Heather Smith/ Mandrake Tattoo

Works in progress

2011-04-05T09:51:00.000-04:00

Here is a couple of pieces in progress, I enjoy posting in- progress pieces so everyone can see them change and grow as they are worked on.

Please Read!

2011-04-03T10:21:00.000-04:00

          Hello everyone! I'm finally back on my feet and on track with our very busy spring. I wanted to write a little about our wonderful and talented reception staff. I find it baffling that not only do some customers not want to speak to the front desk receptionist about what they are looking for, but are actually rude to them! So, I would like to explain the role of reception and our shop manager.
          Mandrake Tattoo Firstly has a shop Manager, Laura who is literally my "right hand woman". She is in charge of all the functions of the front of the shop. This includes a lions share of work including ordering all supplies, cleanliness, sales, retail, and reception staff. But most importantly she manages ALL of the artists schedules. She and the reception staff will take the time to work with you on your design, find images for you, and point you in the direction of the right artist for you if you don't already have one.
The rest of the reception staff is also trained to manage and book appointments, work with the client, clean and do data entry.
           Guess what would happen if we didn't have people to work at the front desk....that's right, not a whole lot of tattooing because our time would get eaten by all these tasks. Your appointment would be constantly interrupted and we would be consistently be running late for appointments. Artwork would come to a standstill as the artists would have no extra time to do it, because even though the machine may not be running this doesn't mean we are not busy in back working on drawings. We are truly fortunate to be a very busy shop and really need the time to focus on tattoo and the best custom art possible!
          To make a long story short, please treat our reception staff with respect...Make them smile....bring them a coffee......They are truly trying to make your experience here at Mandrake the best one possible!

Its been a long time

2011-03-21T11:33:00.000-04:00

For those who haven't been in recently I have been gimping around since my knee surgery in February. I have been able to keep up with my work schedule but I have been a little slowed down with the extras like the blog. to the left you can see the awesome photoshop job rob did for me as this is what I pretty much look like these days! I am thankful that the shop has been super busy, all of us have been pretty booked up! I love all the business! I just decided to include a couple of pieces Ive done recently just to start the ball rolling again...Ill be back soon!

Backpiece

2011-02-15T11:09:00.000-05:00

This is the finished work for an ongoing project started last year. The piece took 11 hours total and was done in two sittings. This is a tribute to the clients Father who is the portrait in the upper center of his back.

Artwork

2011-02-11T11:00:00.000-05:00

Those who know me know that I am a workaholic who is constantly pressed for time. So that being said I have been trying to take one day a week to create some artwork. I have truly missed the freedom to be creative on my own terms. Hopefully this year I will have some spectacular artwork to show off to you all.

Loooove it!

2011-02-01T10:45:00.000-05:00

Working our way to finishing this back piece. It has no lines and absolutely no black. Just an array of bright colors which gives it a watercolor effect.
The colors in the center are about three years old and as you can see they have remained bright and beautiful.
This can be attributed to the excellent care the client puts into her skin (she is an esthetician), as well as no tanning which will fade your color.

The continuing saga

2011-01-30T10:54:00.000-05:00

This client has been working on a body suit for the past few years. He comes in for long stretches of time over the winter months and takes the summers off. This is the smartest way to go about getting tattooed. During the summer months, you must keep the tattoo out of the sun and water while its healing which puts a damper on the usual summer activities. Also its nice to have your tattoos healed and ready to go once the warmer months hit!

Daydreamer

2011-01-27T14:10:00.000-05:00

What can I say, Im posting a bright beautiful summer flower on this nasty snowy winters day. Just daydreaming of better weather!

Unfinished projects

2011-01-24T10:01:00.000-05:00

Tis the season for finishing up those unfinished projects. We proudly were able to finish up this beautiful cherry blossom piece which will now lead into a second piece connecting to it. People sometimes will get a little down if they have unfinished work BUT collecting tattoo art is a lifelong process and should not be seen as a piece by piece process but rather how the artwork interacts with the body over time as you add new additions.

Pinups

2011-01-22T12:14:00.000-05:00

I believe I could write an entire dissertation on pinup tattoo art. For those who do not know I absolutely love doing pinups, especially when they are bold and unique! This one was a husband who wanted the pinup to resemble his wife. He came in with this awesome 80's retro pic of her when she was in high school to use. Seriously what a compliment to have her turned into a hottie pinup! He also chose the outfit and machinery and I chose the pose (as it had to fit the area we were doing).

New Mandrake gear!

2011-01-19T12:04:00.000-05:00

Finally here, you asked for them and now you got 'em! My new hoodie design. Feel free to come on down and buy some for all your friends and relatives!

Long awaited

2011-01-18T15:48:00.000-05:00

Thank you all our awesome clients who have been patiently waiting for pictures of the new shop renovations. I am so happy with the new look I could cry! Finally Mandrake Tattoo has a look all of its own after years of scrimping and saving. Again thank you all for your support through the years.

2011-01-13T12:17:00.000-05:00

Here is a cute little cherub I did recently. I used the lineless technique on this one so it is all soft shading.I am going to try to move in this direction with more of my newer work.

Stevie Ray

2011-01-11T14:27:00.000-05:00

Here is a version of the late, great Stevie Ray Vaughan's guitar.
Not many people know that guitars are difficult to render as a tattoo because there is so much tiny detail that the guitar tattoo would have to be huge in order to render all the detail. So, an artist must "edit" the piece in order to capture as much detail as possible while keeping in mind how the tattoo will age so that it will stand up over time.

