As seen in Gab Magazine: The Coming of Age Issue

By Isabella Mansfield

In the words of our cover stars, Chicago is a tattoo city. Here, tattoos don’t necessarily have to be symbolic. You don’t have to contemplate them for months to be really sure. They could just mean you had a free afternoon or had a big crush on someone you know who owned a needle and some ink. The culture here is more about expression, collaboration, and community. We thought it would be a perfect feature for our Coming of Age Issue, since everyone remembers their first tattoo, whether it was symbolic or not. 

After discussing this potential feature with Mel Romanski (Gab’s Creative Director) and Max Johnson (Gab’s Photographer), they had an idea. In 1975, photographer Mike Mandel traveled around with some baseball gear and a camera, posing fellow photographers for a new series. He photographed his peers in the style of baseball cards, creating a set that reflected the newfound pop celebrity of the photographers themselves. As he puts it, “The project satirized the phenomenon of the fine art photography community being consumed by the larger art world and commercial culture.” In Gab terms, the photographers, all 134 of them (including himself), had become sort of celebrities or at least icons in their respective community. Their personalities stood out the way I assume athletes do on sports teams --- there’s a place for everyone. 

One could say that the tattoo community in Chicago possesses the same sort of, dare I say, celebrity. Just like Mandel noticed a shift in how photographers were seen --- as personalities, not just professionals we noticed the same phenomenon happening right here in Chicago with tattoers. Everyone’s been tattooed by everyone, everyone’s heard of everyone, even if it’s just by their Insta handle. We decided to try and document this community of emerging low-key Chicago celebs in the same Mike Mandel fashion, with the artists themselves in front of the camera.

 We looked for tattoo artists who represented different styles: colorful, abstract, traditional, magical. Knowing practically nothing about the people themselves, casting for this feature was pretty much the same process as booking a tat. You choose based on whose art resonates with you, you see when they’re available, then you get to know them while they tattoo you, or in our case, when they showed up to the dugout and started posing.

Ryan Miller -rohar23

Chicago is a melting pot city with tons of different aesthetics, people and clients. For me, the process of creating is always different. I work in a street shop so there’s no certain aesthetic, different people want different things. It’s fun, it keeps you on your toes as an artist.

Machine of Choice: coil

Pet Peeve: Poor tattoo placement and composition on the part of other artists, also tattoo placement for Instagram’s sake.

Leah- earthangel222

I think Chicago is inclusive for some people but not others. Being Black, if your work doesn’t fit into certain boxes, it’s harder. For example, I had a hard time finding an apprenticeship here. It’s a problem everywhere, but definitely in Chicago. It was hard back when I was unaware but now I accept it.

Pet Peeve: When you’re running late and don’t let me know.

Machine of Choice: Rotary.

Medusa- medusainclouds

I love that tattooers from everywhere want to come to Chicago, even move here to tattoo. It’s such a tattooing city, you always have someone to tattoo in Chicago.

Pet Peeve: When people shave their own spots, or when they want to move it a million times.

Machine of Choice: I learned on coils, my favorite now is my fine liner coil made by my shop owner and pal Kyle.

Whitney- tuttuttattoo

Chicago just has every realm, old to young, it’s innovative, you get endless options.

Pet Peeve: When people bring me another artist’s work.

Machine of Choice: I learned through hand pokes, my favorite now is rotary.

Ryan - lescratcher

Chicago, while it has strong roots in traditional style tattoos, you meet people who are so unique that you can’t put them in a box, so you’re free to be as weird as you want as an artist.

Pet Peeve: I’m usually pretty unbothered. But I don’t like when clients tell me how to tattoo while I’m tattooing them.

Machine of Choice: Learned on hand poke, favorite now: rotary.

Fermin- st.fermin

What I like is the liberty to make it whatever you want, Chicago has a diversity of style. It gives me the freedom to express myself.

Pet Peeve: When people bring too many people, or when people are late without letting you know.

Machine of Choice: learned on rotary, favorite now: coil.

Sky- dirtfarm: 

I like Chicago because all my clients are awesome. I get to meet people that I would want to hang out with in real life, then I get to see them around. It’s like a party every day.

Pet Peeve: Anything goes --- just don’t be rude.

Machine of Choice: Pokes!

Astro- astropokes

You get more clients here in Chicago that are passionate about collecting many different styles.

Pet Peeve: It’s important to ask when you want to bring a guest.

Machine of Choice: Hand pokes practiced on self

Denver- stabclub

I like Chicago because tattooing doesn’t feel competitive or cliquey here.

Pet Peeve: When they’re too early, or when they're not willing to respect my opinion as an artist. Or when they send me someone else's art. Especially when I know the tattooer they’re sending and they’re in Chicago. I’m like, just go to them.

Machine of Choice: Coil and rotary.

Jill - insanelysexytattoo

People in Chicago are really open to trades, and I’ve gotten to meet a lot of other artists.

Pet Peeve: Myself when I agree to a price that’s less than what I really wanted to agree to.

Machine of Choice: Hand pokes.