Electric Panda Tattoo Company

Award Winning Tattoo Artists

Create Works Of Art At ELECTRIC PANDA

By Sarah Algoe

The story of a successful hero is a tale everyone loves to hear. Whether it be a rags-to-riches story from a child’s fairytale, hearing how that awkward guy you went to high school became a billionaire entrepreneur, or the comeback of a man who went from down on his luck in the streets to a successful business owner and father, we all love to see a win.

Electric Panda Tattoo Company

5751 Milgen Road, Columbus, Ga

James Gannon, affectionately known around his peers as JBird and the owner of Electric Panda Tattoo (5751 Milgen Road) is one of those wins. “I used to get in a lot of trouble,” he recalls, “Art saved me. I was tattooing out of a house back in Indiana, and I was offered an apprenticeship at a local tattoo shop, which is really rare. It saved my life, really.”

JBird

James Gannon - Owner

JBird started his artistic career through the process of trial and error. “I started drawing when I was a kid, and I got a little more serious with art as a teenager doing graffiti, spray painting on other people’s property,” he laughs. “I don’t do that anymore.” With over 14 years of professional tattooing under his belt since then, he has certainly evolved and achieved his goal of realistic creative expression.

His specialty, black and gray realism, just comes naturally, he says. “I’m colorblind, so it helps not having to worry about picking the right colors. I know a colorblind tattoo artist sounds strange,” he says with a chuckle. “When I first started tattooing I really wanted to do new school stuff, and then I realized I’m not that good at color. I was just progressing faster at black and gray. I always used to look up to artists like Carlos Torres, Carl Grace, Luke Palan, and of course Jack Rudy. His portraits are so good; the realism really speaks to me. I always used to look at portraits and think, ‘Man, maybe someday I’ll be good enough to do portraits and realistic looking tattoos.”

Tattoo by JBird

JBird’s struggle and grit makes his hard-earned ability to render stunning, realistic scenes on human flesh all the more impressive. “A lot of my design process is photo manipulation. I take actual photos and create something different out of them. At the end of the day, as a tattoo artist, it’s not about what we’re trying to say, it’s about what the client wants. With realism a lot of the stuff we tattoo is more meaningful - like portraits of people’s loved ones.”

Tattoo by JBird

His work and talent have paid off in a big way. Not only does he run a successful shop, but JBird has also won 21 trophies so far in his career, starting back in 2016. He was awarded four from the Atlanta Tattoo Convention in 2018 alone, for which he won first and second place for black and gray tattooing, and second and third for best lettering. Last year he took home nine trophies just from the Fountain City Tattoo Expo.

“Opening my own business has been so satisfying in large part because I don’t have to answer to anybody. I don’t do well with authority,” JBird says.“I like being able to do my own thing and feel like all the work I’m doing is worth it.”

Another plus is the fulfillment he gets from providing for his family. “Being a good dad is what truly makes me happy,” JBird explains. When he’s not tattooing, JBird says he enjoys spending time on three things: “My kids, my wife, and my ride. I like making my kids watch the old 80’s movies I grew up on. I like nice things. I hate to say money motivates me, but it seems like you can’t enjoy life if you’re broke. I just got a drag car, and I wouldn’t say I’m a race driver or anything, but I definitely like driving fast and modifying my car. At the end of the day though, everything I do is for my family.”

Not only does Electric Panda provide for JBird’s family, it has created a space for a “dope” team of piercers and artists. This includes piercer Weston Mod, one of JBird’s long-term coworkers, and a stylistically diverse tattoo team, including fine-line work by Savannah Dickinson, neo-traditional and Japanese with a twist by Andrew Martinez, and the “all -around” excellent tattooing by Antonio Fields. Their apprentice, Devin Binder, is progressing quickly, while the counter is manned by Brandon Pippin (aka Crewsont), whom JBird is teaching tattoo because “he’s been working in tattoo shops for way too long not to be tattooing yet.” The final piece of their team is floor manager Paul Bolno, described as “shop dad.” “He keeps everybody - including me - in line,” laughs JBird.

EL/TC Crew

As far as the future of the shop, James hopes to attend the tattoo convention circuits, in addition to hopefully opening a new location. To make an appointment, head in to the shop open Tuesday through Saturday 12 - 9 pm, to meet one of the artists, or give them a call at (706) 570-5720. They do take walk-ins, but it’s best to schedule ahead. You can also find them on Facebook and Instagram @electricpandatattooco, or at electricpandatattoo.com.

piercing by Weston Mod