Tag Archives: Nikki Sin

What is the SRS Tattoo Cafe?

March 20th, 2011 by

The Sturgis RoadShow Tattoo Cafe will be a unique experience for tattoo enthusiasts. The Tattoo Cafe will host a group of hand-picked, world class tattoo artists. For the tattoo collector, this will be a fantastic weekend to get custom work from some of the top artists in the country! This is the perfect opportunity to get that commemorative tattoo or finally get that custom piece you have always wanted to have created for you. You can book these artists here but make sure you have your tickets to the first ever STURGIS ROADSHOW!

The artists were chosen for their diversity, style, and artistic abilities. They are the best and brightest in the business. These world class tattoo artists are sponsored by leading tattoo supply companies Critical Tattoo Supply, Eternal Ink & Machines, Mithra Tattoo Supply, Dead Man’s Hand Tattoo Supply, Glove For The Artist Tattoo Supply, Damon Burns Tattoo Machines, Electric Soul Tattoo Machines, Coffin Case, Red Monkey Designs, LaPeau Ink After Care, Barrier Safe Solutions Int., Ink-Eeze, and Fight Dirty Clothing.

Lets Meet the Artists!

Shaun Kama

Shaun Kama was born in Heidelberg, Germany to parents who served during the Vietnam War.  After moving to Albany, New York in his youth, Shaun and his family spent summers in Great Barrington, Massachusetts where his passion for painting began as he studied the works of Norman Rockwell at Rockwell’s original gallery.  He later attended high school in Huntington Beach, California where he was commissioned by friends and students to create logos and skateboard designs. Shaun has been tattooing for more than 10 years and he has truly found his niche in the tattoo world.  He is known as the “King of Halloween Tattoos” because his personal tastes as a tattoo artist lead him to the dark and macabre. His work is dark and edgy, with incredible detail and vibrant color.  Through working alongside Mark Mahoney and Bob Vessels, he has also become skilled in single needle black and grey work.  In addition to permanent tattoos, Shaun has become one of the leading temporary tattoo artists in the industry; he is working as a primary artist on commercials, print campaigns, and music videos.  He has tattooed or worked with many celebrity A-listers including Rihanna, Jamie King, Janet Jackson, Missy Elliot, Nelly, Jada Pinket, Sinbad, and Bob Hailey.  While calling Vintage Tattoo of Los Angeles, California his home studio, Shaun also delivers his world class tattoo skills through a network of shops around California and Nevada. Book this artist!

Buddy Holiday
Buddy Holiday started tattooing back in 2001; since then he has had the opportunity to work with and learn from some of the best tattoo artists in the industry. In 2008 he opened his shop Downtown Tattoo in Las Vegas Nevada. Buddy is well rounded and can give you a nice clean, solid tattoo, whether it is American traditional or Japanese. His fans say Buddy runs the “coolest shop in Vegas and his staff is amazing – it’s the way a tattoo shop should be.” Book this artist!

Billy Von

Billy Von has been tattooing for 20 years and got his start hanging around a local downtown tattoo shop in Bakersfield, California. He currently owns a private studio in Bakersfield and a Tattoo Parlor in Red Bluff, California. Billy learned from an old-timer sailor named Barney, who gave him his first set of machines. When asked about the art of the tattoo he commented “I love tattooing and all the fun it brings me.” Book this artist!

Lacey Loo
heartI became interested in art early on in childhood. I loved to draw on walls,my clothes, and even myself. I am lucky that I had parents that were very open-minded, being that my mother and grandmother are also artists. I got my first tattoo at the age of 17 and was hooked on this artform. I think peoples apprehension about tattoos stems from the permanancy of them. And that is what I love about them. A year out of high school, 1994, I started an apprenticeship in Salt Lake City UT. After working in Utah for several years at A.S.I. Tattoos, I moved to Las Vegas in 2001. I worked in a busy “street shop” for a couple of years there. Then in 2004 I heard a shop was opening in the Palms Casino. I applied and was offered a job at Hart and Huntington Tattoo Company, this is also when and where the A&E show “Inked” was being filmed. It was a crazy and fun time! I met Ben Corn there, who eventually started tattooing my own body. I also met my friend Dejah Garcia there, who owns the southern California shop “Trusted Tattoo Company” where I currently work. I have been at Trusted Tattoo for over 3 years now. Although it may sound like I have been in the tattoo industry for a long time, I never stop learning something about this trade. As for the tattoos on my body, I have had a bunch of them re-done. I do not regret any of them though, “mistakes” are experiences that help you to grow in life. I also believe that your body had nothing to do with who you really are. And since we are all energy, we are all part of each other. I am grateful and proud that I get to be in this industry that is so near to my heart. EVERY shop I have worked at I have been so lucky to meet so many talented people, artists and clients alike, who have helped me along the way. The list of people I look up to is extremely long, you all know who you are, so thank you very much! Happy Tattooing! Book this artist!

