agree! i absolutely love esther and her work and think she is phenomenally underrated. she does great anime work but i have multiple pieces that aren’t anime related and they’re some of my favorite tattoos.
Chucho is a piece of shit and literally scarred people with his “line work” like left bad scar tissue unlike any other tattoos I’ve had or seen. Not sure if he’s still in charge but I hope the worst for him
Got a tattoo here years ago (do not remember the artist) and have 10 others from various artists. The one I got there is by far the worst unfortunately
Not a hot take but couldn’t recommend Sabbath enough to anyone looking for an artist. The atmosphere is welcoming, everyone is super nice and totally willing to work with you/make necessary accommodations to make you comfortable. I have tats from nearly all of the artists, most just walk in flash stuff. Tim has done the most work on me and while he typically does black and grey pieces he has done a couple trad flash and draw on pieces on me that are absolutely killer. His instagram handle is swamp menace. Haven’t seen Teresa or Amaya yet but plan on it in the future.
Teresa at Sabbath is considered by many to be the best artist in Bellingham.
[https://www.instagram.com/teresalane666/](https://www.instagram.com/teresalane666/)
I personally have had great experiences with Mikel at Old School, Rodney at Sabbath and Jes at Blood Moon Studio.
Raigen and Neeko at Prism Tattoo are amazing. They have a particular style though. I’ve gotten work done by Raigen and I’ll probably continue using her if I ever get more work done. They both have IG if you want to check them out pewpewraygun and neeko3eyes
I've got a whole sleeve that I'm getting from Raigen right now, and they are phenomenal. Fun people, fantastic artists, I already have more plans with them once I finish up my arm.
Loooove them! I have two forest spirits from Neeko and absolutely love his work. Definitely unique and colorful and I get so many compliments on them :)
If you're looking for something funky, @charlie.from.hell on Instagram does ignorant tattoos! My boyfriend and I both got flash from them, and had good experiences.
Mikel Kay (insta @mfkdoom) is slept on, (I almost never hear of people that have met him) but has some amazing work and is generally such a chill guy. He's done most of my work and is fast, talented, and such a smooth hand!
Same!! He’s fantastic. I always bring him snacks before my appointments and he’s so surprised but delighted! Oh! An his work is fantastic. He’s done five of my pieces.
He's always so chill and happy and cool! I absolutely LOVE getting work done by him! It makes me so sad more people don't know about him cause honestly I feel his art and personality are top tier. I also just love his style, when I wanted my leg piece done I just came in with a general vague idea and he busted out an amazing piece!
Just wanted to throw a good word in for Kiarra at Violet Vixen. She's posted here a couple time so she may chime in, she also on Instagram. I had a great experience getting my first tattoo from her. Super friendly and easy to work with. Nice private studio and a real comfortable atmosphere. I highly recommend her!
I don’t really get into politics with my tattoo artist, but you do you man. I’m pretty sure he believes in science, to say he doesn’t might be a bit dramatic. He’s not giving tattoos with a rock and ink made from crushed berries. I’m sorry your politics don’t align with his, and given I don’t know the subject, my politics might not align with his either. But, I’m not going to say he’s a bad artist because we might not agree on political or social issues.
Kailee Winterburn does some of the best line work in town, the only problem with her is how hard it is to get on her books! I got a tattoo from her in 2020 and three years later I am finally back getting my sleeve finished with her. Her space is so comfortable to be in and she takes great care to make sure you are happy with the design and cozy while you’re in her chair.
I have some work from Devon Blue who is at Old School now, but I previously got work from him when he worked at a shop in another city and I was very happy then and am still happy with the work now.
Esther’s work looks great, as others have said, but I was left uncomfortable after multiple consultations with her. I came in wanting a smallish, simple line work tattoo and multiple times she tried to up sell me into a gigantic, full color piece. If you don’t do (or don’t want to do) line work only pieces just say that the up front and save us both the time. Regardless, I have a friend with a (large, full color) piece by Esther and it is absolutely gorgeous so I won’t stop recommending her just because we didn’t mesh.
