The Red and Black

Issue date: 9/3/08 Section: Variety

Media Credit: RENEE ALYWORTH Trae and Abigail Brudon (left) of Athens, hold hands as Aces & Eights' lead artist Devon Gambrill inks up. Gambrill specializes in full-color pieces. [Click to enlarge]

Media Credit: RENEE ALYWORTH Parker Bradshaw shows off the commemorative tattoo he got in memory of his mother at American Classic. [Click to enlarge]

Media Credit: RENEE ALYWORTH Mike Groves, a tattoo artist at Pain & Wonder on Washington Street received this portrait from Todd "Radar" Gregg, owner of newly named "Walk the Line." [Click to enlarge]

Ron Herndon at Midnight Iguana

Tattoos from Midnight Iguana

Tattoos from Midnight Iguana

Tattoos from Midnight Iguana

When getting ink done, some chose to simply go tit for tat. But with so many parlors to chose from, why not get the best for your buck? Reporter Katie Andrew finds who's the best artist for your next permanent piece.



- For Color Work:
Devon at Aces & Eights
400 Hawthorne Ave.
706-354-5530

Thirty-year-old Devon Gambrill has been immersed in the tattoo shop scene for most of her life, and has a lengthy resume to show for it.

A Rochester, N.Y. native, Gambrill was scratching her head as to what to do.

"I went to art school in New York and didn't want to be a graphic designer, 'cause that's about the only thing you can do to actually make money. I had a lot of friends on the sort of punk rock scene, being the early nineties, I started hanging out at tattoo shops a lot ... it just sort of fell into place."

After piercing for a few years, Gambrill tried her hand at the more creative side of things and liked it. Gambrill prides herself on the unusual practice of full color tattoos.

"My specialty is no outlines. I do straight color work. Most tattoos have a black outline and color on the inside. The way I do it is a color outline filled in with color."

Another unique quality about Gambrill is that she proudly represents the small amount of female tattoo artists - though she admits it's not always easy.

"I've worked in some shops where people come in, look me straight in the face and say, 'Yeah, I need to talk to one of the artists,'" she said. "That's a little frustrating at times, but it usually works for me rather than against me."



- Best Black and Gray Realism
"Radar" at Walk the Line
364 E. Broad St.
706-369-9424

Although downtown's Sacred Heart II Tattoo has made a name for itself as a reputable tattoo shop, owner Todd "Radar" Gregg has recently changed its name to Walk the Line. Gregg began his tattoo career 14 years ago with an apprenticeship at Pain and Wonder.

"Young and stupid, that's how I got started," Gregg said. "It's better than slingin' a hammer." Since then, the 34-year-old from McAlisterville, Pa. has been awarded at too many tattoo conventions to count, in the U.S. and abroad.

He also temporarily worked for star of TLC's reality show "L.A. Ink," Kat Von D, at her Southern California location.

"I feel that I'm pretty much one of the most diverse artists in town," he said. "I can do anything you put in front of me."

Seattle native Mike Groves, a tattoo artist at Pain and Wonder and a long-time client of Gregg's, agrees.

"He did a Hellboy on my leg that I'm hugely proud of," Groves said. "He's a 10, no doubt."

Another customer, 37-year-old Alex Chin from Pittsburg, is also proud of the full back piece and two leg pieces that Gregg tattooed - and has a trophy to prove it. Chin's back piece, a large-scale image of a Chinese dog fighting a Chinese dragon, won first place at the Atlanta Tattoo Convention in 2002.

Gregg wants Walk the Line to have a reputation of consistently good work.

"It's something that's rare in the industry nowadays," Gregg said. "Since the TV shows have been popping up, everybody and their brother wants to be a tattoo artist. It used to be a super secret industry."



- Best Japanese Style
Sergio at 13 Roses
598 W. Hancock Street
706-354-6613

As far as local tattoo parlors go, 13 Roses is the new kid in town - but according to 40-year-old artist Sergio Lindob, business is booming. Besides the apparent demand for quality ink in Athens, the original Atlanta shop decided to branch out because of licensing restrictions.

"Initially, there was an interest in having guests artists tattooing at the East Atlanta location," Lindob said.

"However, in Dekalb and Fulton Counties, you have to have a license to tattoo within the county. There really aren't any restrictions in Athens."