Nikki Sin
Nikki Sin was born and raised in the Reno/ Tahoe area and she has always been an art enthusiast. Body modification piqued her interest early as a child when her father would draw on her with a sharpie. After graduating from military school she landed a tattoo apprenticeship instantly with Chris Palmer of Sinful Skin Tattoo. After working with him in the shop and on the road, she joined up with Body Graphics Tattoo which is the oldest shop in Reno. While working with Body Graphics Tattoo, she learned a lot about the history of tattooing and Americana. She is now associated with fellow tattooist Dustin Brown at Valor Tattoo Parlor which is known for its comfortable environment. Nikki is extremely excited to get out on the road again with the Sturgis Road Show. Book this artist!

Jimmy Patterson

In the 1980s Jimmy was introduced to tattooing by his uncle, Danny DeRosa, who was the owner of Smoking Gun Tattoo in Long Island, New York. Jimmy considers himself lucky to have memories of a tattoo shop before tattooing took a center stage in our culture. Watching Danny work left an impression on Jimmy who was “hypnotized” by the practice. He turned out his first tattoos in the mid 1990s and opened Rogue Parlour Tattoo in Tucson, Arizona in 2008. Jimmy loves the road and spends much of the year at tattoo conventions and he also works guest spots. Book this artist!

Javier “Bamboo” Espinoza
Javier “Bamboo” Espinoza began his career at The Tattoo Shop located in La Puente, California where he apprenticed under Big Tony and Kojak. He has been tattooing professionally for 10 years now and he has tattooed all across the country as well as overseas. For the past 6 years, Bamboo has been tattooing at Vintage Tattoo in Highland Park, California where he works alongside Rick Walters, Tennessee Dave, Baba, Odie, and Shaun Kama. Bamboo’s award winning art has been featured in some of the biggest tattoo magazines; his styles include old school black and grey, photo realism, traditional, bold bright colors, and traditional Japanese. His skill in each style has given him the ability to satisfy his clients wherever he may travel. Book this artist!

Aaron Neiman
Aaron is a true artist in every sense and his work truly speaks for itself. His commitment to tattooing shows in every piece of art he creates. He is the founder of the Las Vegas Tattoo Art Collective and is associated with the Pussykat Tattoo Parlor in Las Vegas, Nevada. The artists of the Pussykat Tattoo Parlor are renowned for World Class Full Kustom Tattoos. Fans describe Aaron Neiman as “an amazing tattoo artist! He’s light handed and does exceptional work. You won’t find a better tattooing experience.” Book this artist!

Rob Hill
Rob has been interested in art since an early age; he started drawing on book covers and homework during school to pass the time. His interest in tattooing came with being born and raised on the Southern California Coast where surfers, skaters, punkers, rockers, gangs and bikers are the norm. Rob has been in the midst of the tattoo society during his whole life. After high school, he started doing the prison style of tattooing on all the “homies in the (805) Ventura County, California – Ventura Ave style baby!”After being approached by friend and professional tattoo artist Mitch Sutton, Rob started tattooing with professional equipment while taking his first gig at a real tattoo shop. He is into black and grey, fantasy, Gothic, and free hand style of tattooing and is certified as a commercial artist. Rob has 20 years experience as a professional tattoo artist and continues to evolve with tattoo culture. He is always pushing the creative side of tattoos and art. Book this artist!

K.J. (Krystin Jones)
K.J. is a self-proclaimed “5 foot nothing, 100 pound nuthing, firecracker.” Her clients describe her personality as somewhere between the intersection of bad attitude and opinionated! She acknowledges that “I can be a pain, but I think I’m worth it!” She lives in Long Beach, California with Dustin Py and can be found working at All American Tattoo & Piercing in Fullerton, California. To K.J., “tattoo is not just an art form, but an all-American tradition.” Book this artist!