Changed Shops
Monday, October 9, 2017
You may have noticed on my welcome page that I have changed shops. I am happy and excited to announce that I am now at Sacred Daggers.
There have been a few changes in my life, some personal and some professional, and I feel very positive for the future and excited to see where it goes.
With this transition, I have been trying to update my website to show the tattoo work I have been putting out the past 6 months, so please be patient as I update.
If you are interested in booking an appointment with me, please fill out the contact info.
Thank you ,
Cecilia Marie
Making Moves
Tuesday, August 8, 2017
This summer has been super busy for me, so I apologize for the gap between posts. Between working at the shop and face painting, most of my down time is spent sleeping, or with family and friends! Its a rainy day today and before I set out to work on some tattoo drawings, I decided to go ahead and do an update.
The tourist season is almost over, and I have decided that at the end of August, I will no longer be face and body painting as I want to focus primarily on tattoos and expanding my skills in my craft. I have been face painting for about 6 years now, which I can't believe how fast the time has flown by. I have painted at so many amazing events and have met people from all walks of life. I feel truly blessed and grateful that I was able to make a living doing something I absolutely love. Not many people can say that about their jobs. I really didn't think of faceprinting as a job, but that I was making relationships and creating long lasting memories.
I am often approached by people whom I have painted for years ago and they still have pictures of what I painted for them. Working at the oceanfront for Beachstreet was an amazing experience for me as I was able to see returning families every year and share in their excitement of getting their face painted. There is no bigger compliment an artist can receive than seeing smiles and happiness from those enjoying your craft.
Although I will no longer be painting at events or for parties, I do have other friends whom I can refer you to. Also, if you are a fellow artist, I do not mind doing a facepaint workshop or giving tips on being a freelance artist.
As always, thanks for checking out my blog! Stay tuned for more updates!
Xoxo, Cecilia
Tattooing Pig Ears
Thursday, April 6, 2017
Hi my lovelies! Last week, my mentor had me tattoo some pig ears! Yes, you heard me right, some pig ears. As an apprentice, it is common to tattoo yourself, oranges or grapefruits, fake skin and pig skin. To those involved in the tattoo industry, this is not an unfamiliar concept. Those NOT familiar with this practice definitely give a raised eye brow and weird face.
I went searching to a few places and no one had pig ears. I did go to the asian market and I did find small pieces of skin, but not big enough to tattoo something decent sized. One of my best friends just happened to pick up some pig ears on his recent trip to North Carolina, and being the clever thief that I am, I stole them! Not really, I told him I was taking them. HE was pretty disappointing he wasn't going to fry them up to eat later, but in the name of my art and my journey, he sacrificed his pig ears.
A few days later, I decided to try again on my black and gray shading. I haven't had much practice with shading, or I have, but just not a lot. so I decided to practice a lotus.
My mentor is showing me so much and I am so appreciative of everything I am learning and focusing on getting better with each piece.
I really find that I am loving lettering and script and I practiced some more with the guidance of another tattoo artist we have at the other shop, Brian. It was very interesting to see how another artist works and what techniques they have to share.
Here is my latest video on youtube showing my first tattooed pig ear! Make sure to comment, like and subscribe for more!
Hampton Roads Tattoo FESTIVAL
Monday, March 20, 2017
I was able to participate in the Hampton Roads Tattoo Festival March 3-5TH 2017 with my tattoo Mentor, Jay of Tattoo Skills
On Saturday and Sunday of this event, I brought my face paint supplies and had a blast painting "temporary tattoos" to all the children who attended.
I met so many amazing artists and was inspired in so many ways that motivates me to better my skills in this field.
Before I started facepainting, I was pulled aside by the Virginian Pilot and asked about my head tattoo. They were doing a piece on the reasons behind peoples tattoos. I was featured along with many other artists and tattoo lovers in this article below. To see the original link, click here.
"I lost my leg in a lawn mower accident" Tattoos tell life's stories
Tattoos are like life’s journals. Some people write about their path in books, and others have their story inked into their skin for all to see. At last weekend’s Hampton Roads Tattoo Festival in Hampton, there were thousands of stories to witness and some new ones being transcribed into the body’s canvas.
Organizer John Cann says the event was a reunion of sorts.
“I think of this event as a macro culture with lots of subcultures,” he said at the start of the seventh annual festival. “You have bikers, musicians, artists ... all kind of groups that have the same thing in common with body art and the culture that surrounds it.
“It’s pretty amazing when you think about it.”
Nearly 10,000 people walked the floors of the three-day event – one of a dozen held around the world the same weekend – getting tattoos or watching others get one. There were tattoo industry booths offering up supplies and lots of vendors selling various types of art and body jewelry.
“This is a festival for people of like minds,” Cann said. “They can all come here and not be judged. Although we do have a few tattoo contests.”
Among the thousands of stories to be told are these offerings:
Mike Chagolla, San Antonio, Texas, tattoo artist
“My art depicts my culture. I’m Mexican, so I have a Mayan mask and an Aztec warrior swinging a weapon at a Spaniard. There’s a lot of money involved, but you can’t put a price on your culture.”
Jenna Stephens, Richmond, tattoo artist
“I lost my leg in a lawn mower accident when I was 4, so don’t let your kids ride lawn mowers. When I started getting tattoos, people always asked me why my prosthesis didn’t have any art. So I found some people that would laminate a T-shirt onto it, and I found a T-shirt that matched my other tattoos.”
The Enigma (Paul Lawrence), the universe, alternative arts performer
“Everything on my body is tattooed except the bottoms of my feet, even the whites of my eyes. My job is to cause problems and make people think about life. I’m basically a puzzle.”
Adam Czerniak, Portsmouth, game shop manager
“My favorite game is “Bioshock.” So the tattoo on my leg is a piece based on the video game. I’ve been playing it for five years and just had to get it. My girlfriend has a matching one.”
Chase Nolan, South Florida, tattoo artist
“The heart on my right hand is my son, Hayze, and the eye on the left is just something my brother doodled for the art. The knuckles are H A R D on the right hand and L I F E on the left.”
Cecilia Patterson, Virginia Beach, tattoo artist apprentice
“My grandmother flatlined in the hospital, and they brought her back. When she woke up, she asked them what they were doing, and she said ‘Just let me go.’ And she loved pink roses. She was such an important part of my life.”
Mike Cann, Norfolk, tattoo artist
“We went to Thailand on our honeymoon, so I got a sak yant-themed tattoo. This is a Thai ghost. They’re based on Buddhist temples. This one was hand-poked where they dip sharp bamboo in ink and poke it into you.”
Brook Lister, Norfolk, promotions for 96X radio
“I had skin cancer ... stage 2 melanoma in 2011, and they did the surgery to take it out in 2012. They had to dig a lot of muscle out at the bicep. I had a big scar and it was depressing when people asked me about it. So I got a tattoo to cover it up, a cocoon and a butterfly to show rebirth.”
Athena Karn, Norfolk, tattoo shop co-owner
“Lady Liberty represents all of us, and all of my clients are all of us. I got it three weeks ago before my 50th birthday because I think all of us need to be together.”
Lee Tolliver, 757-222-5844, lee.tolliver@pilotonline.com Follow @LeeTolliver on Twitter.
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