Inked Talk

Earlier this week Inked Talk featured an interview with Greg Foster of Custom Tattoo in Milwaukee, Wisconsin regarding his approach to tattoo cover up work. If you missed that interview, you can see it here. Today we continue talking to artists about their approaches to cover-up tattoo work with an interview with Studio of The Shop Tat2’s & Body Adornments in Darien, Wisconsin.

Tattooing began as a hobby eight years ago for Studio (whose real name is Tony), and in his years of experience he estimates that he has done cover up work on over a thousand tattoos. He sees cover-ups as both a challenge and a test of his own abilities as an artist.

Inked Talk: What special challenges do cover-ups present to you as an artist?

Studio: The challenge is to make the old tattoo disappear and that’s why I love doing them. I approach them a little differently because not just any design will work as a cover-up, and every cover-up is different. You have to work with the client and come up with something that they’ll want to use as a design. Many cover-ups take more than one sitting to complete, and not all colors will work for cover-ups.

I like to use purples and greens, some blues and a little red sometimes for my cover-ups. I like to use the darker pigments for the cover-up and use brighter pigments away from the darker ones to take peoples’ eyes off the darker and make them focus on the brighter pigments. The object of a cover-up is to make the tattoo disappear and by doing that you use a bigger image to distract the old tattoo that you are covering-up - make the people looking at the new tattoo look away from the old image that’s not there anymore.

IT: In your experience, are most cover up requests simply to cover bad or poorly aged work? Or do you get a lot of ex-girlfriend names or gang symbol type cover ups too?

Studio: A combination of all of them, but lately I’ve been covering-up bad tattoos and ex-boyfriend’s / ex-girlfriend’s names. Next week I have a cover-up to do of both: It is a heart with a guy’s ex-wife’s name in it. He wants me use a set of praying hands (to cover it up) so that will be a fun one.

A Name Tattoo “Before:”

A Flower “After:”

IT: What is the most memorable or significant cover up that you have done?

Studio: It’s actually one that I’m in the process of working on right now. It is on one of my artist’s legs. He’s got a bunch of crap tattoos and I’ve been working on the cover-up for the past few months now - it is a whole lower leg sleeve/sock. The whole thing is probably going to take in the area of fifty to sixty hours to complete, and its probably the hardest tattoos that I’ve had to cover-up. It is definitely challenging my ability, but I’m always down for a challenge. That’s why I love cover-ups.

Great band, but not the wisest word for a tattoo:

A much better choice:

It was a pleasure to talk with both artists who contributed to this week’s Inked Talk special on cover up tattoos. Thanks Studio, and thanks again Greg!

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Wine Outlook

…that it deserves its very own article.

There was an link to an incredible Spider Man tattoo on Fark.com last week, and I wanted to research the artist who created it.

It didn’t take long to trace this piece to Dan Hazelton of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. His website gives a little insight into Hazelton’s work. The site itself is unpretentious, but the work on it speaks for itself. The website features gallery after gallery of incredible tattoos, beautiful airbrush work, incredible artwork and unique flash. Hazelton’s strength in tattooing clearly lies in his ability to make an image come to life with three-dimensional realism.

His work is impressive. The galleries on his website are definitely worth a look.

Women are getting tattoos more than ever now. A Harris poll conducted in 2003 revealed that about as many women as men are getting tattooed. Female tattoo artists, however, are still a minority.

This week Inked Talk chatted with Trista Marie, a tattoo artist at Custom Tattoo in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Relatively new to the scene, Trista Marie has been tattooing for three years although she has been a tattoo enthusiast for a long time.

Inked Talk: You have a number of very prominent tattoos yourself. Which came first, your own tattoo collection or the interest in tattooing?

Trista Marie: My interest in tattooing came to me at about eleven or twelve years old. I started tattooing myself at about twelve, homemade crappy tattoos. I have them all either covered or lasered by now.

IT: You obviously had an early interest in art. Where did that come from?

TM: I have been drawing and creating ever since I can remember. My grandfather was an artist. He painted and drew comic strips. When I was really young, we would sit together and draw, color, and watch He-man. A lot of my inspiration comes from him.

IT: You have made great strides since your childhood tattoo work. Was that the result of a traditional apprenticeship?

TM: I started my apprenticeship at Zoe’s (Zoe’s Vicious Circle in Milwaukee). I finished at Starship Tattoo. My apprenticeship could have been a little more thorough, but I was tattooing professionally by early 2005.

IT: Do you find that people are surprised to see a woman tattooing?

