hardest artist to book

[chrome]

I think he's more accessable than people think if they put serious effort into contacting him. but that would only be the case if you were serious about getting tattooed by him.

i read an article on mike giant and how he quit tattoo so that he can pay more attention to his clothing cause he could make way more money doing the clothing. i have no problem with artist making money but when a guy talks like that he loses all respect from me.

i might be talking out of my ass but i've seen his tattoos. i don't think he does the kind of work where other people can't do. i've seen works from roper, shige, pacheco, moore and some of their shit i don't think people can copy and if they do it's done poorly but mike giant, come on. plus, $300 dollars per hour. i know his rate is his rate and if people are willing to pay more power to them but mike giant for $300, get the fuck out of here. i think my anger comes more from his article. doesn't sound like he truly loved tattooing.

[RoryQ]

Just regarding Shige - My girlfriend began trying to book a piece by him in February of this year (she sent a Japanese language e-mail). She followed up with a phone call to the studio three weeks later, and - bingo... consultation organised for September (when we are over there anyway). The impression she got was that, as some posters have described in relation to other 'hard to book' tattooists, if you are serious and can follow through and travel then he will probably try to do something for you.

[mario desa]

i've hung out with mike before, am a fan of his graffiti and drawings, have nothing against the guy, but...his tattoos are awful. his style doesn't translate well to the body at all and he has no real concept of tattoo design and it seems no intention of learning how to correctly design tattoos and execute them well. it seems that the main reason people want tattoos from him is they are fans of his other artwork. you're better off buying a print or drawing i think.

i also read that interview where he says flat-out that the clothing label pays him more so he quit tattooing. pretty fucking lame. but, to each their own. we all pay our own bills in the end.

[chrome]

i love how one thread leads into something completely different, having said that...i know this place isn't here to talk smack about other artist and such and i'm not here to shit on mike giant but...in the same interview he talks about how he hates drawing other people ideas and hate having to deal with blood. isn't that like a professional basketball player saying he's tired of jumping? drawing other people's idea and dealing with blood isn't something new to this business. it's something u know about from day one. it is a requirement!! people who don't like dealing with stoves and oven don't become chefs and bitch about it.

one more thing, the interviewer puts giant in the same sentence as pacheco and roper. what's up with that??? seriously?

[sboyer]

his style doesn't translate well to the body at all and he has no real concept of tattoo design and it seems no intention of learning how to correctly design tattoos and execute them well. it seems that the main reason people want tattoos from him is they are fans of his other artwork. you're better off buying a print or drawing i think.

i also read that interview where he says flat-out that the clothing label pays him more so he quit tattooing.

hit the nail on the head.

[irezumi]

i read an article on mike giant and how he quit tattoo so that he can pay more attention to his clothing cause he could make way more money doing the clothing. i have no problem with artist making money but when a guy talks like that he loses all respect from me.

i might be talking out of my ass but i've seen his tattoos. i don't think he does the kind of work where other people can't do. i've seen works from roper, shige, pacheco, moore and some of their shit i don't think people can copy and if they do it's done poorly but mike giant, come on. plus, $300 dollars per hour. i know his rate is his rate and if people are willing to pay more power to them but mike giant for $300, get the fuck out of here. i think my anger comes more from his article. doesn't sound like he truly loved tattooing.

I wasnt talking about Giant.

[irezumi]

i've hung out with mike before, am a fan of his graffiti and drawings, have nothing against the guy, but...his tattoos are awful. his style doesn't translate well to the body at all and he has no real concept of tattoo design and it seems no intention of learning how to correctly design tattoos and execute them well. it seems that the main reason people want tattoos from him is they are fans of his other artwork. you're better off buying a print or drawing i think.

I said the same thing in a thread on a graff forum and got completely flamed for it because some people caught feelings.

[Tim Burke]

I sound like a crazy fan girl, don't I?

Ha, not really. I know at least a handful of people (myself included) who operate a similar system.

I agree with the whole internet based misinformation thing. I guess with tattooing becoming more and more popular there's a big influx of people who are new to it all and can find it a bit daunting; it's easier to ask some random on a forum than to stumble in to a shop which can be a pretty intimidating environment.

Sorry for the off topicness...

