North Star Tattoo Review

I'll go through the process for other people looking to come here I guess. First step is the consultation with the artist. Anna was quite helpful. She made it very clear that this tattoo was about me, what I wanted and what I liked. Already a plus. Made me feel comfortable being in there. She wasn't pushy with getting me to use their services at all. Very friendly, very helpful. Answered every question I had without any hesitation. We set up the appointment and everything right there and then.

Appointment time came and she recognized me, which is definitely a plus. When we got to it, she was friendly and chatted with me through the process. Answered questions as they came around. When we got through with the tracing, she asked if I needed to stretch and stuff. That's also a plus for me. After the filling in was done, we moved onto the finalizing stage. She really took the time to look over the whole tattoo and fix anything and everything that needed to be perfected.

This spot is a great tattoo spot and I HIGHLY recommend it to anyone looking to get inked. All the artists there are talented. You can see their work on the walls and the portfolios are right when you enter. They're all friendly too. Everyone wanted to take a look at the finished product. They even let me borrow their charger to charge my phone up.

74 E 7th St
(between 2nd Ave & 1st Ave)
New York, NY 10003
Neighborhood: East Village
(212) 228-6724

The Art Students League of New York Review

So many great artists have walked the halls and taught at this art center. The art classes are excellent. I love how you can take a class for one day, two days, one week, one month or longer. The teachers are all working artists who are extremely skilled. The best part is how reasonable and affordable the classes are compared to a taking one at a university in the area. If you're looking to brush up on your art skills, or have always wanted to learn how to draw I highly recommend The Arts Students League of New York.

The greatest and cheapest place to reconnect with your love of drawing and painting.  James McElhinney will break your bad drawing habits and teach you how to see right and Dean Hartung's Saturday class will get you (re)started as an oil painter in a relaxed, improvisational, home-cookin' sort of way. 

The facility, located almost across the street from Carnegie Hall, seems to ooze history and artistic energy.  Even if you're not ready to sign up for a class, it's worth a peek inside.   No need to wait for the next  NYC art fair, either - there's often a art sale going on in the mezzanine with some very reasonably priced works.

215 W 57th St
(between 7th Ave & Broadway)
New York, NY 10019
Neighborhood: Midtown West
(212) 247-4510

Cinders Review

I love going in this place. They embrace the arty comics scene, and the DIY comic-aesthetic low fi art world that shows up on their walls. It's pretty hip, I guess. Man it's fun, and a usually a great place to see fun new ideas. I remember once they invited comic artists across the country to submit art they did using only a blue bic pen-  the stuff was jaw-dropping. Hope that's an on-going series, I'd like to see that again... R. Nicholas Kuszyk is up now, and he's painted the entire gallery, with a huge obelisk in the middle of the room. His robot wars (?) are all over the place, hilarious and touching.  They charge what's right and proper for the zines, comics and whatnot in the back - and they're supporting some really fun young artists that I hope keep doing this fun great stuff!

This gallery was kind of small but the space they had was very well organized and the prices on the art were affordable, even to students. I don't know what kind of artist they usually attract but when I visited, it was an exhibition by Kim from the band Matt & Kim.  Not many subway lines near the gallery had a convenient connection from the place in Brooklyn I was starting from so that was the main attraction for me.  If other artists I had an interest in also have their exhibitions here I would gladly make the trip.

28 Marcy Ave
(between Metropolitan Ave & Hope St)
Brooklyn, NY 11211
Neighborhood: Williamsburg - North Side
(718) 388-2311

Three Kings Tattoo Review

I have 5 tattoos and every single one has been at three kings. Annie is a great artist. Friendly, creative and intuitive to your needs. I recently had my Friday the 13 tattoo done by Josh and it was tastefully done. Every artist is spot on in there. As for piercings Shannon is a sweetheart and really takes the time to make your experience as comfortable as possible. I have also had experience with Vito and he's great too. Def stop by for reliable artists. Everyone in there knows what they're doing. Always a recommendation for first timers.

These guys are the best. I recently got a large piece done by Tamara, and a smaller piece by a guest artist from Japan named Horishin. Every time I'm in there its so nice to see how knowledgeable and kind they are to everyone that walks in the door. It seems like a great place to go for a first tattoo, as I've seen them put people at ease and inform them about what's going on and what to expect. I've never been in a shop with so many talented artists who are so humble and trustworthy about their craft. Thanks 3 Kings staff, you guys rule!

572 Manhattan Ave
(between Driggs Ave & Nassau Ave)
Brooklyn, NY 11222
Neighborhood: Greenpoint
(718) 349-7755

Art by Boris Jairala Review

I have been following Boris' work for many years now! It is amazing to know such an amazing artist and to be able to follow him through his different periods. What's even better is that his beautiful creative pieces are being shared publicly at Cafe at Sam's Bakery in Bay Ridge. It is very rare that even the toughest critic comes in and doesn't compliment the creativity of the artist. We're proud to have those pieces hanging there!

Boris totally deserves an amazing review, his creativity and attention to detail is amazing.. He has painted me and honestly,  I can't  count the number of compliments I have gotten from his painting. Since that I have acquired another piece from Boris's collection and still the admiration for the decoration in my home has flowed abundantly.   I can't wait to get my next piece from this brilliant artist.

Brooklyn, NY 11214
(917) 326-1979

Chris Babcock Art Workshop Review

Love, love, love Art with Chris! She's a fantastic teacher, fun and makes painting totally accessible no matter what your skill or experience level is. I just finished up the Adult Fall oil-painting series which was a blast. Felt like a giddy school-kid bringing my masterpieces home to show my family. She uses top-notch materials and her sunny studio is a creative oasis. There are kids classes too and you'll be blown away by what they produce....I caught myself salivating over their Wayne Thiebaud cupcakes and the Yoshitomo Nara studies were so sassy. Treat yourself to one of these classes. It's so worth it!

5907 California St
(between 21st Ave & 22nd Ave)
San Francisco, CA 94121
Neighborhood: Outer Richmond

Love Painting Review

Great business owner. I was calling around to different painters to chat about my job and while I didn't use Love Painting, I did talk to Sean Love. He focuses his business on jobs that are $1,000 and more. As a marketing person, I "love" that - segment the market and target a specific segment. Awesome.  So my job was considerably smaller, but he was completely willing to give me some advice about other painters I was talking to. He gave me great insight and helped me choose my painter. Took him some extra time even though he wasn't up for my business, so deserves some extra good karma. Hopefully I'm sending good karma his way with this review.

670 S Van Ness Ave
(between 17th St & 18th St)
San Francisco, CA 94110
Neighborhood: Mission

(415) 566-6099