Today we’d like to introduce you to Sara Bell.
Hi Sara, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I always wanted to be covered in tattoos. Growing up in rural Virginia I only knew one person with any tattoos, my uncle, and he was the coolest looking person I’d ever seen. As I got older and started getting into art I knew that yes, I wanted to be covered in tattoos, but I also wanted to be the one doing the tattoos.
All tattoo artists begin with an apprenticeship and I was very lucky early on in my career by finding a really great shop to do mine at. I was living in Connecticut at the time and went to a local shop (shout out to Flats Tattoo in Groton) It was a serendipitous moment because they had a artist leaving and the owner was going on maternity leave so a spot was available. I pulled some of my paintings off the wall at home and walked into the shop to show them my artwork. They gave me a chance and I can’t even describe how much I learned from them during my time there (another shout out to Cory, Nick and Jen!) It was here that I learned the basics of tattooing, what materials to use, how to mix inks, etc. I spent most of my time tattooing small things to really get a hang of getting ink into skin.
Being from Virginia I wanted to move back to be closer to home so after 2 years in CT I was on my way to Richmond. I was lucky yet again and found a job at a really big well known shop in the heart of Richmond (should out Lucky 13) where I worked for 8 years. I learned so much there and was really able to build up a great clientele and come into my artistic style as a tattooer. I started to feel the need to provide clients with a much quieter and private space so I decided to venture out on my own and open a small studio, Ladybird Tattoo. I have been in my little studio space for just over 3 years where I’ve continued to work on my favorite styles, getting to tattoo and get to know so many amazing people.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
As I said I was very lucky in my apprenticeship, they are hard to find, they are even harder to get through.. but I really had a great group of people around me for that and I do feel like it was easier on me than most. However moving to another city after only two years of experience was hard. I went to almost every shop in the city looking for a job and got turned away from everywhere, for various reasons. At this time as well, though it was only a little over 10 years ago, there were still shops that wouldn’t hire women so I did unfortunately run into that roadblock. It was hard to stay positive for a little bit but I didn’t give up.
My biggest hurdle on a human level was being a huge introvert. Talking to people was always so scary and hard for me, it was always my biggest struggle. Being in the tattoo world you have to get over that pretty quickly and it really helped me come out of my shell but continues to be a work in progress!
People have also always made the assumption that tattooing is somehow easy and not time consuming.. Tattooing in and of itself is just one part of the job, there’s also drawing time, consultation time, email correspondence.. there’s a lot more to it than people think
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I specialize in both color and black and grey illustrative and neotraditional tattoos. My favorite subjects include any and all animals (birds, snakes, bugs, squirrels, etc.), pet portraits, florals, plants, botanicals, book and art themed pieces.
I am really excited that I can provide people with a very quiet and private place to get tattooed. I also love talking to people and getting to know about their lives and I genuinely care so much for everyone that I get to tattoo and share my space with.
Do you have any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
My favorite memories as a child come from getting to grow up and spend so much time at Smith Mountain Lake in Bedford County, Virginia. We had a tiny trailer there and we would spend the summers swimming, canoeing, fishing and just hanging out as a family. My mom was also very into gardening and I think my love of flowers and plants all kinds came from watching her create beautiful gardens anywhere we were.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://belltattoo.com
- Instagram: _sarabell_
