for a shoe sale – but tattoos?  Come on, Really?

Finally – Tiny 16g Monroe Studs!

We’ve had so many requests from our customers about getting in these monroe studs but we were having trouble finding a supplier who carried them.  We’ve finally got them, and they are tiny!  Most women wanted something small and dainty and these little things definitely are.  The 16g studs are made out of bioflex and have a very thin disk on the inside which is way more comfortable than the thicker surgical steel ones.  These studs are also threadless – they have a supper tiny gem bead that acts like an internally threaded bead but they don’t require any fussing – they simply push straight in.  For anyone who has had the pleasure of trying to thread a 2mm bead onto a 16g barbell  (ahh the sound of impossible to find beads falling on the floor) you will really appreciate these!  Another fabulous thing about them is they are customizable – since the studs are made out of bioflex you can cut them to the desired length – genius!

Finally back in the chair (Matt)

After a long hiatus, we decided that it was time to put some more ink into my arm.  I’ve got an in-progress sleeve, you see, which has been in-progress for – and I’m somewhat embarrassed to admit this – around 6 years.  Hey, we were busy!  I know, I know, terrible excuse.  At any rate, Shannon and I have decided that we’re going to get it completed this year, and I’m quite excited about it.  It’s a very nerdy design.  We’ll put up some pictures in the not-too-distant future (hopefully because it’s done), promise.

It felt really good to get tattooed again – I really tend to forget that endorphin rush and the excitement (and yes, the sensation) of new ink.  Thanks, hon!