From Friday to Sunday, the whirring of tattoo machines filled the St. Paul RiverCentre as tattoo artists from all over the country gathered for the second annual Twin Cities Tattoo Festival.
Some artists booked appointments in advance, while others did walk-in tattoos.
Jesse Brady, a local artist who tattoos at the Sacred Siren Tattoo & Art Parlor in Minneapolis, booked her tattoos in advance, doing only one eight- to nine-hour piece daily. She said she wants to tell a story through her artwork.
“I feel like it’s more than just doing a tattoo, it’s giving someone something to hold on to,” Brady said. “Being able to tell those stories is very important to me.”
Brady described her style as illustrative neo-traditional, taking inspiration from American traditional tattoo designs and her background as an oil painter.
Freddie Brown, an illustrative neo-traditional artist from Illinois, said this style of tattooing combines the solid, thick outlines of American traditional designs with contemporary imagery and dynamic colors and shading. He said he dabbled in many styles before focusing on illustrative neo-traditional.
Almost every style of tattooing was represented, from blackwork and traditional to new school and illustrative realism. The subjects of the art ranged greatly as well, with horror movie imagery and classic American traditional designs being some of the most popular designs.
Chicago-based artist Kelly Severtson said he does a lot of tattoos based on fantasy designs. His flash book was filled with drawings of wizards, goblins, knights and other fantasy-inspired images.
Tattoo conventions like the Twin Cities Tattoo Festival are great places for tattoo enthusiasts to get tattooed by some of the best artists in the world.
“You got some of the best people in the country coming right to your hometown, and you can easily get something done that weekend,” Brown said.
Many tattoo artists do multiple conventions a year, many of which are organized by the same company as the Twin Cities Festival. Artists like Brown and Brady go to more than 12 festivals a year.
Artists said the ambiance at a festival is completely different than at a parlor.
Kayne Anders, who tattoos at the Black Sheep Tattoo and Art Collective in St. Paul, said at festivals he talks less with clients and takes fewer breaks to tattoo efficiently. He said at his first convention, he was so nervous the floor felt like a wave to him, and he was almost seasick.
Nowadays, Anders is much more comfortable tattooing at conventions. At the Twin Cities Festival, he said he was booked throughout the weekend, working on his full-color new school designs.
Artists said they love tattoo conventions because it not only allows them to showcase their work, but they are also able to meet and work with some of the best artists in the country.
“It’s great because we are around high-caliber artists that we’re able to pull inspiration from,” Brown said.
Each night, the artists gathered to go out together after the convention. Many of them meet friends from across the country at tattoo conventions.
“The comradery of a convention is like no other place,” Brady said.