Tattooing as a medium is not a recent trend and will not be disappearing any time soon, as according to Matt Stebly, owner of Twisted Anchor Tattoo, “pretty much every civilization known to man since the beginning of time has figured out a way to mark themselves permanently in some way, form, or fashion.”

In fact, the art form is now more visible through social media and accepted in society than ever before – with everyone from doctors and lawyers to grandmothers having tattoos. Some even consider it to be increasingly difficult to find individuals that do not have tattoos.

When tattooing first made its way into the United States, it was often associated with bikers and sailors, but within the past couple of decades, the art form has risen in prevalence and seen a shift in reception throughout the United States and along the Mississippi Gulf Coast. 

“Tattooing’s been here on the Coast probably since World War 2,” states owner of Jack & Diane’s Tattoo, Jack Donovan. “Biloxi was always the main stake…there was always Keesler.”

Donovan establishes that the popular, old-school style of tattooing within Western culture known as ‘Sailor Jerry’ tattoos originated post-World War 2 in Hawaii. Influenced by traditional Japanese tattoos, Sailor Jerry adapted his style to fit an audience of primarily U.S. military men, with each design representing a symbolic element of service life as well as containing personal meaning. Sailor Jerry tattoos adhere to the idea of ‘less is more’ and are recognizable for their bold outlines, bold shading, simple colors, and longevity, making them a principal style of tattooing even today.

STYLE TRENDS

While the old-school Sailor Jerry – familiarized as American traditional – style of tattooing will likely never disappear, other techniques of tattooing merit attention as well, considering numerous ones were born over the course of the artform’s history.

Popular and recognizable styles include black and grey work (shaded), watercolor, tribal, Japanese traditional, and realism – as well as others – along with several newer approaches to tattooing styles emerging in recent times, such as geometric, new school, fine-line, and Neo traditional, to name a few.

Similar to traditional artists, tattoo artists may prefer to specialize in a particular style or method, whereas others are open to working in several. Seeing as one artist is not for everyone, having a diversity of tattooers available with various talents and interests is beneficial.

Twisted Anchor Tattoo’s owner explains that “You have to find somebody that you like the style they do. Look at their stuff – if you like it, you’re probably going to like the tattoo you get. Usually style or subject matter is going to be key.”

Stebly describes his distinct style of tattooing as ‘illustrative’, stating “I do a lot of animals, I like to do nature. It’s the style I drew in before I started tattooing, but…an evolved version. I’m lucky enough to kind of have tattooing help me refine the style that I did.”

HISTORY OF ARTISTS

As the owner of the oldest operating tattoo shop in southern Mississippi continually owned by the same person, Jack Donovan of Jack & Diane’s Tattoo – located at 3105 25th Ave., Gulfport – says he personally prefers to “specialize in tattooing” over working in one particular style.

Having tattooed on the Gulf Coast since 1981 after he was first introduced to the artform during his time in the Navy, he began an apprenticeship with Dan Cunningham at his shop once he left the service. Now, Donovan is proud to say his tattoo shop has been in business in the same city for the past 43 years, even after facing total destruction from Hurricane Katrina. He claims that Jack & Diane’s Tattoo was the first new construction to arise after Katrina, proving what a long-standing staple the business is to the Gulfport area.

Since Katrina, many great tattoo shops have risen along the Gulf Coast, including Twisted Anchor Tattoo in Downtown Ocean Springs, Miss. Born and raised in Ocean Springs, Matt Stebly, owner of Twisted Anchor Tattoo, states that the inspiration behind the name of his shop came from wanting to invoke a nautical theme in association with the Gulf Coast and his father, who is a charter-boat captain.

Coming from an artistic family, he wanted to find a way to ensure his accomplishments were his own, which pushed him towards pursuing tattooing as a mode of creative expression and eventually making it his career. Stebly began his tattoo shop originally off of Washington St. 13 years ago before moving the business to 1101 Government St., Ocean Springs, where it has resided for the last nine years.

 A combination of a tattoo shop and a fine art gallery, Twisted Anchor Tattoo hosts gallery showings of artistic pieces created by the tattoo artists associated with the business every two months. “The original idea behind it was to have a place where you can have more of a spotlight on the fine art aspect that a lot of tattooers still do,” states Stebly, who even now, having worked as a tattoo artist for over fifteen years, continues experimenting with fine art mediums such as painting and drawing. “We have food, drink, and make it some kind of event for the community. And most of them are group shows, so everybody’s welcome.”

The fine-art gallery associated with Twisted Anchor Tattoo plays a role in attracting customers to the business, but the main draw has to do with more fundamental practices the shop employs.

CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

When asked what they thought the major features enticing customers were for their businesses, Stebly and Donovan both mentioned the high quality and consistency of the tattoos produced along with the longevity of their tattoo shops.

