Need an artist in NorCal for a “Spaceship Tribal” tattoo

November 20, 2019 3:09 PM

I’m looking to design and execute a “tribal” tattoo for a tribe of people who have spent generations in ships traveling between space stations & hollowed out asteroids in the outer solar system, rather than sailing the Pacific Ocean. Help me find the right artist in/near Northern California. Details after the jump.

I’m a huge fan of the tv show “The Expanse”, and I’m looking to design my own kind of “Belter tattoo”. My notion is that among the millions and millions of Belters are a group whose aesthetic is informed by Japanese irezumi, the kind that were not visible when wearing traditional daily wear.

Other Belter tattoos are often from the neck up, visible through helmet faceplates. The tattoo I’m looking to create will be a 3/4 sleeve, chest, upper back on the left arm.

The Belters who go in for the style I’m choosing are more

To mowsh du mi fong sut fo kuxaku mi sili to mebi wanya vedi tatuyingi mi
(“You gotta get me out of my space suit if you want to see my tattoo”).

Aesthetically what I’m looking for is:
-Abstract
-HEAVY black.
-Futuristic
-Cyberpunk
-Biomechanical
-Straight lines/geometrical

I’ve got a Pinterest board to collect my thoughts and inspirations

The artist who would be perfect for the work, Ben Volt, is unfortunately booked through 2020, and is taking 2021 appointments for a new studio in Hawai’i

So… preference for artists in Northern California, but I’d travel the west coast for the right artist. Just not the to Big Island.

posted by Pirate-Bartender-Zombie-Monkey to Media & Arts (2 answers total)

This reminds me of work that Roxx at 2spirit Tattoo in LA does. Her instagram.
posted by JuliaIglesias at 8:58 AM on November 21, 2019

@JuliaIglesias That’s an excellent suggestion. Ben Volt used to be with 2Spirit Tattoo. I think he may have apprenticed under Roxx. And I have friends in LA. Strong contender.
posted by Pirate-Bartender-Zombie-Monkey at 8:05 AM on November 22, 2019