Cody won the color portrait competition his work was done by artist Matt O'baugh-an Ink Master. Credit: Chip Weiner
Cody won the color portrait competition his work was done by artist Matt O’baugh-an Ink Master. Credit: Chip Weiner
Amid the whir of tattoo guns blazing and hundreds of inked-up tat lovers, the second annual Tampa Tattoo Arts Convention took place at the convention center in downtown Tampa this weekend. There were more than 200 vendors, 160 tattoo artists and a full slate of entertainment each day for the three-day show.
Tattoo contests with 17 different categories took place on Saturday and Sunday. The top three winners received both a trophy and a plaque to commemorate the event, and a Best in Show was awarded on Sunday.
Jacob Steele won third place for both the most unusual and medium color competition The artist is Samm I Am. Credit: Chip Weiner
Tattoos weren't the only reason to attend. Vendors offering body modification, which included piercing and lobe gauging (putting special jewelry of increasing size in the earlobe to stretch it) were also on display.
Krista Hutchinson won the first place for small color by artist Ariel Galang. Credit: Chip Weiner
Artist Jonattan Suescun of Forever Ink works on a tattoo from an image on his iPad. He was using an electric tattoo gun, the current standard for most artists. Credit: Chip Weiner
Takashi Matsuba prefers the traditional way of applying tattoos using Japanese Tebori method-which translated means hand carved. Credit: Chip Weiner
Tebori is the method of tattooing by hand using a sharpened bamboo stick called a nomi. The artist is called horishi. Here Matsuba used a modern version (and presumably more sterile) of the nomi. Credit: Chip Weiner
Judges, left to right, Kandi Dunbar and Laura Lynn observed the competitors work with the show Emcee Dr. Carl Blasphemy watching. Credit: Chip Weiner
A large crowd gathered to watch the tattoo contest judging. Credit: Chip Weiner
Dozens of trophies and plaques were handed out in 16 categories each day for the tattoo contest. Credit: Chip Weiner
Saturday artist Shaun Kidd of Eagles and Arrows won the award for traditional tattoo sported by Christian Credit: Chip Weiner
Painters and photographers who concentrate their work in the ink world were also present selling their art and creating new pieces. All-day entertainment included the Olde City Sideshow, belly dancing, the Enigma and midget wrestling.
The Enigma — a perennial presence at the tattoo convention-shows a mask of himself. Credit: Chip Weiner
John Durante of Evolve Seattle Body Piercing Studio shows the work that he has had done, including full body tats, chromium cobalt teeth caps (he traveled to Croatia to have them done), a forked tongue and many different body mods to his ears and face. Credit: Chip Weiner
Tricia Gooden decided to have her septum pierced at the show with the encouragement of her boyfriend. She said she had been thinking about it for a while and the convention was the right time. Credit: Chip Weiner
The pain was about what she expected it to be, but she was glad it as over. Ian Bell with Better Days Body Art did the work. Credit: Chip Weiner
Cam Parker of painkillercamart exhibited his talent during the show. Prints of his work were for sale and he took inspiration from those in attendance to create new drawings. Credit: Chip Weiner
