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

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

As I spend more and more time in downtown Sacramento, it seems that I see more and more tattoos. This realization led me to wonder: does the economy affect tattoo parlors? Do less people get tattoos? Do different people get tattoos? According to Royal Peacock tattoo artist Jan Hill, not much has changed. "I haven't noticed a decrease in business from the economy at this time," he says. There is a noticeable economic trend influenced by the weather. Less people are liable to get tattoos during the winter than during the summer. "Wintertime slows business down for tattooing," says Hill. "When it's harsher weather, people don't come out." Business also tends to decrease specifically around

In my previous article about Sacramento tattoo parlors, which you can access by clicking on the "storyline" tab on the right, I wrote about the business aspects of a tattoo parlor: how to get a license, laws about sterilization, etc.. To get a more rounded perspective on the typical tattoo parlor, I spoke with a couple of artists from different parlors around town. The foundation of a successful tattoo parlor is its artists. So what sets an individual artist apart from all others? "What sets them apart would be style, the way they draw, and the way they lay out the tattoos," says American Graffiti tattoo artist Ryan Tanton. Artists can also distinguish themselves by learning multiple sty

Whenever I spend time in downtown Sacramento, I can't help but notice the vast amount of tattoos and tattooed people. They're everywhere: the barista making your coffee, the waitress serving your food or that guy riding his bike across the street. Tattoos have become an inherent part of the Sacramento culture. No wonder — there are over twenty licensed tattoo parlors scattered throughout the midtown and downtown areas. Each one is unique and based entirely on the individuality of its tattoo artists. Parlor registry is regulated by the State of California. According to AB 186, to get a parlor license both the artists and the parlor must register with their county health department, pay th