Growing up in the 80s, I developed a passion for comic books and heavy metal album art. I found myself being drawn to the pen and ink skulls of Pushead, Iron Maiden cover at by Derrik Riggs, Conan comics by Ernie Chan, fantasy art by Frank Frazetta, and the lowbrow art of Robert Williams.  Spending more time in class drawing on notebooks rather than paying attention, my passion for art grew more and more. Going to a lot of metal and punk shows was probably my first real exposure to the (at the time) underground world of tattoos.  I was drawn to the rebellious and fringe nature of those that stood out so blatantly from the rest of society. My first foray into tattooing came one fateful night when I was 14. A friend's father returned from a stint in the joint, and for whatever reason thought it was a good idea to show us how to make prison style machines out of a walkman motor, d cell batteries, and guitar strings. Luckily for me I was a much better artist than my buddy and became a walking sketchbook. Jump ahead a few years and I was able to get proper equipment and training from an actual tattooer. Tony Urbanick from Inka Dinka Doo was kind and patient enough