mEET nITTY AND THE INFAMOUS CREW
SURGICAL INK
mEET THE LADIES
OF INKED UP DOLLZ
On the cover Infamous Tattoo’s ATL’s Finest!
Story: Infamous
Check out Nitty and the Crew
Story: Inked Up Dollz
Meet the Amazine Ladies of Inked Up Dollz
On the cover
Big Murph Tattoo Supplies
Story: RIchie Rich
Tattoo Artist: Richie Rich
Story: Brittany
Inked Up Dollz: Brittany
(757) 723-1565 74 W MERCURY BLVD HAMPTON, Virginia 23669
ENKMagazine Publischer Paragon Publishing llc. Art director Thomas Corbin EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Latoya Corbin SENIOR EDITOR Latoya Corbin CONTRIBUTING WRITERS M. Yvette Seabrone DESIGNERS Thomas Corbin ADVERTISING Thomas Corbin ADVERTISING AND MARKETING Corbin Agency
Editor’s note We’re Back!!! I want to thank all of the tattoo comunities in VA, NJ and ATL for opening up for us to p u t this issue together. We’d taken a break and now it’s grind time and look forward to building with more businesses, models and artist. Look forward to growing with you guys and lets tattoo!
BUSINESS MANAGER Thomas Corbin Latoya Corbin OFFICE Phone (757) 256-0305 tcorbinse7en@gmail.com jokerprinting@gmail.com www.paragonpublishing.com
Thomas Corbin
tcorbinse7en@gmail.com
R
ichie Rich is a licensed tattoo artist that has been tattooing for the past 10 years. He was born and raised in Hampton, Virginia and he loves what he does. He also loves tattoos! In fact, he has so many that he has lost count. He has worked at several tattoo shops and now he is the proud owner of Attic Tattoo, LLC located at 1073 N. King Street, Hampton, Virginia. Attic Tattoo features a three station set-up. In addition, they sell tattoo supplies as well. For people who are looking to get a first tattoo his advice is to be sure of what you want because its permanent. Attic Tattoo offers a 10% military and student discount on Friday, Saturday and Sundays
and a 20 % discount Monday through Thursdays. Attic Tattoo’s hours of operation are Monday through Thursday 12:00 p.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Thursday 12 noon to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday 12 noon to 10p.m., and Sunday 12 noon to 6 p.m. The shop can be rented for private parties upon request. Richie Rich specializes in tattooing classic pictures,
cover ups and fix-its (no portraits). He specializes in color and uses high definition colors.
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nfamous Tattoos is the realized vision of Frank “Nitti” Johnson. Born and raised in New Jersey, Nitti (as he is referred to by friends, family and clients) moved to Atlanta in 1996 to pursue his career in carpentry. Yes, I said carpentry. You may be asking yourself (as I did) how does someone go from being a carpenter to owning a booming tattoo business? The answer: One ink at time. Nitti’s business started out of his house, then moved to a small room in a barber shop, then to a larger room in a larger barber shop, until the traffic just became too much. It was time to open Infamous Tattoos. “I never sought out to be an entrepreneur. But when I got my first tattoo, it turned into a passion right then and I knew it was something I wanted to do. I started researching on the Internet about tattoos, designs, and the process of tattooing skin and just practiced and
practiced sketching. Then I begged my
cousins to let me do little small things on our
them,” he pauses for a laugh. “Now they’re working with me and they’re two of my best artists!” The first location opened in Decatur in 1998, then moved in 2000 to Old National Parkway in College Park. Nitti claims that word of mouth grew the business and in 2005 the second location was opened off of Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway. Nitti describes his tattoo shops as an “Urban tattoo parlor. It’s an inner city type thing. We get college students, people from all neighborhoods, artists, rappers, musicians…we get a large mix!” Currently, Infamous Tattoos boasts 13 talented artists, Nitti included. “I still tattoo people even though I run the business. It’s my passion. It’s what I love to do.” So what can you expect from Infamous Tattoos? “I demand from my artists that they give
people a better tattoo than they even hoped for. Your tattoo is your tattoo so we want to give you the best direction for your idea. Our artists will consult with you and help you get it to exactly how you want it.” Furthermore, Infamous Tattoos offers a line of after-care products that facilitate tattoo healing and prevent damage. And here’s a fun fact: Getting a tattoo in the Fall or Winter time is one of the best times! Why? “It takes 2-3 weeks for a tattoos to really heal, so by keeping it covered in Winter it’s going to look awesome and ready-to-go for the Summer.” Infamous Tattoos has 2 locations: 5330 Old National Hwy College Park, 30349 404-767-1612 1992 Donald Lee Hollowell Pkwy Atlanta, 30318 404-794-5809 Hours are: MondayWednesday 12 p.m.-9 p.m. Thursday-Sunday 12 p.m.-12 a.m. Appointments and Walk-Ins welcome You can visit Nitti and Infamous Tattoos online at www.infamoustattoosatl.com
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ary Baker, 34, is the mother of 3. She has one child is starting college this August studying Forensic Science, one in high school who is studying to become an architect and a five year old that she describes as a “Lovable Monster.” She goes by the name Kueenlioness. Cary is one of the newest Ink’d Doll models and photographer. Many of the landmark photos that were taken were taken by her.
