In the News

"I am working more days now. I used to work more nights and weekends, but more and more people have flexible work hours with the pandemic. I can go to my step-daughter's soccer practice now," said artist Matt Stephens, who works on a tattoo of roses on Drew Willhite Wednesday, Aug. 4, 2021, at Alchemy Tattoo Collective along Cherokee Street. Photo by Laurie Skrivan, lskrivan@post-dispatch.com

Recently we were blessed with some great coverage in publications. We are so honored to be recognized and heard by our city!

First, we were published in an article by the St. Louis Post Dispatch. Our artists were excited to share their perspectives about how the pandemic has affected the tattoo industry. We also had the pleasure of welcoming The Post’s photographer to our shop, and our photos were used throughout the article.

Shortly after the Post’s publication, we were featured by online magazine VoyageSTL where we went much deeper into the meaning behind our work.

Thanks so much, St. Louis, for making us feel like what we do matters!

Covid-19 Precautions

JUNE 2021 UPDATE: Per the CDC, most of our restrictions have been lifted for vaccinated individuals. We ask that you still wear a mask if you are not vaccinated. Thanks!

General Health & Safety Practices

• The safety and wellbeing of our clients is our top priority.

• We follow strict health and safety guidelines established by OSHA and the Missouri Department of Public Health.

• We use hospital grade disinfectant on all work surfaces and take many precautions to prevent cross-contamination with the use of barrier films and PPE. 

• We have handwashing sinks as well as several hand sanitizing stations throughout the shop.

• We are an appointment only studio which limits the number of people that enter the studio and allows us to track of who enters the studio.

• We have a copy of our consent form available here, so you can fill it out (when the artist instructs you to) on your own device, which further limits cross contamination.

Additional Precautions

• We frequently disinfect high touch points such as door handles.

• We have informed all of our staff about the CDC recommended hygiene practices and travel precautions. 

• Artists and staff must self-screen prior to coming to work.

• Artists and staff may not come to work and must reschedule their appointments if they are ill, symptomatic or positive for COVID 19.

• Artists and staff must wear face masks.

notice to clients

• Clients must self-screen prior to leaving their home.

• Clients must reschedule their appointment if within 14 days of their appointment they have been ill, symptomatic or tested positive for COVID 19, or they have had close contact with someone who is ill or tested positive for COVID 19.

• Clients may bring up to one essential guest to their appointment. Guests must wear a mask and follow all health & safety guidelines. Client may not bring more than one guest. Guests must wait in the front waiting area and may not come back to the tattoo area.

• Clients must put on a face mask before entering the studio.  We have masks available if you need one. Masks must fit securely and cover both their mouth and nose simultaneously. Masks must be worn at all times.  Visit the CDC’s site for information on how to create and properly wear masks.

• Clients must follow CDC recommended hygiene practices and cover their mouth and nose when they cough or sneeze.

• When possible, clients should distance themselves from other clients and avoid touching anything in the studio.

• If for any reason the client is unable to comply with any of these guidelines, they may reschedule their appointment to a later date.

For information about COVID 19, checkout our local city guidelines.

Farewell Justine!

We are saying a bittersweet “bon voyage” to one of our beloved tattoo artists, Justine Cho this month. She is moving with her husband, Alex to California following his military orders.

Justine started with us as an apprentice in 2017, and she has been amazing us with her consistency and dedication ever since. Her talent and skill has gained her a loyal following of clients that I know are sad to see her go. She has been a model of the hard work and craftsmanship that it takes to become an expert tattooer, and I couldn’t be more impressed with her portfolio thus far.

Personally, Justine has not just been an artist at Alchemy, she has been a dear friend and constant support throughout her time with us. Her moral compass and calm, compassionate demeanor have been an inspiration and comfort to me over the last few years. I will greatly miss her presence in the shop.

That being said, I am so excited for her new adventures to come! I wish her all of the allergy and humidity-free days ahead, and plan on paying a visit and collecting a tattoo from her in the near future! I’m sure many of her clients will follow suit and we hope to welcome her back for many guest spots in the years to come. Further info can be found on her website www.JustineCho.com

Thank you so much for your friendship and loyalty, Justine. We wish you and Alex all the joy and happiness in your next chapter. I am forever grateful for knowing you and being able to call you my friend.

