Annual "Meeting Of The Marked" Comes To Monroeville
MONROEVILLE (KDKA) -- Tattoo artists from Florida to Canada are gathering at the Monroeville Convention Center this weekend.
Tim Azinger of Pinnacle Tattoo in Dormont has been organizing these conventions for 21 years.
"I'm covered in tattoos," he says. "I've been collecting for a long time. I got my first tattoo when I was18. It was a tiny four-leaf clover on my leg. And I just fell in love with them. I think the biggest thing is, every time you get a tattoo you come away a different person."
Azinger says his parlor won't do hate symbols or gang-related art. He also tries to steer people away from tattoos that might not stand the test of time.
"The saying goes, 'Mom, Dad, kids are forever, but everybody else you can't be too sure of," he says.
Joshua Renna, of Penn Hills, would add the Pittsburgh Pirates to that group. He's getting a Bucco tattoo.
"I literally bleed black and gold," he says. "That's the main thing about tattoos; you want to make sure they mean something because they're there forever. That's the same thing about my love for the Pirates. It's not going anywhere."
Click here for more photos from the tattoo convention!
Most tattooers apply a stencil outline on the skin, as a guide for the needle to follow. Each human canvas has stories to tell.
"I can still remember each one and remember where I was and who was here and why I got that tattoo," Azinger says. "It's kind of like having your own keepsake memory book that you take with you everywhere."
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