After 15 years in the business, tattoo artist Spencer Lavallee got sick of the mess and disorganization of having his ink supplies scattered around while giving a tattoo. So, he created a product called The Original Ink Tray that's more or less a palette for tattoo artists.

"My goal was to make one single unit that you could pour your ink on and then throw it away when you're done," says Lavallee. "It looks a lot more professional."

Lavallee, who owns a South Side tattoo shop called Zoe's Vicious Circle, 122 W. Howard Ave., designed the product last year. A few months ago, a Milwaukee plastics company completed a first run of 4,500 ink trays.

"That was a big step in the process," he says. "Now I'm starting to market and sell them."

The Original Ink Tray is made from thin plastic. It has two different sized ink wells built into it, plus a "wash-out tray" in the middle for black and gray work and a breakaway piece of plastic that can be used to scoop Vaseline, which is put on the tattoo after it's finished.

"It's really handy," says Lavallee. "Plus, you're eliminating whatever else you were working on. Some people use Saran Wrap, dental bibs or foil -- I've even seen a paper plate -- but this looks a lot more professional and keeps things more organized."

Plus, The Original Ink Tray removes the possibility of spilling ink.

"It's another step towards making the tattoo process as clean as possible," he says.

Lavallee says there is nothing else like his ink tray on the market.

"I got the idea one day when I was slow at the shop and started doodling on a dental bib after looking at my counter and realizing how many little things were on there. I thought, 'There has got to be a way to combine all of this stuff.'"

Lavallee, who is 39 and has a 16-month-old son, opened Zoe's Vicious Circle in 2002. He later opened a second shop at 10633 W. Oklahoma Ave., but recently sold the business. Lavallee apprenticed at Gothic Body in Oconomowoc.

"I started out doing tattoos from my house. Then I got a job at Gothic Body and I learned more there in a week then I did during the two years I worked from my house," he says.

Lavallee hopes to market his new product extensively in the near future. For now, he is selling ink trays in packs of 10 for $15 or a 150-count cases for $150.

"I know it's hard for some people to make changes, but we use them in our shop, and could never go back now," he says. "There are so many pros to this that they outweigh any possible cons."