Tattoos are a kind of uniform; they are, at least, so mainstream now that to say someone is “tattooed” tells you about as much as saying they’re “clothed.” In this week’s installment of the Uniform Project, Sarah Blais photographs a few of the dudes who make art happen in, like, a super-real way. Of course, there are lots of hot girls working in tattoo shops, too; next week, ladies?
Kris is 31 (but like, just barely) and a Sagittarius. He’s been a tattoo artist with TCB for two years; before that, he bartended at the Beaconsfield, which is probably why he looks so… familiar. He got his first tattoo was when he was 15 and he refuses to mention where or what it was (ed note: we know, but because we like him, we won’t say). The first colour tattoo he did himself is on his leg, and it is, not joking, a stack of pancakes. Kris shops at Ransom and Woodlawn. He’s rocking Red Wing shoes, Levi’s jeans, and a shirt his buddy Jimmy made. The only requirement at work, in terms of the “uniform,” is to make sure you’re wearing gloves when tattooing.
Once, Kris had a couple walk into the shop to get each other’s names tattooed on their necks (!). Once the girl’s tattoo was finished, the guy took one look at the chair… and thought twice. At least he paid for her tattoo, though, after she ran out crying (ed note: yikes).
Steve is a 23-year-old artist at Blackline who’s also been at it for five years. The only other job he had was two days working at a beach hut in Cobourg, Ontario. After spending a couple years on tour with his band he came back to Toronto to tattoo full time. Mainly he shops at H&M, Get Outside, the strip on Queen St. between Bathurst and just east of Spadina. He wore Blundstone shoes, Levis Jeans, and an H&M cardigan with a $3 Walmart toque.
Scoot, a 26-year-old artist at Blackline, was in the process of completing a tattoo on a guy that helped make the Toronto Standard website (really, totally coincidental). The full back tattoo, Scoot said, would take 15 hours, broken up into three sessions.
Scoot shops at Holt Renfrew to slake his Gucci and Versace lust, but also gets stuff from the Eaton Centre, some stores on Queen West. His jewellery is generally from Amaswiss. Previously, Scoot was an air-brusher for cars and motorcycles all over Canada and parts of the States. The first tattoo he got was his last name on his back; he was hooked, and now the vast majority of his body is inked. On his arm he has himself as a child letting go of the dove that is on his dad’s gravestone, because he died in Scoot’s arms. He also has the church his parents were married in, Scottish hills from the town he’s from, and musical notes from the song played at his Dad’s funeral.
Previously in the Uniform Project: cafeteria ladies and garbage workers.