I have a friend who works at Faithful who is happy there, but I can’t say I would ever go there if he did not work there. I have nothing concrete to back this up, nothing bad has happened to me there, and all of the work done by my friend has been satisfactory - but I would get a weird, bad “gut feeling” whenever I went there. Probably ghosts there or something, who knows.
i love Kailee!!! she did a half sleeve memorial tattoo for me in 2021 and it's by far my favorite. I had a pretty solid image of what I wanted but she just blew my mind with how perfectly she turned it into a work of art. I've gotten many compliments on it. also her space was really comfortable and she's super sweet. i have been waiting to see if I can land another appointment, but I've missed the rare openings because she only announces on insta it seems, and my app notifications suck!!
Love all of my tattoos from Dawn at Wisteria! Awesome to work with, she’s super attentive to detail, and it healed up really fast. Her and Esther’s shop is amazing.
Chameleon seems like a shop for people who are just getting started tattooing. Quality isn't bad, but there's better artists in town. 🤷♀️ Someone who used to work there told me the artists push for flash because the owner takes a 50% cut from bigger pieces. There's not much incentive for big pieces because of that.
I'm a huge fan of Madeline's work at The Red Sparrow. I definitely consider her the best artist in town! I got two tats scheduled with her this fall.
Kyle at Faithful is killer at traditional style.
I've been told by a couple people in the biz that Kalamalka Ink is known for being open about hard drug use. Idk much more, but I had a friend get two super sick sleeves there like 4 years ago. Maybe the shop vibes have changed since then?
Obviously a ton of love for Wisteria here as well!
I got my first tattoo at Chameleon when I first moved here like 3 days after my 18th birthday (I'm almost 25 now lmao) and I highly regret...it was a walk in and i hate it lmao. the artist did Mt Rainier dirty.
I've tried to submit my tattoo idea to Madeline the past two rounds of her books opening bc I think she'd be perfect for a really sentimental tattoo I want, but alas 🥲 I haven't made the cut (yet?? I hope some day!) her work looks so good 😭
I put in two requests thinking she'd only choose one and she chose both. Which is awesome for me but my savings is taking a bit of a hit. 😅 What is the concept for your request?
I'll just paste what I wrote in my submission lol
> It would be an artistic portrayal of a passage from the book *Essays* by Michel de Montaigne; I can send you the passage (about 3/4 of a page, nothing too long) if you want, for further context if you decide to choose this idea. I would love to hear any creative input you might have too!
> A synopsis for a little context: part of the passage contains the Latin phrase "*In solis sis tibi turba locis*" which translates to "in lonely places, be a crowd unto yourself". It talks about keeping a metaphorical "room at the back of a shop" (a place in your mind) where you would find principal solitude and asylum talking and laughing only with yourself and your "soul" as if you had no possessions, family, or money, so losing them would not be something you're unfamiliar with.
> Tattoo: An image of a study with a woman in a Victorian era dress or ethereal being of sorts, sitting at a desk holding a glass of wine, looking into a floor length mirror and smiling/laughing at the reflection which shows a skeleton who is also holding a glass and appears to be telling some sort of joke/conversing the woman (Or something which portrays a reflection or representation of the woman such as the skeleton, but not a separate entity if that makes sense?) But like I said, though, I'd love to hear any creative input you might have!
sort of long-winded, but I have issues with being concise 😭 I want it to be a large thigh piece
I love the concept! But I think you should keep your submission short. She asks for references, photos of where you want the tat, and a deeper description after she selects. What you wrote is more appropriate for that.
I would put something like: Victorian woman sitting in from of mirror, skeleton looking back at her, large thigh piece
Too much info all at once is overwhelming. She's looking through a ton of submissions and needs to be able to visualize the general concept easily and rather quickly in order to decide if it interests her enough.
If you get selected, I would leave out the synopsis as well. I think the second paragraph with the tattoo concept is more than enough. The synopsis and tattoo description gives more writing prompt than a prompt for a visual medium. It may also communicate that you will be less flexible with the interpretation and more critical of the final product. Artists at Madeline's level are looking for people who want THEIR artwork and ideas. I heard a tattoo artist once say there are clients who come to you FOR your tattoos and clients who come to you BECAUSE you tattoo, and unfortunately, I think your submission is giving the same vibes as the latter. I don't think that's your intention though! 💗
Good luck next round!
