Etched In Skin LLC

Etched In Skin… What more can you say! Michelle is a great artist. Her shop has been there for years. A true Southside Gem. All work done by appt which is your time. Some of the best cover up work I have seen, my arms are proof! Keep up the good work. See ya soon!

I love Michelle! She is a true artist! Her work is amazing! I have been going to her for a few years now! She’s currently tatting my half sleeve And has covered up many bad pieces that I had got in the past from other places. She’s awesome at giving advice! Her color are so vibrant! I love it! Finally found a true artist, I will definitely be back for more! :)

I’m not writing this review simply to disagree with Morgan’s. I’m a new, long-​time customer, if that makes any sense.
I was referred to Etched through a friend of a friend, and I’m incredibly thankful this happened. Michelle is my tattoo artist and she’s amazing. No, she’s not in some high-​end, pretentious shop, nor is she a diamond in the rough. I can’t tell you how many years Michelle has been tattooing, but her works leads me to believe it’s been a while.
Michelle did my left sleeve (which was complicated because I had my entire shoulder already done and I needed her to take another artists’ vision, and make it her own. Maybe I’m a little biased because it’s my arm, but she nailed it). She kept the original work, added to it, and then blended everything in to make one helluva ¾ sleeve. I loved her work so much that I went back for my back piece, which we’re currently in the process of completing.
You can walk in off the street and get great work done, or you can come in with a vision, talk with Michelle, and let her put something together. You can’t walk in to a tattoo parlor, tell the artist what you want, then expect something unbelievable to appear on your arm. It doesn’t work that way; it’s a process.
Call the shop or stop in, throw around some ideas, then give Michelle a little bit more than 19 seconds to come up with something, and I guarantee you’ll be impressed.
I’ve been referring people to this shop for almost 2 years now, and I will continue to do so. Michelle is there to work. She runs a business and runs it well. Her designs are beautiful and her work speaks for itself. Don’t judge a shop by the location or the «I just want to get a tattoo so I’m going to pick from one of these designs hanging on the wall.» Judge the tattoo and the artist by their work, on someone’s skin.
Her ink is the best, her rates are excellent, and she’s a pretty cool chick.
5 Stars for sure. Keep it up Michelle! When the back is complete you know I’ll be there for my right arm ¾ sleeve!

I have been here for 6 of my tattoos. I had Michelle design and draw my tattoos for nobody else would have them. She did a great job. Michelle does a great job and I would not go anywhere else…

This tattoo parlor is a 5 star joint for the young and dumb or biker gang.
When I look for tattoos, I now look for various things that never even crossed my mind when I was «young and dumb».
1. The tattoos artists must actually be artists outside of their tattoo profession and have something else to show. I like that tattoo artists have art shows.
2. The artists work with the clients to create/​design up a tattoo that fits that particular client’s needs/​personality (after all, it is their job to be creative as an artist).
3. Reputation– I stay AWAY from the places that are over priced tourist traps.
4. I look for artists who can venture away from the traditional «out of the book» tattoo design and know how to give realistic looking tattoos.
5. The studio must be clean, and I like when the shop is uniquely decorated to the artists’ style.
6. The ink must be good and the artists must be able to work on themselves,
When it comes to Etched in Skin, I can say that I have only experienced 2 out of these 6 things. This shop looks like every other I’ve been to on the south side. Blah. Walking in, you do not see much creativity and can’t really make out the personal styles of the artist (s). There was only one artist working here when I came in, so it’s not like you have a choice as to your tattoo style.
Now, as I said, I was young and dumb when I came in here, so I stuck to the book. I got what I paid for: over priced, cartoonish looking traditional tattoos. They aren’t very big at all and don’t have as much design and talent as others I have seen from elsewhere. One, I want covered up, the other, I can only hope to get covered up. It’s not that she did a bad job with the tattoos. She didn’t. Looking back, I can say that her designs just arent my style. The ink used at this place though is pretty awesome. I dont have much fading at all with my two tattoos. Any fading that I do have is probably due to me not putting anything on the tats when out in the sun.
I did not like the personalilty of the artist. She seemed to herself in a way. Not very talkative. Something really shady about her. One day when I went in with one of my siblings, she acted high as a kite. This in itself is something that turned us away.
When choosing a tattoo place, do your homework and don’t go somewhere because it’s close and convenient. That choice literally stays with you (unless you choose to cover it up).