The winners of Hell City Tattoo Festival’s worst tattoo competition in the end were all losers.
Rich Andrews, a 40-year-old construction worker, was one of those unfortunate victims of a tattoo gone wrong. He has a hazy memory of that night he had too much to drink 18 years ago.
“I imagine I was the first one to pass out. I woke up and said ‘Who the fuck tattooed this thing on my leg last night,'” Andrews said. “I ended up getting blood poison.”
He never learned what happened that night, but looking back he said he can laugh about it. Andrews’ questionable tattoo resembles a dradle with leaves growing out of the top and is inscribed with the fuzzy words “Gone Forever” that only he can decipher.
Andrews, like many attendees, came to Hell City Tattoo Festival at the Hyatt Regency last weekend in search of the perfect new tattoo, and the right person to do it.
A large portion of people come to get tattooed, but this year more than ever Hell City is shooting for a bigger and broader audience, said Chris Sablone, the manager and coordinator of Hell City.
“We are trying to bring in aspects that will appeal to everyone, not just the tattoo community. It’s a fun atmosphere. We want it to be a Columbus festival to attest to all,” Sablone said.
This is the fourth year for the annual festival that boasts activities such as contests, seminars, live music, collaborative art, coloring contests for kids and new this year, midget wrestling.
The three-day fest brings in the best tattoo artists from California to Finland as every person is hand selected to be there, Sablone said. Attendees can easily window shop different tattoo artists and compare portfolios to find a style they like.
George McAvin came to Hell City to do just that. McAvin got a palm-sized blue gypsy tattooed on his leg by an artist from North Carolina that he connected with. McAvin is a 25-year-old self-described tattoo enthusiast who came from Pekin, Ill. for the festival.
“I’ve been to quite a few (tattoo festivals) and this is the nicest so far,” McAvin said. “You can tell it has been put together by a tasteful artist.”
This year’s Hell City is estimated to have drawn in more than 8,000 people and is one of the bigger and more respected festival of its kind, Sablone said.
Vibrant authentic 1920s circus banners decorate the Hyatt convention space and everything from the layout of the event down to the wristbands show a strong level of presentation and organization.
Hell City is the brainchild of Durb Morrison, the renowned local tattoo artist and owner of Stained Skin. For as large as the festival has become, organizing the event is still just a two-man job – Morrison and Sablone.
“We have been organizing the event for nearly two years straight, everyday,” Sablone said. “It’s not a nine-to-five job, it’s an 8 a.m. to midnight job.”
Morrison is busy with his tattoo shops and Sablone works full-time as an operations manager at a logistics and transportation company. They both spend most of their free time preparing for Hell City.
Sablone got involved with Morrison three years ago and graduated from Ohio State in 2005 with a degree in sociology. Tattoos have been a long-time interest of his.
