Eyelid Tattoos 👁

The eyelids are probably one of the most under appreciated pieces of skin we have. When you think about it, life would be kind of a nightmare without them. Dry or sunburned corneas sound awful, but sleep without eyelids sounds nightmarish. No Thanks! 😳 lol
Argueably some of the thinnest skin on our bodies, they are very delicate and shouldn’t be taken for granted.
So what do we do with our eyelids as a token of appreciation? Well, we tattoo them of course! Sounds awful right? You’d be surprised. The eyelid has never made it anyone’s top 5 list of most painful body parts to get tattooed.. Unanimously, the sternum, chest and ribs still typically hold the highly coveted top spots on any tattoo collectors list of most painful spots to get tattooed.
Why risk accidentally jamming needles into your retina and possibly risk blindness?
Why get your eyelids tattooed?
The short answer, cause we can!
Skin thickness aside, it’s skin and so it can, and will be tattooed.
Is it really so dangerous tho? Are you really risking blindness? Probably not.

The Risks
In a controlled environment and when done by a trained, experienced professional there have never been any reported cases of any loss of sight. Actually, the main risks associated with this sort of tattoo would mainly be aesthetic. Due to the nature of the skin it is prone to what we call ‘blow outs’, which could leave you looking bruised like maybe you got punched in your eye lol and that’s certainly NOT the look.
I would say the risk isn’t considerably bigger than with any other tattoo. Infection is always the biggest concern especially when you consider how many oil glands each eye contains.
But again, if you handle your new tattoo with care and follow proper aftercare guidelines any inherent risks associated with to the eyes is next to none.

Allie J getting down on some eyelids 👀

The Healing
Another important consideration here would be the healing process. The eyelids are very oily which makes them susceptible to infection. For you ladies, MAKE UP IS A BIG NO NO. Like with any other healing tattoo you’ll want to use fragrance/alcohol free soap and lotion to moisturize. You’ll want to avoid touching your eyes unnecessarily but if you absolutely must you want to make sure that your hands are very very clean. Anything you can do to avoid possible infection and further complications is the general rule of thumb.

The Breakdown
I’ve only ever tattooed eyelids twice in my career.
That’s over a span of more than twenty years. The growing popularity of face, neck and throat tattoos is obvious when you look at the landscape. The growth is exponential.
Taboos of the past, now only distant memories.
There are many tattoo artists, and tattoo shops in general that won’t touch anything above the shoulders. I’m sure they have their reasons. Usually ethically fueled, high horse arguments and judgements.
My two cents,
if you want it,

GET IT!

White on Black Tattoos

As the title suggests today we will be looking at a style of tattooing not commonly discussed. Actually it’s commonly unrecognized largely due to its relative obscurity. It hasn’t been around very long. Not as long as say, the cover up tattoo. Cover ups have been around about as long as tattoos themselves . Obviously the level of sophistication in today’s modern coverups trumps what may have been done in the past. But over all I would say that tattooing in general is reaching new levels of sophistication exponentially year over year.

White line work symbolic characters over a blacked out sleeve by in house tattoo artist @joel_josselyn

In order to accomplish this style of tattooing the area first needs to be ‘blacked out’. Regardless of whether there are existing tattoos or not , we need to get in there and black out the canvas first.

Beautiful example by Barcelona tattoo artist @willianspindola

A common concern with this style of tattooing is whether white on black tattoos last. The tattoo pigment, regardless of color, is injected just below the melanin of your skin. So, in essence, once the tattoo is fully healed it is very much like looking through tinted glass. Your natural skin tone is one factor that will dictate how white your tattoo remains. How you care for your tattoo is another.
Here in South Florida it is wise to protect your ink with sunblock when exposed to direct sunlight for any extended period. The more sun your skin gets, the more you’ll notice the white naturally turning a sort of yellow like color.
So to answer the question, yes, white on black tattoos will last. The answer is also, no.
How white your tattoo remains will be partially up to you and how well you protect your tattoos.

