chrismoniz

i'll have to try it from a computer when i get to calgary. my i pad wont use the forums upload. i feel so analog!

hey wedge... what you choose for additional subject matter is your call... however, because your existing tattoo has a crest kind of feel to it, might i suggest that you use shaded filigree in the background that could flow with your arm? just a thought....

darn i was hoping there would be a list of most influencial tattoo artists on here! haha!

i downloaded the one that i thought was the best one of his works. i just dont know how to get it on here. it looks like this site only takes images that exist elsewhere on the net. i can send it to someone to post for me?

yep i suck at posts and facebook maintenance! sorry folks.. i appreciate the help and just wantedto share my disbelief! :)

i dont know how to post pics from facebook to here. i do feel compelled to share my morning story though. on facebook this guy i used to know when i was just a kid comments on one of my photos.. he asks to sit in on tattoo session so that he can compare what im doing to his own tattoo ability. hehehe ... ya ... right. seriously.. you have to read the comments made back and forth from him and i!!! find me on facebook ( chris moniz ) go to my photos, click on "todays tattoo work" look for a picture of a tiger that has only been outlined.. then view the comments! its worth your while i swear! the guy hit upon almost every excuse for his shortcomings as a tattooer!

... to whoever categorized my tattoo pictures for me! more to come when i get around to it.

i come in and out of here when i can :) right now i cant get to sleep! i live and work just outside of toronto in markham. i have my own little shop where i tattoo and my wife makes teas. its not a street shop, its not on the main drag, there is no flash on the walls to choose from, i only work by hour and never give quotes, my shop walls are not blood red, there is no front counter with staff stuck on a computer and i rarely take walk-ins. i do things my own way by taking out what i or my clients have found stressful in past tattoo experiences and created a tattoo environment that is much more relaxed! at least i think so ;) i have a beautiful daughter that turns 5 in a couple of months. she sharpens pencils for 5 dollars and hands out business cards whenever shes in the store. ive had this shop for 2 years, tattooing for 17... my family and i love camping. 2 weeks away from the city, just us, reminds us of what is real and what really matters in life. family is the most important thing. family made me a better man. :)

Chris Moniz will be tattooing in Calgary, Alberta from July 20th to 25th. Dan Marshall is handling bookings. He can be contacted at Heroes and villains tattoo and piercings where Mo is doing his 5 day stint! Heroes & Villains Tattoo & Piercings 1112 4 St SW, Calgary, AB T2R 0X6 403-984-3232

ami is from new york

a guitar as a weapon? was that "honky tonk man" wrestling inspired? just to think i was going to put an acoustic up on the shop wall for bored moral support to use! well... still going to anyway!

by the looks of him in this pic, gibson would make out to be one helluva "tatty wizzard" hehehehe! (bad cross-threaded joke)

the world really would go to crap if we could all copyright what we put on other human beings. that would be like ownership of part of another human! was or wasn't mr. tyson asked if HIS tattoo can be replicated for the film? i dont feel that the tattooer should be able to claim a right to the tattoo. if such was the case, walt disney would be able to put a lot of tattoers into bankruptcy!

i get bothered when people ask for koi fish... is it really necessary to say fish twice? its just a koi!

i totally agree.. your portfolio can be more than just a tattoo portfolio.. there are no rules.. why not have an art portfolio out there instead? clean lines clear work win clients over but that doesnt have to be your entire book. if you are at a loss of direction with art, here's the best advice i ever recieved... keep everything you do in art. to find out where you are going, compare where you are to what you did 3 years ago. evaluating your progression can help your direction.

at 21 i was in art school working my way towards being an animation student. i figured if i couldnt make it in animation, id make it in comic books. i had no interest in tattoos whatsoever. myself and a friend were driving around bored, he suggested getting tattoos. i went along and got one. while hanging around the shop my friend told me i could probably tattoo better than the guy doing ours! so i asked the tattooer how i could learn. after seeing my art he took me on as his student. so ya.. right place and time? couldnt get an apprenticeship that easy these days! so tattooing just fell on my lap. i went into tattoos both feet in.. i still think of maybe getting something published in a comic book magazine one day.

i got a client who is just a naturally clammy dude... every tattoo hes got, doesnt matter who did it, is raised! on really humid and hot days my left wrist gets raised and really itchy in small areas. its all a part of getting tattooed. pigment is not supposed to be trapped in your skin. so there has to be a certain level of acceptability.

as an idea, the concept is good... as an artist, i think i would prefer to work from the original picture. the original picture would have more read-ability. i would suggest bringing the original to your artist as well.