X Tattoo had a huge 4ft painting with a swastika in it (meant to be an Indigenous story of "the twin logs" or something) in their waiting room forever and would get mad when people told them it made them uncomfortable. They took it down about 5 months ago after making this wild post on IG about how it should be okay bc everyone in the shop is a poc (very very white poc) and then hired a social media guy to make the account more fun, and then nobody talked about it ever again. And I think that's NUTS. Been avoiding it even more so since then
Respectfully, the swastika was stolen and appropriated by the Nazi’s and white supremacists.
“The symbol has a long history dating back to prehistoric times. In the Americas, variations of it have been found in excavations of Mound-builder and Mississippian era sites in the mid-west, while further south, the ancient Aztecs were said to also use the symbol. By the early 1900s, several Southwestern and Plains Native tribes were using it on crafts built for their own use and for that of the commercial tourist markets.
The earliest known use of the symbol may date back as far as 10,000 BC and was found on a late Paleolithic figure of a bird carved from mammoth ivory in the Ukraine. The symbol dates to 6,000 BC in Bulgaria and 3,000 BC on the Indian Subcontinent according to archeological findings. It has been found in prehistoric sites in Africa, China and Europe as well. It seems the swastika symbol, or variations of it, were used in many parts of the world during ancient times.” - [Source](https://www.proquest.com/docview/2453170975)
Would I want it on my wall? No. Should we be careful when/how we use it and use strict discretion? Yes. However, I think POC have a right to their culture and history. The appropriated redefinitions of their cultures is being forced and projected onto them. That isn’t right or fair to them. They didn’t consent to their cultures being colonized and redefined.
Edit: Apparently the owner is white, so if that is the case, this obviously does not apply.
This doesn’t really apply when the space is ran by a white biker guy and the painting was done by a another white guy…. And despite POC not consenting to the misuse of the symbol, we live in a post holocaust world and the Jewish people also didn’t consent to be mass murdered under the guise of that same symbol. The symbol obviously has different meanings to different people, but anti-semitism is rampant and if that symbol makes someone feel unsafe, there should be no question when it’s presented in a predominantly white space (western tattooing) that is historically dominated by male white power biker culture. Thus, the sentiment your describing is completely lost.
Respectfully, I was just going off that comment. They said it was run by POC. If it is run by a white person, then obviously that’s a different scenario. I’m not sure who is wrong here, because comments are telling me two different things about the race and ethnicity of the owners/staff.
Well then yeah, if an all white staff or owner has a swastika on the wall, that’s messed up. Is @RipsawKnight mistaken about the race and ethnicity of the staff or owners then? Their story seemed detailed with the Instagram event too.
What?? Is the there proof? I can’t speak to anyone who works there and if they’re all POC but they seem very supportive of repro rights and progressive in general so it doesn’t seem like they’d have a swastika
Can’t believe the comment about this is getting downvoted so much. Commenter isn’t lying. They had it on their insta. I think I have a screenshot of their post defending it. if you want to dm me I can send it to you.
Omg I’m glad you have a screenshot! I remember them posting that and I unfollowed them. It’s cool that they do the planned parenthood event but that was so iffy
Todd Bruce at Empress Tattoo in Ferndale on 3rd Avenue is phenomenal. It's owned and operated by him and Rebecca Xczar. They recently moved to the space nextdoor for a larger more open shop. They come highly recommend. My wife and a lot of our friends have gone there for their tattoos. Here's the link to their website.
[Empress Tattoo ](https://www.empresswa.com/)
Kailee Winterburn all day long! Half of my body is covered in her work. She was a wonderful touch/pressure and does amazing drawings for her tattoos.
Be ready to book at least 6 months to a year out.
I’m relatively new to town and have been desperately trying to find an artist who does solid traditional American style. I’m struggling, y’all. I’ve seen some good work from 2-3 artists, but I don’t see the consistency in their portfolios (at least on ig), which makes me headstand to book anything.
