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Hello from Cincinnati, OH

BAM773

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BAM773 Initiated

BAM773

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Hello all,

My name is Dave and I am an IT analyst in Cincinnati, OH. I am a married father of two boys. I am into photography and motorcycles, and have a deep appreciation for the artistry behind tattoos and tattooing.

I am a few months shy of my 40th birthday. I got a very small tattoo on my right shoulder blade when I was 18 years old and for years have wanted to go big. I am in a secure job, everything is nice and boring and I am ready for a change. I am in the early stages of planning full sleeves for both arms. I'd love to hear any advice you have. I'm guessing "don't do it!" won't be the sort of thing I'll have to listen to around here. :-)

It looks like the gallery is extensive, I am very excited to start looking through all of the great tattoos represented there.

Dave

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reverend1 Contributor

reverend1

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@BAM773

What kind of tattoos do you like? If you are from Cinci, I recommend contacting Kore Flatmo at PluraBella. I am currently being tattooed by him, as are four or five people on these boards. He does incredible work and you NEED to be tattooed by him.

Very much this.

Add Brenda Flatmo and Mason Williams to the list of great tattooers in Cincinnati

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Brock Varty Champion

Brock Varty

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Very much this.

Add Brenda Flatmo and Mason Williams to the list of great tattooers in Cincinnati

Add in Mike Dorsey and you got a good list to select from. @BAM773 They all work out of PluraBella and all do incredible work. To top it off, they are all amazing people. They are sincere, honest, and funny as hell. PluraBella is a magical place and I highly suggest you check it out. If you do e-mail or call, the wonderful Kim will be the one you talk to. She is an absolute darling!

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reverend1

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Add in Mike Dorsey and you got a good list to select from. @BAM773 They all work out of PluraBella and all do incredible work. To top it off, they are all amazing people. They are sincere, honest, and funny as hell. PluraBella is a magical place and I highly suggest you check it out. If you do e-mail or call, the wonderful Kim will be the one you talk to. She is an absolute darling!

Thanks, I couldnt remember Mike's last name.

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BAM773 Initiated

BAM773

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I haven't been in contact with Kore as of yet, but I have spent a lot of time on both his and his wife's gallery pages. Very impressive work and I plan to contact him to see if I can meet with him to discuss some ideas.

I really like big traditional japanese tattoos and black and grey. I am leaning toward the former for my first sleeve. Some color, but not so bright as to scream at passers-by :-).

My other arm will be darker, a brooding owl, maybe a clock or compass, grim reaper, maybe something that leans a little celtic. Haven't worked that one out much yet.

To me the hardest part is organizing the chaos of all of the ideas that pop up when I think about it and I'm hoping that the artist I choose can help me organize it into something that works.

I really appreciate the replies, and I will look into all of the recommendations you have given.

- - - Updated - - -

I had heard from a few folks locally that Plurabella can be a tough studio to get into, any experience with this? I have no problem waiting, just curious as to what I might expect.

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reverend1 Contributor

reverend1

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I haven't been in contact with Kore as of yet, but I have spent a lot of time on both his and his wife's gallery pages. Very impressive work and I plan to contact him to see if I can meet with him to discuss some ideas.

I really like big traditional japanese tattoos and black and grey. I am leaning toward the former for my first sleeve. Some color, but not so bright as to scream at passers-by :-).

My other arm will be darker, a brooding owl, maybe a clock or compass, grim reaper, maybe something that leans a little celtic. Haven't worked that one out much yet.

To me the hardest part is organizing the chaos of all of the ideas that pop up when I think about it and I'm hoping that the artist I choose can help me organize it into something that works.

I really appreciate the replies, and I will look into all of the recommendations you have given.

- - - Updated - - -

I had heard from a few folks locally that Plurabella can be a tough studio to get into, any experience with this? I have no problem waiting, just curious as to what I might expect.

Very easy to get into. I sent an email, Kim responded the same day and we were off and running.

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Brock Varty Champion

Brock Varty

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I haven't been in contact with Kore as of yet, but I have spent a lot of time on both his and his wife's gallery pages. Very impressive work and I plan to contact him to see if I can meet with him to discuss some ideas.

I really like big traditional japanese tattoos and black and grey. I am leaning toward the former for my first sleeve. Some color, but not so bright as to scream at passers-by :-).

My other arm will be darker, a brooding owl, maybe a clock or compass, grim reaper, maybe something that leans a little celtic. Haven't worked that one out much yet.

