For writer Mendoza, getting a tattoo meant digging up the perfect parlor, artist and design.Photo by Pauletta Tohonnie
Few of life’s tangibles truly last a lifetime.
Tattoos are one such rarity — they are pieces of art manufactured in the most personal of places — underneath the skin.
They can tell stories, conceal truths and even encapsulate the sights, smells, sounds and tenors of time and place. I like to think of them as corporeal memories.
Which is why choosing the right parlor and artist could be the difference between a lifelong, living exhibition of eloquent art and a lifetime of woeful explanations for a regretful eyesore.
Tattoos can be a tricky business though, especially in a college town where everything seems disposable and nothing feels like it is going to last for more than four years.
Now, I’ve been tattooed 11 times in shops all around the world. I’ve explored parlors in London’s traditional scene, Southern California’s new school scene, and even Tokyo’s Tebori scene (tattoos done by hand without a machine). So I know what I am looking for when I decide whether or not I want to get inked.
Crucial Considerations
Cleanliness is first and foremost; if a shop is not clean, it should not be an option — or even open for that matter.
But what else should one consider when judging a tattoo shop?
I enlisted the help of a few of ASU’s more well-versed tattoo connoisseurs to answer this question, and to help me decide which shop near ASU deserves my skin for its canvas and my nod for best tattoo shop.
Kalie Rumaner is a biology senior who has 11 beautifully crafted tattoos ranging from traditional to new-school to a freehand piece with a portrait in the center.
Before trusting an artist, consider how trusting the space is.Photo by Pauletta Tohonnie
She says the first thing she looks for when she enters a tattoo shop is the art on the walls, and not just the generic tattoo sketches (also known as tattoo flash). Her shops of choice have paintings on their walls.
“It kind of blows my mind when a shop has paintings,” she says, “I think a true artist, and a good tattoo artist should be able to express themselves in different art forms, not just tattooing.”
Most shops have flash and tattoo stencils, says Rumaner, which is all good and fine. But when a shop employs artists who deal in a suite of artistic forms, it’s impressive.
Checking out the artists’ portfolios is crucial as well.
“Portfolios are usually the first things I walk to when I go into a shop I’ve never been in,” Rumaner says, “they are absolutely key, just for the information in them and the ideas about the artists.”
An equally-as-important, but often overlooked, aspect of a shop is its collective demeanor.
Tattoo shops can intimidate even the most seasoned tattoo enthusiast, often leaving us feeling like we are being judged. And indeed, we usually are being judged, says Seve Zavala, a computer science senior with nine tattoos ranging from Japanese traditional to realist.
To be fair, most shops — especially those in a college town — get more than enough drunken requests for a girlfriend’s name in tiny script, barbed wire tribal bands or a winking Tinkerbell.
These types of requests usually can make a tattoo artist want to become a monk or a Wall Street banker. They would probably rather be trading stocks in a suit and tie (or give up sex and pray in a temple at the top of a mountain) than scar the drunken bro for life by giving him ink he will undoubtedly laser off or cover up once sober.
However, if the judging goes too far and becomes too pretentious, it can affect even the best shop’s attractiveness, Zavala says.
“The demeanor of a shop is huge,” he says, “you have to feel comfortable getting a tattoo and you have to basically be homies with your artist.”
He says his favorite shops have a barbershop-like feel.
Rumaner agrees, and says from the moment she is greeted in a shop she gets a vibe and whether it be of desperation, pretention, or sincerity — it matters.
“I mean, I’m sure many shops get a lot of dimwitted people, especially near a university,” she says. “But if they assume everyone is below them, that’s not cool. If I don’t feel really comfortable in a shop, I definitely won’t get a tattoo there.”
Zavala says it is also a good idea to seek out creative artists who have great artistic input and are willing to work with the client in planning the piece.
“When you go into a shop, all you have is an idea and that’s pretty much all it is,” he says, “but you tell it to an artist and the really good ones can usually amplify it and work with you on the creativity of your idea.”
Rumaner also reminded me that quality is always the most important consideration; all else is a distant second.
“It’s not about speed or price, it’s all about quality,” she says. “I mean, it’s going to last you your whole life.”
And like many commodities in life — if it’s cheap, it’s probably not good, and if it’s good, it’s probably not cheap.