White on Black Star Spangled Banner tattoo by California tattoo artist @troy_harper_artistry

In summary I’ll say that with proper execution ‘White on black tattoos’ can look pretty spectacular. Not only am I a fan but it is something that I am considering for myself in the near future. Although traditional tattoos will always be my first love, I have to admit that the graphic and heavy nature of white on black is something I find appealing. I may black out my left arm and then go in with some white ink traditional roses on top! As a Florida resident I’ll have to be more mindful of after, and long term, care though which makes me slightly hesitant. 🤔 lol

Tattoo Shop Near Me

As the owner of a tattoo shop it’s important for me to know where our clients are coming from. I’ll admit this has been an area of weakness for me in the past. I’ve only recently started to realize that as a business owner I have an obligation to wear many different hats. What does this mean exactly? Well, for me, it means that sometimes I get to be a tattoo artist and other times I get to be whatever the shop needs me to be. And this can be damn near anything lol.
Something I read a long time ago,
”Some ppl work ON their business, some ppl work in it”. It’s a fine line but one that should not be ignored. I’d like to think that I can do both depending on circumstance.

Twenty years ago our clients found us mostly through word of mouth. Word of mouth and referrals kept us busy and fed. This was also before ‘Smart phones’. We were all carrying flip phones back then and life was simpler. It’s safe to assume that most of our tattoo clients were local to our area and either heard about us through a friend, family member, or simply by driving past our shop on their way somewhere.
The world has changed.
So how are folks finding goods and services these days? Well, a large portion of our foot traffic, in particular, can be attributed to the one and only GOOGLE. That’s right folks, the worlds largest search engine is at least partially responsible for how people are getting tattooed these days. Dollar for dollar definitely the undisputed champ!

A close second would be Yelp. More of an online web directory, Yelps platform is used by both businesses and consumers alike.
It doesn’t surprise me anymore when our clients mention they found Electric Street Tattoo on Yelp. People shop different these days and tattoos are no exception. On Yelp you can browse tattoo shop listings and compare locally. More importantly, you can browse through reviews and see what experiences other ppl have had with these tattoo shops.
Keep in mind folks, reviews aren’t an exact science. Like with most things there will be your fair share of bad apples who may abuse these review platforms so take it all in with a grain of salt. It’s my feeling that if a tattoo shop has been around long enough and been able to sustain a 4.8 star rating or above, you’ll probably be in good hands. Yelps terms of use and review guidelines might even be a little more strict than googles but they are both very clear on the do’s and dont’s. And while a lot of your Yelp reviews will be featured for the public to see many of them will be redirected towards the ‘unrecommended’ section never to be seen or heard from again, regardless of their authenticity.

So what is the most popular keyword search for ppl looking to get tattooed??? It’s very simply, ‘Tattoo shops near me’
Yep, that’s it lol.
Folks just want to go somewhere close. They don’t want to drive and they don’t seem to necessarily care about referrals either. They want convenience. So it seems to me that the word of mouth and tattoo referrals we used to depend on twenty years ago are now in the form of Google, Yelp, Bing, Yahoo etc. I would even say that social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram and the like make up for a very small amount of gross revenue. It’s been said tongue in cheek, Facebook is for business, Instagram is for fame.
I disagree.
Google is for business, who needs fame 😉

Fall trend-Butterfly Tattoos

Does it seem like everyone is getting butterfly tattoos this year? If your social media feed is swamped with beautiful butterflies tattoos and you’re asking yourself ‘What gives?’
There are a few reasons that may explain the recent trend and resurgence in the ever popular Butterfly Tattoo.

Classic Butterfly Tattoo

Butterflies have been a popular tattoo motif for many many years. Butterfly tattoos are symbolic of spiritual rebirth, transformation, hope and change. And that is only scratching the surface.
They are beautiful and versatile. They can also be very feminine making them a classic choice with females in particular. Why the sudden boost though?

Due to the pandemic, and for the reasons listed above, I feel that the perfect storm was created for the butterfly tattoo to take flight!
This is just my opinion, but we’ve all been through a whole lot of crazy. The lockdowns, mask mandates and the like.
We’ve all suffered through a real trauma. COVID-19 rocked our world. It’s been mentally and emotionally exhaustive, making lots of folks looking for a way to express what they’d like to be feeling. Hope in particular.