To me the hardest part is organizing the chaos of all of the ideas that pop up when I think about it and I'm hoping that the artist I choose can help me organize it into something that works.

I really appreciate the replies, and I will look into all of the recommendations you have given.

- - - Updated - - -

I had heard from a few folks locally that Plurabella can be a tough studio to get into, any experience with this? I have no problem waiting, just curious as to what I might expect.

If you have ideas...just stop there. Let Kore know what you are thinking and he will do the rest. That is how you get the best possible tattoo.

PluraBella isn't a "tattoo shop". It is a private studio and as such, there is not the option to just walk in and ask questions. You will have to set up an appointment to consult and go voer things if you go with Kore or Brenda. I can't speak for Mike or Mason, but I believe that you would have to contact both of them via email. I know Mike doesn't have a website so...

From the time I first contacted PluraBella to the time of my first consult with Kore it was about 2 months. It was another 5 after that before the first time I got tattooed. Kore doesn't keep a running list to work from. He books out about six months and works through that. He books existing clients out as far as they want but trys to keep new clients in a six month loop.

Edit: As @reverend1 said, it is very easy to get in touch and set things up. The only difficult part is waiting for a bit if you go with Kore. Brenda is booked out slightly less.

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reverend1

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I contacted them in July and my first appointment was on Oct 26. It was harder for me to get in because we had to find times that Kore and Brenda both had openings. My wife was getting tattooed by Brenda at the same time. I just finished my first project with him last week and I'm already heading back in April to start the next one.

If you like what Kore does, I would not miss a chance to work with him. As great as he is as a tattooer, he's even a better person. You will know what I mean when you meet him. BTW there is an interview with him here on the site if you want to get an idea what he is all about.

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BAM773 Initiated

BAM773

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All,

Got an email back from Kim @ Plurabella yesterday explaining the process. Very helpful and informative. Here is the email (might be useful info for anyone else interested in being tattooed by Kore.

Hello Dave,

My name is Kim and I work with Kore at PluraBella in Cincinnati. Thanks for your interest in the studio and for taking the time to write. I'll gladly share the appointment process and information with you for your consideration. If you have any questions, please let me know.

As you may know, PluraBella is a small, private custom studio where all work is scheduled by appointment and in advance. Since Kore stays booked at least a few months at a time, we like to cultivate a few materials via email for review. When Kore feels that he can do a project well, we then work to set up a consultation.

For your consideration, Kore's hourly rate is $200 here in Ohio and $250 in Los Angeles and abroad. For some projects, he may opt to charge by the piece or by the session but either way, all tattoo work is payable by cash. We do have session minimums here as well, so each appointment is no less than two hours. We can also book a full day session, which is around 5-6 hours. Either way, Kore is a quick and proficient artist who aims to accomplish as much as possible in a session while deferring to what's safe and achievable for each client.

Kore is currently booked until July here in Ohio, but he is always working from a waiting list and considering new projects. While a few months or more is the current wait time, sometimes the schedule may be shifted to allow new projects to begin sooner.

If you're interested in working toward setting up a consultation, it would be great if you could provide the following materials:

Personal Information:

- First Name/ Last Name

- Location

- Phone Contact Information

Please also explain what you would like to have tattooed; what subject matter you're interested in, where you would like to have the work placed, if you're interested in black and gray or color, and how large you would like the work to be. When applicable, please include any information about existing work in the area- any cover ups that need to be addressed, any work that needs to be incorporated into the new design, etc.

Kore also likes to collect a low resolution image of the area to be tattooed. If he feels that he can do the piece well, he'll use that image to consider and create a composition that's custom fit for you.

Once those materials are received, Kore will review them and share his best advice with you about what's achievable within his skill set, within the medium of tattooing and within the space that you'd like to have tattooed. If you'd like to continue with the tattoo process from there, we'll schedule a time for you to consult with him by phone, or in person- whichever is most convenient. The two of you will use that time to hone in on the best direction for the work. After the consultation, we'll collect a non-refundable $200 drawing fee and integrate your project into Kore's drawing queue. We can also hone in on a start date at that time.

About 95% of Kore's client base travels in from all over the world, so if you'd like to have some travel information to consider, please let me know and I'll send that along as well.

The next project review period for Kore is in mid-March, so if you'd like to send in your materials now, that will be great.

We look forward to hearing from you soon.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Kind regards,

Kim

I am checking out a couple more shops this weekend and will follow up with Kim. I am also going to look into the other artists that work out of the shop (Kore is understandably expensive) to see if the wait is shorter and the price a bit lower. As much as I'd like to have Kore do a sleeve for me, he may be out of my price range for the time being.

