in 1891 sam o’reilly patented the first tattoo machine as a way to speed up the process of tattooing. it was the industrial revolution afterall. soon after, people were selling the idea of tattooing (“for fun and profit” ” so easy anyone can do it, no artistic skill needed”) out of the backs of magazines like popular mechanics. before that there were very few professional tattoo artists, and most of them supplemented their living with other marketable artistic endeavors such as sign painting. but once word got out that the days of hand poking or other more time consuming variations (that required more patience and a supposed higher level of craftsmanship) were over, everyone wanted tojump in. the more people jumped in, the more the bad work they perpetuated became the norm. so once quick bad and cheap became the standard, it wasn’t outof line for people to think all tattoos turn bad. so the elitist/separatist that thought or thinks they are smarter than everyone else had one more over simplified view of the world data point to judge others with, further establishing their intellectual superiority. their thought being that anyone that would subject themselves toa procedure that was going to (in all eventuality) go bad obviously wasn’t the brightest bulb in the bunch or the the most informed.

soon after that asthe great depression hit and people traveled for work or women diddesperate things for a living that they may not have done in less extreme financial times; the more transient people became the more they got tattoos to remind them of lost loves that had to move in other directions, or family, or home. again, there was another point where the elitists (this time social/financial elitists) could judge othersand establish they were better for yet another arbitrary reason. nevermind king frederick of denmark had visible tattoos http://www.vanishingtattoo….

that brings us to times of war. the second world war/the korean/the viet nam war respectively. again, lonely people longing for gf’s and home were the ones getting tattoos. the elitists (that wanted to see themselves as better than tattooed people) could see they were patriots,but deep down probably judged them as warriors, savages, made rough around the edges by battle. the easiest way to tell “those people” from their sons that avoided service by going to college was again, you got it, tattoos. not to mention a lot of the men that served in those conflicts that missed the comradery/camaraderie of the military started motorcycle clubs and the gay leather culture not long after their arrival home.

see how the negative stereotype of sailors/bikers/and whores got started in this culture? 

popular culture has made/kept tattooing popular ever since. but with popularity comes/remains the financial drive and the outsider/badass social status that so many are trying to capture, and so many others hate. as long as there are more of those types churning out hurried bad work for the profit,than there are well-read educated people pursuing it as more of a  craft rather than the industry it has become, there will always be a general negative connotation no matter how popular or accepted the art (or be it industry) becomes.

in every other culture (before our modern/post industrial revolutionculture) tattooing was revered. in most, the people who did them were shaman and holy men. this is the first culture where that isn’t so. coincidence? i don’t think so.

thanks to the media you can be a tv personality but not a forward thinker or a prophet if you are a tattooists.

if we can’t get tattooists to respect tattooing and see why treating it like an industry is wrong, how are we ever going to get the general populace to understand and respect it?

this is all theory and studied observation. but what do i know anyway? i draw on people for a living.

ultimately the respect (or the lack of it) we recieve as the tattooed or as tattoo artists is up to us.

This is my friend/client cory. If you’ve ever been in my studio there is a pretty predominant picture of a sun back piece I did on him. He is currently a professor/student. Every time we talk, whether it’s just a phone conversation or while I am tattooing him, he always has something interesting to say. I’m glad tattooing made us friends.

First couple sessions….just look, you will figure it out.

Cory - Outline

Cory - Fill

Cory Outline 2

Cory - Fill 2

The interesting thing goes for chai too. A few years younger than Cory, and way more Asian, but still very cool. His back is really close to being finished.

Chai Back Tattoo

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Betty Boop Before

Betty Boop After

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I posted this as a bulletin a couple weeks ago. Since then I have confirmed another tattoo studio (probably more than one) is stalking my MySpace friends list hoping for clients. More power to them. I just think it is weak that they would be desperate enough to do so. If they were doing quality work that I didn’t have to fix, they would be building a client base like I am, rather than doing a bunch of one time tattoos that someone else will have to fix.

Hopefully, they will read this and either get a clue or some accountability. 

I get emails all the time (3 out of 24 today) from people telling me that they wish they had found me first. Or that they knew about me, but didn’t want to wait. Or another “tattoo artist” told them I was expensive/a prick/blah, blah,blah.

And they want me to fix a tattoo someone else did. I am always happy that I can help.

I always ask what people paid to get a bad tattoo, but just as importantly I ask how long it took for someone to take their trust, their money and some of their clean skin that they will never have back.

Almost always the person that stole from them took more per hour to ruin them than I will take to fix their work, and most certainly wouldhave taken to do it right the first time. The other studios know this. Which I am certain is one of the primary reasons they want to try to keep people from the knowledge I have to give people.

Weak.

Is it really a good deal if the person gets you in quicker, but gives you poor craftsmanship? example ….

THIS IS NOT CAIN'S WORK - Done by Tabitha at Ink Link in Boone, after she told this person, "fairies are a specialty."

that was 75$ per hour btw.

Is it really a good deal if they charge you a lower price but hurry through the process, thereby disregarding the care and consideration they should be giving you? example…. 

THIS IS NOT CAIN'S WORK. - Done originally by "Hillbilly" when he was working at High Country Tattoos. He now works at/owns Inflicted Images in Fleetwood

that tattoo costs 300$ for what she said was about an hour and 15 minutes worth of work.

I’m so tired of seeing this happen to people. Here is an honest, basic listing of how I charge.

4 hours 300$, quite a deal if you look at what others are doing for the same money in less time.

6 hours 450$

2 people splitting a whole day 600$

A whole day is 8am to 6pm as  I work doctors hours rather than drug addict hours. I don’t drink or do drugs so I can work normal hours as opposed to the kind of studios that are likely to rush through things just to get your money quickly.

I do a lot of smaller work for less money too, but my studio minimum is 60 dollars. For that 60 dollars, you get 45 minutes to an hour of my time so I can think your idea (no matter how small) through in a way someone that charges 20 dollars (for 10 minutes, which is twice my minimum if you do the math) just can’t. Besides, when using the proper equipment a quality artist has 9 bucks or so in a piece of art before he ever factors in his expertise/knowledge.

If money were my primary objective, I would move back into downtown boone, open a walk-in style shop by hiring people that have no business tattooing like most everyone else seems to do, and take a percentage of their money so i could work less.

I think you deserve better than that.

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Health inspections are a matter of public record in every state that has one. Before getting work by anyone it might be a good idea to go to the regional health dept and check out what (if any) codes the studio of your choice might be in violation of. 

1. Just because they are open doesn’t mean they don’t have violations. Restaurants stay open with b and c grades all the time. They just pay fines to stay open.
    
2. The health inspector rarely works past 5 pm. If a studio does most of their work in the evening, they may be doing it not only to get the drunk crowd/bar crowd, but to fly under the radar of health officials also.
    
3. If your tattooist will get you high (get high with you) before they work on you or during their shop hours, do you really think they have their stuff together enough not to create health issues? Stoned could create cross contamination issues in a hurry. Would you want any other medical professional to be high? Think about it, you are worth more effort than the effort someone high can give you.
    
4. Does your tattooist use completely disposable equipment? do they break the needles in front of you? Do they still use one of those gross plastic or metal holders (there is a better disposable method used by artists that care) to hold the pigment they use on you? Do they use metal tubes that get autoclaved (maybe not so well) or do they use completely disposable tubes that might cost more per use? Your health and emotional welfare are worth all of those things and more. Get educated. Stop letting an industry of thieves steal from you.

Food for thought.