I have been fallowing Ilyacascad on IG since 2021, back when he was originally located in NY. As time went on I kept up with his story's/post and I became very fond of his work. Finally in 2022 I made up my mind and decided that I wanted to get my first tattoo(arm sleeve) from Ilyacascad. Thankfully, Ilya had relocated from New York to Vegas which made it much more convenient for me since I'm from the Bay Area.
Being my first tattoo, I had a lot of questions and Ilya was able to respond in a timely manner. As our appointment approached, he asked me what was I looking for, so I sent him an album of pictures that had caught my eye. Afterwards he emailed me with a sketch and I was very impressed with how much of my inspo work he was able to fit in his sketches. I was very happy with the overall design and had no critique.
Upon arrival, I was greeted with coffee and cheesecake. Much needed to help calm my nerves. As Ilya began to transfer the design on my arm, his wife was kind enough to bring us donuts and food. During the sketch process, Ilya was very informative. He did an amazing job at explaining the process and how everything was going to come together at the end of it all.
During the sketching, he made several changes to the design because on paper it looked nice, but once applied to my arm some shapes and lines we're looking a bit awkward. It made me really happy that Ilya took the time to reconsider and change the design for a better result. It showed me that he is passionate and really takes his work seriously. Finally the sketch was completed and and it looked even better than the original design.
I can't express my level of gratitude for the amount of hospitality that was offered to me during my sessions. Ilya and his family made the whole experience feel as if I was at home hanging out with friends. That's a memory that will last forever. Overall, I am truly happy that I was able to get my first tattoo by Ilya. Looking forward to coming back to his shop to finish my sleeve. read more