By Breane Lyga
The buzzing of Jacob Haag?s tattoo instrument vibrated around the tattoo shop, the noise bouncing off every framed picture of art that hung on the wall. Haag?s reflection peered back at him from the disinfected stainless steel shelf he uses to place his ink and other utensils used for tattooing.
?I love the smell of fresh ink in the late afternoon,? said Haag while pouring ink, preparing to tattoo a client.
The 24-year-old from Racine, Wisc., is new on the tattooing scene, with only 8 months of experience under his belt, and a specialty in traditional American style tattoos.
Haag?s inspiration for tattooing, Sailor Jerry, was a Navy sailor tattoo artist and a major influence on traditional American tattoos. This style includes bold black lines, bright colors and little shading.? Traditional American tattoos are known for not fading as much as other styles of tattoos.
?I looked around for the best tattoo artist in town and when I met Jake, I knew he was the artist to go to,? says Logan Brooks, a client who sports seven Haag tattoos. ?Jake takes his job as an artist seriously and I?m always excited about what he can create.?
Haag didn?t always dream about being a tattoo artist.
Jacob Haag has a total of 11 tattoos. His favorite is a tattoo of a ship on his right hand by a tattoo artist based in North Carolina whom Haag met a a convention in 2009. Photo courtesy of Aaron Kreuger, 2011.
?I wanted to be a ninja turtle or a ghost buster, then a firefighter, then an actual ninja. Then I wanted to be somebody from Star Wars but it didn?t work out,? says Haag on his childhood aspirations.
During his sophomore year, a 15-year-old, Haag realized his interest in art and tattooing; he said he would draw tattoo inspired designs for hours. After Haag graduated high school in Tomah, Wisc., he realized pursuing tattooing would be unrealistic because of his dissatisfaction with the local tattoo shops. Haag started working in retail stores and playing in bands. He moved to Eau Claire and began schooling to become a police officer. After many hours spent at ?A Brand New Tattoo? getting tattoos, Haag introduced himself to the owner, Jeff Hoffman, and asked about an apprenticeship. Normally, A Brand New Tattoo didn?t offer apprenticeships, but Hoffman saw Haag?s talent in drawing and his determination to be successful. Haag quit his job and dropped out of police officer training. It was a real sink or swim situation.
?I barely had enough to eat, or enough for rent, but I knew I had to make sacrifices to do what I?ve always wanted,? said Haag.
According to Haag, being an apprentice was like being in prison. He was responsible for the dirty jobs, like cleaning, answering the phone and maintenance, that nobody wanted to do while drawing, drawing, drawing. He was the butt of all jokes from other artists, such as being the target of their water gun fights, and had to clean up the water after.
?It was a test to see how badly he wanted to tattoo,? says shop owner, Hoffman. ?Tattooing is a trade, like a blacksmith or a cobbler, so you?ve got to weed out the ones who don?t want to work hard for it.?
Soon, Haag was practicing his tattooing skills on grapefruit because they hold the ink well, although are not like skin. One day while Haag was practicing, Hoffman walked up to him and told him to pick out a spot on his own body and show them what he?s got.
?I picked out a little anchor and tattooed it on my own thigh,? says Haag. ?It was so nerve wracking and no one gave me any sort of guidance.?
However, tattooing himself was no comparison to inking his first tattoo on another person. Mitch Torpen is Haag?s best friend and his first guinea pig for tattooing. Sporting a small swallow on his thigh, Torpen said he ecstatic to be the canvas for Haag?s first piece of art.
?To this day, he won?t let me touch it up or do anything to it,? says Haag.
When it comes to tattooing, Haag is his own worst critic. Haag will draw a design up to four times in different ways to make it as perfect as possible.
Typical tattoos in traditional American styles includes: anchors, ships, pin-up girls, swallows, and roses. ?2012 Breane Lyga
?I?m the type of person that I?m never where I want to be,? says Haag. ?I?ll say, ?that?s cool, but I?m going to draw it seven more times and make it cooler.??
As well as tattooing, the young tattoo artist has many hobbies. He is the guitarist in a local metal-hardcore punk band called Conveyer. Haag also enjoys fishing, camping and bluff-climbing.
Years from now, Haag wants to own his own tattoo shop, attend tattoo conventions and meet other artists who can help him expand his tattooing horizons.
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Source: http://www.insideec.com/?p=24443
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