Ten years ago, becoming a tattoo artist was about the last thing on Lindob's mind.

"I'd had an interest in tattoos, but never really in tattooing," he said. The painter/graphic designer was doing okay financially, but work was sparatic.

Then in the late '90s, a fateful glance at some sample tattoos by an Athens artist named "Little D" set the pace for his career.

"Little D is indirectly responsible for my interest in tattooing. I liked the simplicity of (his work) - it had a genuineness that I was surprised to see coming from a kid his age at the time. That was the seed, really."

Lindob certainly takes a refreshing and unique approach to his tattooing: humility.

"I just think I'm a nice guy," Lindob said with a laugh. "There's not too many tattoo artists who are humble. It's a service industry job. It's like a bartender: you have to put on a bright, shiny face every day and do your best. At the end of the day, I'm not changing the world or reinventing the wheel. I'm just making pretty pictures on people. I'm not a rock star."



- Best Neo-Traditional
John at Pain and Wonder
285 W. Washington St.
706-208-9588

Pain and Wonder is arguably the most renowned tattoo shop in Athens.

It was the house of change in the mid-1990s when an artist representing the shop held a public demonstration protesting a county-wide ban against tattoo shops. The ban was instated after a few artists and customers at a rowdy downtown tattoo parlor got the shop run out of town.

After the dramatic scene of a downtown tattooing demonstration, followed by the swift arrest of the artist in question, the ban was finally lifted and what we now know as Pain and Wonder was established. The shop has changed hands and names a few times, but the quality body art lives on.

John Collins started out about five years ago apprenticing at Aces & Eights, but it wasn't the atmosphere he was looking for.

"I moved on from there very quickly," said Collins. Now he happily works the gun at Pain and Wonder, where he says all the artists are admirable.

"I guess what makes anybody a good artist is the constant strive for progression, never being content with anything." If you're seeking some old-school style ink with a modern spin, Collins is the man to see.

"Traditional tattoos are colored in a way that they last a long time, they age with you. Rather than having everything drawn traditionally, I use the same coloring and shading patterns, but I draw the way I see it."



- Best Lettering and Traditional Tattoos
Mark at American Classic
1035 Baxter St.
706-543-7628

Twenty-two-year-old ink enthusiast Parker Bradshaw gave positive reports across the board from his American Classic experience. Between March and May of this year, artist Mark Bray endowed Parker with a colorful commemoration piece covering his entire chest.

"The name is my mom's name - she died when I was 18 in 2005," Bradshaw said. The piece was a complete collaboration between him and Bray, which is just how he likes it.

"I had an idea of what I wanted, but (Bray) had enormous ideas," he said.

Bradshaw was also satisfied with the price of his work. "They're very flexible with their customers," he said. "I give them a 10."



- Best Full Service
Ron at Midnight Iguana
800 Oglethorpe Avenue
706-549-0190

Ron Hendon, 42, is the proud owner of Athens' oldest tattoo parlor, Midnight Iguana. After graduating from the University with a degree in music performance and graphic design, Ron opened one of the first tattoo shops in town.

"When I first opened, they had no idea how to even categorize it," Hendon said. "They'd never had anyone apply for a license." Since then, the tattoo parlors have become an increasingly popular sight in Athens, so how does Midnight Iguana stand out from the crowd?

Easy - in addition to getting great ink, you also can visit the shop for permanent makeup, tattoo removal and paramedical tattooing. Midnight Iguana works with plastic surgeons all around the country and services many breast cancer victims in aureola creation.

Midnight Iguana also teaches classes on scar correction technique and will soon open introductory basic tattooing classes.

"We've always taken the medical approach," Hendon said. "When we first opened, the theme for tattoo shops was as obnoxious as you could get: pool tables, porn magazines ... We're a little more high brow."

Crawford native Eddie Spratlin, 45, has been a customer of Hendon's for the past five years.

"There aren't too many people in the area with that much experience," Spratlin said. "Anything he can see, he can make look incredible. He wants to make sure the customer sees the absolute best tattoo." Spratlin is also impressed by Midnight Iguana's reasonable prices and '100 percent hospital sterilization'.

"You never have to worry," he said.

Page 1 of 1

Article Tools