“Our staff hasn’t changed, so there’s a sense of trust, familiarity,” Donovan notes as the reason behind the success of Jack & Diane’s Tattoo. “Forty years is a long time – to do anything.”

Larissa Keith, a repeat client at Jack & Diane’s Tattoo, states she goes there because “it’s a staple on the coast. It’s been there the longest. The longevity, the experience of the tattoo artists, just basically the range, also. And it’s pretty much – this is where you come to get tattooed.”

“People have a lot more trust the longer you’re here, the longer you’re still putting out good tattoos. We’ve been here, we’re not going anywhere,” Stebly responds, adding that “Some people love the atmosphere [of Twisted Anchor Tattoo]. We get a lot of people that like it being open.”

Stebly also mentions that it is vital to have a good shop manager and front counter staff, as they allow for the artist to focus on tattooing without neglecting other aspects of the business. “[Tattooers] don’t think about every time they have to stop and answer the phone or talk to somebody. That’s time that they aren’t tattooing. One of the…things I’ve done is being able to realize what I’m good at and what I’m not good at and find people who are good at those things and make sure they’re well taken care of. It takes a lot of weight off of your shoulders, being able to focus on the art stuff.”

And by focusing more on the tattooing side of the business, artists are better able to listen to, guide, and adhere to what their client wants, as tattooing is still a service industry – despite inflicting pain as part of their job.

“People put a lot of faith in you and trust you’re going to do a really good tattoo for them,” says Stebly. “I’m not going to put something on you that I don’t think is going to one, hold up, or two, just not look very good.”

Donovan stresses the idea that clients “trust in you to draw a picture on their body that is going to last forever,” urging tattooers to “act like you want to be there”, since the experience can be emotional and may be a personal ordeal for those being tattooed.

Tattoos can be personal for many reasons – often times, they symbolize an influential facet of an individual’s life – but not all tattoos have a deep meaning attached to them.

SYMBOLISM

Donovan and Stebly agree that while many people get tattoos for a reason, it is not required that there is one, because as tattoo artists, their only job is to execute the design in the manner a client wants. Whether a tattoo holds meaning or not is determined by the wearer.

The repeat customer, Larissa Keith, comments that while several of her tattoos are very personal and deeply significant to her, she does not consider all tattoos to need a meaning. Instead, she urges people to get tattoos as a way of self-expression, stating, “They’re fantastic conversation starters. Of course, there are a lot of people that are still anti-tattoo, so you get some negative, but you also get a lot of positive, too.”

 Having wanted tattoos for several years before she, as she put it, ‘pulled the trigger,’ Keith alleges that what attracted her to tattoos was the idea they represent living art. “It’s art that is with you all of the time…I think that’s what really drew me to it.”

Stebly discloses that the fewer tattoos a client has, “the more you feel like it has to have a meaning or some story. It doesn’t.” Twisted Anchor Tattoo’s owner himself says he uses his own tattoos as more of a timeline of where he was and what he was doing when he got them.

And with different kinds of people getting tattooed nowadays, other than primarily bikers or sailors, tattoo shops are seeing a shift in their customer demographics to include more women.

INS AND OUTS OF TATTOOING

According to the owners of Twisted Anchor Tattoo and Jack & Diane’s Tattoo, the split between the number of women versus men tattoo customers is roughly 50/50 – with a 10 percent give or take depending on the shop.

Matt Stebly spoke of how he has recently reached the point of being a tattoo artist long enough to tattoo multiple generations, much like Jack Donovan – who has been in the industry since 1981 – and who asserts, “I’ve done people’s dads, grandpas… we’ve tattooed generations of families.”

Stebly says that clients mostly find him through word of mouth or on the internet, with 60-70 percent of the people he tattoos being from out of state and that he is “very lucky to have so many clients that want to travel and put the time and money and all that effort into it.”

Donovan, on the other hand, initially had a different approach for acquiring clients, in addition to word of mouth, saying that “when I first started tattooing, it was strictly ‘get by a military base and tattoo military people.’ But over the years that’s changed.”

Now, as more and more people are interested in getting tattooed, promoting tattoo artists’ work on social media plays a large role in attracting clientele. Then begins the process for obtaining a tattoo, which can be very different based on where a client goes.

For example, Jack & Diane’s Tattoo does both walk-ins – where people come in to get a tattoo without an appointment – and appointments.

Donovan adheres to the idea that tattoos should be easy to get, which is why “if somebody comes in and we have the time available to do it, we can usually execute it the same day.” The tattoo artist welcomes this in his shop because “some people could have something emotional happen in their life…and it could give them a little closure if they get it then.”

Alternatively, Twisted Anchor Tattoo encourages its clients to fill out a consultation request form to discuss what exactly a client is looking for. During a consultation, the placement of the tattoo and the budget would be decided before setting an appointment, which is why Stebly remarks that “being able to talk with somebody in person with a consult is ideal.”

