From October 9th to 11th I participated in the 2nd annual "Ink and Art Expo" in Fort Worth, TX alongside a couple of my co-workers and a large number of artists local to the North Texas area, as well as artists from all over the country!

This is my friend Nick, I took this photo on the first day of the convention.  The plan was to add an angel to this sleeve of his that we've been working on for quite  some time now. We got there early enough for me to get the stencil on and get my booth set up  before having to double back to Dallas. I realized that I had forgotten my tattoo machines! We decided to grab a quick bite to eat as well, to get the day started off right 

Here's a closer shot of my stencil, dried and ready to go!

Here is the finished product! I was able to finish this in just under 3 hours, with enough time to spare to get it registered in the daily contest.

Every tattoo convention that I've attended thus far has had contests at the end of each day. I mainly use conventions for the exposure. I also like being able to take advantage of the networking opportunities that arise when I come into contact with the other artists in attendance. Another benefit of attending conventions is that I get a chance to see certain artists working that I normally wouldn't have a chance to see on a daily basis. Don't get me wrong, it IS fun to put a tattoo that I've put my all into up there against the other competitors, to see who will come out on top. 

That being said, I don't put too much energy in worrying about whether or not I'll necessarily win an award. This stems from something that I experienced earlier in the year. I was tasked with judging a tattoo contest, and in that moment, I realized that next to no thought or deliberation goes into the decision making process. There simply isn't enough time to analyze every aspect of the 100+ pieces that are submitted, and be finished within an hour. 

I also got a chance to test out my new Sony camera, which I should probably write a review on! 

These custom stress balls were a big hit at the convention! I had about 60 or 70 left over from my first order, and I could have easily given away a couple hundred over the weekend! They were free, but that's some good marketing if I do say so myself!

On the second day of the convention, I worked on my good client Christina's sleeve. This tattoo is the first piece that's not a cover up for her, so I wanted to change up the concept and go with a vertical panoramic scene, which isn't quite finished, but we're making great progress!

Here's another shot of the stencil!

I really like the contrast between the lower half of her arm and the top, which makes me want to continue on up her arm with a big bright sky in the background and bold high contrast content in the foreground.

Christina is one of my toughest clients by far! This took us around 5 or 6 hours and she sat straight through, which I appreciate because I was able to take my time and put my best into the art!

Here is a shot of my color palette post tattoo! 

Here's a great shot of my color palette. I'm really enjoying the quality of photos that I am now able to take thanks to this amazing new camera!

On the last day of the convention, I actually gave a new client his first tattoo! We're starting an Egyptian themed sleeve on his left arm. In this photo I have the stencil laid, dried, and ready to go!

This was the quickest tattoo for me the entire weekend. We were able to finish this piece in about 3 hours, with just enough time for him to get back home for the Cowboys game!

I'm excited to get this sleeve rolling! I believe it's already off to a cool start!