Tattoo Artist Heather McLean

Tat2X:  How long have you been involved in the tattoo business?

Heather: I just had my 15th anniversary!

Tat2X:  What made you decide to become a tattoo artist?

Heather: I was in art school, and realized that tattooing was something I wanted to try. It seemed like an interesting medium with a lot of potential. The tattoo world was changing and I started to see artists really pushing the envelope of what tattooing could be.

Tat2X:  How did you learn the art of tattooing? Did you apprentice?

Heather: I did, at a street shop in Edmonton, Alberta. Lots of things I had to unlearn from my apprenticeship, but I had a lot of fun and made some lifelong friends.

Tat2X:  Are there any artists tattoo or otherwise that you admire?

Heather: Steve Moore, Nimit Malavia, Ekundayo, Justin Hartman, Karrie Arthurs, Sam Smith, Frida Kahlo, Kelly Vivanco, Massimo Rao, Shaun Tan, Esao Andrews, James Jean, Chiara Bautista, Beksinski, Henrik Uldalen, Jeremy Mann, Emily Rose Murray, Herakut, Kaspian Shore, Jeremy Geddes, João Ruas, Cody Eich, Teresa Sharpe, Christo, Richard Serra, Marina Abramovic, Andy Goldsworthy, and lots more.

Tat2X:  Has any individual in particular influenced your career?

Chest Piece by Heather McLean

Tat2X:  What would you say is your favorite part of the job?

Heather: Three things. 1. Drawing alone in my studio, when everything just fades away and you vanish into the zone, and 2. Crossing paths with interesting people who share their stories with me, including my coworkers, and 3. feeling like i’m contributing somehow.

Tat2X:  How would you describe your style?

Heather: This is a tricky one! Well I don’t know what my style is graphically… but I am influenced by surrealism in tattooing, and gravitate towards pieces that have an illustrative style to them, and tell a story. Most of my paintings use the human figure to illustrate what’s happening in the heart.

Tat2X: What’s the most unusual request for a tattoo design you’ve ever had? 

Heather: When I first started tattooing I used to get a few requests for tattoos on or around guys’ crotches. I never did any.

Arm Sleeve by Heather McLean

Heather: Work hard and be nice to people. Put the bulk of your energy into your craft and the rest will follow. And don’t forget to take breaks. Input is needed for output. You need to recharge.

Tat2X:  What kind of music do you like to listen to? 

Heather: There’s no specific genre, I’m all over the place. Lately its been a lot of Radiohead, Niki and the Dove, Tool, Tegan and Sara, Katy Perry, Kate Boy, Atoms for Peace, Explosions in the Sky, Florence and the Machine.

Tat2X:  What are your favorite foods?

Heather: I love anything straight out of my garden. I try to eat the least amount of processed food I can, but chips and crackers are still my kryptonite.

Tat2X:  What do you do to relax when you’re not at the studio? 

Heather: Ride my bike, read, spend time outdoors and hang out with my family.

About Canadian Tattoo Artist Heather McLean:

To see more of Canadian tattoo artist Heather McLean’s incredible work you can visit HBomb or Heather McLean Artwork. You can also follow her on Instagram @heathermcleanartist.

Sublimation by Heather McLean

 
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Are there any tattoo artists you admire? We’d love to hear about them!

By: Emma Clark

“Sailor Jerry” Norman Keith Collins

Sailor Jerry, the name given to Norman Collins, the father of old school tattooing and a legend in tattooing history. He acquired the name ‘Jerry’ after his father noticed his trouble making son had similar characteristics to the family’s crabby mule, and after spending almost a decade at sea in the navy the full moniker was born. Aside from sailing Norman spent the rest of his life tattooing navy men, showing a real passion for the ocean, Asian culture, art and imagery.

Early life:

Norman Collins was born in 1911 on the West Coast, Reno Nevada. From a young age he showed a great deal of interest in tattooing and began learning as a teen by a man known as ‘Big Mike’. Hand poking Pelikan ink tattoos on anybody willing with whatever tools he could find. With a basic skill under his wings Norman began hopping freight trains whilst continuing to hand poke anybody he could. By the 1920’s he found himself in Chicago where he became acquainted with his first formal teacher, Gib “Tatts” Thomas, a man who taught Jerry how to use a tattoo machine. He often practiced on corpses through a friend of Thomas’s that worked in the city morgue.

Navy Life:

Sailor Jerry Classic Tattoo Designs

Hawaii:

After finishing his time in the navy during the late 20’s, Norman “Sailor Jerry” Collins settled down in Oahu, a then remote island in Hawaii. His timing however couldn’t have been better as Honolulu became a resting place for sailors and soldiers on 48 hour shore leave. It was in Honolulu’s China Town that Jerry opened up his very own tattoo studio where he remained for 40 years perfecting his work. Jerry’s tattoos became highly recognised and talked about and even made their way into the very secretive Japanese tattooing world, known as Horis. With time Jerry became one of the first American tattooists to associate with the Horis masters, trading ink colours, designs and techniques. This was a fantastic achievement to have made.

Sterilisation:

In today’s day and age tattoo hygiene and sterilisation is taken very seriously and an artist that doesn’t follow such measures is typically known as a scratcher; someone to avoid because you want to evade shady work and the risk of infection. It is in fact very much because of Jerry that these procedures are followed and it is thanks to his example that safe tattooing is practiced. Jerry worked hard to ensure that his needles and equipment were clean and sterile and that his shop was tidy. At the time this was a rare occurrence and as a result disease was spread, tarnishing the tattoo trade and ruining its reputation. To help save the reputation of tattooing Jerry ensured that his shop was kept to the same cleanliness standards held in medical environments. He encouraged others to do the same and was an advocate for making sure that these standards were enforced in the law.

Sailor Jerry Original Tattoo Designs

Protégés:

The success of Jerry reached the ears of many and naturally up and coming artists all wanted a piece of him. Jerry had three protégés Mike Malone, Don Ed Hardy and Zeke Owen whom he was very fond of and whom he tutored and called his friends. After Jerry’s death in 1973 he left simple instructions with regards to his shop, one of them was to take it over, or it was to be burned to the ground along with his desired flash prints. Thankfully Mike Malone took over the shop and kept the name alive for another generation of tattoo lovers.

By the 1980’s, mike partnered with fellow protégé Don Ed Hardy to release books that contained Jerry’s flash. The books were a huge success and his work was loved and adored by millions and still is today. Sometime after the two men got together Sailor Jerry Limited was founded, a company filled with Sailor Jerry fans who wanted to keep his name alive not only through tattoos but through clothing. The company was a huge success and then went on to team up with William Grant & Sons to produce the much loved beverage Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum developed in the Caribbean for a unique and sailor worthy taste.

About the Author: Emma is a keen writer interested in tattoos and piercings. She often writes about up and coming tattoos, tattoo needles (tattoonaalden) and aftercare.

Photo Credits:
““Sailor Jerry” Norman Keith Collins” – Wikipedia Photo
“Sailor Jerry Classic Tattoo Designs” – carbonated via photopin cc
“Sailor Jerry Original Tattoo Designs” – TATOODO.COM

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Tat2X is proud to sponsor this blog dedicated to tattoo culture, style and trends. We’ve helped thousands of people protect their body art from their boss and the elements with our Ink Armor and Tat Skin solutions!

Here’s a code that will get you 10% OFF anything in our Tat2X store: BLOG10
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Do you know anyone with a Sailor Jerry style tattoo?