Equal Fashion Magazine Vol 4-2016
Jamie never had the opportunity
to serve an apprenticeship under
another tattooist but Martin
Jackson of Panther Crew tattoo
studio in Wolverhampton,
provided guidance with aspects
such as health and safety,
equipment and technique. This,
alongside extensive research,
was enough for Jamie to launch
himself into his new venture.
After spending six months
self-teaching and practicing on
family and friends. Jamie was
offered his first studio position
in Eye Candy Tattoos in
Willenhall, where he stayed for a
year before moving on to Vivid
Ink in Sutton where he tattooed
for a further two years.It was
during this time that Jamie really
developed himself as an
individual artist in the tattoo
world and found his true passion
in the area of New Traditional,
evading his original thoughts of
becoming a predominately black
and grey artist. ?I think the main
reason is I prefer to draw what is
in my head and see that
transition to the skin rather than
being dictated by reference. I?m
able to put my own spin on
things by tattooing in the New
Traditional style as opposed to
realism.?
During the two years Jamie spent
at Vivid Ink, he found himself
dedicated to leading his work
down the path of New
Traditional before deciding to
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open his own studio alongside
good friend and talented artist,
Rich Harris. ?We were so excited
to get started that we put an
offer in on the first premise we
saw and just eight weeks
later,Dark Horse Collective was
open for business.?
Dark Horse Collective initially
opened with a four-man team;
Jamie, Rich, apprentice Kirsten
Pettitt, who has since developed
into a full-time artist producing
beautiful work and Jamie?s
tremendously supportive
partner, Emma Regan who
manages the studio as well as
being the resident Body Piercer
and Laser Removal
Technician.The team strived to
open a relaxed and welcoming
studio, a ?studio that focused on
the art and treated every client
as an individual, a tattoo studio
run by artists.? The studio
features a large open area, which
has separate booths for each of
the artists as well as
private rooms if the client
prefers and also private rooms
for piercing and laser treatment.
Its important for Dark Horse
Collective that their clients feel
as comfortable as possible and
so they have added extra
touches such as having TV?s in
each booth,which can be a
perfect distraction tool! ?We
pride ourselves on being as
professional as possible but still