She describes herself as a very open minded person. When she’s in her element and photographing she always consults the models about how they want to be captured. Cary says that she loves people and describes herself as a social butterfly. She was named Cary after Cary, North Carolina, which it’s near her birthplace, Rocky Mount, NC. Although she loves Jersey she is still holding on to her country roots. She considers herself to be a citified country girl. In addition to loving photography, she loves music.
Even though she can be laid back, she can be really hyper at times too. Cary shared that she started venturing into photography 2 years ago after her grandfather passed away. He was her personal photographer as he always kept a camera with him. Within the last year she started to venture out and expose herself as independent photographer. She loves the expression and the socializing that comes along with photography. Cary is very grateful for what she does and for how well it has been accepted.
rittany Jackson, 21, currently has 15 tattoos. She began modeling at 17. Her future goals include pursuing a career as a tattoo model and joining the United States Air Force in 2014. Brittany says that she is joining the Air Force because she desires to travel the world and see different places. After joining the airforce she intends on continuing to add tattoos until she has a full sleeve. At the age of 17, Brittany received her first tattoo on her hip which was her sign Scorpio. She had to get her parents permission and she admits that they weren’t very happy about it at first. Explaining her love of artwork, she was able to win them over. Brittany has several hobbies; she is athletic and loves to play softball. She also enjoys listening to music, especially Rihanna who she hails as her idol mainly
because she isn’t afraid to be herself and she doesn’t care what people think about her. Brittany’s second tattoo is a set of butterfly wings on her back. The butterfly wings represents her admiration for the butterflies that would appear at an apple tree in her backyard where she grew up. She always admired the colors and the whole concept of transformation from a caterpillar to a beautiful and colorful butterfly. Among her 15 tattoos, Brittany also has a tatt of her favorite Pokemon-Ninetails. The rest of her tattoos are quotes. One of her favorite quotes is wrapped around her ankle and says ”What goes around comes around”. Brittany describes herself as a person who enjoys the simple things in life.
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vonne is a mother of 7 and wife to a2iNJ branch leader born and raised in Frank-
furt Germany. I have an extensive background in advertisment and marketing as my parents were founders of germanys biggest advertisement agency for over 10 years. Growing up I would hang out in the creative department. I had my own desk and all of the newest markers and paper and inks one could wish for. I would sit and draw for hours. I studied BWL at the Goehte university and went straight into business with my parents. From there I branched off into photography, working for Deutsche Fototage GmbH. I published a 14 piece encyclopedia on photograpy (Deutsche Modephotography, Art Ringer and more) Once married and imigrated to the USA I pushed myself through nursing school and worked in the medical field for over 8 years until i was diagnosed with cancer. This is actually where Inkdupdollz comes into play. As I sat at the doctors office listening to the doctor talk to me about the testing they had done he said something to me that made me stop and wonder. Before he told me about my diagnosis he made a comment about my tattoos, something to the fact that he was surprised cervical cancer was all i had with all of these tattoos. That statement hit
me harder then my actual diagnosis, I could not believe how such statement could come out of a healthcare provider. It was then I promised myself I would make a difference and INKDUPDOLLZ was born. InkdupDollz is for all women, all sizes, all races no matter what shape or size. Inkdupdollz exists to empower women, tattooed women are no different then non tattooed women, we
feel the same ,we see the same we are the same - only with an appreciation for art. Often times tattoos are accossiated with alcohol and drugs and much worse. InkdupDollz shows that we are all motivated hardworking mothers and wives. I have Dollz that work for the city, in the medical field or in customer service and are just as much HUMAN as anyone else. InkdUpDollz shows my kids and the next generation no matter what you look like you can achieve what you set out for and that is what we are about. We are active in our community and we are making strides. We participate in the breast cancer walk, and annual beach clean ups. This year we are attending our 5th Annual Family Day this saturday and we have plenty more planned for the upcoming year.
