Rainy days and getting away….

I’m back from tattooing at a convention for the first time! The Roc City Tattoo expo was flawlessly planned and executed and we had so much fun…the East Side Ink/Graceland booth was busy all weekend and we had a lot of laughs and good times and met a ton of great folks.

The first six photos are from Rochester (arriving at the airport, my DIY banner, prints I made for the show, small one-off walkups that I did all weekend)

I still have a few of the Nosejob prints available for sale for $25 postpaid. They are printed on cardstock and each handstamped with A 12 for my name and the year, plus signed on the back; please hit me up via email: madebyamyshapiro@gmail.com.

Things have started getting busier for me on Mondays at East Side Ink so thanks to all those who came in and got a little something! And of course, still working hard at Graceland Brooklyn and being inspired by everyone around me. A goal is to spend more time with my drawings and I think it’s paying off….as I add little details to each piece, also working on spending time to get my placement just right…getting more comfortable with drawing right onto the body. It’s coverup season and I always like the challenge. I finished a few pieces (like the forearm octopus seen above) and have started some fun things too (the squid and whale, realistic roses on the ribcage, the big shoulder roses inspired by Tomas Garcia/ Greg Christian flash). It’s been a big month for roses and they never got old to me.

April blew by and with it, I believe, the six-year anniversary of picking up a machine and tattooing my first little black and gray rose.

Hope all are safe and happy

Xx

Amy

Things that are dirty

The first four pictures are from Sunday Funday. Thanks Justin for the one of me working on Miss Alex. I had a good time drawing and tattooing rodents and root veggies, and will be bringing the flash to the Roc City Tattoo Expo the first weekend in May. It’s in Rochester, New York, and for more information see my previous post or click on the link.

The rest are what I’ve been up to recently at Graceland and East Side Ink, and if it looks like a compilation of what I’ve been posting on Instagram, my apologies, but I’ve been pretty into it lately! Follow me at MadebyAmy. Also pictured: some favorites from the Whitney Museum of American Art 2012 Biennial, plus a picture of Rosi in Sunset Park.

I thought the Whitney Biennial was especially poetic and maybe it’s my mood, but I really enjoyed it. A lot of refuse, with a glimmer of hope and expressive use of materials.

Spring makes me happy. Doing a new music project that’s been really fun and rewarding. Can’t wait to work at my first convention and learn from everyone.

Be well…

x

Right around the corner

Will be working with Mark Harada, Patrick Conlon, and Lara Scotton at the Roc City Tattoo expo. x

Rites and passages

Getting ready for the next Sunday Funday April 1st here at Graceland in Brooklyn. This theme is “things that are dirty” (earth element) and I’m getting pretty literal with some root vegetables and rodents. I may tattoo some of these after the event if you really want one and can’t get in! But please come by anyway and say hey and hang out with owners Josh Lord and Yadira, and Patrick Conlon, Jess Machete, and Jonah Ellis will also have their own takes on the theme and we’ll all be working side-by-side. Whew. You can see a preview of the flash below as I’m working on it down in Keepsake Tattoo….

where I was the past week. Great to work and paint alongside Erik B and Juan Carlos again, while also getting some time to visit my family–see some of my favorites from our visit to the Smithsonian Museum of American Art/Portrait Gallery below. I could only take a few appointments and wanted to do more but I’ll be back, or maybe at a future East Coast Convention…I plan to travel more and will try to be more on top of posting my whereabouts in advance. So some of what you see below happened at Keepsake (especially the unfinished work), some was at Graceland and a few were at East Side Ink.

Sunday marks our year anniversary in Brooklyn. The move was the impetus for the new blog, and it’s been a crazy ride of highs and lows. This year I’m ready to strive even harder to be better, infuse my work with more humor and personality, and continue building relationships with my clients, colleagues, and all the friends who inspire me so much in this crazy city!

With gratitude always and especially to those who have taken the time to mentor me as I find my way,

Amy

 

Days are just packed

The days are flying by, busy with custom work and some walk-ins at East Side. Drawing custom script for the text-lovers. Lots of black and gray lately. It’s grey outside but starting to get nice. Painting here and there. Four days at Graceland in Brooklyn and Mondays at East Side Ink in Manhattan. Some finished pieces, some not (like the black and gray chest robin). All of these below are one-sitting. Fun. Soon: a healed picture of my forearm done with expertise by my coworker Patrick Conlon. first time having a rotary used on me– love love love. Went to Ft. Tilden beach with the bestie, her partner and our dogs. Rose ran around like a missile. See below. x

