A new place to get inked

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This article was published 19/10/2022 (232 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Tattoo artist Emilie Saindon is willing to follow a client’s desires but she draws the line when it comes to inking certain parts of the body.

“A few guys have asked about getting a tattoo on their private parts but I don’t get paid enough for that,” she joked.

Saindon is the owner and operator of Deadly E Tattoos which opened earlier this fall at 579 St. Mary’s Rd. in old St. Vital. While the storefront is new, Saindon has been creating tattoos for many years. “I learned from a boyfriend’s father when I was only 16.”

Born in Winnipeg, Saindon grew up in Quebec and came home about three years ago. She was primarily employed as a 3-D artist working for architects and electronic game creators. However, in 2021 she suffered two major losses – her house burned and she lost her job. Determined to rally, she decided it was also time to overcome an addiction and has been successful in this for the past year. To put new energy to good use, she decided to open a tattoo parlour.

“I already had a good client base for tattoos and I decided to become my own boss.”

Saindon picked her business location based on her personal affection for the St. Boniface/St. Vital area and to be close to many of her clients.

Her business name – Deadly E (for Emilie) — was her gamer tag. It’s prominently displayed in her storefront window and across her eye-catching hot pink car.

Saindon’s artistic skills come in handy when working with a client to develop the design for their tattoo. She said people often come in with an idea and she uses Photoshop to help them select the final design including ink colours.

“Most people know the design they want,” she said, adding that flowers are popular with her female clients. Indigenous cultural symbols such as spirit animals are also commonly requested.

“I do a lot of strings of text and cursive letters,” she said, as clients want to have a favourite phrase or loved one’s name made permanent on their body. She’s eager to take on new designs and is able to rework old tattoos, turning them into a more pleasing design.

Saindon said most clients are looking for tattoos on their arms, backs or ankles. She sometimes gets family members who want matching tattoos — often a parent and adult child.

She offers a flash deal on a three-inch by three-inch tattoo in black ink or a two-inch by three-inch coloured tattoo that is simple enough for her to finish in under an hour.

Photos of some of her recently creations are displayed on her Deadly E Tattoos Facebook page.

Saindon rents space in her shop to two other tattoo artists and a piercer; she now has one rental space left.

Her usual store hours are Wednesday to Sunday from 2:30 to 8:30 p.m. but she’s willing to accommodate a client’s schedule. She said she’s now booking appointments about two weeks ahead but will advertise on her Facebook page if she has a sudden cancellation.

While Winnipeg has a fair number of tattoo parlours, Saindon said she’s happy she opened her business now, since closures owing to pandemic restrictions caused a wait time of over a year for appointments at many long-established tattoo parlours. She’s hoping that some of that business will come her way.