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helly from Rocksteady Tattoo ago. Shelly speaks for the shop owner, “The whole art aspect of it was something that he spoke with Enk magazine to really loved and he latched onto tattooing enlighten us on the tat and piercing services they have and never went back. He just kept getting available at their easy to find better and better.” When looking at some location; 2525 W. Mercury Blvd, in of the reviews of this shop you can tell that the artwork done is that of expertise. One Hampton, Virginia. Positioned in the heart of Hampton you can find the tattoo review from The Insider read, “I got my third Handbag shop that owner and tattoo artist, Mitattoo from Rocksteady and each time has Ere cusanti ntisci im been better than the last. Great shop great chael Higgins (who has been drawing art volumover reheni ut estis for over 25 years), opened 3 years millabore dipis volupta.s
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“Thanks to the hard work of Mike, we can www.company.com now have an upper class tattoo parlor that is friendly to walk into and that supplies nothing but a great wide variety of artists and work.” It’s easy to see some of the studio’s amazing work; just go to Youtube and type in Rocksteady Tattoo. The slideshow reveals one after another colorful pieces of body art that could rank highly at any competition. Enk Magazine chatted with Rocksteady Tattoo’s piercer and tattoo apprentice, Shelly, to get more details on what make patrons leave from their shop with the highest of praise and immediately make plans to return. Nine tattoo artists, one piercer (Shelly), and one piercing apprentice makes up the Rocksteady Tattoo team. Shelly who has five years experience with piercing explains how she entered into the world of body art. For her it began with the form of piercing. She said, “It was something that always held my attention. It was really the only thing I could focus on. I was pretty driven about the piercing thing, and now I am kind of Flower vase floating towards Ere cusanti ntisci imtattooing.” The art aspect of volumtattoos rehenihas utbeen estisgrowing volo into this professional piercer’s interest. As she currently is a consed que ommolore tattoo apprentice under shop owner Michael nonseque laborumetu. Higgins, she is emerging into a double threat ipsunt within illab inthe cus.business of body art. She states to Enk Magazine, “It’s a little more challenging and it’s a lot more diverse.” Shelly has worked at various shops within Virginia as Price: 30,00$ well as North Carolina, but has found Rocksteady Tattoo as her home. Enk magazine asked Shelly were there any
body parts that Rocksteady Tattoo would not do. She replied, “Of cause each artist has their own take on that. It’s really to each their own. Some of them are kind of weary about faces. We try to talk people out of getting their faces tattooed just because it’s such a long term thing. Facial tattoos will start to blur out over time. If somebody really wants it, we will explain to them the risk of getting it done… how it’s going to impact getting a business job and things of that nature. Other than that it’s not really a whole lot of parts on the body that we won’t tattoo.” The shop will do cover-ups for customers that have changed their minds on a previous tat. She informed the details of that procedure. “The number one thing that we cover or try to fix is like tribal or names. When we do cover ups we want it to look like it’s not a cover up. Children’s shoe Something like that you normally have to do cusanti ntisci something two orEre three times the size im of the original tattoo. volum reheni ut estis dipis volupta.s When it came to millabore different styles of tattoo work Shelly’s favorite thatconsed of the Japanese Qui isvolo que omTraditional. “I think it flows very nice,laboru” molore nonseque Shelly expressed.metu. “You got the finger-waves and the wind-bars… everything just flows really well when you put it all together.” Shelly also told Enk Magazine of one recent memorable tattooPrice: done89,00$ in the Rocksteady Tattoo studio by artist Demon Dean. She www.company.com explained, “He’s been tattooing for years and years; at least 15 years… maybe even 20. He does realism black and grey portraits, and he did a portrait of Stevie Nicks on my piercing apprentice’s leg. It was just awesome!”
