Where to begin.....
I started this trek around 2 years ago....
I knew i wanted a half sleeve, and I knew i didnt want just anyone to do it. I wanted the best. I stumbled across the Black 13 website a while back and was absolutely amazed by the skill of all the artists, however upon looking at such amazing artwork, i assumed that it would be far out of my price range.....So alas, I kept searching.
My searches kept turning up the same name....Black 13. About a year after my first contact with Black 13, i decided to contact them...just for the hell of it. I was overjoyed when Doy contacted me back almost immediately. Doy and I corresponded daily for almost 2 weeks trying to sort out my tattoo. I wanted a medieval style dragon (western style) and a phoenix (Dragon to represent me, and phoenix to represent my late father) as well as a couple of things to represent my kids and I wanted this crammed into a half sleeve. I inquired about price, and I firmly believe that you cant put a price on art, but money is an object to me and I needed to make sure that it wouldnt break the bank. I was delighted to find that the hourly rate was very reasonable. I would have been happy to have any of the guys at Black 13 do my tattoo, however Josh Woods style of art was intriguing and I really wanted to see how my ideas would look in his style. Doy told me that josh stays booked up months in advance, so it would be a couple of months before i could get in. I agreed, and since it would be a couple of hours drive for me to get to Nashville, a couple of months worked out well to sort things out with work and home before I went to Nashville.
When the day finally came, I was super stoked!! Arrival at Black 13 was different from other shops that I have been to. I was greeted as soon as I walked in. Josh measured my arm and went to work sketching out the tat. They spared no expense on the atmosphere. It is tasteful and classy. I felt almost like I was at some sort of twisted spa. They even provided me with free amp energy drink!! It truly is a class establishment.
Josh had the sketch done in about 45 minutes. He had the lines inked on my arm in 2.5 hours, and he finished the whole deal in around 8 hours. I was amazed at how fast and how good he really was. He is truly one of the elite in the business.
The Tattoo is the most awesome thing I have ever seen. It is 100 times better than I could have ever imagined. If you have ever thought about getting a tattoo, I highly suggest Black 13!!!!
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