EDITOR’S NOTE There are all sorts of rules to think about when getting a tattoo. Don’t get a significant other’s name permanently etched on your body. Don’t get matching tattoos unless you’re family. Don’t get one on your hands, feet, or elbows because they’ll fade quickly. Then there are the elite rules such as, don’t walk in picking something off the wall and get it tattooed on your body as-is. And certainly, don’t copy someone else’s tattoo, even if it’s slightly different... no sir, it doesn’t count, it’s still the same as reproducing someone else’s artwork. However, when you’re young, none of this matters. I should know, I tattooed a barcode on the back of my brother’s neck simply because we both thought it was hilarious. He did end up having it removed later when he joined the Army (the military didn’t find it as funny), and we’re both glad, now that we’re mature adults, it worked out that way. Although, I should note that he has, since leaving the armed forces, acquired an impressive display of sleeves, hand and neck tattoos - all done by artists WAY more talented and worthy than myself. No, I don’t tattoo. I was just a kid (late teens-ish) with access to a professional gun. Around that same time, I let a guy fresh out of CYA (California Youth Authority to you) convince me that a guitar string mounted
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in an ink pen casing attached to an electric toothbrush motor was the same as a tattoo gun. Fifteen years later and I’m still sporting a very ‘unique’ yet undistinguishable design. The point is, Fresno and the Central Valley have some insanely talented tattoo artists that are worth your time in research and hard earned cash. Go to all the shops; it may take you a while as the Central Valley is loaded with them, and take a look inside. You can read as many reviews as you’d like, but at the end of the day, it’s important to note that artists come and go in most shops as not everyone is lucky to have an owner or resident artist who calls one parlor home for more than a few years. One of the best artists I ever met not only had photos of his work fresh off the table, but also side-by-sides of what his work looked like after it had healed. I hear people all the time gripe about what some of the shops are charging per hour or even per project, then get excited about someone they’ve never met who will tattoo for half the price out of their kitchen. DON’T BE THAT GUY. There are artists here in the Valley whose art is so well-known and revered that clients will fly in from all over the world to get work done by them. Lucky for us, we don’t have to travel very far - so don’t take it for granted. You really can’t put a price on quality art that will live on your body forever.
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