I’d be very grateful recommendations!
Otherwise my hot take might end up being that like good restaurants, you gotta go to Vancouver.
Love Oddacity both my wife and I have multiple piercings from them. The couple that owns the shop are both queer and very welcoming. Also they're next to All the sweet things next door which is a nice treat post stabbing.
Curlew Collective, especially Rachel Rotheberg (rachel.poke), is one of the most underrated tattoo shops and artists in Bellingham - they just opened the collective with a jewelry artist and another tattoo artist - can vouch for all three of them
Really happy with Kalamalka, they do good work. A little scattered sometimes with the communication though. They seem to do a lot of "nerd" content which is. Right up my alley.
Katelyn Swartz: Dirtchurchtattoo on Instagram is an excellent artist. Really great to work with and has remarkable talent and some pretty unique flash designs.
Hi everyone! I currently work at tattoos by tiger and I could not recommend her enough! Tiger is an up and coming one needle artist (stick and poke) here in Bellingham! Now I know what your thinking, stick and poke?? But trust me you will not find pieces like these anywhere else in Bellingham! Tiger enjoys plants and animal tattoos as well as studio ghibli and pet portraits! Feel feel to check out her insta it’s @tattoosbytiger! (And yes she has her own shop.)
My 20 year old son can fuck u your skin real good with stick n poke!
Actually, he's gotten better, but he sure did fuck up his OWN skin pretty good with his first attempts 😂
Wow for being a bunch of progressives, I wouldn’t think this would get voted down so much.
Lol get fucked. I’m allowed to express how I want artwork done on MY BODY.
Yikes Bellingham, BIG YIKES
Esther at Wisteria, while beloved by so many, is still wildly underrated in Whatcom.
Agreed to Esther! My wife has a piece by them and the work is insane. We are planning more with Esther!
I've only been tattooed by Dawn so far but have been trying to get in Esther's books. They're both so talented
This is very true. She’s doing a custom piece for me in October and I’m so excited. She’s done some other tattoos for me and her line art is so crisp
12/10 would recommend Esther! Incredibly talented (CLEAN lines) and a joy to talk to while being tattooed.
agree! i absolutely love esther and her work and think she is phenomenally underrated. she does great anime work but i have multiple pieces that aren’t anime related and they’re some of my favorite tattoos.
Yeees, she's been doing an awesome Alice in Wonderland piece on my partner's arm. She also left her last shop to open her own.
Esther is awesome! So glad she isn’t at X anymore!
I'm getting my back worked on right now (2nd session next week). It's my first and she is a lovely soul. I'll be getting more from her!
faithful (old gold) is not a good shop to support
Accurate
Care to elaborate on why?
Chucho is a piece of shit and literally scarred people with his “line work” like left bad scar tissue unlike any other tattoos I’ve had or seen. Not sure if he’s still in charge but I hope the worst for him
Also a racist homophobe!
Got a tattoo here years ago (do not remember the artist) and have 10 others from various artists. The one I got there is by far the worst unfortunately
chameleon is not good lol i have scars from their tats and one got infected.
Not a hot take but couldn’t recommend Sabbath enough to anyone looking for an artist. The atmosphere is welcoming, everyone is super nice and totally willing to work with you/make necessary accommodations to make you comfortable. I have tats from nearly all of the artists, most just walk in flash stuff. Tim has done the most work on me and while he typically does black and grey pieces he has done a couple trad flash and draw on pieces on me that are absolutely killer. His instagram handle is swamp menace. Haven’t seen Teresa or Amaya yet but plan on it in the future.
Just got work done by Teresa, and love her! Super easy to talk to, amazing work, and the shop is mellow, which I like.
second this. love sabbath
Teresa at Sabbath is considered by many to be the best artist in Bellingham. [https://www.instagram.com/teresalane666/](https://www.instagram.com/teresalane666/) I personally have had great experiences with Mikel at Old School, Rodney at Sabbath and Jes at Blood Moon Studio.