I have about one appointment left for Thursday March 22nd from 4-8 pm at Keepsake Tattoo where I’ll be working with tattooer gentlemen Erik von Bartholomaus and Juan Carlos Santiago in Arlington, Virginia, so please contact me if you’d like it. And now, back to drawing, a friend in town, scrabble, and more music. Still trucking along x

Lost and Found

Well, there have been a lot of good things opening up for me in the past few weeks since I got back from Arizona. Some bad things, some bumps, too….but I’m looking forward to upcoming projects and collaborations and a DC trip in the not-so-distant future. Check out some of what I’ve been up to: continuing on some bigger pieces and finishing some others (can’t wait to finish the octopus forearm), painting a quail, getting a healed picture of a bird in flight, many consultations, buying some flash from Tomas Garcia and Greg Christian and then starting the tiger from the flash. Clark from Graceland’s getting the tiger on the front of his left leg so it’s nice and big. Also I got my elbow done by wonderful Virginia Elwood. A pleasure.

OOh starting another cat portrait today and really can’t wait! The big news is that it looks like I’ll be picking up a Tuesday shift at our sister shop, East Side Ink, in the east Village on Avenue B. So visit me there if you’re in the city, and visit me at Graceland during my normal Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday shifts. I’ve also been pretty active on Instagram so find me there.

Until next time Xx

What I did on my Tucson vacation

Just a sample of the work I did plus some random images–all work mine except Cicada from Tracy Ledbetter’s show “Bugs & Blooms”

 Thank you Black Rose Tattooers. Now I’m back at Graceland Brooklyn, where you can find me Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays. Please call to set up consultations and appointments! I have a lot of really fun projects coming up like an autumnal matryoshka, a couple half sleeves, and forest themed sleeve and more. And Saturday I get my elbow done by Virginia Elwood so I’m super stoked for that. Next week: maybe a few more Tucson photos, as well as some flash we got from Tomas Garcia that I can’t wait to tattoo.

Hope everyone is having a warm and happy January.

Xx

wanderlust

On Saturday I’m floating west to Tucson Arizona to work at Black Rose Tattooers for two weeks. I’ll be there from January 9-13th and 16th-20th, most likely at the downtown location. Come by and say hi.

Thanks to Karyn for the middle photo of her sea captain. I should have a clearer photo to post soon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’ll also be part of a group show on Saturday January 14 with Chuy Trujillo and Axle Adams, roller derby photographer extraordinaire. I did  illustrations inspired by the Brothers Karamazov, and all work will be for sale. Thanks to Bekah and Carly at the Source for making this happen. Here’s an image that will be there:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then on Wednesday January 25th I’ll be back with my New York family at Graceland Brooklyn. Please call anytime after Friday to set up appointments there.

I’m ready for this year, with more green tea, more focus, more piano playing, and more carrots. What are your resolutions? And remember,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tucson I’ll see you Saturday. <3

holiday happenings

Hope everyone’s holidays were wonderful. I love this time of year! Had some really fun pieces to do last week.

I started this rose with skulls on Chantal. Hope she doesn’t mind me borrowing this photo–I liked it better than mine! I’ll post another after we do the color.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Did another session on Heidi’s arm.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Allison visited from Chicago and got a Smiths-inspired piece.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Daniel got two Futurama pieces in one day! I’m glad I got to do the one of Bender:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And Stephanie got her first piece to celebrate finishing the NYC marathon and qualifying for the Boston marathon. Congrats Stephanie!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

George wanted a tribute to his pups based on the line drawings that his partner Adrielle did. So much fun! I love doing small script too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is a great week for consultations and appointments. The shop will be closed the week after New Years. Friday, January 6th I’m booked all day but can do consultations; the next day I leave for Tucson for a couple of weeks.

 

Having fun, feeling inspired by my talented coworkers and friends, and keeping busy like I like it.

Happy New Years all!
x

Amy

for friends

Hey, it’s been a lovely two weeks at work. Skaters from Team France in town for the first-ever  Roller Derby World Cup came and got work.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And then Sandeep and Angela came in together.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Justin adds to his collection of signatures and sits like a rock. Apologies for the blurry pictures that follow.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And my friend Julie came in to get her peacock feather finished! I did get some better pictures on my real camera.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
We had Graceland secret santa. I got Mai and was so excited because I knew she wanted a portrait of her and her BF Billy’s pup Louise. I only had a week so I whipped it up with acrylic and oil on the top layer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I found some good vegan baked goods recipes and made banana bread from the post-punk kitchen with a few substitutions. The ginger and applesauce I added made me really happy.

I love this time of year.

I’m getting ready for two weeks in Tucson in January and am nervous and excited.

x