Back again for it’s 12th year, the Seattle Tattoo Expo will be taking over the Northwest Rooms at Seattle Center this weekend, August 9-11th. Whether you’re looking for a phenomenal black and grey tattoo artist, love realism, or want to check out some trippy illusion tattoos, there’s something for every tattoo lover at this expo! Otaku Dome will be there covering each day’s activities via Facebook, those tweety things, and full-day recap articles with more pics and video – right here on OD! Head to our social links in the sidebar to get all the updates as they happen.

Grab you tickets at SeattleTattooExpo.com, and come show us your tats! Look for a tall-ish guy wearing a OtakuDome.com tee, say “Hi” and get your tattoos immortalized in our videos and photo galleries! We’ll be there all day and into the night, starting Friday at 2PM.

“Hi”

Tattoo tradition is exploding among the youth. It is an art in itself. A snake tattoo, for instance, is a widely used design (you can check out 40 Amazing Snake Tattoo Ideas to Inspire You, if interested) by men and women alike. Now, Seattle Tattoo Expo features more than just painted people – there’s music, art, beer, cigars, seminars, contests, and burlesque to look forward to. This year’s highlights:

Tattoo Artists
The Seattle Tattoo Expo brings together the best of the best from all over the world! Just some of this year’s artists include: Damon Conklin of Super Genius Tattoo (Seattle, WA); Jack Rudy of Good Time Charlie’s TattooLand (Anaheim, CA); Shawn Barber of Memoir Tattoo (Los Angeles, CA); Big Gus of Art Junkies Tattoo Studio (Hesperia, CA); Bobby Holland of Black Shamrock Tattoo Parlor (Bakersfield, CA); and Ganso Galvao from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Art Show
Back by popular demand, this special event showcases new artwork from a collective of artists curated by one of the Expo’s founders, Damon Conklin. Join the artists at Super Genius Tattoo (1017 E Pike St.) on August 8th at 7:00pm.

****UPDATE 8/8/13****The Seminar Schedule is in!
Seminars

Friday brings Shawn Barber’s “Portrait Painting from Reference” seminar to the Expo. Shawn holds a B.F.A. from Ringling College of Art, and his paintings, in addition to be exhibited across the country, are held in private collections throughout the world. Shawn will create a portrait painting from reference, including discussion and demonstration on palette setup, medium choices, color mixing, constructing a drawing, and painting the figure.

On Saturday, Dan Dringenberg of Dringenberg Tattoo Company presents “Tattoo Machine Building”. Dringenberg has been building handmade quality tattoo machines for over 20 years.

Sunday’s seminars include “Black and Grey Tattooing Techniques” with Bryan Childs. Bryan is the owner of Spidermonkey Tattoos in Olympia, and brings 20 years of experience, a 1.5 year wait list and numerous awards for his black and grey pieces to this presentation.

These seminars are not to be missed, check out the full schedule here.

Music
The Mainstage at the Seattle Center Northwest Rooms will host all-Northwest musical acts, rounding out the fun to be had at this beloved Expo. Musical performances:

Friday – Mainstage
December in Red @ 3:30pm
Eagle Teeth @ 5:15pm

Saturday
Black Beast Revival @ 7:15pm
A Lien Nation @ 8:15pm

Sunday
LoudMotor @ 3:30pm
Alicia Amiri @ 5:15pm.

The fun continues into the evening(s) at the after hours Tattoo Expo-sponsored events at Neumos (925 E Pike St.) on both Friday and Saturday night with Hell’s Belles on Friday and The Spits w/ Useless Eaters on Saturday.

Food and Drink
The Expo fare is always a hit! Ballard Bros., Green Leaf, and Caffe Vita will all be on hand to please the crowds.

Burlesque
Members of the Atomic Bombshells return to entertain the Expo attendees for another year!

Contests
Tattoo contests are a highlight of the Expo and are often judged by notables from the tattoo community. Categories range from Small Color to Best Portrait and more. New this year is “Best Cover Up” — a category that highlights both tattoo and scar cover-ups. Each day, the “Tattoo of the Day” is awarded. Entry fee is $10 and entry forms can be completed on site.

Seminars
The Seattle Tattoo Expo’s seminars are always popular. This year will include “Black and Grey Tattooing Techniques” with Bryan Childs, owner of Spidermonkey Tattoos in Olympia, WA. With 20 years of experience, a 1.5 year wait list, and numerous awards for his black and grey pieces, his presentation is not one to be missed! More seminars will be announced as they are scheduled. Check here for updates: http://www.seattletattooexpo.com/seminars/.

What Else?
Located in the courtyard is vendor village (featuring vendors Arte de Gustavo, Oliotto, and Stefy Divine Art/La Catrina Day of the Dead and Tattoo Inspired Art, and others). You can get a tattoo, watch someone get one, enjoy the beer garden, and cigar lounge.. there is so much to do!

SEATTLE TATTOO EXPO
Keep up with STE on Facebook and Twitter. Come for a day or a weekend of festivities!

Friday: 2:00-10:00pm
Saturday: noon-10:00pm
Sunday: noon to 8:00pm

Tickets and information can be found at www.seattletattooexpo.com.

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~photos courtesy of Seattle Tattoo Expo~