Color Portrait by Natan

Every so often we get a client that has a heartbreaking story behind their tattoo idea. It’s flattering when anyone chooses us to put something so permanent on their body, but especially so when it is an image that they hold dear. Natan did a wonderful job on this portrait, and the client loved it. Forgive us for not sharing the story with you, but some things aren’t ours to tell. Let’s just say that there’s a lot of love in this.

Some Black and Grey by Natan

I know it seems like we’ve been blogging about everyone but Natan these days. This does not mean that he’s been tattooing less — in fact, he’s busier than ever as of late. Quite a few of his recent pieces are larger and spanning multiple sessions, so we can’t share those with you yet, but trust us when we say they’re worth the wait. His “smaller” pieces are coming out beautifully as well, and we’re excited to share these two with you today.

The first is an eagle on an extremely tough guy’s ribcage/side. He sat for hours without complaint, and then was kind enough to pay Natan a visit so he could take photos after the tattoo had healed a bit.

Second is a portrait of a lovely young lady, done on her father. Now that’s parental pride right there. She didn’t know this was being done, and we wish we could be there to witness her reaction!

Natan has very limited appointments available between now and the end of October, but we are always more than happy to set up a consult for you to get your next piece started as soon as possible! Give us a call any time: 978.744.9393

Molly and the Tribal Coverup

Any tattooer that knows what they’re doing can tell you that coverups can be tricky things. It truly takes skill to execute a coverup piece that looks good — and not completely obvious.

There are many great things about this piece done by Molly. Including this (words straight from Molly’s fingertips): “This is a cover up of a very large, thick, tribal arm band on Adam’s forearm. The top part is all healed and the lower half is fresher.”

And here is a shot of the healed shoulder, without the (pesky yet occasionally unavoidable) glare:

Where the Wild Things Are

There is no doubt that Where the Wild Things Are is one of the most classic children’s books. According to author and illustrator of the book, Maurice Sendak, it was at first banned in libraries and received negative reviews. Since then it has received high critical acclaim, and was even made into a live-action film directed by Spike Jonze in 2009.

The book’s latest adaptation was taken on by Steve, and a very lucky lady walked out of our shop last night wearing this on her arm.

Drawing Time!

When the artists at Witch City aren’t busy tattooing, they’re often drawing. And they churn out some great stuff. Here are a couple of recent bits.

Steve has started two paintings in the last two days. He’s pretty excited about them, and we enjoy getting to see the progress.

We stole this next one from Molly’s Facebook page. She also says, “I like doing flower tattoos, I can do them all day. My heart really lies with Mythological creatures though, get some Mythological creatures people! We can put some flowers in it too.” Sounds like a good argument to me!

Molly at the BTC

If you stopped by the shop last weekend, you may have noticed that we were closed, which is a rarity! We had a good excuse though – we were hard at work over at the Boston Tattoo Convention.

But this post isn’t about ALL of us. This post is specifically about Molly.

Let us explain. There are a couple of little known facts about Molly:
-She enjoys doing Japanese pieces.
-Not only does she enjoy them, but she’s really, really good at them.
-She is a machine.

No kidding. She sat for ten hours at the BTC working on this cherry blossom leg sleeve. Take a moment to read that again. Ten hours. That is one brutal lady.

The above photograph only shows a fraction of how gorgeous the piece was – we hope to snag another one to show you soon. High-fives to her and the woman able to sit still for that long! And here’s some more that Molly did at the convention:


We know, this post has probably left you itching for a new tattoo. Don’t worry, we’re here for you – stop in or give us a call! 978.744.9393

Natan Won Best Backpiece at NH Convention!

While Natan was busy working away at the Manchester, New Hampshire Live Free or Die Tattoo Convention this last weekend, he happened to win the first place trophy for best backpiece! After working through many sessions, Natan recently finished up this massive phoenix piece on shop buddy, Mike Carlin:

1st Place Men's Backpiece- Live Free or Die Tattoo Convention

Mike was nice enough to make it out the show in order to enter the contests and was rewarded for his efforts with a shiny new plaque.