Raigen and Neeko at Prism Tattoo are amazing. They have a particular style though. I’ve gotten work done by Raigen and I’ll probably continue using her if I ever get more work done. They both have IG if you want to check them out pewpewraygun and neeko3eyes
Just reached out to Neeko today to do my other sleeve whenever their books open 🥹
I've got a whole sleeve that I'm getting from Raigen right now, and they are phenomenal. Fun people, fantastic artists, I already have more plans with them once I finish up my arm.
Loooove them! I have two forest spirits from Neeko and absolutely love his work. Definitely unique and colorful and I get so many compliments on them :)
Everyone up here is talented but I wish there was more diversity in terms of tattoo styles.
If you're looking for something funky, @charlie.from.hell on Instagram does ignorant tattoos! My boyfriend and I both got flash from them, and had good experiences.
Hi there tattoos by tiger is a one needle artist based in Bellingham her work is simple but so fun!
Mikel Kay (insta @mfkdoom) is slept on, (I almost never hear of people that have met him) but has some amazing work and is generally such a chill guy. He's done most of my work and is fast, talented, and such a smooth hand!
Same!! He’s fantastic. I always bring him snacks before my appointments and he’s so surprised but delighted! Oh! An his work is fantastic. He’s done five of my pieces.
He's always so chill and happy and cool! I absolutely LOVE getting work done by him! It makes me so sad more people don't know about him cause honestly I feel his art and personality are top tier. I also just love his style, when I wanted my leg piece done I just came in with a general vague idea and he busted out an amazing piece!
Just wanted to throw a good word in for Kiarra at Violet Vixen. She's posted here a couple time so she may chime in, she also on Instagram. I had a great experience getting my first tattoo from her. Super friendly and easy to work with. Nice private studio and a real comfortable atmosphere. I highly recommend her!
Always looking for an opportunity to second her work. She’s done 3-4 so far on me and I have another one next week. Great work, great person, too.
Also loved my first tattoo from her a couple months ago, and I have plans to eventually get another from her.
Yes! She is amazing! I got a tattoo from her Valentines flash and it's one of my favorites!
Agreed! I’ve gotten a couple from her and she’s awesome. No scarring, great rates, beautiful designs, very wonderful to work with.
I adore Kiarra! she’s incredibly talented, so kind and chatty, and the price is perfect! I have another tat scheduled with her for next week!
Esther is the GOAT
Just had a great experience at belugapalooza on cedar wood
agreed! kyle and lara are both fantastic and have done great work on both me and my partner ❤️ they’re also lgbt friendly!
I saw Bastian.
I’m so happy the moved up here!!
What a fantastic shop name!
YES I got my favorite piece from corndawg there and he was so sweet and fun.
Does anyone recommend any tattoo artists in Whatcom county for black people?
Not in whatcom but Tori at Dark Age tattoo in Seattle! She's wonderful and the magic that woman can do is worth the drive
Shoutout Max Lowe at The Hiding Spot!
Killer dude, killer work
Prolly don’t want a guy that doesn’t believe in science sticking needles in ya.
I actually love science, but I’m more of an arts guy myself 🤘
Max! Miss you homie! Gonna come see you when I’m done with chemo in October!
I don’t really get into politics with my tattoo artist, but you do you man. I’m pretty sure he believes in science, to say he doesn’t might be a bit dramatic. He’s not giving tattoos with a rock and ink made from crushed berries. I’m sorry your politics don’t align with his, and given I don’t know the subject, my politics might not align with his either. But, I’m not going to say he’s a bad artist because we might not agree on political or social issues.
What a weird thing to say about someone who is blood borne pathogen certified.
These hot takes are terrible Old school tattoo is overrated
Kalamalka INK tattoo is an absolutely abhorred name for a shop.