Traditional Butterfly Tattoo

Different cultures associate butterflies with different things. The Christian religion views the butterfly as a symbol of resurrection. It’s my view that the world as a whole is currently staging a resurrection, wouldn’t you agree?

And so this Fall, in particular, we saw the butterfly tattoo explode! 🦋 🦋🦋
And I’m not surprised in the least. It’s human nature, we are expressive beings. We express what we feel, think and live in a variety of ways. Tattoos have always been a vehicle for this kind of expression. It is also in our nature to document. We log and keep account of events, good and bad. Tattoos have always served well in this respect as well.

Floral Butterfly Tattoo

Needless to say that whatever the reasons for the sudden spike in butterfly tattoos we’re certainly not complaining. The butterfly is a classic in any tattoo shop and, in my opinion, will always continue to be.

The scoop on Matching Tattoos

Matching Rose Tattoos

Matching tattoos have probably been around about as long as tattooing itself. I picture a small group of cavemen, or cavewomen, walking up to a tatt cave and getting matching arrows or bones or some other cave persony thing tattooed on them lol! Seriously though do any of you ever think about stuff like that?
Think about it.
‘Oh you’re going to the tattoo shop gonna get a cool tattie? Maybe I’ll come with you? Maybe I’ll get tattooed also? Hey what are you getting done maybe I’ll just get the same thing? They can be matching, it’ll be the coolest!!!’ And with that the matching tattoo was born .
Sometimes though it’s not just about having fun. Couples in relationships make up a big portion of the ‘matching tattoo’ demographic. They are a symbolic gesture. Tattoos do last a life time after all and what better step to take with the person you plan on spending the rest of your life with than to get a matching tattoo you can both share. It is a bonding experience. It is permanent, irreversible. Like we would all wish love itself to be.
Let’s look at the other side of the coin now. While tattoos are mostly permanent, love is not. Not trying to be Mr. Doom n Gloom here, just realistic. Just like the ‘name tattoo’, it’s ‘matching’ cousin is also frowned upon by many tattoo artists. There is a superstition that’s grown around it. Many tattooers refer to these kinds of ‘novelty tattoos’ more as a ‘kiss of death’ to a romantic relationship. Again, the permanence of a tattoo will almost always outlast the warm glow of a new romance. So why do people do it???
There may be more of a psychological factor than we think.
According to clinical and behavioral psychologist, Dr. Joshua Klapow he explains,”Context is everything”, “Matching tattoos and the act of getting them says as much about each individual as they do about the couple together.”
he goes on to explain,”If it’s not an impulsive decision, partners getting matching tattoos is a sign that they care deeply enough about one another to literally alter the way they look.”
Research reflects that a couple that has been together numerous years is less likely to regret getting their tattoos and possibly end up having to get them covered up.

Matching Hand Tattoos

Personally, I believe there may even be an evolutionary factor that hasn’t really been addressed. Like possibly from our hunter-gatherer past? Humans hunted and gathered in groups. Is it possible that this group behavior is still tucked away somewhere deep in our “Lizard Brain”? I’m no expert but I would say most definitely yes. The evidence is all around us in the ways we behave. We pick and choose our groups, our alliances. Add to that our ritualistic nature and it’s no surprise that our culture has embraced some of these behaviors.
Am I reading to much into it? To that I would also very confidently say YES lol. Sometimes it’s ok to try and brake these things down in order to give our clients what they need from us. I know many tattoo artists that cringe when they get a group of matching tattoos. “They’re not ‘real’ tattoos”.
I’m of the opinion that not only are they real, but that they may be more ‘real’ than most other tattoos one might collect.
Getting a matching tattoo with the person you love, if both partners are into it and no one is being pressured to do so, can be a beautiful experience that can elevate your bond to a whole new level.

BFF Matching Tattoos

I want to be a Tattoo Artist, now what?