TM: My experiences differ day to day. Most people perceive me as a counter girl or piecer at first glance because it is so uncommon. In the past, customers have asked me “Is he going to do my tattoo?” or “When does he have time today?” It can get on my nerves, but there nothing I can really do about it. People have their own perceptions on the tattoo world and being that it is mostly males in the industry, people are often surprised when they see a women tattooing. There are some people that say they would never get tattooed by a women because they think a women couldn’t do the same job as a man. Some people prefer to get tattooed by a women because they say we are more delicate and pay attention to more detail. I think it doesn’t matter what sex you are as long as your passionate about what you do.

IT: Your artwork has a distinct and unique style. Who do you consider to be your biggest influences?

TM: They are so many to mention, I don’t know where to begin. If it inspires me, its very influential to my artwork. I really like Patrick Nagel, Dali, Frank Kozik for starters. Michael Hussar is a very exceptional painter. I very much enjoy Tara McPherson’s work. Then there are artists such as Guy Aitchison, Michelle Wortman, Josh Woods, Brandon Bond, Nikko Hurtado….the list could go on.

IT: What has been the biggest challenge for you as an artist?

TM: That there is only twenty-four hours in a day. There needs to be just a few more hours in the day. Then maybe a could get 100 things done instead of only 50.

Be sure to check out Trista Marie’s Myspace Page, and if you are in the Milwaukee area, see her at Custom Tattoo on Farwell.

Lynn Ann Allen’s work is making quite a stir in her local tattoo community. Her love of photography along with her own collection of tattoos made combining the two seem natural, and the results speak for themselves. Her project, Beautiful Women with Ink, is an ongoing effort to showcase heavily tattooed women.

Lynn took a few moments to speak with Inked Talk about her project.

Inked Talk: What inspired you to begin photographing tattooed women?

Lynn Allen: Well, I am a woman adorned with more than a few tattoos and I worked, until recently, in a corporate environment. I was always respectful when I was with clients or fellow associates and covered up when needed. Still, it always got my goat when negative things were said about me based on the fact, and the fact alone, that I had tattoos. Even people I did business with for an extended period of time and we had what I thought was a good working relationship treated me different after learning about my tattoos. Like it changed me somehow, but why I don’t know.

Tattoos have become so mainstream now, but in the end nothing really has changed. People, women I think more so than men, are looked at in a more negative fashion if they have tattoos. I am not talking about little butterflies on your hip or flowers on your foot, but rather “manly” arm tattoos or extensive works covering more than a square inch of your body. “Such a pretty girl, why would you do that to yourself?” So those experiences lead to my wanting to do this project. The project isn’t necessarily about the tattoos themselves though. It is about the woman who chooses this as a form of self-expression. Who she is and the beauty she still possesses regardless of “defacing” herself. This project is a way to show the world that the old stereotype of women with ink is antiquated.

IT: Tell us about your own tattoos.

LA: I have approximately twenty or so, mostly concentrated on my arms. The crow is my totem animal so I have a lot of art that incorporates birds. I love spirals too, so most have some sort of spiral in them. My favorites are a couple Tim Burton characters I had done most recently. When I moved to Milwaukee I read an article on Heather Shinn. I then went to meet her and I “fell in love” with her personality and her work. Now, I will continue to go to Heather since I trust her and her work.

IT: How has your project evolved from the beginning to where you are now?

LA: In the beginning I wanted to do portraits and that’s it, but as I meet these beautiful, independent, intelligent, charismatic women I want more and more for them to be seen as I see them. Once I get enough women interested, interviewed, and get the test shots completed, I plan on choosing a few iconic locations in Milwaukee and do a final shoot with the women who best personify the premise behind this project.

IT: You have mentioned that this project has been a learning experience for you. How so?

LA: Well, as I mentioned I am not familiar with photographing live subjects. I am used to inert objects like rusted cars and cemetery sculpture. Humans are a totally different ballgame and, for me, it’s been hard trying to figure out how to communicate a person’s personality in a photograph. Each session helps a bit though and I learn something new each time.

IT: What do you see in the future for this project or similar ones?

LA: Well, hopefully I can find a local business to allow me to have a small show and then the book. I have recently expanded my solicitation to include men who are tattooed and I would love to do a series on people with “extreme” body modifications. I think there is a beauty in any form of self expression even if it is something (we) think is crazy.

IT: What has been the most personally rewarding part of this project for you?

LA: Meeting all these amazing women, I feel blessed to have met them.

Thank you, Lynn, for taking the time to talk to Inked Talk about your project. If you want to see more of Lynn’s work, including her other projects, visit her website: Necropolis Photography.

