Two years ago, while watching Dame Dash's Creative Control TV, I stumbled upon a video of a group of tattoo artists attending a convention in the UK and Amsterdam(nothing new ...right?) I purposely forgot to leave out the fact that the artists in the video were African American....and from the South(Atlanta, Georgia). For me, this was enough to spend hours surfing Google to find out where these dudes came from...and what took me so long to get hip to 'em. Finally...I discovered City of Ink tattoo and art gallery owned by Miya Bailey and Tuki Carter.
After two tattoos in by each owner(THIS ONE and THAT ONE) and linking up with our newest Super Hero friend Imani(who's a cohort of City of Ink, along with her shop mate Chris)... fast forward to the Summer of 2012...and a documentary on Black tattoo artists... as told to by those artists, but created by Miya Bailey and director Artemus Jenkins.
To say I was more than excited to grab my copy of the film is a gross understatement. Not because I(along with the other contributors to this site)am inspired by Bailey and Carter, but because I've spent countless hours admiring both of their work. And, if they are to co-sign other artists all over the country...sinply put..those artists must be pretty good.
This film gave me everything I anticipated: commentary from "the old heads", what your tattoo artist SHOULD NOT be doing, and also views on the growing reality series involving tattoo artists. I was not prepared, however, for the trials one may encounter as a result of being a dedicated and elite tattooer. The most touching portion of the film, artist Chris Mensah(Pinz-N-Needlez /Washington, DC) gives an emotional, yet retrospective confession that if he "could go back and change anything, I would spend more time with my family." His confession or realization is one the customer/muse probably never considers, given the fact we're probably coming up with 100 dumb ideas for tatts or "balled-up" because of the pain.
However this film is not over-saturated with "shits and giggles" nor does it dwell in sorrows of countless hours inside the shops. Yet, it strategically straddles the median and provides an abundance of information for future potential novice customers. Every artist from Zulu to Paper Frank, or from Imani to Russ Abbott, each provide similar accounts on the "science" of tattooing which, for me, is fucking amazing! The fact that I can't draw stick figures...and in certain instances... conclusions, hearing these artists break down the technicalities of tattooing darker-skinned clients is one of the most fascinating blocks of information ever. Artemus Jenkins methodically meshes dramatic panning to create an arena of individuality for each artists, but it's contrasted due to the fact, they all share similar tactics when creating on darker hues.
If you're a fan of tattoos (1/3 of all Americans have tattoos), this film is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! Not just for your viewing pleasure, but for your next appointment..hopefully, you'll stay away from that idea of getting your name tatted on your arm...I'm just sayin'.
You can grab the DVD HERE.
After two tattoos in by each owner(THIS ONE and THAT ONE) and linking up with our newest Super Hero friend Imani(who's a cohort of City of Ink, along with her shop mate Chris)... fast forward to the Summer of 2012...and a documentary on Black tattoo artists... as told to by those artists, but created by Miya Bailey and director Artemus Jenkins.
To say I was more than excited to grab my copy of the film is a gross understatement. Not because I(along with the other contributors to this site)am inspired by Bailey and Carter, but because I've spent countless hours admiring both of their work. And, if they are to co-sign other artists all over the country...sinply put..those artists must be pretty good.
This film gave me everything I anticipated: commentary from "the old heads", what your tattoo artist SHOULD NOT be doing, and also views on the growing reality series involving tattoo artists. I was not prepared, however, for the trials one may encounter as a result of being a dedicated and elite tattooer. The most touching portion of the film, artist Chris Mensah(Pinz-N-Needlez /Washington, DC) gives an emotional, yet retrospective confession that if he "could go back and change anything, I would spend more time with my family." His confession or realization is one the customer/muse probably never considers, given the fact we're probably coming up with 100 dumb ideas for tatts or "balled-up" because of the pain.
However this film is not over-saturated with "shits and giggles" nor does it dwell in sorrows of countless hours inside the shops. Yet, it strategically straddles the median and provides an abundance of information for future potential novice customers. Every artist from Zulu to Paper Frank, or from Imani to Russ Abbott, each provide similar accounts on the "science" of tattooing which, for me, is fucking amazing! The fact that I can't draw stick figures...and in certain instances... conclusions, hearing these artists break down the technicalities of tattooing darker-skinned clients is one of the most fascinating blocks of information ever. Artemus Jenkins methodically meshes dramatic panning to create an arena of individuality for each artists, but it's contrasted due to the fact, they all share similar tactics when creating on darker hues.
If you're a fan of tattoos (1/3 of all Americans have tattoos), this film is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! Not just for your viewing pleasure, but for your next appointment..hopefully, you'll stay away from that idea of getting your name tatted on your arm...I'm just sayin'.
You can grab the DVD HERE.
#BeALIVE #sayword!
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