Inked Nation - a Tattoo Community

Westside Tattoos, Jacksonville, FL

This next photo is of my husband's (Tom's) tat that he got at Westside Tattoos in 1988 or 1989.  As he can't remember which year he got it, he obviously doesn't remember the artist... he thinks it was Mike, but can't be positive.  But it is 20 years old, and the colors are still very strong.  He's never had a touch-up done, and he was a surfer all through the 1990's and into 2000's, so you know it was exposed to quite a bit of sun. 

His (late) dad had a parrot tattooed on his leg because he loved Jimmy Buffet.  After his dad (Tommy Sr.) had that one done, my Tom (Tommy Jr), drew a picture that had a background of the beach (for his love of surfing) with the parrot in front of it.  The artist told him it would look better without the background, so he went with the parrot only, and did a great job!

Westside Tattoo is currently located at:  (904) 783-3233, 622 Cassat Ave, #9, Jacksonville, FL 32205.

Tattoo Billy's, Jacksonville FL

Tattoo Billy's

This was a tattoo done at Tattoo Billy's in Jacksonville, FL in December 2005 on my husband, Tom.  He doesn't remember the name of the tattoo artist, but the same person did a tattoo on his sister (picture to be added later).  He talked Tom into the coloring of the star and the upper right side as a "silver" because white is just not possible.  The artist screwed up both tats... my hubby's as well as his sister's.  On his, the biggest issues are fading, the lines not being well-drawn, and the color choices.  On his sister's, the guy actually put the wrong dates, after we told him numerous times what the dates were... and even wrote them down, if I remember correctly.  Hubby wouldn't let him do the lettering on his banner due to the screw-up on his sister's.

Don't know if that artist still works there, as we can't even remember his name... if I find it (we had his card at one point), I'll do a "buyer beware" post for that guy.  Awful work. 

Angel's work... 19 years later... Dago's, Houston, Texas

As I mentioned before, my first (and currently only) tattoo was done at Dago's (northside of Houston, TX) about 19 years ago.  Angel did the tat, after I'd watched her do some AMAZING work on my ex-husband.  Keep in mind that this body is definitely NOT the same as it was at 18...LOL.  So, there's been some stretching, but the color is still deep (even the red), and I've never had a bit of trouble with it!!!  I haven't been there in years, so I really can't review the shop currently, and things were definitely different in the early '90s, but I can say that it was clean, never gave me a bit of trouble, and again... can't say it enough, Angel's work was EXCELLENT!

I haven't re-touched any of the tat itself, just the area surrounding it.  :)

I do know that Dago did some really excellent work himself, back then, too.  Don't remember any of the other tattoo artists there. 

Dago's is listed as being at:  (713) 692-7404, 5131 North Fwy, Houston, TX.

Tattoos... a personal statement

To me, tattoos are a personal statement.  Some people may get one in memory of a loved one who's passed, some get them to commemorate a birth of a child, a favored pet, a favorite rock band, or just a personal statement about who they are.

To date, I only have one.  It's a rather large tattoo, on my left hip, of a black panther.  I loved the grace and muscle of this animal.  Although I was barely 18 when I got it, I did realize that I was permanently marking my body, and in doing so, I needed to be sure that it was something that I would later not regret.  The panther did it for me.  It's larger than it once was (LOL... as am I), but it's still something that I'm not ashamed to show.

I've wanted other tattoos.  I don't want to be covered in them, I'm not personally interested in having "sleeves", but I'd like to have several small, tasteful tattoos that make a statement about who I am.  Hopefully in time, I will.  For the last several years, I've been enthralled by fairies.  That's what I want next, a reminder of days gone by, of times both mythical and mysterious.  I've asked my husband to design something for me... but as our lives are so busy (way busier than I have time to explain in this blog), it just hasn't happened.  I'll have to bump that up my priority list, and see if I can get him to draw a few things for me.  Maybe I'll let you vote on my next tattoo, out of my favorite designs!  :)

'Til next time, then.  Kim will be out and about this week, visiting local tattoo shops, visiting with the artists and the customers, and seeing if I can decide on my next artist.  If you see me, be sure and tell me hello!

About Us

We're a husband and wife writer/photographer/artist team who love tattoos...  In looking for a tattoo artist in South Texas, we recognized that without traveling to their shop, seeing people that they'd designed tattoos for, and actually viewing their work, it would be difficult to decide whose shops we wanted to go to for our own next tattoos.  My husband is an artist, I'm a writer and photographer, so we decided that we'd start a blog.  In it, we'll be reviewing the artwork of tattoo artists (starting with our local area, Victoria TX and surrounding counties), documenting some of their work in words, photography, and video.  We'll give you, our viewers, our honest opinions.  We'd love to hear from the community of artists, tattoo enthusiasts, and others, so feel free to comment on your experiences, your own work, and more... Maybe we'll schedule a visit to your favorite shop next!!  Be sure to let us know what you like, what you don't like, and your experiences, good and bad.  We may interview you for a story, document your tattoos with photos, and make recommendations for your next tattoo (if you need them, or you can recommend your artist to us!).  Have fun, stay safe, and enjoy being inked, scratched, painted, or whatever your favorite term is!!!