Once inhabited by rough and gruff bearded men, (and a handful of gnarly women), the flash-sheet laden street-shops, with their rebel music blasting, speak to an older generation. Touch ups are only necessary if the customer is careless with aftercare, or ignores the subsequent sunscreen advisory. As a result, the work is almost guaranteed to heal exactly how it was put in the skin. The artists are often considered “heavy handed”, making the sitting more painful. As far as the old standard goes, a true traditional artist frequently works with heavy coil machines- the source of that loud “Buzzing” noise typically associated with a tattoo shop. People today often find themselves considering the experience, process, and pain, in their choices. The benefits of staying true to this culture include donning a style that is timeless, beautiful, and respected. These commonly include women, roses, animals, daggers, and banners however, almost any imagery can be executed using the standard guidelines. Their designs are simpler, now familiar reproductions of vintage drawings, usually encompassing nautical and patriotic themes. The pictures will never bleed together or end up looking like an undefinable blob. It will look amazing up close, as well as from a distance. This ensures the image will boldly stand the test of time by holding the appropriate contrast. In most properly engineered pieces you will see one-third skin, one third color, and one third black. Every piece would look to the untrained eye as if they were designed and executed by the same hand.Īmerican Traditional tattoos are defined, in part, by their bold lines, standard ‘S-curves’, and law of thirds. The men who pioneered the craft are household names to the gentlemen who follow in their footsteps. They all honor the rules, and respect the history of the culture. Each artist underwent an apprenticeship involving hours tracing the designs of legends, before they were ever allowed to touch a machine. Whoever executed the work had their own unique influences and styles however, one thing remains consistent. Some Gailon would do when passing through town, while others were done by various artists referred by word-of-mouth. So, after my initial leap of faith in Utah, there were several other designs to come along. There is some truth to the rumor that tattoos are addictive. I couldn’t be more grateful to have joined the tattoo industry through the American Traditional culture. This experience set a precedent for my entire body of work. Appropriately, this ended up being executed in his Ogden shop location, the same town where The First Transcontinental Railroad joined the Central Pacific and Union Pacific lines with the Golden Spike, on May 10 th, 1869. My first tattoo is a railroad spike piercing a heart, with pike lettering in a golden banner. He was, and still is, a well-respected traditional tattoo artist. It wasn’t until 2004, when I met Gailon Justus in Utah, that my life changed forever. Throughout my youth, it never occurred to me that I would want any permanent body alterations. However, there is a great divide between the worlds of traditional and progressive styles, and every artist believes whole-heartedly their culture is superior. This generation of tattooer can adopt any style he or she desires. Progressive tattooing includes everything from hyper-realistic color portraits that simulate original oil paintings, to graphic designs made to flow with or against the body structure. Today that list is quite extensive, and includes many artistic styles. Some artists properly executed Japanese traditional, while the rest created biker tattoos, black and grey realism, and above all, American Traditional. The permanent body art you would see in the United States fell primarily into a handful of limited categories. Few women would enter a shop, let alone request custom designs with watercolor splashes and infinity symbols. In the 1990’s, we didn’t have reality shows portraying tattooing as an art-form. Posted Maby admin under Community, History, Tattoos, Tradition, Watercolor
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