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And, for my daily plug of another 451 Press blogger’s site: Today I found Anime Fans online. Anime is so mainstream these days but it’s still fun to see what those wacky Japanese are up to. Check it out!

Ideally, any large tattoo should feel like a cohesive piece, developed and carried out with a single vision. Changing artists in the middle of piece seems like a bad idea, but is there ever a good reason to make a switch midstream? One of our readers shared his story of how sometimes change can be a very good - and necessary - thing.

Dan Collins had contemplated getting a tattoo for the better part of ten years before taking the plunge. He decided to get a pinup style tattoo of an Indian Maiden on his arm, as homage to his Lakota heritage. He had imagery that he wanted to incorporate into the pinup which had special significance to him, so he took his time selecting an artist that he felt could work with his ideas.

I could have drawn my tattoo but I didn’t want that. I wanted an artist to take my ideas and stick them on me. If it had been my art I am sure I’d be too critical. And after stopping around I went to Charlie’s House of Tattoos in Simi Valley, California because I knew him from my younger years. What better then someone I knew?

Dan took a look at the artists’ portfolios, and was impressed with Rick’s work. He had a lot of experience doing pinups, and he felt confident that Rick could bring his Indian Maiden idea to life. Rick took notes and said he would draw up the piece to be ready for Dan’s first session.

I showed up the day of my appointment to find out that Rick, the original artist Charlie assigned to me, had quit. Charlie assured me that the new artist would do even better. The drawing was nearly done when the first artist left, so there was not too much for the second guy to do but clean it up a little and stick it on me. I met the new artist, but I didn’t like his portfolio as it was pretty much tribal and gang art. But he had a redeeming grace of making the changes to my pinup exactly how I wanted them.

The second artist had told Dan that the pinup could be completed in about four sittings and would cost a total of $400.00. Immediately Dan was unhappy with the work at the sittings, as each sitting was only about forty-five minutes, with about twenty minutes of each session spent in preparation. Dan felt he was being nickeled-and-dimed.

But how do you change artists mid-tattoo?

For Dan, the choice wasn’t entirely his:

I showed up on my scheduled last appointment for my final sitting only to learn that the second artist had quit. No one at the shop could give me an answer on how my tattoo was going to get finished at that point. I later found out that my second artist had been arrested. And here I am with an incomplete tattoo on my arm.

Finding an tattoo artist that wants to work on another person’s project can be a challenge, as Dan learned.

I called around and found that a new tattoo shop was opening in Simi Valley called First Amendment Tattoo. I spoke with Will, the artist, and he was hesitant at first but asked me to stop by so he could see what it needed.
The next day I went to Will and he looked at it and said “I’ll fix it up, have a seat! I was floored, he was willing to fix it then and there.

I sat down and he relined it shaded it and plugged in all the color, all in an hour and a half. Will completely relined her and shaded her in. It went from a line drawing to awesome in only one sitting.

The finished piece:

Sometimes, you need to make a change. Remember, your ink is going to be on your body for the rest of your life. If you don’t like how things are going, speak up. And if your artist won’t work with you to your satisfaction, don’t be afraid to make a change. After all, you have to live with - and hopefully love - your tattoo.

Thank you Dan for sharing your story with Inked Talk. Myspace users, check out Dan’s Myspace page and add him as a friend!

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Time for my daily 451 Press Plug: Everyone loves the Simpsons, so check out this great blog about America’s favorite animated family!

Name:
TATE “PITBULL” BEESON
Name of your current shop?
SEMI RETIRED
Shops you have worked for?
OWNED PITBULL TATTOO IN LONGMONT COLORADO AND WORKED IN VARIOUS SHOPS
When did you start tattooing?
DID MY FIRST REAL TATTOO IN 1983
How did you get into tattooing?
WAS DRAWING CUSTOM STUFF FOR PEOPLE WHO WERE GETTING WORK DONE. WHEN I DECIDED TO GET ONE TRHE ARTIST RECOGNIZED THE WORK AND ASKED ME IF I WANTED TO LEARN TO TATTOO
Do you remember the first tattoo you did? On who? What was it?
A ROSE
Who’s work do you admire?
JOHNNY JACKSON, CAPO..MANY MANY OTHERS
If you could tattoo anyone who would it be?
JESUS

view more about Tate at his inkednation site:
http://www.inkednation.com/nordicrage

TLC has confirmed that Kat Von D will be getting her own show. The show’s title is LA Ink. Of course we all know that L.A. is where Kat calls home. We also know that Kat adores her hometown so this should be a cool show to watch.

I hear too that Kat’s shop is being built now… I’m sure this is old news.