Natan is booking about a month out for large, custom work, but does have scattered availabilities for consults. Make sure to call or email to start planning your custom piece with him today!

_witch city ink
witchcityink@gmail.com
978 744 9393

Tattoo Artist Wanted in Busy Shops

If you are an experienced, well- referenced, and inspired tattoo artist looking for an atmosphere of like minded artist located within a warm community, please contact us.

We are primarily a custom shop, but we do try to accommodate walk-ins and flash requests, as well. Our ideal artists will have 5+ years of experience in a reputable shop and is looking to be part of a close knit, loyal, and professional team.

Email your portfolio and references to Nathanlin@mac.com

Tattoo Artists and Piercers Wanted for Busy Shops in Saugus and Salem.

Lightwave Tattoos and Witch City Ink have openings for talented professional rtists. Our company is looking for artists with great customer service skills and dedication to their art. Candidates should have solid references as well as a polished portfolio of excellent work.
We are primarily custom shops, but we do try to accommodate walk-ins and flash requests as well. Our ideal artists will have 5+ years of experience in a reputable shop and should be looking to be part of a dedicated and professional team. Our shops are Art focused,no gimmicks. We don’t sell pipes and novelty’s or rely on other gimmicks. We are not flash factories owned by non tattoo artists. This is the real deal and you should be too. Our company produces the annual Boston Tattoo Convention and travels regularly for shows and guest spots. Ready to take your work to the next level? Send us your portfolio!

Salary is commission based and we offer 1099 or W2 options.

For more information contact natan@witchcityink.com or call the shop at 978-744-9393

New Work by Natan: Bats, Cars, Birds

With the summer months upon us, we’ve seen an influx of interesting projects coming our way. At a custom shop, it’s always rewarding to be approached with a piece that is not only technically feasible, but artistically challenging and engaging. Natan’s been hard at work on a number of such pieces, including the following:

Bats!

Although Natan is generally only working on larger tattoos, he often revels in whipping out fully-realized and highly-rendered one-sitting pieces. These bats he completed on a local barista find a delicate balance between Tibetan-inspired flourishes of line-work and a vivid, painterly color-theory.

Car (In Progress)

We seem to have had a number of vintage custom car fanatics down at the shop lately, such as this woman, who began this tattoo rendition of her car the other week. Old vintage cars always shine as tattoos, with broad flowing lines and bold blocks of color and Natan served justice to this one with elegance.

Foo Dog (In Progress)

Known for his strong and colorful style, Natan is commonly commissioned for large Japanese work, such as this foo dog half-sleeve. This recently completed second session saw the introduction of a dynamic and complex color-theory to the solid foundation of line-work already in place. Keep a look-out for more pictures of this piece in the upcoming weeks!

Phoenix

After many sessions and much hard work, Natan completed this full back-piece on local shop-friend, Mike. An on-going project for quite some time now, both Mike and Natan were proud to finally get in the last bits of color and wrap up this piece. When people ask Mike how many tattoos he has he says one…

Natan is available for appointments at Witch City Ink Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays and over at Lightwave Tattoos (Route 1, Saugus) on Thursdays and Fridays. Send us an email, give us a call, or just stop on by the shop to start planning for your custom tattoo with Natan today

_witch city ink
186-3 Essex St.
Salem, MA 01970
witchcityink@gmail.com
978 744 9393

New Work by Natan

Natan recently discovered a cache of photos on a thumb drive, including this cosmic flowers backpiece from a couple of years back. Highly indicative of Natan’s bold and colorful style, this piece encompasses many spiritual symbols important to the wearer.

detail

cosmic flowers

As always, give us a ring or send us an email to book out a free consult with Natan for your own custom tattoo!
_witch city ink
witchcityink@gmail.com
978 744 9393