SHAY TATTOOS

3 Years

Tattooing

24 Age

9 Lives Tattoo Shop

West Warwick, RI Location

Neotraditional/ Glitter Specialization tattooedbyshay @gmail.com

I’m Shay! I was born and raised in Rhode Island. I grew up helping my mother run her event business across New England, making custom signs and floral arrangements, since the age of 10. My mom taught me to draw when I was 3 or 4, and I have always stuck with it. I started tattooing when I was 19 under my mentor, Jamie Grycell. I have won awards for my glittery tattoos at several conventions across the country- including Nashville, TN, Hartford, CT, and Wildwood, NJ. I love music - everything from metalcore to country - but if you’re trying to hype me up, turn on some girly rap music. I adore doing Halloween, nostalgia, and generally girly tattoos.

What was it that initially sparked your interest in tattooing? I always knew I wanted to do something art related to my life, but I didn’t want to work in an office and always excelled visually and working with my hands. I grew up surrounded by motorcycles and construction workers with tattoos. It kind of just made sense to me, and it was always fascinating.

When I was young, my mom would let me doodle on her all the time, and I would make her guess what I had drawn.

What did your family and friends think about you getting into the tattoo business? Luckily, I’ve always had a small but very supportive family. My family and friends are like my little fan club, and most of them are frequent clients too. My stepdad didn’t have any tattoos before I started tattooing. But don’t get me wrong, a tattoo career definitely shows you who your real friends are.

@shaytattoos Instagram shaytattoos .com you’re a pushover. A lot of men gate keep this industry from women, whether they’re openly sexist or intimidated by you. In my experience, a lot of people prefer getting tattooed by females for several reasons: creativity, lighter touch, personality, etc.✕

“It’s the little things when it comes to drawing. The connections between lines, the smoothness of curves. Even the subtle shifts from light to dark when shadows are needed. It is those aspects of art that make me strive day in and day out to be the best artist I can be. “I’ve been making work since I was 14 years old and living in Chester, New Jersey. As I realized my dream of being an artist, I attended the University of Vermont from 2011-2015, where I studied both Studio Art and Art History. During my time there, I was heavily influenced by the geometric shapes shown in Islamic art as well as the bold colors and fine detail of Japanese woodblock prints. After years of perfecting the straight line and the perfect curve, it’s time to perfect tattooing ⸺ Who/where do you get your inspiration from? Inspiration comes from all over, whether it’s art from a specific culture or shadows coming through the window ⸺ What advice would you give to someone about getting his or her first tattoo? (A tattoo virgin) Keep it simple, don’t try to mash 47 ideas into one tattoo ⸺ What did your family and friends think about you getting into the tattoo business? They thought it was the best move I had ever made ⸺ What would you say is your favorite part of the job? I get to make art with people every single day ⸺ What was it that initially sparked your interest in tattooing? I loved how they looked. I wanted to be able to put my art on people, and it immediately became a goal of mine artistically to get my skills up to the point of putting permanent work on people’s bodies ⸺ Who are your favorite artists? @vitall.black, dj tambe, Fabio d’amato, Alex Santucci, Dom Joel, Blum, and Jose Fernandez ⸺ Are there any tattoos you would refuse to do? (face, private areas, etc.) Not necessarily location unless you are young and don’t have a lot of tattoos. It is more subject matter for me. Anything offensive I try to stay away from ⸺ What do you think is in store for the future of tattooing? I’m excited about it. Technology keeps getting better, which is letting us focus more on the art side of things. It has become a serious art form, and I’m excited to see where it goes. ✕