it was a publication . It was hard to get your hands on anything . It was a protected thing .
If you went to anybody there were no apprenticeships , it was a family business , they didn ’ t want to teach and outsider . Everybody was real close . It was almost like you were a kid in school taking a test and the guy next to you was smart and he didn ’ t want anyone else to get an A but him so he covered his paper with his arms while he ’ s writing underneath a hood so no one can see what he ’ s doing . That ’ s the way it was . Then conventions started and the guys in the booths next to each other wouldn ’ t talk . It was like rivals .
Now there ’ s seminars and people like “ Let me show you how to do this .” You can ask anybody anything and they ’ ll be happy to tell you . Look how it ’ s evolved too . A lot of the old-timers are fearful that it ’ s gonna work its way right out of business because nobody can make any money right now because there ’ s a guy on every corner . It ’ s hard you know ?
I have a theory on that . I think in the next three to four years all the average artists are going to have to disappear . Even the shops that do plain flash that have been there for thirty years , they ’ re going to disappear because it ’ s evolved so much . I just think if you don ’ t keep up you ’ re going to fade out . I heard it again . I just came back from the New Mexico City Tattoo Fiesta . I was talking to one of the artists there who had told me the story before . Jack Rudy was there , he ’ s a portrait artist and one of the innovators in
it was a publication . It was hard to get your hands on anything . It was a protected thing .
If you went to anybody there were no apprenticeships , it was a family business , they didn ’ t want to teach and outsider . Everybody was real close . It was almost like you were a kid in school taking a test and the guy next to you was smart and he didn ’ t want anyone else to get an A but him so he covered his paper with his arms while he ’ s writing underneath a hood so no one can see what he ’ s doing . That ’ s the way it was . Then conventions started and the guys in the booths next to each other wouldn ’ t talk . It was like rivals .
Now there ’ s seminars and people like “ Let me show you how to do this .” You can ask anybody anything and they ’ ll be happy to tell you . Look how it ’ s evolved too . A lot of the old-timers are fearful that it ’ s gonna work its way right out of business because nobody can make any money right now because there ’ s a guy on every corner . It ’ s hard you know ?
I have a theory on that . I think in the next three to four years all the average artists are going to have to disappear . Even the shops that do plain flash that have been there for thirty years , they ’ re going to disappear because it ’ s evolved so much . I just think if you don ’ t keep up you ’ re going to fade out . I heard it again . I just came back from the New Mexico City Tattoo Fiesta . I was talking to one of the artists there who had told me the story before . Jack Rudy was there , he ’ s a portrait artist and one of the innovators in