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BAW:
What made you want to become a Tattoo Artist?
Artist:
I've always been fascinated by the art, even as a child. It seemed to me
to be the ultimate challenge as an artist, creating something
aesthetically pleasing on a canvas that lived, moved, and reacted to
what the artist was doing.
BAW:
Who are your influences?
Artist:
I think pretty much everyone, as you should never stop learning, &
everyone in the trade has something educational to offer, even if it's
in a negative way (which makes it a positive in its own right). I was
especially inspired by the late Bill Furness, the grand old man of
Australian tattooing. Apart from being a thorough gentleman, what he
didn't know about the trade or machines would fit on a postage stamp
with room to spare.
BAW:
What is your favorite style of work?
Artist:
I love photo-realism or anything totally unusual. What I personally
prefer doing is custom work where I get free reign over what I do. I
like to get a feel for a client's personality, & come up with
something original for them that really says who they are.
BAW:
Tell us about your first Tattoo experience?
Artist:
As a client: I was a very scared, very under-age kid, who went to a
family friend's studio, & finally thought "if I don’t do it
now I never will". After letting everyone in the shop go before me,
once there was no-one else left the artist told me to either do it or
don’t, but "for God's sake at least make a
decision!" I did, & was immediately hooked.
As
an artist: scratched away on a couple of future ex-friends (thanks to my
efforts at tattooing I think!) somehow landed a job in a studio
(probably because I was a reasonable freehand drawer) & my first day
at work was Navy payday. As a recently discharged sailor I felt pretty
comfortable until my first client sat down. This turned out to be a
large forearm piece on a leading seaman (an NCO who outranked my final
rank) & who thought I knew what I was doing. I'd just started when
my boss informed me he was going out to lunch & to just keep at it
until he got back. He actually took off partying & came back the
next night. As I had no keys to the studio at that time I didn't stop
tattooing for 36 hours & got to figure it all out for myself as I
went along. Welcome to the business!
BAW:
What is your favorite piece you own?
Artist:
Either the pit bulls on my head, my Dennis Hopper "Blue
Velvet" portrait, or the Samoan work on my hand. I love them all
for differing reasons.
BAW:
What is your most memorable Tattoo given and why?
Artist:
Probably my first professional effort for the reasons given above. It
was a pleasant bonus that not only did he NOT hit me, but he actually
paid me for it!
BAW:
Is there a part of the body you won't Tattoo and why?
Artist:
I think probably around the anus. Apart from not really considering it
to be the best view in the world, I cant see it being very effective to
keep dry or hygienic during the healing process.
BAW:
Do you support supply co. that sells to the public?
Artist:
No, we have worked long & hard to overcome the undeserved stigma
that the industry has, without untrained and/or unhygienic amateurs
getting in there & reinforcing the negative images that the public
has.
BAW:
Do you feel there now should be mandatory schooling for soon to be
tattoo artists?
Artist:
I don’t know about schooling as such as that still leaves room for
abuse by the unscrupulous, but I think there should definitely be an
examination system prior to registration being issued. If you don’t
know your stuff re pathogens, cross-infection etc, then no permit. I'm
not sure how to examine tattooing ability, as who can say
categorically who's qualified to examine?
BAW:
Do you feel Tattooing has changed over the years, and if so why?
Artist:
Definitely. The seedy back-alley studio with the grubby unkempt gangster
behind the machine is thankfully an endangered species, & we are
better educated and aware both medically & artistically. We have
also realized that we are in a service industry, & no longer think
we're doing our clients a favor by deigning to work on them.
BAW:
Do you think it is important to do as many conventions and shows as
possible?
Artist:
Not at all. I used to attend the big annual shows to catch up with old
friends from interstate, but on the whole I prefer to let my work do
it's own advertising. You can’t beat word of mouth. I also firmly
believe that every tattoo I do should be of as good a standard as any I
do that get entered in a competition. My goal is to make the tattoo I'm
doing at the time better than the one before it, at least from the point
of my execution of the piece.
BAW:
What advise can you give to someone who is starting or
looking to get into the tattoo business?
Artist:
Think long & hard about it. Not only are you about to spend a lot of
time working long hours for little money, you are laying yourself open
to all kinds of criticism & innuendo (warranted or not) until you
finally learn the ropes. Your inevitable mistakes in the early years are
permanent & could have far reaching effects on other peoples lives,
so if you finally decide to go ahead with tattooing as a career, make
the effort to do your best not to do a tattoo that you would find
unacceptable on yourself. Resign yourself to not getting rich, and enter
the trade for the love of the art form. The main benefit of tattooing as
a career is the intense sense of satisfaction from a job well done.
BAW:
What could you say to someone who has had a bad first experience?
Artist:
Don’t write it off. Ask around, check out different artists work in
mags, conventions, on people you meet. Once you've seen what can be done
(assuming you would like more work but are just wary of another bad
experience) talk to the artist that appeals to you. Odds are, he'll make
you feel comfortable with the idea of giving it another try. You wont
regret it, as a good tattoo is a life-long source of achievement.
BAW:
Since you have started what changes have you seen in the industry?
Artist:
Hygiene, effective sterilization, a quantum leap in the artistic ability
shown in designs, and a general maturity in overall image & thought.
We are no longer limited by the "this is how it MUST be done"
syndrome. Generally we are more willing to adapt our techniques to suit
a desired result, than the old way of adapting the result to suit a
limited technique.
BAW:
If there was something you could change in this industry what would it
be and why?
Artist:
Probably the political aspect... the perception or implication by
the ill-informed that if you're not a member of this or that club or
association, your work wasn't seen in the latest magazine or convention,
then your work is somehow not up to par, or your methods of operating
somehow leave something to be desired. I accept that we're all artists
and so we're likely to be very individualistic & temperamental, but
I think that we need to accept the fact that each of us has a loyal
following who are attracted to their favorite artist's style for their
own reasons, & we should be grateful for that instead of helping the
anti-tattoo lobby & burocrats succeed in legislating us out of
existence.
BAW:
How do you feel about apprenticeships?
Artist:
In general, I think that they are vital. Newcomers learn how to do
things the right way, rather than commit & repeat serious mistakes
& bad habits through ignorance. On a personal level, after a couple
of bad experiences I have made my mind up never to teach anyone again. I
am always willing to help someone who is already working in the
industry to the utmost of my ability & knowledge, but I have no
desire to be responsible for any more people in the trade with the wrong
mindset or motivation.
BAW:
Where do you think the Tattoo Industry is going today? Do you
think it is getting better or worse?
Artist:
Overall I think it's vastly better, & improving all the time. It is
becoming socially acceptable at last, and the collectors are no longer a
minority. In fact I'd say that tattooed people actually outnumber the
non-tattooed. I think we are finally getting close to a point where the
average non-tattooed person can look at the trade and recognize &
accept us as legitimate artists, as well as us being seen as legitimate
members of the business community with something to contribute to our
society.
BAW:
Please share any other comments or views or questions to the public you
might have.
Artist: The work you see out on public display is
only as good as YOU make it. We all do our job to the best of our
ability, and give the best advice we can to you on placement, after-care
etc. YOU have to put in the effort of taking care of your tattoo while
it's healing. If you give your new tattoo less than your best efforts,
not only will you spend the rest of your life with a less appealing
piece of art, but the result may also affect the decision of those
yet to be tattooed. It's up to all of artists, fans & us alike, if
the art of tattooing is to flourish.
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