Kaitlin McCanless Anchorage, AK

I come from the Queen City, Buffalo, New York, but I am now living and tattooing in Anchorage, Alaska. I primarily work in black & grey but love to play with color every once in a while. I am by appointment only out of a private space, Southside Tattoo, in the beautiful last frontier.

KAITLIN MCCANLESS

Who/where do you get your inspiration from?

I get my inspiration from limitless sources. Living in Alaska and tattooing a lot of organic, nature-themed work — I am surrounded by the subject material. I also pull a lot from the elements, subliminal meanings, and spirituality and add personal snippets from my client. I feel as though I’m a pretty versatile artist and can tackle a lot of different kinds of work, which makes it very fun and playful.

What advice would you give to someone about getting his or her first tattoo? (A tattoo virgin)

Finding the right artist is a big one for me. Being heard and respected as a client is important. Making sure the artist fits the style you are looking to get work in is also pretty important. A lot of first-timers don’t understand styles and assume a “tattooer” can tattoo anything. Try not to price shop, either. While more money doesn’t necessarily equal higher quality, in most cases, it does.

What would you say is your favorite part of

the job? Every single day is a new day. Whether you’ve been doing this for a few years or a decade — there are always new things to experience. You can make your career however you want it to be.

11 Years

Tattooing

Anchorage, AK

Location

Independent Artist

Black and grey Neo-traditional

Specialty

@kaitlintattoos

Instagram

tattoosbykaitlin

@gmail.com

kaitlintattoos

.com If you want to be a gypsy, you can be successful in that traveling around. If you want to be a street shop king, do it. If you want to be a private, appointment-only artist, you can do that. I love that whatever speaks to you in this industry or this life, you can make it so. I love and appreciate all the freedom tattooing have given me.

Who are your favorite

artists? In this season of my career, I really love seeing Squire Strahan’s beautiful florals. Love DJ Tambe and his insane versatility. I’ve taken seminars from them both and have enjoyed them as people too. ✕