Impulsive girl summer: Where to get flash tattoos in Detroit
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Tattoo artist Bree Sinclair; one of her tiny tattoos. Photos: Afsana Begum (left) and Sinclair.
Maybe you've spent five years plotting your next tattoo. Or maybe a design caught your eye at a pop-up event and 30 minutes later, it was yours.
The big picture: We've had hot girl summer and brat summer. Now, we decided, it's impulsive girl summer. Life is stressful, we need a break and there's no time like the present.
- Enter the flash tattoo.
State of play: Taking time with decisions is reasonable, but so is spontaneity. With flash tattoos, customers pick from pre-set designs, as opposed to a custom piece.
- Flash can be quick and accessible, but it's also a tradition with a long history.
How it works: Flash sheets can offer inspiration for clients or showcase an artist's style, per the Honorable Society, a shop in West Hollywood, California.
- Think of flipping through a binder or gazing at walls covered in designs. Plus, social media is a go-to for artists to share their work.
- The definition of flash can vary, and it isn't always spontaneous. Some flash designs can be repeated, while others are one-offs that artists will only tattoo once.
Zoom in: Bree Sinclair, an artist at Motown Tattoo Company in downtown Detroit, started Tiny Tattoo Tuesdays at the shop nearly a year ago and has advertised it on Instagram.
- It's affordable and accessible, which can be important for a first tattoo. The special has grown in popularity, and she's seen more than 2,000 people, Sinclair says.
- Times are 1:30-8pm, with 3- to 5-inch tattoos starting at $60.
- She has a waitlist, but the location also offers walk-ins.
What they're saying: Ralph Tatts, an artist at the Motown Tattoo location on Gratiot Avenue, tells Axios the business' two locations outside downtown plan to start doing more Tiny Tattoo Tuesdays, too.
- He says all tattoos have meaning, regardless of the level of planning.
- "People go through things in life where they don't always express it," he tells Axios. "So, whatever you're going through at that time, that could be your reason for getting a tattoo."
Flash tattoos are common, but here are a couple more options:
- Electric Park Tattoo in Eastern Market welcomes walk-in clients, who can choose from flash designs covering the walls, in books and binders. It also has a "get what you get" option, where an old-fashioned sticker machine spits out a random design.
- Behold Brows in Midtown offers flash tattoos starting at $80, with themes from Detroit to flowers. It also does flash tattoo pop-ups.