But what if the medium is not paints or pastels and the artist is not working on canvas? What if the medium is an ink machine and the canvas is a client’s skin?
The art of tattooing requires skills and creativity. Whether it be creating neo-traditional pieces or realism, cartoons characters or Celtic designs, each piece is an art form.
And tattoos are still as popular as ever. People are not afraid to get inked; they might want to show off their personality, stand out from the crowd or remember a loved one.
A rise in television shows about tattoos has thrown them into the limelight even more.
Anthony Pullin, 25, has worked at Jink Tattoo Studio in Whitehaven for the past five years. He works alongside owner Jason Ball, 46, and Alex McDonald, 27.
He says: “An art background is definitely needed, whether as a tradesman or a student there will be knowledge and methods that can only help.
“I wouldn’t get a tattoo off someone whose drawings or paintings I wouldn’t hang on my walls.”
The biggest difference between tattooing and other client-based crafts, he says, is the client is with you as you make the artwork – the tattoo.
“You need to be good at your job but also making them feel comfortable in the environment. You can spend sometimes five hours with a client inflicting pain on them, it would get weird if there was no banter or conversation. I’m glad to say I’ve become close to a lot of my clients, so that makes the whole process infinitely easier.”
Top skills for the role involve interpreting the details given to design the tattoo how the client wants.
“This is why we ask for references and your initial ideas,” he says. “It’s not our job to tell you what to get, but to give you the best version of what you ask for in a way that will last over time and that they’ll be proud to wear for their lifetime.”
Anthony was trained up in an apprenticeship with the business, which he says involved watching tattoos being done, drawing, cleaning and making a decent brew!
He added that prior training of understanding how images work also helps.
As tattoos can be any design for any taste, there’s bound to be a selection of interesting designs.
Scott Weighman, who works behind the desk, has a number of unusual tattoos including a cheese and ham toastie and a cat’s head in a bag of goldfish saying R.I.P Bourbon.
Anthony says he has created a tattoo for a client of a lion fighting, and losing to, a couple of tuna fish, one of which had a knife in its mouth.
This idea was taken from a clip from the film The Other Guys featuring Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg.
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By law, a tattoo artist cannot tattoo someone if that person is under 18 years old.
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Anthony said: “I was definitely proud of the lion and tuna fish. The weirder something is the better for me, especially when the client is confident that whatever you come up with they will like.”
He usually works with two styles: black and grey realism and neo- traditional which combines tradition with newer elements.
“The neo-traditional allows me to draw in a way I’m used to and have developed over the years, but with the sheer demand of black and grey I’ve had to up my game to compete with Alex,” says Anthony. “The area really determines the styles we do. There’s a lot of want for black and grey at the moment, especially sleeves.
“The neo-traditional isn’t in quite as high of demand around here so the clients who get it off me are always favourites!”
Some people seek help from the studio if they want to either cover over or remove a previous tattoo that’s not right for them.
This could be down to placement, ex-partner’s names or old designs like Looney Tunes’ characters, tribal and Celtic and barbed wire that have gone out of fashion.
“Classics for followers of tattooing, but uncool for some of the people sporting them,” says Anthony.
“Luckily now we have the laser machine in, so we can remove, or lighten the old tattoo so we have way more options for what to cover with. Why cover a bad tattoo with one that you’re only settling for? Get it lasered and get a tattoo you love instead.”
He says TV shows have brought tattooing into the mainstream which in many ways is good. However, it is also creating “TV rock stars glamorising an industry for ratings”.
“For me the phrase “tattoo industry” is an oxymoron,” says Anthony. “I see tattooing as art and the moment it’s seen as a product, to be produced by people seeking to make mass profit, it ceases to be art.”
There is a host of television shows which portray tattooing in different ways.
Recently, shows like Tattoo Fixers and Body Shockers on Channel 4 have brought body modifications to the fore. However, it seems that tattoo artists are sceptical of these shows.
Anthony says: “I think tattooing was mainstream already, long before Tattoo Fixers and Body Shockers.”
He says the American reality show, Miami Ink, “showed people that good tattoos can be designed specifically for you and that good tattoos existed”.
“But,” he added “like the rest of the shows it became less about good tattoos and became either a sob story or a joke.”
Contact Jink:
He said bad tattoos should be fixed, but not with more tattooing.
Anthony says: “Tattoo Fixers is renowned among the tattooing community for its bad artists, ripping others designs off and producing amateur level work. They’re also not offering laser to these poor people.”
The best representation of tattooing Anthony says he’s seen on TV is he Gypsy Gentleman.
“He guest spots in different cities meeting new artists and sharing knowledge on the location and using that to come up with a design him and the guests then tattoo,” he says.
He says often many of the other shows do not portray the reality of the job.
Anthony says: “The shows just show a glimpse; they show the fake rockstar image and leave out the banging your head against the desk because you think you’re not improving enough, or turning down plans because you’d rather work or draw an idea you have.”
“There’s a lot of hours spent drawing after the shop closes. We want everyone who comes through the doors to leave with a unique tattoo they are proud of.”
Anyone getting a tattoo is advised about after care. Jink staff recommend using Vaseline cocoa butter.
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