Much Love and Support,

Chelsea Holloway and Alchemy Tattoo Collective

5 Portfolio Tips To Get A Tattoo Apprenticeship

How To Make Your Portfolio Stand Out

So, you think you might want to be a tattooer but your aren’t sure how to make the best impression when approaching a tattoo artist for an apprenticeship? One way to stand out (aside from your winning personality) is by having a solid portfolio to prove your artistic skills and commitment to the arts. There are several things tattoo artists will look for when considering an apprentice. Here are a few basics.

Pencil Sketches Do Not a Portfolio Make.

Fill your portfolio with hours and hours of hard work. This makes solid, completed art. NOT A SKETCHBOOK! Anyone can assemble a book of doodles and 30 min. sketches, but it takes a serious artist to create a portfolio of professional, quality work that demonstrates knowledge of design concepts and proficiency in multiple mediums. Do the work of a professional and that is what you will become.

Will It Make a Good Tattoo?

If your work shows a serious influence from the tattoo world, chances are you are seriously into tattoos. What does that influence look like? Take a look at some “tattoo flash” and you will notice that the designs are not filling the entire page, but rather have a shape of their own, making them more transferable to a 3D canvas. The designs are not busy or full of multiple tiny subjects. They can stand alone or be added to a flash sheet, and put emphasis on clean lines and high contrast to hold up well on the skin. There are countless subtleties that will indicate how much your art takes inspiration from tattooing. Not only will this stand out to a potential mentor and teach you to spot those subtleties, but it will also give you a library of original work to tattoo on your future clients. The best platform for finding inspirational tattoo art is Instagram, so follow as many artists as you can. (Be mindful of original artwork as design stealing is highly offensive!)

Vary Your Subjects.

We get that you have a style and subjects that you prefer to draw, but if you are not willing to leave your comfort zone, tattooing might not be for you. Humans love variety (it’s like a spice or something) and you don’t want to be pigeon-holed into the latest tattoo trends by always letting the client choose the design. Increase your skills and try drawing subjects you have never drawn before. This will show your commitment to growth and your versatility as an artist. Even if you just really love drawing faces, there is not a huge demand for tattoos of faces by apprentice tattooers for a reason. Learn/prove you can draw different subjects and it will help you add variety to your face drawings later on and you will be more prepared to handle client requests.

Please Just Don’t.

Do not include tattoos you have done! Better yet, don’t tattoo without a license! This was another tip I included in a previous blog, How To Get An Apprenticeship. But let me reiterate; a professional tattooer does not want to see your home-made tattoos any more than a dentist wants to see the cavity you filled yourself because you really want to be a dentist. It is not legal to tattoo without a license in most states, and tattooers work very hard to get into the profession. Skipping ahead without knowing what you are doing is not only disrespectful to the industry, but it shows you assume tattooing is easy and requires no skill or learning, and don’t get me started about the disease and infection you could cause! If you bought a “tattoo kit” and started tattooing all of your friends in your basement, you might want to keep that to yourself, and seriously, just stop.

Success Is Built On Many Failures.

Don’t get discouraged if no one is interested in taking you on right away. Apprenticeships are not easy to do or to give, and the responsibility of someone’s education is not often taken lightly. The tattoo industry is relatively new to the main stream, and many tattooers still resist the idea of it being a widely accessible career path. It can take 10+ years post-apprenticeship for an tattooer to feel skilled enough to teach, and there are no guidelines or requirements to follow, making expectations unclear and misunderstandings more likely. All of this makes many tattooers hesitant to accept an apprentice. So, if you are not well received at some of the shops you approach, just go on to the next one and try not to take it too personal.

These tips should be a good jumping off point for anyone interested in creating a portfolio for a tattoo apprenticeship. Putting in the hours developing your skills is paramount to stepping foot in on any career path.

Want to know more? Just ask in the comments or let me know what else you want to learn about! Interested in apprenticing with us? Sign up to our Aspiring Apprentice email list and we will notify you when we are accepting an apprentice, or offering workshops to learn more about the industry. You can also find more info at www.AlchemyTattooApprenticeship.com

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ATC is Moving

We’re MOVING!

Thanks to YOUR support we will be relocating December 2018!