 On the day of the appointment, clients should eat beforehand and come prepared to sit awhile. Then, if the artist is not free handing – drawing the design directly onto the skin – the stencil goes on and the artist may further do some drawing to make the design flow better, as it should fit and accentuate the body part it is on. “Sometimes,” Stebly adds, “it’s better and easier to just draw it on…especially for bigger tattoos and coverups.”

For the most part, the process is the same for clients, but each person will have a unique tattoo experience based on the shop and artist selected as well as the client’s personal level of pain tolerance and familiarity with the procedure. But getting tattooed can be mentally and physically draining – not to mention the aftercare required for properly healing fresh ink – emphasizing why it is paramount to be prepared for all steps in the undertaking of obtaining a tattoo. 

And for individuals with health concerns, it is recommended to consult a physician before getting a tattoo for the abovementioned reasons, as well as others.

HEALTH/AGE RESTRICTIONS

Some people cannot be tattooed, as it is illegal to do so when the client is under the age of 18 in the state of Mississippi, or dangerous for those involved, such as being on blood thinners and/or while pregnant.

It is also not recommended to get tattooed with extensive sun damage, as the more damaged the skin is, the less elasticity is in it, meaning that it will not hold ink well and will appear more like a bruise than a tattoo. But with extra care taken by the artist, it may be possible to tattoo sun damaged skin.

For individuals with skin conditions, it is advised to take them into consideration when planning to get a tattoo, as they can have an effect on the tattooing process and/or end result as well as have the additional possibility of further exacerbating the condition.

THE FUTURE OF TATTOOING/OBJECTIVE OF THE ARTISTS

The artform of tattooing and its reception have changed a lot since its debut in the United States, including along the Gulf Coast, with Donovan stating, “when I first came here, there was probably only one [tattoo shop] in the state.”

Even as recently as fifteen years ago when Stebly began tattooing, not many tattooers in the southern states were well known compared to those in bigger cities off of the east and west coast. Now, newer tattoo artists and businesses in the southern Mississippi area have increased visibility, which Donovan indicates is a positive change, as “anything that helps the Coast’s economy is good.”

But with the rise in popularity of tattoo culture and the industry overall, it has led to people thinking that anyone can be a tattoo artist – a dangerous thought – since “just because you can draw, doesn’t mean you can design a tattoo,” Stebly notes, “It’s a completely different process.”

Donovan declares he spends much of his time repairing and fixing tattoos because “anyone can click on the internet and think they’re learning or just read something and then try tattooing and they fail…it’s because they haven’t learned the proper foundation[s] of tattooing.”

To combat these types of situations, Stebly aims to provide with Twisted Anchor Tattoo a place to educate and give people/local artists an opportunity to ask questions, learn more about the tattooing industry and culture, and be around others who want to improve in the artform.

“We’re trying to have a place where tattooers would want to come and give the Gulf Coast the opportunity to get some really good tattoos when they wouldn’t normally get that style. It’s all about giving people the opportunity to get the tattoos that they didn’t know were possible.”

To provide clients with not only the type of tattoo that they want, but to do so in an attractive and lasting way, Stebly and Donovan concur it is vital to have a talented crew of tattoo artists at the ready.

Many of the tattoo artists at Jack & Diane’s Tattoo were servicemen in the U.S. Navy who followed a similar path as Donovan himself did once he got out, meaning that they have worked closely together for a long time. “For our crew, being together that long, there’s a magic that happens. You work as a total team. That’s hard to find,” Donovan affirms.

Stebly states he aims to “surround [himself] with people who are very passionate about art in general – not just tattooing – that want to get better, that want to learn…to ask questions.”

 He adds that as tattoo artists, it is important to “pay your dues, because we all put in a lot of time. [If] you’ve been doing this long enough, you have a respect for the artform and the process of it…where it came from, and who all came in and kind of helped you out and gave you that knowledge you can go ahead…and give back.”

Hailing from different generations and with diverse outlooks on modern-day tattooing practices in the United States, Stebly and Donovan are great examples of how the industry along the Gulf Coast is changing, as both are working towards expanding the recognition of tattoo shops and teaching future generations of tattoo artists in Mississippi to preserve the artform to which they have dedicated their lives for the foreseeable future.

The art form of tattooing is most definitely not a recent trend, and for everyone who loves getting them and creating them, it will not be disappearing any time soon.

CONTACT

To contact the tattoo shops for consultations/appointments or see other examples of the individual artists’ work, visit twistedanchortattoo.com and jackanddianes.com for more information. Both Twisted Anchor Tattoo and Jack & Diane’s Tattoo can also be found on Facebook and Instagram at TheTwistedAnchor and JackandDianesTat2, respectively.

On the cover: Works by Jack & Diane’s Tattoo is recognized widely across the Mississippi Gulf Coast.