When one door closes, Black Sails door's open.Photo by Pauletta Tohonnie
Where to?
So I set out to decide which was the best place in Tempe to get a tattoo, and thus decide where I would get my next tattoo with the following considerations in mind: shop cleanliness, shop demeanor and/or character and quality of artist’s portfolios and input.
I visited nine tattoo shops within a 3.5-mile radius from ASU. All were between Priest and the 101 from west to east, and University and the 60 from north to south.
What I found was a wide range of unique settings, styles, and artists. This assemblage had a gradient of portfolios ranging from embarrassing to breathtaking.
In the end, I found it very difficult to decide on a shop because after all, art is not like baseball; there is no clear manner by which to quantify a winner.
However, I narrowed my final choice to two shops, both of which I felt were equally excellent based on cleanliness and shop décor.
Circumstantial Choosing
The allure of the number of artists and styles displayed in the portfolios of Living Canvas Tattoo on Mill Avenue led me to set up a consultation.
Unfortunately, the consultation was less than favorable. It consisted of about 45 seconds of me talking with the artist, who was late for an appointment and had a client waiting on him.
We rushed through my idea, which was admittedly pretty simple, and did not discuss size or color. The artist was not interested in looking at the characteristics and details I attempted to show him. Instead, he assured me he knew what I was talking about and could picture it in his head.
Tattoos are personal, and so a relationship between artist and subject needs to be established.Photo by Pauletta Tohonnie
Despite this rushed interaction, I set up an appointment thinking the artist would sit down with me then and go over the design in more detail when he wasn’t behind schedule. I was wrong.
When it came time for the actual appointment, we had another 45-second interaction where he showed me the tattoo stencil he came up with.
When I suggested some changes and ideas to alter it to my liking, he appeared annoyed and shrugged me off, telling me that the changes I suggested wouldn’t work and that we should go with what he had already drawn up.
As he tried to rush me back to his station, Zavala’s and Rumaner’s advice howled through the recesses of my head.
I made the decision to leave.
Buy the Ticket, Take the Ride
Getting tat-blasted.Photo by Pauletta Tohonnie
Fritz Andrews, an artist and co-owner at Black Sails, answered my call and assured me I wouldn’t have the same experience at his shop. He informed me that the artists who work at Black Sails have been tattooing all over the country for more than 15 years. He said they were more than happy and willing to work with their clients in producing a piece of art both parties can be proud of.
I recalled a week earlier when I first entered Black Sails.
I never once felt judged, and Fritz greeted me with an air of natural friendliness.
His mellow nature and the ease with which he carried himself evoked memories of other great artists I have trusted to tattoo me. I quickly sensed his genuine interest in my idea and how to most effectively work it into my skin.
Meanwhile, the shop, with its framed human skulls, rustic wooden furnishings and taxidermy deer and javelina heads felt exactly like the type of weird, artsy pirate’s haunt that only a true tattoo maestro would toil in.
I made an appointment with Fritz and we discussed the tattoo’s design and placement. He once again assured me that my experience in his shop would be markedly different than my former attempt
Before I knew it I was laying on the table getting “tat-blasted” (the vernacular according to Fritz).
Getting a tattoo isn't a process that should be rushed. It takes time to find the right person and a meaningful symbol, and in the end, the masterpiece is worth it.Photo by Pauletta Tohonnie
I was a little worried at first because I chose to get a piece on my rib cage, one of the more painful areas on the body for a tattoo. However, the pain was more than bearable because Fritz and I began to muse and laugh about compelling topics such as alcoholic folk musicians, local tattoo politics, Blade Runner and why one shouldn’t eat energy bars before bed.
Time passed swiftly and when I looked down, Fritz was nearly done with his professionally weird interpretation of my homage to my favorite writer and journalist — the late, great (and professionally weird) Hunter S. Thompson.
My tattoo pilgrimage was over and it was bittersweet because, even though I was happy to have the pain behind me, I was bummed that my time at Black Sails was over.
Nonetheless, it was an exceptional experience, one of the best I’ve had while getting tattooed. If I said I might get tattooed at Black Sails again I’d be lying, because there is no doubt in my mind I will get tattooed at Black Sails again.
It’s the best place in Tempe to capture a moment for a lifetime.
Reach the writer at npmendo@asu.edu or via Twitter @npmendoza
