Page 21 - Trending Magazine 2017 Winter

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TJ VanStone, a tattoo artist at Blood & Iron Tattoo,
works on an upper arm tattoo.
Below: Tattoo artists TJ VanStone, Scott Oldenburger
and Lee Elvers of Blood & Iron Tattoo.

And while there’s always a new trend — like in order to even compete — which is good. It pushes
watercolour-style tattoos, for example — some things the envelope. It motivates you to be better.”
tend to get returned to over and over. With 17 years in the industry, piercing artist and
“Things come around. Things that were popular when owner of Adam’s Body Art, Adam Lyttle, has seen
we started tattooing are coming back again,” Elvers similar advancements on his side of the shop.
said. “Unicorns were big back then and there are “When I first started, it wasn’t as accepted,” Lyttle
actually a lot of unicorns getting done now … I’m said. “A lot of people felt they needed to hide
doing one today.” (piercings) from their employers … and that still goes
“Traditional stuff has always been somewhat popular, on a bit but as it becomes more popular, the number
but it seems to be really popular again lately,” added of people applying for jobs with piercings and tattoos
VanStone. becomes more prevalent. It has become way more
People are also turning to tattooing for more accepted, way more popular.”
functional uses, Oldenburger said, such as permanent Much like with tattoos, Lyttle has also noticed a
medical alert bracelets and nipple reconstruction for widening range of people looking to get pierced,
breast cancer survivors. which he attributes to to an increasing variety of
“(The tattooing industry) is going to keep changing in jewellery options.
ways that we’re not going to expect,” Oldenburger “Even older clientele are coming in now because
said. “ If it keeps on this trajectory, everything is just they’re not stuck with plain jane looking jewellery,”
going to keep getting better. The average tattoo artist Lyttle said. “You can get something really nice with
now is better than the average tattoo artist 30 years proper set stones or Swarovski crystals — made of
ago. If it keeps following that trend, in the future implant grade material. It’s safer and better.”
you’re going to have to be a pretty damn good artist