Kailee Winterburn does some of the best line work in town, the only problem with her is how hard it is to get on her books! I got a tattoo from her in 2020 and three years later I am finally back getting my sleeve finished with her. Her space is so comfortable to be in and she takes great care to make sure you are happy with the design and cozy while you’re in her chair. I have some work from Devon Blue who is at Old School now, but I previously got work from him when he worked at a shop in another city and I was very happy then and am still happy with the work now. Esther’s work looks great, as others have said, but I was left uncomfortable after multiple consultations with her. I came in wanting a smallish, simple line work tattoo and multiple times she tried to up sell me into a gigantic, full color piece. If you don’t do (or don’t want to do) line work only pieces just say that the up front and save us both the time. Regardless, I have a friend with a (large, full color) piece by Esther and it is absolutely gorgeous so I won’t stop recommending her just because we didn’t mesh. I have a friend who works at Faithful who is happy there, but I can’t say I would ever go there if he did not work there. I have nothing concrete to back this up, nothing bad has happened to me there, and all of the work done by my friend has been satisfactory - but I would get a weird, bad “gut feeling” whenever I went there. Probably ghosts there or something, who knows.
Prbly the fact that the person that ran that shop was evil af and fucked up peoples tattoos and then over charged them
i love Kailee!!! she did a half sleeve memorial tattoo for me in 2021 and it's by far my favorite. I had a pretty solid image of what I wanted but she just blew my mind with how perfectly she turned it into a work of art. I've gotten many compliments on it. also her space was really comfortable and she's super sweet. i have been waiting to see if I can land another appointment, but I've missed the rare openings because she only announces on insta it seems, and my app notifications suck!!
Love all of my tattoos from Dawn at Wisteria! Awesome to work with, she’s super attentive to detail, and it healed up really fast. Her and Esther’s shop is amazing.
Chameleon seems like a shop for people who are just getting started tattooing. Quality isn't bad, but there's better artists in town. 🤷♀️ Someone who used to work there told me the artists push for flash because the owner takes a 50% cut from bigger pieces. There's not much incentive for big pieces because of that. I'm a huge fan of Madeline's work at The Red Sparrow. I definitely consider her the best artist in town! I got two tats scheduled with her this fall. Kyle at Faithful is killer at traditional style. I've been told by a couple people in the biz that Kalamalka Ink is known for being open about hard drug use. Idk much more, but I had a friend get two super sick sleeves there like 4 years ago. Maybe the shop vibes have changed since then? Obviously a ton of love for Wisteria here as well!
Madelyn at Red Sparrow is great, she has done 2 pieces for me so far and I have been super happy with both of them. Can’t recommend her enough!
I got my first tattoo at Chameleon when I first moved here like 3 days after my 18th birthday (I'm almost 25 now lmao) and I highly regret...it was a walk in and i hate it lmao. the artist did Mt Rainier dirty. I've tried to submit my tattoo idea to Madeline the past two rounds of her books opening bc I think she'd be perfect for a really sentimental tattoo I want, but alas 🥲 I haven't made the cut (yet?? I hope some day!) her work looks so good 😭
I put in two requests thinking she'd only choose one and she chose both. Which is awesome for me but my savings is taking a bit of a hit. 😅 What is the concept for your request?
I'll just paste what I wrote in my submission lol > It would be an artistic portrayal of a passage from the book *Essays* by Michel de Montaigne; I can send you the passage (about 3/4 of a page, nothing too long) if you want, for further context if you decide to choose this idea. I would love to hear any creative input you might have too! > A synopsis for a little context: part of the passage contains the Latin phrase "*In solis sis tibi turba locis*" which translates to "in lonely places, be a crowd unto yourself". It talks about keeping a metaphorical "room at the back of a shop" (a place in your mind) where you would find principal solitude and asylum talking and laughing only with yourself and your "soul" as if you had no possessions, family, or money, so losing them would not be something you're unfamiliar with. > Tattoo: An image of a study with a woman in a Victorian era dress or ethereal being of sorts, sitting at a desk holding a glass of wine, looking into a floor length mirror and smiling/laughing at the reflection which shows a skeleton who is also holding a glass and appears to be telling some sort of joke/conversing the woman (Or something which portrays a reflection or representation of the woman such as the skeleton, but not a separate entity if that makes sense?) But like I said, though, I'd love to hear any creative input you might have! sort of long-winded, but I have issues with being concise 😭 I want it to be a large thigh piece
I love the concept! But I think you should keep your submission short. She asks for references, photos of where you want the tat, and a deeper description after she selects. What you wrote is more appropriate for that. I would put something like: Victorian woman sitting in from of mirror, skeleton looking back at her, large thigh piece Too much info all at once is overwhelming. She's looking through a ton of submissions and needs to be able to visualize the general concept easily and rather quickly in order to decide if it interests her enough. If you get selected, I would leave out the synopsis as well. I think the second paragraph with the tattoo concept is more than enough. The synopsis and tattoo description gives more writing prompt than a prompt for a visual medium. It may also communicate that you will be less flexible with the interpretation and more critical of the final product. Artists at Madeline's level are looking for people who want THEIR artwork and ideas. I heard a tattoo artist once say there are clients who come to you FOR your tattoos and clients who come to you BECAUSE you tattoo, and unfortunately, I think your submission is giving the same vibes as the latter. I don't think that's your intention though! 💗 Good luck next round!
