Sharpies fall a little short when it comes to permanent ink.
Just ask any of the tattoo artists at the Baltimore Tattoo Arts Convention this weekend at the Sheraton in Baltimore.
The convention started in Philadelphia in 1999 and branched out to Baltimore last year, resulting in thousands of people crowding into the Sheraton to get inked. This year, the presenters have added Chicago to the lineup as well.
Troy Timpel is a presenter of this weekend’s Baltimore Tattoo Arts Convention. Timpel owns Tattooed Kingpin, a clothing and accessories line, and also tattoos at 621 Philadelphia Eddie’s, a tattoo shop in Philadelphia.
“Right now there is a strong public fascination with the increase of tattoo-themed media on television,” Timpel said. “I think that the tattoo culture is extending a lot into music and sports as well.”
» Where: Sheraton Baltimore City Center Hotel, 101 W. Fayette St., Baltimore
» When: 2 p.m. to midnight Friday, noon to midnight Saturday, noon to 8 p.m. Sunday
» Tickets: $20 to $40
» Info: www.tattooedkingpin.com
More than 200 tattoo studios and artists will convene Friday to present the best in inked design, as well as participate in tattoo seminars, contests, art shows and auctions. Live music will be provided by Murphy’s Law, The Deadneks, The Nerve Scheme, Stuck Backwards, Backroad Bastards and Cobra Clutch.
Main Street Tattoo Studio in Edgewood will have a booth at this year’s convention. Josh Hart, a tattoo artist at Main Street, says the convention is usually so packed there’s no competition for customers. “It’s a lot of little tattoo shops set up next to each other, you can look at each artist’s work and negotiate a price for your tattoo,” he said. “There hasn’t really been a big tattoo convention in Baltimore since the mid-’90s. [Last year’s] was a big success.”
For some people, tattooing is about shock value; for others it’s about themselves and everything in between, Hart said. “I don’t know if it’s the permanence of it, the conviction you have to have in order to get a tattoo. I think people really like to decorate themselves, whether it’s jewelry or clothing. Tattooing is just as extreme as you can go in that direction. It’s so broad. You can do anything you want with it.”
Hart explained that the culture has evolved to the point where people are really beginning to understand that tattoos can go as far as art. “Realism is getting more popular because of the TV shows. Twenty years ago, people thought of tattoos as a [picture of a] heart with a dagger through it. Now, they are seeing [tattoos] of people’s children and animals, and they look picture-perfect, and people like that.”
And Timpel agrees. “People are getting more thought-out custom work, researching their tattoo and choosing more qualified people to put better tattoos on them,” he said.
