Micah is truly an artist. The piece on my shoulder/upper back is beautiful, unique, and something I will always cherish. I get compliments on it all the time, and have even had people tell me that they had never considered getting a tattoo until they saw mine.
I thought long and hard about what I wanted and searched for YEARS to find the right tattooist. Micah is a great collaborator, incorporating what you are thinking with incredible vision. Working with the lines of your body, Micah makes sure not only the design looks excellent but that the placement is right. It's not just tracing over some picture and replicating it on your skin - Micah can draw! And during the actual tattooing process, Micah added freeform flourishes, which I think really speaks to confident, quality artistry. As an exceptional artist with a high level of integrity, I trusted Micah's vision completely and felt honored to be the canvas.
I approached Micah with a piece I found after endless searching online. It had a sort of Victorian filigree look to it with a holster-like shape on the upper back/shoulder area. Micah added style to the piece, so it kept that filigree look with a bit more organic, viney touches that I really liked (one suggestion I went with was having one of the vines creep over my shoulder so it can be seen from the front - I love this because when I see it in the mirror, it reminds me of the beauty on my back & is this nice little tease). I also asked to incorporate some Art Deco lotuses I gave examples of, and Micah integrated those into the piece seamlessly. Mind you, the piece definitely got bigger than my initial conception, yet what Micah drew up was so amazing, I decided to go just go with it, as I knew I was in good hands.
Micah worked on the piece over the course of a year, with appointments every few months (an in-demand tattooist!). Towards the end, Micah introduced the notion of color. From the portfolio, I knew we could get very innovative with color, using eclectic shades that really popped. Yet I had reservations about going the color route, thinking that a black ink piece would be more classic. In the end, I'm so glad I decided to go with a few bursts of color: sea green (like the copper on the statue of liberty), turquoise, and - perhaps most unusual of all - rich medium brown (I've been asked if the piece is henna). It's been a few years now (we got started on the piece at Black & Blue, finished it at Mermaids), and people often assume it is still a very new piece, the colors have stayed true.
I probably won't get any more tattoos, though Micah placed mine in such a way that I could totally expand it down my back if I wanted to - who knows? I think Micah's black lace pieces are the best lace tattoos out there. And there have been other pieces I've seen in the portfolio (but not currently posted on the site), sort of bird-like and sea creature stuff, that have made me want to get completely covered in Micah art!
I would recommend Micah to anyone who is looking for an exceptional experience with a great artist of the highest aesthetics. I felt very connected to Micah during the tattooing experience, a safe and warm energy exchange that produced an outcome I couldn't have asked to be better. Good luck! read more