you can not get better than Jay Strange when it comes to tattooing. He's the only person in Texas that I'd let put ink to my body. Other than that, I'd fly to California to go to Black & Blue.
He will take time to draw out a beautiful, unique, personalized tattoo just for you.
Somehow, he knows how to get inside your head and really figure out what it is you want. He's extraordinary. He is SO much demand but that is a testament to the quality of his work. He doesn't fuck around with his time so please honor it. He's giving you something very treasured so, respect his time.
Trust me, if you just go to his studio and give him a chance, you'll see why you should only ever get tattooed by this man if you live in Texas. =)
What seems like an eternity ago, I had Jay Strange ink a small pair of metallic wings on my back. The size of both of my hands together, they had deep meaning to me. He did an excellent job and after many life changes and several years later, I went back to him to augment the wings to somethin larger and more meaningful to me - afterall, my life changed, why couldn't my tattoo?
I sat with Jay for nearly 9 hours as we hashed out ideas and he began inking. Unfortunately I had to stop at 10:00pm due to having to drive back to Austin that night for work the next day, so I was only able to have a little more than half completed. The picture on my profile is the initial work hours after its completion. I was very pleased with his work and have always found him to be an exceptionally talented and his attention to detail is second-to-none in Dallas.
Unfortunately, when I scheduled the followup to have it completed, I was stuck on I-35 in between Dallas and Austin for two and a half hours trying to contact Jay. The only way to contact Jay is via e-mail, as he is extremely busy with appointments for a fair majority of his time. After sending several emails to no avail, I assumed at least one of them would have reached him. A week later, after the failed appointment, I contacted him again. This time my email found him and he shot one back, railing into me about being a flake and costing him money amongst other insults. I completely understood why he was angry, however, his methods of contact made it nearly impossible to tell him I was unable to make it due to unforseen circumstances. Because of this I chose not to return to Jay to complete my back piece and will be seeking another artist here in Austin.
However, despite the friction and drama, Jay is very talented and I'd suggest going there if you'd like quality work, but be very clear about your times and dates and keep in mind he can only be contacted via email.