[grbandog]

Electric Linda Attitude Tattoo in Moss,Norway is really hard to book, her work is exceptional....Although my favourite artist is Dirk Vanderlinden (Oslo Ink)..

Oh, and hi to all from Greece!

[Ursula]

the more awesome of a tattoo you want and more awesome of a person you are the quicker you'll get a tattoo in most cases!

but really a three year waiting list is a bit much, there's other people you could get tattooed by who are just as good or better

the longest i've ever waited was for Mike Wilson but it's usually only about 1-3 months depending on his travel schedule

[CultExciter]

I'm trying to set up an appointment with O'Donnell. He's not taking appointments at the moment apparently, but hopefully I can at least get something scheduled for the distant future.

[eisen777]

3 year wait list is just a filter. I actually need to wait between appointments otherwise I cant afford it because I travel. Traveling to NYC is like having every dollar extracted out of your bank account.

[CultExciter]

I'm hoping I can pull in a few of my connections to get bumped up a bit, but I don't mind the wait, it let's me save the money that is needed. The bus from Virginia and back isn't too bad, and if I can squeeze a cheap hotel room, I can stay a day.

[Avery Taylor]

I'm hoping I can pull in a few of my connections to get bumped up a bit, but I don't mind the wait, it let's me save the money that is needed. The bus from Virginia and back isn't too bad, and if I can squeeze a cheap hotel room, I can stay a day.

I think that Chris is changing up his style a little bit. At least that is what i gathered from his blog. If you are in Virginia you may want to contact him about getting tattooed there. I have never heard of him going back down there to tattoo (at least not in recent years), but he is from Richmond. It is a long shot for sure, but maybe worth a try.

[ShawnPorter]

I'm trying to set up an appointment with O'Donnell. He's not taking appointments at the moment apparently, but hopefully I can at least get something scheduled for the distant future.

Be Margaret Cho... I'm sure you'll get right in :D

That said... my appointment book is wide open right now if anyone want.... oh wait...

[Jack]

I'll only get a tattoo from you if you PROMISE you tell everyone you tattoo by interview and application process only.

[ShawnPorter]

Let me say for the record that I really dig Mr. O'Donnell and was just taking a shot as celebrity culture.

I follow Saved on Instagram and notice that they never really 'name' their customers, but when Cho came in they made sure to mention who it was on. That's just good business. Not judging, just using it as a chance to be sarcastic on the internet.

[CultExciter]

Yeah, I am not too keen on the celebrity culture of some of the New York shops lately. But whatever, they like getting tattoos as well. It's better than Kat Von D. That being said, you know, when Chris and Hoyer and a whole slew of guys were tattooing in Virginia, it was a little low key. A friend of mine has a walk-in half-sleeve from Chris, (not done in a day, however). We'll see how it goes, it's been a couple days since I have heard anything from Saved or Chris, gonna start getting on the horn again.

[Kev]

Let me say for the record that I really dig Mr. O'Donnell and was just taking a shot as celebrity culture.

I follow Saved on Instagram and notice that they never really 'name' their customers, but when Cho came in they made sure to mention who it was on. That's just good business. Not judging, just using it as a chance to be sarcastic on the internet.

Sounds like that kind of thing can blow up in your face: Margaret Cho Rightfully Loses Her Shit

[eisen777]

Im less than no one in the tattoo world and even less in the celebrity world. Yet going to saved a bunch of the past year or 2 plus and having good talks with Chris made it pretty easy to get an appointment. I did get in right before the new cut off, but still....nothing beats going to a shop and having interaction with the artists and getting along.

[CultExciter]

Yeah, I wish I didn't live 6 hours away. I'm going up next month to get tattooed by Steve Boltz. I should just stop by the shop.

[Kev]

To clarify my last post, I guess it blew up for Cho, but then again she got people on the internets talking about/ defending her.

I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess Chris Trevino and also Thomas Hooper. The common thread here seems to be artists that are known for large scale intricate work.

[CultExciter]

Yeah, I would agree with you Kevin (being my name is Kevin also, I have to agree).

[ShawnPorter]

Yeah, I would agree with you Kevin (being my name is Kevin also, I have to agree).

My name is Kevin (first name) and I disagree with both of you. Just in principal because you are both Kevins and I turned my back on the club.

[CultExciter]

If you used to be you never were. :)