Need An Artist In Or Near Denver, CO

I'm looking at getting a new piece soon, and am looking for a great, professional tribal and/or black and grey artist in or near Denver, CO. I'm willing to travel a bit, say to CO Springs, Ft Collins...etc. Any suggestions, recommendations are welcome. Also, I know this is highly subjective, but on average how much should I be looking at paying for a half sleeve (shoulder to elbow)? I'll be looking primarily for a tribal or black and grey piece. Thanks much all.

Sorry, failed to mention I am looking for a custom piece. Would prefer not to pick flash from a wall. Thanks.

Not sure how close this is to ya, But I've worked with Jimmy Karanik while in NY, and he's top notch... http://www.redskytattoo.com/ JOE

Jef [email removed] does really nice B&G work.. www.phillbartelltattoo.com is a versatile tattooer.. www.richives.com

For my money, if you want custom, there's only one place... Twisted Sol in Denver. Custom, Unbelievable artists, clean and professional as hell. Check em out at twistedsol.com. Lee ball did mine, and he was unbelievably great.

true the twisted soul has good artist there is also scared for life in boulde look up billy the kid.tell him don from collins sent ya.or better yet just hang tight a little longer and come see myself and taz at painted angel tattoo in fort collins.

Yeah, I met Billy the Kid! Really nice guy! Met him at the tat convention. He was cool, but I'm sure not as cool as the Painted Angel guys (Smootch)

AWWWWWWWWWWWW SHUCKS ! thanks hope to see ya soon.

Hello all, First, my apologies for taking so long to get back here to say thanks for all the suggestions. I've looked at the links provided here, and found elsewhere, and have been pleasantly surprised to find Colorado is full of great artists. So far I really like the work of Jim Karanik at Red Sky, Mr. Scary at That Scary Place and several artists at Think Tank. Please keep any other suggestions coming. As I'm sure with many of you, the next tattoo I am planning on getting is very meaningful to me. I want to celebrate my twin boys, Wyatt & Beck, who were just born 1/25/06. The problem is, I'm not real sure what kind of design I want and probably will not know until I see it. I know what I don't want: no names, portraits...etc. I want something that more represents the boys than actually shows them per se. Not being an artist myself, my initial thoughts were something like a tribal piece with lines connecting stones colored for the boys' birthstones; or for a b&g piece, a wicked/scary looking family tree of sorts that some how represents my wife and I and our boys. Something along those lines. My issue is, admittedly I'm somewhat picky and would prefer to have several designs to choose from, and preferably from a few different artists. Is this possible, and if so how does one go about doing this? Can I narrow my list down to 2 or 3 artists I really love and have them draw up a design based on the theme and then make the decision as to who to go with? Should I expect to pay for this kind of service if available? And if so, how much (their normal tattoo rate)? Or, is it normal procedure to first find the artist you like and just go with the first and only design they come up with? If it matters, I'm looking to spend around $500 - $800. Thanks again.

In the Graphic Design world we call that "Spec Work" and it's a big no no, unless you are willing to pay for it. Spec means "You work for me for free and if I like your stuff you will win the job". Although most tat artists are pretty good guys and might even consider doing it, I wouldn't even ask them. You'll look like a complete asshole, and obviously you are not, so what I would do is narrow it down to the one guy you really like, pay him the deposit, be really specific about what qualities you are trying to get across, and let him get working on it. Custom guys are amazing. I told my guy Lee Ball at Twisted Soul what I was trying to portray, and he came up with something way better than I ever could have imagined, and I teach college level design for a living! Let your custom guy do his magic. Trust them. It's what they do. Just give them a lot of good input first. Exactly what you like, and don't.

Try Chris J'Tot at Phantom 8 www.phantom8.com Great guy, I used to work with him, an awesome custom artist. Vinny www.vinnyburkhart.com

...Jim Karanik. He has some good work but it is generally hit or miss. I have 3 tattoos by him. I have 2 good pieces but it doesn't make up for the one extra bad one he did on me. Phantom 8 or think tank is your best bet but phantom 8 is easier on the pocketbook.