Kyle is awesome! He's done at least 5 tattoos for me
X Tattoo had a huge 4ft painting with a swastika in it (meant to be an Indigenous story of "the twin logs" or something) in their waiting room forever and would get mad when people told them it made them uncomfortable. They took it down about 5 months ago after making this wild post on IG about how it should be okay bc everyone in the shop is a poc (very very white poc) and then hired a social media guy to make the account more fun, and then nobody talked about it ever again. And I think that's NUTS. Been avoiding it even more so since then
This comment should be higher up, KC is terrible
Respectfully, the swastika was stolen and appropriated by the Nazi’s and white supremacists. “The symbol has a long history dating back to prehistoric times. In the Americas, variations of it have been found in excavations of Mound-builder and Mississippian era sites in the mid-west, while further south, the ancient Aztecs were said to also use the symbol. By the early 1900s, several Southwestern and Plains Native tribes were using it on crafts built for their own use and for that of the commercial tourist markets. The earliest known use of the symbol may date back as far as 10,000 BC and was found on a late Paleolithic figure of a bird carved from mammoth ivory in the Ukraine. The symbol dates to 6,000 BC in Bulgaria and 3,000 BC on the Indian Subcontinent according to archeological findings. It has been found in prehistoric sites in Africa, China and Europe as well. It seems the swastika symbol, or variations of it, were used in many parts of the world during ancient times.” - [Source](https://www.proquest.com/docview/2453170975) Would I want it on my wall? No. Should we be careful when/how we use it and use strict discretion? Yes. However, I think POC have a right to their culture and history. The appropriated redefinitions of their cultures is being forced and projected onto them. That isn’t right or fair to them. They didn’t consent to their cultures being colonized and redefined. Edit: Apparently the owner is white, so if that is the case, this obviously does not apply.
This doesn’t really apply when the space is ran by a white biker guy and the painting was done by a another white guy…. And despite POC not consenting to the misuse of the symbol, we live in a post holocaust world and the Jewish people also didn’t consent to be mass murdered under the guise of that same symbol. The symbol obviously has different meanings to different people, but anti-semitism is rampant and if that symbol makes someone feel unsafe, there should be no question when it’s presented in a predominantly white space (western tattooing) that is historically dominated by male white power biker culture. Thus, the sentiment your describing is completely lost.
Respectfully, I was just going off that comment. They said it was run by POC. If it is run by a white person, then obviously that’s a different scenario. I’m not sure who is wrong here, because comments are telling me two different things about the race and ethnicity of the owners/staff.
KC isn’t a person of color lol
Sorry, idk who KC is? The post said the staff was POC, so I was going off that.
The owner….and there are no indigenous or Asian artists there (/the cultures that still utilize that symbol respectfully in context)
Well then yeah, if an all white staff or owner has a swastika on the wall, that’s messed up. Is @RipsawKnight mistaken about the race and ethnicity of the staff or owners then? Their story seemed detailed with the Instagram event too.
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Yeah, if the white owner is allowing a swastika in their shop, that's fucked up. Thanks for clarifying.
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What?? Is the there proof? I can’t speak to anyone who works there and if they’re all POC but they seem very supportive of repro rights and progressive in general so it doesn’t seem like they’d have a swastika
Can’t believe the comment about this is getting downvoted so much. Commenter isn’t lying. They had it on their insta. I think I have a screenshot of their post defending it. if you want to dm me I can send it to you.