To our upcoming appointments: We are grateful for your patience as we make this transition.  We will do our best to keep all appointments informed and as scheduled. Please keep in mind the artists and shop have no control over how long the necessary permits and licensing will take, and therefore we are unable to plan around specific dates. If you end up at the wrong location, fret not! We are only a block away!

 *Check back soon for the latest updates*

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We’ll miss you 2839…but not too much!

You may have noticed it’s getting crowded around the shop.  We’ve been busting at the seams in the cozy space we started at just 3 years ago!  But, thanks to all of your loyal support and patronage, we’re expanding!

From our beloved 950 sq ft at 2839 Cherokee, we’ve grown to an exciting 3000+ sq ft location; and we’ll be just a block down the street still on Cherokee!

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The Cinderella Building
2739 Cherokee Street

The Cinderella Building has been under renovations over the last year, thanks to WJL properties. Every detail has been considered with great care and respect for its historical value. From the tin ceilings, to the molded plaster, we think this beautiful piece of architecture is well deserving of its fairytale namesake, and we can’t wait to make her home!

To read more about the history, check out this article from the RFT.

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The renovations

We can’t wait to get settled in and have you all out to celebrate our new home! Thank you sincerely for supporting us through this journey, we couldn’t have done it without you. <3

-Alchemy Tattoo Collective

Friday the 13th ONLINE Flash Sale

We're coming to you this time!

Friday the 13th Tattoo Flash Sale
NOW ONLINE!

 Limited Designs For a Limited Time.

Presenting, our first ever ONLINE Friday the 13th flash sale!  We know you don't like waiting 6+ hours in a crowd, hoping to get tattooed on Friday the 13th, and we don't like it either!  But, we DO LOVE Friday the 13th Tattoos!  So, we've brought our sale ONLINE, and are excited for you all to check out our limited, original designs! On sale for the next 48 hours only!!
Plus, piercing and tooth gem discounts!
 

Make sure you subscribed to our email list to be notified of future online sales and events!

Artist Updates

In case you missed it, we have had the good fortune of tattooer and entrepreneur LT Woods joining our crew!  L.T. was not only the creative force behind St. Louis's first Tattoo The Lou Convention, he is a world traveler and renowned tattoo artist with 16 years in the industry.  His illustrative and dynamic style has been recognized with awards and featured in publications such as Prick Magazine in 2012, as well as Tattoo Society and Taboo Magazine. LT has tattooed at prestigious shops around the world including Artistic Element, Ink and Dagger and Studio 13.  Needless to say, we are humbled and honored to have his presence at the shop.

In other exciting news, our own Jessie Langs is going to be leading a class at for the Pulitzer Arts Foundation!  The Botanical Art program will showcase the life's work of Ruth Asawa and Lola Alvarez Bravo, while Jessie takes participants through her process of botanical life drawing.  The class will soon be listed on the schedule for October 13th 2018, so mark your calendar!  We will update you when sign up begins, so make sure you subscribe to our blog down  below.

Alchemy Tattoo Collective, and Jessie specifically, was also mentioned in Alive Magazine last month! What an honor! 

Oh, and don't forget, this month brings another Friday the 13th tattoo special!  With it, we will be trying a new approach to bring you fun designs at discounted rates.  So stay tuned!!

We couldn't be more proud and excited for what this collective has done so far and where it is going.  Of course, we couldn't have done any of it without all of your loyal support and patronage!!  Let us know what you want to hear from us or what you would like to see more of.  We love hearing from you, and thank you sincerely!

Apprentice Model Contest

ApPRenTiCe MoDeL ConTest

We had such a huge response from people wanting to be one of Justine's first tattoo clients, we decided we needed to have a contest to choose from over 380 of you who responded!

If you are interested in winning a spot as one of Justine’s models for her growing portfolio, you could be the winner of a free tattoo or be one of 5 winners of one of the $80 designs posted for a $30 sitting fee!  Check out her portfolio page to see the awesome work she has done so far.

Justine will be starting with this beautiful sheet of nature inspired designs.  They will be black and grey and Approximately 3-4 inches in size.  No changes to the design or color.  

We will continue to offer chances to win and there will be many winners! So if you don't make it this round, stay patient and you could make it in on the next!  

Winners will only be allowed to win one time only.  

Thank you for all of the support!

Good luck!!