Greetings from a late bloomer

[staceyearley]

Hello all, I'm Stacey Earley, currently residing in Lexington, KY (where I grew up) after 20 years in Chicago. I didn't pay any attention to tattooing until I was almost 40 and started playing roller derby: the first one to impress me was a Kim Saigh goddess on the arm of fellow player "Varla Vendetta." Started researching them soon after that and fell in love.

My first tattoo was my derby league logo, inked in a street shop in Austin TX after we lost big at the national tournament. After that I decided to go big. I have a 3/4 sleeve, a huge "belt," and another smaller pec piece by the AMAZING Jason Vaughn (Deluxe, Chicago), an arm piece by Mario Desa, and other work by Robert Alleyne and Rachael Head here in Lexington, and am currently (slowly) getting a full backpiece from Jason Armstrong (I traded a vintage fiddle for this one!).

I have been a book illustrator and painter (among other artforms), and eventually I will be a tattooer. I moved from Chicago (and a corporate job) to Lexington to shadow in the best (custom) shop in town. After six months they restructured and didn't have room for me to hang around cleaning tubes, but I learned tons about composition and history and best practices and ethics, and did a couple of little pieces (that sucked). The ethics they taught me keeps me from scratching in my living room, but I have been mutilating my own thighs just to get a daily feel for holding the machines and pulling a consistent line. I figure by the time I'm 50 I'll be the oldest new artist in the biz.

Waiting for the "next step" and drawing my ass off, currently. Thanks for all the info here, especially the interviews.

[Colored Guy]

Welcome and you sound like you're doing it right. Art is so key to the whole tattooing trade, the artists that have the designs come straight out of their head are the best. I had a short fling tattooing years ago, I liked it but the shop I was with closed up and I went out and got a day job. My art skills aren't good enough to fathom doing it again full time. I was good with doing stencil work off the wall, I know my limitations.

I'm now 57, got back into being inked in 2005 after a 22 year break. Between 2008 and now, I've spent 27 or so hours in the chair.

CG

[staceyearley]

One of the nice things about getting tattooed after age 40 is they don't have far to fall--they'll still look good when we're 70!

S

[Colored Guy]

One of the nice things about getting tattooed after age 40 is they don't have far to fall--they'll still look good when we're 70!

S

I had a lot of older work freshened up and expanded on.. looks mint now. I had 2 real old tats covered up too with new ink, again they look great. I figure I may need a touch up by the time I hit 70. If you use a sunblock, they should last a lot longer. My old work was totally sun-blasted.

CG

[SStu]

Welcome!

Did you happen to get to work or visit with Nate Beavers before he went back to Houston?

[staceyearley]

Welcome!

Did you happen to get to work or visit with Nate Beavers before he went back to Houston?

Sure didn't. I didn't even know he worked out of Lexington. Not really into his style but he's sure badass at what he does.