Summer 2021

Here’s a big dump of recent tattoos.  Blogger doesn’t care much to upload the photos in order, so it’ll bop around a bit…

Filling in some spaces on someone who’s determined!

This is the first tattoo we did on this arm that you’ll see more of as this post goes on, we’re nearly done the arm by now.  

You’ll see a bunch of photos of this suit we’ve been working on for the last six years or so.  Some snakes for the collar.  The clouds and geometry are a cover up of some script.  

DND inspiration for an old client.  Mean looking!

On my sister!

Part of a pair of shoulder pieces.    

A spontaneous chest piece for someone I’ve been tattooing right from day one.  

This is my favourite geometric tattoo I’ve ever done for sure.  A water inspired Cairotype pattern for a great client.

This one was about seven years old when I got this photo the other day, I was so excited about this one when I first did it, and I still am, I’m happy with this one.

Dune. 

Willow boughs.  I really like this theme

Here’s a close-up of my sister’s Mandala, probably the tightest linework I’ve ever put on anyone.

One of the sides of Gage’s bodysuit, he did this one and the other each in one day, three weeks apart… Legend.

The sleeve cuff for Gage’s right arm. 

The Cap of that right sleeve.  

Some years back, I started painting flash based on life drawings and memory, rather than from photographs.  It was a huge turning point in my career.  All of a sudden people were actually asking to have the flash tattooed on them, after many years of putting out a few sheets of designs a year and almost never tattooing them…. The wild rose was one of the first designs I studied and painted in that way, and it has become a cornerstone of my visual language.

When people ask me what my favourite thing is to tattoo, I always answer like this:  

Images that are ambiguous, and nostalgic.  Things that make you feel some type of way, without having a set meaning.  A tattoo’s ability to be interpreted many ways, and to have it’s meaning change throughout one’s life is a valuable one.

The healed outer part of this Nautical sleeve.

The Whole of Gage’s front.  Doing the storm over a mountain range is something I’d been wanting to do for some time, and having a client who was down to do it is amazing!

The other side of the Cairotype geometric pattern you saw earlier.

This little design is definitely in my best-of category, I’ve tattooed variations of it quite a few times.  THis one is on an old skater homie of mine.  

Another geometric project I’m really happy with, we’ve still got some more work to do on it, but it’s coming along.

This Nautilus is the inner arm of that nautical sleeve.

The old Neck!

 Thanks for checking out my work.  If you’d like to be tattooed, you can find me at Main Street Tattoo Collective in Winnipeg.  Email me at bram_adey@hotmail.com for info.

Winter 2020-21

I’ve closed my books for now, I’ll reopen them on May 15h.  That means, I’m not booking any new tattoo appointment until then.  I wish I didn’t have to, but demand for tattoos is very high right now, and I find myself stretched a little thin.  

My main aversion to closing my books has to do with accessibility;  I hope everyone looking for a tattoo can access an artist who will do a good job while treating them with respect.  I’d also like for people to be able to get tattooed by me with as few barriers as possible.

I’m finding though, that after a few years of taking pretty much every job that came my way, I don’t think I should continue doing it.  It’s just too much work, too many drawing and emails.  If you would like a tattoo something like what I post day-to-day, hold tight and I look forward to hearing from you soon.

If you’d like something that isn’t like what I normally post, you can send a request when my books open, but I may simply send a referral back your way.   If you’re looking to get a little tattoo, some lettering, a little tree, a heart outline, Maybe a less busy tattooer would appreciate the work.   

If you are looking for another artist to make a little tattoo for you in the meanwhile,  I encourage you to look closely at their work, and be sure that they are equal to the challenge.  Partly why I’ve been hesitant to get into the whole “closing my books” thing is that it really bothers me how many people go into tattoo shops in Winnipeg looking for a simple tattoo and leave having been treated poorly, ripped off, gotten a bad tattoo, or all three.

 A simple tattoo isn’t an easy tattoo, and not all professional tattooers are all that good.  You deserve a great tattoo, and to be treated with respect, every time.  Ask your friends how they felt when they were tattooed by someone before booking an appointment.    No one should settle for anything less than a great experience.  Do not be afraid to get a tattoo that is timeless, uplifting and truly beautiful. 

If you’ve read this far, thank you very much!

Here’s a jumbled heap of my favourites from the last month or two,  Post-second-lockdown.

Thanks again! - Bram