these y u b o s al You can shop b e w r u no things i op.com h s b e w www. off! % 0 1 t e and g
Next I wanted to find out more about Rocksteady Tattoo’s additional service. I would like to call it Shelly’s baby… the piercing service at Rocksteady. Shelly does the traditional piercing all the way to the dermal (a form of modblog) technique. Shelly gives me a look into her world of piercing, “There’s a couple different ways of doing them. Cervix piercing... It’s like a cervix bar that runs in the skin. I only like to put them in certain areas because if they don’t heal properly they will leave bad scars. Micro-dermal I found doesn’t leave as bad of scar tissue. I’ve seen cervix piercing, whether I did it or another piercer did it, on the chest and on the hip reject. And as far as your lower back; people always want cervix piercings on their lower back. I just tell them to get micro-dermal. You wouldn’t want a flat bar going over your spine obviously.” She stated about the micro-dermal, “They allow more movement in high motion areas. They’re a little bit more versatile. If you snag it you can kind of push on it and it’ll pop back in. They take minimal time to heal for the most part; as long as they’re taking care of with the right aftercare. Micro-dermals are pretty cool. They’re super tiny and the piercing itself, most people don’t complain of them being very painful. Maybe a little
more so on the lower back. Usually people sit for them very well and they’re equally just as quick as a regular piercing. A lot of piercers will try to use needles. I prefer miltex sterile biopsy punch.” Rocksteady Tattoo has participated in several body art conventions and shows. Shelly says, “We try to as much as possible. These guys have a lot of clientele… they stay pretty busy; but when we can attend a convention we definitely try to if they’re in our traveling range. We went to Philadelphia last year. That was awesome! We did the Hampton Roads Convention this year. It was just awesome because it was the first annual Hampton Roads convention. It had a really good turn-out.” Rocksteady Tattoo is the place to go when you want individuality combined with superb experience in body art. Shelly put it perfectly when she said, “We’re just trying to do good work and we work hard. We don’t have much flash up in our shop. It’s just mostly our work. If someone comes in and wants something specific then we will do it; but we try to give everyone custom tattoos so nobody is walking around with something that ten thousand other people have.”
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anessa was born localy in Perth Amboy. She is half Puerto Rican and half Dominican she is one spunky soul. She has 14 tattoos and is constantly looking for more artwork to add. She loves colorful pieces as they fit her personally. Vanessa has been
struggling with Diabetes Type 1 all of her life therefore her whole perspective on life is a bit different then the average 20 something
year old. Vanessa lives each day to the fullest, loves to laugh and make others laugh. Vanessa is the kind of girl everybody wants to be around all of the time. She knew early on she would paint the faces of the world. Earlier this year, Vanessa signed up at the Robert Fiance school for cosmetology. She financed her school on her own by selling online jewlery. Vanessa recently graduated and, as of now, is inkdupdollz official and certified MUA. Vanessa is driven by creativety and ambition and she will do a job from beginning to end and without giving up. Eventually Vanessa would like to have her own Make-up studio and work movie productions and entertainment.
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ida is a mother of 2, soon to be a wife and a tattoo enthusiast. She
is currently engaged to be married in 2 months. Vida describes herself as a “what you see is what you get” kind of person. Being honest, straightforward, and blunt is who she is. She had her first tattoo done in ‘93 and although it hurt, she kept going. She proudly admits that she is addicted! Vida displays her tattoos on her chest and her back and her arms. Each of her tattoos have a specific meaning behind it. She describes them as musical, spiritual, cultural. Vida wants people to know that although
she is covered in tattoos, she is dedicated to her family, the community, and making a positive change in the world. She is an active member of the PTA, participates in The American Cancer Society annual walks for a cure for breast cancer, and is passionate about engaging her children in charitable causes. As a Navy Veteran, Vida works out everyday and states that she is not a health nut. Surprisingly, she operates 3 successful businesses and finds the time to manage her fiance who is a DJ. She owns a cell phone custom accessory business, has her own medical billing & collections business & in addition to that she is also a medium and offers in depth reading to individuals in need of her services. When asked about her favorite tattoo she shared a quote that she has a tattoo of, “Love and loyalty runs deeper than blood”. She explained, ‘I learned that blood makes you related but loyalty makes you family’. If you would like to contact Vida you can email her at accessoriesbyvida@gmail.com. Interested in a reading? Email Vida at readingsbyvida@aol.com.