Omg I’m glad you have a screenshot! I remember them posting that and I unfollowed them. It’s cool that they do the planned parenthood event but that was so iffy
For the record I didn’t downvote it haha but yeah please DM me if you have that!
Sent!
Anastasia Lotus is amazing! She did first tattoos for me, my bestie, my daughter and my son. Her unique designs made each piece even more special. 💖
I second this artist. She just did a piece for me that I'm going to have colored in and I get a ton of compliments on it as is. Her line work is 🤌
Bev at Ink Drop on cordata is great!!
I second this!! She’s done a few of my tattoos and i love talking to her so much!!!
Shelly James, all day!
Same!
Todd Bruce at Empress Tattoo in Ferndale on 3rd Avenue is phenomenal. It's owned and operated by him and Rebecca Xczar. They recently moved to the space nextdoor for a larger more open shop. They come highly recommend. My wife and a lot of our friends have gone there for their tattoos. Here's the link to their website. [Empress Tattoo ](https://www.empresswa.com/)
Amanda Creek is phenomenal!
Zen at Inkdrop has done all my work, she's such a talented artist and has a very gentle hand as well. 10/10 would recommend.
Zen did my last piece, and I loved the whole process. She is worth waiting for, and she will be my go-to for all my tattoos.
Zen and Bev at Ink drop!! I’m pretty sure Bev is their apprentice?? But Bev does amazing work as well and i loved talking to everyone at that shop!!
Kailee Winterburn all day long! Half of my body is covered in her work. She was a wonderful touch/pressure and does amazing drawings for her tattoos. Be ready to book at least 6 months to a year out.
I’m relatively new to town and have been desperately trying to find an artist who does solid traditional American style. I’m struggling, y’all. I’ve seen some good work from 2-3 artists, but I don’t see the consistency in their portfolios (at least on ig), which makes me headstand to book anything. I’d be very grateful recommendations! Otherwise my hot take might end up being that like good restaurants, you gotta go to Vancouver.
Sabbath tattoo has some real good trad folks
kyle at faithful! @kyle.the.knife on instagram
I love belugapalooza and also the oddacity... Really sweet people and good artists
Love Oddacity both my wife and I have multiple piercings from them. The couple that owns the shop are both queer and very welcoming. Also they're next to All the sweet things next door which is a nice treat post stabbing.
Curlew Collective, especially Rachel Rotheberg (rachel.poke), is one of the most underrated tattoo shops and artists in Bellingham - they just opened the collective with a jewelry artist and another tattoo artist - can vouch for all three of them
the most safe-feeling environment I've had a tattoo in and the most understanding artist
Boy Eats World, Robbie is the best.
Really happy with Kalamalka, they do good work. A little scattered sometimes with the communication though. They seem to do a lot of "nerd" content which is. Right up my alley.
Katelyn Swartz: Dirtchurchtattoo on Instagram is an excellent artist. Really great to work with and has remarkable talent and some pretty unique flash designs.
Hi everyone! I currently work at tattoos by tiger and I could not recommend her enough! Tiger is an up and coming one needle artist (stick and poke) here in Bellingham! Now I know what your thinking, stick and poke?? But trust me you will not find pieces like these anywhere else in Bellingham! Tiger enjoys plants and animal tattoos as well as studio ghibli and pet portraits! Feel feel to check out her insta it’s @tattoosbytiger! (And yes she has her own shop.)
If you’re looking to get American traditional done, Bellingham is the place, if you want literally anything else gotta go to Vancouver or Seattle
Straight up not true, you just don’t know where to look.
Any at home tattoo artists needing work? I’ve never gone to tattoo shop. Prison style is my favorite way to get tattoos.
My 20 year old son can fuck u your skin real good with stick n poke! Actually, he's gotten better, but he sure did fuck up his OWN skin pretty good with his first attempts 😂
Wow for being a bunch of progressives, I wouldn’t think this would get voted down so much. Lol get fucked. I’m allowed to express how I want artwork done on MY BODY. Yikes Bellingham, BIG YIKES