The second day of the eighth annual All American Tattoo festival brought a much larger crowd to the Convention Center Saturday than on its opening night, Friday. Attendees had various reasons for checking out the tattoos and tattooed. Justin Maulit came with his wife and 16-month-old daughter to finish part of their wedding vows. “I’m here to get tattooed. It’s for our wedding. Me and my wife are getting matching ones. It’s a lady and a skull, and it says, ‘Til Death Do Us Part.’” She always wanted to get one, and we had [our daughter] and she couldn’t get one for the past two years, so now she’s getting hers done. [We brought our daughter] just as an experience, I’m pretty sure she’s

Monette Flores, 27 Childcare worker Elk Grove resident Outside the All American Tattoo Festival, Monette Flores shows off her style, which she says is called "just plain me." Influenced by Suicide Girls, an online community celebrating alternative beauty and culture, Flores likes to dress in a style that is "crazy and colorful." She accessorizes herself with a "Living Dead Dolls" T-shirt, purple zebra-print pants, rhinestone-encrusted leather boots, a Kool-Aid purse, pink hair dye, pink glasses and pink body jewelry. "I got the rings as gifts," she said of her 10 colorful finger accessories. She has been collecting them since grade school. Flores scours thrift stores for vint

Guns and needles took over the Sacramento Convention Center Friday. Tattoo guns and needles, that is. The first day of the eighth annual Forever Tattoo’s All American Tattoo Festival kicked off the weekend with the best of the best in the ink industry, tattoo contests and circus-style side performer George the Giant. Sponsored by Tatt life, Tattoo Energy and Budweiser, the festival gave ink fans the chance to peruse and purchase the work of more than 80 tattoo artists from not only the United States but as far as Sweden (Living All Tattoo), Greece (Nico Tattoo) and Italy (Cherry Tattoo). “I usually go to the festivals in San Francisco, but this is the first year I’ve gone to one [in Sac

Tattoo artists from across the country and around the world will join local tattoo artists in offering their inking services to Sacramento for the eighth year in a row at the annual All American Tattoo Festival this weekend. The festival begins Friday and will continue through Sunday at the Sacramento Convention Center. The festival is organized in a joint effort between local promoter Alan Mahon and the owners of Sacramento's Forever Tattoo. Attendees can view over 100 art pieces, submissions of mainly paintings and drawings from the artists that won't include tattoo designs, on any of the three days of the festival, in addition to getting tattooed by world-renowned artists. “Fifty to 6