SHOP TALK

Clark North

@clarknorthtattoo

📍 Las Vegas, Nevada

This month we are giving a spotlight to an amazing artist located here in Las Vegas, NV- Clark North. Clark has been in the industry since 1979! He has had over 30,000 hours of experience and AT LEAST 15,000-20,000 clients throughout his time as a tattoo artist. He now focusses on large Japanese/ fusion-style tattoos which take multiple sessions for full sized tattoos to be completed. 

Throughout his time as an artist he has accomplished so many things including being featured on A&E's 'INKED' & Named one of the top 50 tattooers worldwide in "Tattoo Masters" Issue #1. His story is unbelievable and inspiring, make sure to keep reading to learn more! 

Excited to get to know Clark North? Check out his INTERVIEW on the Support Your Local Tattooer Podcast LIVE: APRIL 6th  

When did you first discover that you wanted to be a tattoo artist?

I was born in Chandron, Nebraska in 1963. At age 4, my family moved to Maywood, Los Angeles, CA. (Maywood is where I first started seeing and drawing tattoos). Then my family moved to Huntington Beach CA in 1969 through the 70's & 80's. 

Early inspiration:

I've been drawing tattoos since I was 4 ( at that time my mom had a boyfriend who was fully-covered with tattoos, he was a tattooer in the Los Angeles/Long Beach area). I started hand poke tattooing on friends and their friends when I was 16 in '79, it was Mike Brown at TattooLand in 1980 who taught me how to make Japanese-Style-Terobi-Tattoo-Needles and how to stretch the skin properly. I continued sporadically doing hand poke until committing full-time in 1991. I have been drawn to classic Japanese tattooing since first seeing it at the age of 11 in '74. 

Artist Inspiration:

Inspired by these originaly mid 1800's Japanese artists-

Kuniyoshi  · Kunisada  · Kyōsai  · Eishun  · Yoshitoshi  & Kunichika 

Anything else to share? 

My focus these days is entirely old style Japenese tattoos, including body suits, sleeves, as well as smaller 'one-point' designs. 

I am primarily self-taught though mentored by Mark Mahoney, Rick Walters, Mike Brown, Kari Barba and Catfish Carl.

In 1986, an accident left me with extensive injuries including the loss of my eye.. as well as the death of my mother and multiple plastic/reconstructive surgeries in the same month. This was when I was 23. I lost the plot from my life being flipped upside down so I moved to Florida and lived with my mom's sister and her family, where they helped me regain my passion for art and tattooing. Later returning to California, I resumed tattooing friends. 

In 1991, Mark Mahoney introduced me to Rick Walters at Bret Grimm's Tattoo in Long Beach, CA. Rick from then on mentored me, teaching and refining my techniques, professionalism, and tattooing longevity. I balanced a day job while training with Rick and tattooing at home during night-hours. It was 3 years before I began working in a shop.

My first tattooing job at Kari Barba's Outer Limits Tattoo from 1994-2004, managing her Costa Mesa location from 2001-2003. Then I didn't want to manage anymore. 

In 2004 I moved to Las Vegas to film A&E's TV series called "Inked" at Carey Hart's "Hart & Huntington". I also worked with Kent Kelley at StayTrue Tattoo from 2008 before establishing my private place in 2011. 

Clark through the years:

"There's so many Cartridge Types! what kind should I get and what should I expect?"

"Are your needles long tapered?"

"What diameter are your needles?"

"I'm new to using Cartridges- which ones are best?"  

"What's the difference between Curved open and closed?

"Do your tattoo needle cartridges have a silicone membrane?"

"What's a bug pin?" 

These are just some of the many questions we get from tattooers looking to purchase tattoo cartridges. In an effort to help you make the best decision, we came up with a fun guide that may help you find the perfect fit for your style of work.

Tight Round Liners: Great for tight, clean lines, script lettering, stippling, and fine line tattoos and all the details. The diameter of pins/needles is this particular grouping is known as a #12, featuring a long tapered and polished pin. All of our cartridges feature a state of the art silicone membrane to prevent back spill and or contamination to machine or tube. Pictured above.

Loose Round Liner/Shader: Ideal for Bold Lines along with using as a super small round shader for filling in tight small spaces, details in portraits and any other unique uses.  The diameter of pins/needles in this particular grouping are known as a #12, featuring a long tapered and polished pin. All of our cartridges feature a state of the art silicone membrane to prevent back spill and or contamination to machine or tube.

Curved Open and Curved Closed Mags: Ideal for shading/packing color or pigment with a soft edge. Curved Open mags allow you to view needle visibility better via an open viewing window in the top of the housing while tattooing. This is all a matter of personal preference. There is no advantage using the closed versus open housing cartridges. The diameter of pins/needles in this particular grouping are known as a #12, featuring a long tapered and polished pin. All of our cartridges feature a state of the art silicone membrane to prevent back spill and or contamination to machine or tube. Pictured above.