Firstly I just want to say that anything I write here is almost 100% based on my own personal experience with over twenty years in the tattoo industry. Take what I say here with a grain of salt, always do your own research especially when making life changing decisions. You might notice that many will try and talk you out of pursuing your dream of being a professional tattoo artist, mostly by already established tattoo artists.This is not uncommon I’ve seen it over and over again throughout the years. My suspicion is that a lot of this comes from a place of insecurity.

And no I’m not saying tattoo artists are inherently insecure, that would be a ridiculous generalization to make. What I am saying is that the tattoo industry right now as a whole is nothing like what it was twenty, fifteen, or even ten years ago. It’s become almost impossible to imagine the world before the internet, before smart phones and certainly before social media.

Long ago most tattoo shops operated locally and most of the walk-in traffic was generated through word of mouth and simply by being in a certain location. The world wasn’t yet connected to the extreme that it is now. It was a localized market place, not a global one. We knew what tattoo artists we were competing against and I always felt it was a healthy competition. Healthy competition is good. Not only is it good, it’s almost mandatory if an industry is going to drive growth.

I should also mention here that most of my experience is based in South Florida. Needless to say that every industry will vary geographically and what is true in one place may not be the case in another.
So why would already established tattoo artists try to dissuade you from your dream of becoming a tattoo artist yourself? I think a lot of it is from a perceived scarcity mentality within the industry. Scarcity in any form is like a plague. It is debilitating. It may be that a new tattoo apprentice now can be seen as a perceived future threat.

Regardless, the question remains,, ‘Why do you think you want to be a tattoo artist?’ It’s important to be honest with yourself it is often the case that peoples reasons for wanting to become a tattoo artist don’t actually align with the realities. The notion of life as a tattoo artist, the novelty, isn’t always what we would want it to be.
This is obviously a broad topic.

Let’s dig a little deeper in my next post…

Tattoo gift cards

If you’re like me you enjoy gift giving but you struggle with shopping. Crowded malls , long lines and this year we have added COVID related stressors and mask mandates etc

If you start now you can try and do your holiday shopping online but with bottle neck supply shortages your gift purchases may still not arrive in time for the holidays

👉🏽ELECTRIC STREET TATTOO GIFT CARDS👈🏽

personalized tattoo gift cards

Wildest Halloween tattoo ideas

What is the craziest Halloween themed tattoo you’ve ever seen? Seems like the bloodier the better but IMO the fun tattoo designs are the best Yes, we all like a little blood and gore in our ink, or a lot of blood and gore lol but really though if it doesn’t make me laugh it’s all for not.
So this Halloween we’ll be doing tattoo specials all day long! All Halloween themed tattoo designs 131$
Bring us your tattoo ideas and come grab some of that delicious Halloween candy 🎃

Let’s have some fun with it 👻

horror movie tattoos

Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

Halloween themed tattoo flash ideas

Just in time for the spookiest of holidays we have new Halloween tattoo designs ready to go!

Since childhood, we have celebrated this holiday with spooky and elaborate costumes and into adulthood with creepy and often macabre Halloween-themed tattoos too!

New Halloween tattoos by Zach and Nick

In Christian tradition, November 1st was known as All Saints day and the evening prior was known as All Hallows Eve, based on the Celtic festival of Samhain, later Halloween. As time has passed it has evolved into the Autumn tradition we have today that includes trick or treating, carving jack-o-lanterns, costume parties, and the like.

Many of Halloween tattoos fall into the categories:

-Death and mortality

-Misfortune and evil

Needless to say, there is no shortage of skeleton and ghost tattoos.

Black cat tattoos, spooky clowns, and graveyards.

Hand painted Halloween tattoos by Frankie

Horror movie tattoos are also very popular.

You’ll notice Michael Myers, Freddy Krueger, and Jason Voorhees's hockey mask tattoos making the rounds this time of year amongst others.

As tattoo artists, we absolutely LOVE this time of year cause we get to do lots of fun Halloween tattoos, and that is really what the holidays are all about folks

Whether out trick or treating with your kids or hanging out at the local tattoo shop with friends let’s have an amazing time this year!