I am going to check out Mother's Tattoo in Covington and White Crane in Sharonville this weekend and early next week.

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Brock Varty Champion

Brock Varty

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All,

Got an email back from Kim @ Plurabella yesterday explaining the process. Very helpful and informative. Here is the email (might be useful info for anyone else interested in being tattooed by Kore.

Hello Dave,

My name is Kim and I work with Kore at PluraBella in Cincinnati. Thanks for your interest in the studio and for taking the time to write. I'll gladly share the appointment process and information with you for your consideration. If you have any questions, please let me know.

As you may know, PluraBella is a small, private custom studio where all work is scheduled by appointment and in advance. Since Kore stays booked at least a few months at a time, we like to cultivate a few materials via email for review. When Kore feels that he can do a project well, we then work to set up a consultation.

For your consideration, Kore's hourly rate is $200 here in Ohio and $250 in Los Angeles and abroad. For some projects, he may opt to charge by the piece or by the session but either way, all tattoo work is payable by cash. We do have session minimums here as well, so each appointment is no less than two hours. We can also book a full day session, which is around 5-6 hours. Either way, Kore is a quick and proficient artist who aims to accomplish as much as possible in a session while deferring to what's safe and achievable for each client.

Kore is currently booked until July here in Ohio, but he is always working from a waiting list and considering new projects. While a few months or more is the current wait time, sometimes the schedule may be shifted to allow new projects to begin sooner.

If you're interested in working toward setting up a consultation, it would be great if you could provide the following materials:

Personal Information:

- First Name/ Last Name

- Location

- Phone Contact Information

Please also explain what you would like to have tattooed; what subject matter you're interested in, where you would like to have the work placed, if you're interested in black and gray or color, and how large you would like the work to be. When applicable, please include any information about existing work in the area- any cover ups that need to be addressed, any work that needs to be incorporated into the new design, etc.

Kore also likes to collect a low resolution image of the area to be tattooed. If he feels that he can do the piece well, he'll use that image to consider and create a composition that's custom fit for you.

Once those materials are received, Kore will review them and share his best advice with you about what's achievable within his skill set, within the medium of tattooing and within the space that you'd like to have tattooed. If you'd like to continue with the tattoo process from there, we'll schedule a time for you to consult with him by phone, or in person- whichever is most convenient. The two of you will use that time to hone in on the best direction for the work. After the consultation, we'll collect a non-refundable $200 drawing fee and integrate your project into Kore's drawing queue. We can also hone in on a start date at that time.

About 95% of Kore's client base travels in from all over the world, so if you'd like to have some travel information to consider, please let me know and I'll send that along as well.

The next project review period for Kore is in mid-March, so if you'd like to send in your materials now, that will be great.

We look forward to hearing from you soon.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Kind regards,

Kim

I am checking out a couple more shops this weekend and will follow up with Kim. I am also going to look into the other artists that work out of the shop (Kore is understandably expensive) to see if the wait is shorter and the price a bit lower. As much as I'd like to have Kore do a sleeve for me, he may be out of my price range for the time being.

I am going to check out Mother's Tattoo in Covington and White Crane in Sharonville this weekend and early next week.

Check out Brenda. She does awesome work and is booked a little less further out. I think her hourly rate is $150/hour.

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David Flores Hero

David Flores

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Don't want to bust balls here but should we really be making tattooers rates public? If they have it on their websites, that's one thing and even then I wouldn't talk about it here, but things said in private communication should be kept private.

Sharing information about general pricing rates as written by tattooer probably okay, but speculating about what others might charge or steering the conversation towards trying to find someone cheaper (even someone is own shop) probably not the way threads should go. I wouldn't discuss price, but since it's out there, Kore is fast, you probably still get more tattoo for your buck, even if his rate is higher you might end up with less time in chair to get the tattoo done and a better looking tattoo than some other places that charge less, especially if waiting is not the issue.

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BAM773 Initiated

BAM773

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Fabulous. I remember seeing that some time back. One of my favorite crows/ravens.

Guess we'd better stop derailing this introduction. Apologies to @BAM773.

No worries at all, I want to see a pic now too :-)

- - - Updated - - -

Don't want to bust balls here but should we really be making tattooers rates public? If they have it on their websites, that's one thing and even then I wouldn't talk about it here, but things said in private communication should be kept private.

Apologies if i overstepped, I'm new to the process. I will happily edit my post to remove prices if everyone thinks that would be best.

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