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here’s a spot in Norfolk, Virginia that has everything a tattoo artist needs and wants. Big Murph Tattoo supply is an artist’s one stop shop, from tattoo supplies to equipment repair. A skilled auto mechanic by trade and former tattoo artist, Murph, established his innovative business 6 years ago as only a low scale venture, via Craig’s List. Since then things have grown it into an essential, but rare commodity within the Hampton Roads area. Big Murph Tattoo Supplies is a one of its kind retailer in the Tidewater area, conveniently located at 956 E. Little Creek Road. E-nk: Murph, when and how did you come up with the idea to be a supplier for tattoo artists? MURPH: Six years ago I started selling tattoo equipment. I used to tattoo. When I first got into it I used to collect tattoo machines. I had about seventeen of them, but only two or three that were my favorites. I never had used the other ones, so I decided to sell ten. I put ten of them online. As soon as I put them up there people started calling. They were asking, “You got needles, you got ink… you got this… you got that?” I wouldn’t sell it because it was my personal stuff that I was using to do tattoos. Then I was like, “Well, forget it… I’m about to go back to New York and pick up some more stuff.” That’s when I came about that; because I kept selling my personal stuff. By me moving here (to Virginia) from Jersey I didn’t really know a lot of people here. So
when they were calling I was getting more with selling my equipment than I was doing tattoos. I was only tattooing people I knew like family and friends. E-nk: Okay, because your tattooing clientele was mainly in New Jersey? MURPH: It just turned over to selling. I was just like this is what I’ll do, because I didn’t really want to tattoo anyway. I was selling out of my house for over four years but there were too many people coming by my house. Then they started parking in the neighbors’ driveways and I couldn’t have that. Artists were doing tattoo parties and they would run out of needles or ink at 12 or 1 o’clock in the morning, and they would just come by without calling. That’s when I came to the Little Creek location. E-nk: Now since you have changed the location from out of your home to an actual facility, and bringing that professionalism to it, would you say that your clientele has expanded? MURPH: This is the difference… I used to take pictures of certain things that I had and just post it. Now I just take a picture of the shop. You can look at the showcases… it speaks; instead of taking a picture of the ink and posting it. It’s more professional. I work on the equipment as well. You may have a problem with your foot pedal or problems with your machines. When people buy anything from me, if there’s a problem I have no problem with making that problem better. If you get something and it breaks, then I will give you another one with no problem. E-nk: Okay! Well, that’s great that you guarantee your products. MURPH: Yes. If you bring someone else’s things in I will have to charge. I think the most that I’ve ever charged for fixing someone’s machine, if there were no parts, was about $10. They can wait while I do it [if they like]. If you bought it from me then you do not have to pay anything. If I can’t fix it then I will give you another one. E-nk: Do you also sell refurbished equip-
ment? MURPH: I don’t really get into it. Some stuff I order and when it gets to me it might be damaged or some power suppliers may go out. I will refurbish them and use them as loaners and a person can get through their tattoos. If I do a loaner the customer has to leave me something that is worth that. You might not have the money but you may have a ring, a charm, or a chain. E-nk: Do you give a limited amount of time on your loaners? MURPH: I let them give me a time. If they say a month or two months… then it’s okay. I know what they’re trying to do. They’re trying to get right. They might get used to it and ask, “Hey Murph, how much do you want for this?” By it being a loaner, it might be used or refurbished. I’m going to give you a good deal on it. E-nk: Since the business is growing do you see yourself expanding eventually? MURPH: I’m trying to do that right now in Hampton. I’m looking for store fronts. Hopefully, I’ll get one real soon. I’m all ready for it! I’m definitely looking to opening another one. I even got my man that came in from North Carolina… he’s got a rim shop, tints windows, and systems. He saw how I was running it. I got him going over there already. He’s putting one together over there right now in North Carolina. E-nk: What does Big Murph Tattoo Supplies bring to the area and tattoo artists? MURPH: There is no other tattoo supplier around here in the Seven Cities. Any tattoo artist out there knows me. The only other place that you can get it is online or travels to another state. It’s like a blessing! I hear it all the time.
natural talent for art. In addition, his wife is an artist as well. When asked what he wants people to know about him he stated that although he is heavily tatted never judge a book by its cover. He is a nice, humble person and he works very hard at what he does. You can contact Skinfluenz at (516) 859-8705 , email a2iosnj@gmail.com, or on instagram at SkinfluenzCEO_a2inj.
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kinfluenz is a full-time tattoo artist, a very proud father, and dedicated husband. He has served in the United States Army. Skinfluenz is originally from Queens, New York. He’s been tattooing off and on for the past 20 plus years beginning around age 15. His first tattoo was the New York Yankees logo that he tattooed on himself. Although he grew up near Shea Stadium, the home of the Mets, he’s always been
a huge Yankees fan. When asked about his hobbies he stated that he enjoyed tattooing and drawing so much that he doesn’t view it as a job. In fact, he used to be a graffiti artist. In addition to art, he enjoys playing video games with his children. Skinfluenz’s future goals include publishing a book about tattoos. He shared that he would love to tour Europe, visit Greece, see the ruins and learn more about their art. His children are already interested in drawing. They draw their ideas out on stencils and pretend that there tattooing him and they are already showing a
BIG MURPH
TATTOO SUPPLIES
rICHIE RICH
tATTOOING AT IT’S BEST
mEET THE LADIES
OF INKED UP DOLLZ