I am, shall we say, a collector of 3 things:
1. NES games- yes, the old ones you have to blow and wiggle in the Nintendo.
2. Movie/Concert Ticket Stubs (Every one since 4th grade, thank YOU)
3. Tattoos (Yes, they are addicting).
This tattoo shop, furthermore my tattoo artist, CHRISTY FISH, caters to all 3 of these. How? Simple. She too appreciates the Original Gangster of the wonder years, including reflecting on awesome games, concerts, and yes, all while tattooing me. The last is probably the most important though.
Christy has done 3 full tattoos on me now, out of my 15. Today she took an orange, ring of saturn, and a leaf and made them POP. Â I have not found a true artist, such as Christy, that can manipulate color onto the skin with the ease and self-critical meticulousness as she. It is an amazing thing to have such trust and faith in someone I see maybe a few times a year, for something so life-lasting. Yet, I can describe my vision, the personal significance, and size- and it goes into Christy's brian... out pops brilliance.
Her outlining hand is not heavy unless it needs to be. Her shading and ability to bring fruits, flowers, animals, food, and so many other items into a life-like, and color-popping dimension is what I consider a gift. She is easy to get along with but I think it's because we both have pretty direct conversation styles, and I feel like she understands what I am looking for every time. She has drawn all of my ideas out and I have yet to be disappointed. I have followed her to a few shops and will continue to do so as needed, but I think Blacklist Gallery's good vibe, clean areas, and artistic standards for all staff there will keep her and I there for a while.
Blacklist Gallery's staff are all very supportive of each other's work and you overhear them sharing ideas throughout the day. I would recommend Christy and this place.
I've never had a better tattoo experience than at this shop. I had a "home made" (IE absolute crap) tat that needed to be covered up, and I decided that putting a humpback whale over it would do the trick. Justin took on the job and sketched a design that was exactly what i had in mind.
He was upfront about the process of covering up a tattoo being a different process than normal. I've had 3 sessions with him and everytime I've left I feel elated. I think Justin is not only technically skilled at tattooing but is an artist who clearly takes pride in all parts of the creative process. He is patient about my complaining when he's working on a sensitive spot, and has a great bedside manner in all regards.
 I don't think there's much more to ask for when you're done with a session than fantastic quality of artwork, fair prices and a fun group of people to work with, and Blacklist has it covered.