Hundreds of tattoo irons hum at ROC City Tattoo Expo as visitors line up for ink, chats
Tattoo irons humming. That's what you could hear over the din all across this hotel in Henrietta. A soothing sound at the ROC City Tattoo Expo, believe it or not.
The visuals were more varied: vibrant reds and oranges and blacks of flash tattoos, available the same day — maybe even with no wait. The detailed shadowing and realistic faces and portraits of people and objects popping out from displays, posters, stickers, legs, arms, backs.
Skin and smiles and earnest conversation blanketed the rooms. It was again time for the region's curated, invitation-only showcase of 250 tattoers, put on by Jet and Love Hate Tattoo of Rochester. Thousands poured in Friday and this weekend to gawk, plan, appreciate and get inked.
Rochester tattoo expo brings NY visitors and beyond
Bella Ciancione Ogden got a tattoo of a beetle with a fancy frame over it, from a tattoer who also previously did the koi fish on her arm.
The bug was her first leg tattoo. "I'm really into delicate stuff," Ogden said. "So I know her work and what she does and how she communicates well. So I trust her."
Her friend Layla Jackson had forgotten her driver's license, but was thinking Friday of coming back to the three-day expo for a design.
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Others were flocking to the flash tattoos — pieces chosen from the tattoo artist's book, not usually bigger than the palm of someone's hand. Flash tattoos can be done in one sitting and saw their birth in America at carnivals and in Navy ports.
Expo visitors seemed thrilled by the spontaneity of it and were embracing the chance to offer up their skin as a blank canvas for the artist's creativity — rather than coming in with a preconceived design.
Showcasing the art of tattoos
Hannah Rose turned to tattooing instead of sticking to the college route and blazed her own trail — one she cheekily called "a parent's worst nightmare." She swapped textbooks for tattoo machines, moving in with her boyfriend and diving headfirst into an apprenticeship.
She's not just mastering the art of tattooing; she has a large social media following. Her Instagram feed is filled with captivating videos of her work, which is how she finds most of her clients. Now, her parents are her biggest fans, but Rose hasn't convinced her mom to let her give her a tattoo just yet; her sister, on the other hand, depends on Rose for all her ink.
Codey Craig ended up at the tattoo expo thanks to a gentle shove from his inked-up friends.
They knew he'd been mulling over getting a tattoo and figured it was time to help him take the plunge. After scouting the entire expo, Craig finally picked a bold "rough rider" skull capped with a cowboy hat and accented by a red bandana.
Currently a college student, Craig's life took a sharp turn after surviving a stroke, profoundly shifting his outlook. His chosen tattoo symbolizes the challenges he's surmounted. At 21, while he didn't need his mom's approval, he gave her a heads-up anyway.
Thankfully, she didn't put up much of a fuss.
— William Ramsey is an editor with the Democrat and Chronicle. Andy Dossett is a journalist with USA TODAY Network.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Hundreds of tattoo irons hum at Rochester expo as visitors get new ink