Not Absent!

2011-01-10T15:31:00.000-05:00

I really have not meant to be absent, the finishing of our shop renovations and end of the year taxes, w2's, 1099's and the like have kept me pretty busy! Its hard balancing the business side and the artistic side of my work. Sometime I truly feel like I need to have a split personality to run this business....But that being said I wouldn't change it for the world. So, in light of this, I feel that this Alice in wonderland piece was a good way to kick off the new year with the appropriate quote "we are all mad in here" on the top of the piece. I love that the client decided to take a unique "Gothic" view of the classic tale.

Phew!

2011-01-02T09:59:00.000-05:00

As you all know today is our re-opening after our renovations have been done. Last week sure was a crazy week, The blizzard held up a few items we had ordered for the store, and we are still waiting for them to arrive BUT despite that I'd say we are 95% done with all the renovations! And, if I do say myself the shop looks amazing! If you are in the area come in and check it out.
My concentration for the day is to get the shop back in working order and settle back into Mandrakes normal routine. Our hours go back to normal which is 7 days a week from noon until 8pm.
I hope everybody out there had an AMAZING holiday and I wish that 2011 brings luck to us all!

Happy Holidays!

2010-12-23T10:06:00.001-05:00

I just wanted to wish everyone happy holidays! I cant believe how fast this year has gone by. Also don't forget we have some strange hours over the next week due to renovations to the shop. The holiday schedule will be as follows:
Friday Dec 24th, Open 12-4
Saturday Dec 25th, CLOSED
Sunday Dec 26th, CLOSED
Monday Dec 27th, CLOSED
Tuesday Dec 28th, CLOSED
Wednesday Dec 29th, CLOSED
Thursday Dec 30th, Open 12-8
Friday Dec 31st, CLOSED
Saturday Jan 1st, CLOSED
Sunday Jan 2nd, reopen 12-8
Please be safe everyone!

Crows

2010-12-18T08:59:00.000-05:00

I'm sure all those who get tattooed by me have noticed my crow obsession, They are all over my room here at mandrake. Keeping this in mind, I wanted to post this cool tribalized crow piece. It was difficult to photograph because it wrapped around the forearm but I captured the majority of the piece in this shot.

Baby feet

2010-12-16T10:45:00.000-05:00

I think a great way to signify the birth of a child is to get his or her birth certificate foot prints tattooed on you. They are classic and will never go out of style. Many parents ask about these because they have seen foot prints done which were black and poorly done, and thus have swayed away from the idea of getting them. The prints should be treated as a portrait would be treated including all the imperfections and grey variations in the print...after all this is what makes it unique to YOUR child. Some parents will try to "fix" imperfections in the print as it might be smudged...or maybe a toe didn't come out etc......BUT this is a bad idea. The print marks a precious moment in time and should not be tampered with. These are two examples of this where the parent left the prints as is even though it had imperfections in it, But he will proudly wear the exact replica of the original hospital print.

More Owls

2010-12-13T15:23:00.000-05:00

Yup! As promised some more owls...as you can see there is a huge divertity in the styles depending on what the client is interested in.

Crazy Holiday hours:

2010-12-11T11:36:00.000-05:00

A few of you that have been into the shop recently have heard the rumors of the possibility of renovations. Well I am here to let you know the rumors are true! We will be closed both for the holidays AND for renovations from Saturday, December 25^th until Wednesday, December 29^th. We will be open Thursday, Closed Friday and Saturday then Reopen on Sunday, January 2nd with a whole new look for the new year! So get to booking your 2011 tattoo!

Owls

2010-12-11T09:04:00.001-05:00

Everywhere you go all you see are owls these days! They are hugely popular. The first thing anyone thinks of when they think of owl tattoos is wisdom. Owls, however, are also associated with psychic energy and spirituality.

Military experience

2010-12-09T14:30:00.000-05:00

I absolutely love this piece because it is a unique portrayal of this clients unique experience in the military. We have been working on this one since the fall and we were finally able to complete it.

Another Beautiful fan!

2010-12-06T13:12:00.000-05:00

As promised, here is another picture of an Asian inspired fan piece! This client sat like a champ even though this piece is on a difficult area!

The symbolism of the fan

2010-12-05T19:53:00.001-05:00

I have recently done some beautiful asian fan tattoos. I thought after discussing the meaning with one of my clients that I wouls post a brief description of the fan in asian culture as well as the link where I found it. This picture is one of my favorites, I just completed another this weekend that I will post asap!

Significance

The Chinese calligraphy character for the word "fan" has the same sound as the character for "kindness" or "good." Thus, fans are viewed as good luck charms and expressions of generosity.

Types

Flat Chinese fans are round and made of silk stretched over a frame. Folded fans are made of silk, paper, feathers or leaves. The handles can be bamboo, sandalwood, bone, tortoise shell or ivory.

Symbolism

The round fans symbolize union or reunion and are often inscribed with romantic poems, Chinese characters or floral designs representing wealth and longevity. The folding fans have a history of symbolizing scholarship.

Function

In the past, Chinese fans were used to signify a high social status. Today they are used to display grace in dances and personality traits of characters in theatrical plays or storytelling. In connection with the annual Dragon Boat Festival, Chinese fans have also been used as memorials of people who have died.

Fun Fact

Traditionally, men and women use different folding fans, based on the number of "ribs" between folds. Women's fans must have at least 30 ribs, but men's fans can have nine, 16, 20 or 24.

http://www.ehow.com/facts_5647816_meaning-chinese-fans_.html