Flat Open and Flat Closed Mag Shaders: Ideal for shading and color packing with a hard edge. Great for getting packing ink close up into those tight spaces against your line work. These are commonly used with more traditional tattoos and by American traditional artists. The diameter of pins/needles in this particular grouping are known as a #12, featuring a long tapered and polished pin. All of our cartridges feature a state of the art silicone membrane to prevent back spill and or contamination to machine or tube. Pictured above.

Bug pin Curved Open Mags: These needles/groupings  have a  smaller in diameter pin/needle, also know as #10 and used for soft shading typically found in Black and Grey work and or a softer more smooth fades. These are as smooth as it gets! Super comfortable to work with. All of our cartridges feature a state of the art silicone membrane to prevent back spill and or contamination to machine or tube.

Let us know what you guys think about our needle groupings and if you use them differently by commenting on this blog.  We love to hear from you 🫶🏼

The Metanoia Tattoo Gathering was an absolute blast! I had the incredible opportunity to bring our Support Your Local Tattooer podcast to the event and connect with some truly inspiring women in the tattoo industry.

 We had insightful conversations with incredibly knowledgeable artists and entrepreneurs, and my wife & I even spoke on our own expertise on navigating finances in the tattoo world. The energy at Metanoia was unbelievable, and we were blown away by the sense of community and support.

Huge shoutout to Maribeth Klaar for being such an amazing host and creating such a welcoming and empowering space for women in tattooing. We left feeling energized, inspired, and even more passionate about supporting and uplifting our fellow artists. If you're a woman in the tattoo industry, we highly recommend checking out Metanoia – it's an experience you won't forget!

Jeffrey Bowser

@jckbtattoos

• 📍 Heritage Tattoo Las Vegas, Nevada (@heritagetattoolv)
• Eyes: 😍
• Hair: Fresh 💇🏻‍♂️

This month we are giving a spotlight to an amazing artist located here in Las Vegas! Jeffrey's been a huge supporter of our local events, even donating a hand-painted record to our Vino & Vinyl event hosted by our partner shop, Studio 21 Tattoo (check out how rad his record was ⬇️!).

On top of his participation in our local events, you might recognize him as one of our guests on the Support Your Local Tattooer Podcast from February! If you haven't already, check it out—it's such a great episode!! WATCH NOW

Above everything, Jeffrey is an AMAZING tattoo artist. If you don't believe us—just see for yourself! 👀👇 Make sure to keep reading to learn about the moment that solidified his desire to become a tattoo artist and the challenges he was able to overcome when getting into the industry.

What made you realize you wanted to become a tattoo artist? 

It's a funny story! When I was in 6th grade, I started getting into metal & my favorite band was Avenged Sevenfold! I idolized these guys & I wanted to look just like them when I was younger, but I would always hear things like 'no one will hire you with that many tattoos'. So I would think to myself 'well, it wouldn't matter if I became a musician like my guys in A7x!'

So... I picked up a guitar.... but I was extremely bad & I also realized I had NO desire to learn guitar the same way I had with drawing! 

So I thought, well, if I can do music, what if I became the guys DOING the tattoos! And I really manifested that! Some years pass & I ended up getting my first tattoo at 16 in a tattoo shop, and that's when it really solidified that dream. 

What is one challenge you have had to overcome within the tattoo industry?

One challenge I've overcome within the industry was definitely my apprenticeship! My apprentice taught me so much and opened up my eyes to so many possibilities!

When I got my shot at it all, one of the agreements I had with my mentor was that I had to be at the shop every day 12pm-8pm, but at this time I've been working full-time, graveyard shift at Nobu Hotel when I agreed to being at the shop everyday! Doing this, no doubt, changed my brain chemistry lol. 

I was able to do that for 3 months before I couldn't anymore, and that's when I had to make the decision to give up, or continue with what i've set out for myself!

I ended up leaving my job to pursue my apprenticeship head-on which in turn taught me to believe in myself, be purposeful, and never give up!

The impact that all had on me helped mold the person I am today and I am proud to have gone through a traditional apprenticeship! Tattooing is mystical and I absolutely LOVE IT. 

GIAN KARLE

• IG: @giankarle
• Location: New Hampshire 
• Eyes: 🔥
• Hair: Probably better than yours 😉

Heartbreaker alert! ❤️‍🔥 This February we are spotlighting our Maverick Family Artist, Gian Karle. He has been part of the Maverick Family since the beginning! Gian is a truly talented Neo Traditional tattoo artist originally from Puerto Rico. You might recognize him from the TV show Ink Master, where he represented Puerto Rico and achieved an IMPRESSIVE 2nd place finish—twice! With years of experience under his belt, Gian now travels the US in an RV with his wife, bringing his unique style to studios across the country. He's passionate about using art to heal and inspire, and believes in giving back to the community. When he's not creating stunning tattoos, you can find him painting Warhammer miniatures or hanging out with his wife and puppy. Check out his amazing work!! 

In case you missed it- check out our sticker collaboration that we did with Gian. Pick one up NOW on the shop for ONLY $3! 

SHOP GIAN'S STICKER

Make sure to keep up with Gian on his socials! ⬇️

👉🏼 IG : @giankarle

👉🏼 Website : giankarletattoo.com