Chicano Tattoo Style

[Scott R]

@kylegrey thanks will look into it.

[Tommy]

Mark Mahoney, Corey Miller, Andrew Farnsley, Sapo, Merdock, Big Ed, Rob Dringenberg, Creeper, Pint, Antonio Mejia, Chuey Quintanar, Danny Romo, Small Paul Stottler, they can all do top notch single needle black n grey tattooing as well as those mentioned already.

[Petri Aspvik]

Does Mike Giant and Kore Flatmo fall in there somehow? Both have influences from that type of aesthetics

[hogg]

I should add that Drew Flores (of the above facemelting torso) sports one of Chris Brand's Cholo Suikoden backpieces (a la the one on Ben Grillo). Drew also counts Chris Brand as an influence. For those fortunate enough to be familiar with the elusive Mr. Brand's work, the parallels are clear, but Drew most definitely does things his own way. I can't say enough good things about either of them.

[Petri Aspvik]

Yes, the Suikoden backpiece is something special. When I saw the pic for the firts time, well, it seemed like something new.

[Huero]

Some of my favorite chicano style tattooers are:

Jack Rudy

Freddy Corbin

Eli Quinters

Jason McAfee

Tim Hendricks

Daniel Albrigo

Fernando Lions

Chuco Moreno

UZI

the best people that work in this style are unknown.

i came up in l.a., and growing up id see, and still see to this day, people with really beautiful black and grey tacs, lettering and portraiture and other staples of "chicano" tattooing, but were done by nonames, in prison, county jails, firecamps and kitchens. it looked green! id always look at that stuff when i was a kid.it would almost always be girls. topless girls in sombreros on a forearm. and i remember always trying to get a good look at it. i still always try to look at it. a lotta this stuff was done in the late 60's to the mid to late 80's, with the heyday being in the 1970's. a lot of cool looking tattoos were made in the 70's. in the 90's it took on a different look. still cool but a little different. not as blue.

no one invented it. no one started it. some people just capitalized on it. it become popular. not so long ago a lot of tattooers were doing that kind of work, bob roberts was doing it, ed hardy. the fad went out, and they went back to what they knew.

but some people started with it, and stuck with ut. the two best known "names" for this stuff are negrete and rudy. i think they might be about the same on the art level, but i think negrete is the better all- around tattooer. jacks got him on lettering for sure, but jack is a beast on letters in general. negrete learned to tattoo in prison, so his work retains that purity, that packed in, dense, blueish black hue. hes good at more stuff i think, then jack.

then theres lesser known but just as important arteests, like baby ray, brian everett and tony olivas. dick warsocki, romo, flame, creeper, lady blue, mahoney, montie and brown (RIP).

all those people have been doing the kind of work your talking about, for a long, long time. i think some of them get associated with "chicano" tattooing, but in reality they did a lot of other stuff, a lot of biker style shit, or typical 70's tough guy motifs. They did as many sombrero girls as they did single needled grim reapers, starry space scenes, naked girls, pegasus and other winged creatures, unicorns, led zepplin winged dudes, butterfly's, zigzag men, Harley Davidson shields, vikings, castles and wizards handling business. That stuff is cut from the same cloth as cholo stuff.

later.

[Huero]

Does Mike Giant and Kore Flatmo fall in there somehow? Both have influences from that type of aesthetics

No not at all.

Specially mike giant. Fuck no.

[Petri Aspvik]

Very informative message Huero! Write more if have the time! And yeah, I guess they don't have nothing to do with the style.

[Dusty]

Jose Lopez, Klown, Abey, Placaso.. I few off the top of my head that hadn't been mentioned yet..

[Dusty]

Check out: scrappy uno.. dude has some real nice looking fine line..

[Huero]

Scrappy doesn't do single needle tattoos.

There are lots of newer tattooers carrying on what the aforementioned tattooers started.

Pint and chuey q, Placaso, drew flores, Jose l, jun cha, ruger, chente, chuco, andrew farnsley, Tattoo tony, Mexican tattoo family, Steve soto, tattoo Louie, big Gus, el bros Mendoza, Antonio m, kiki platas, Dave Sanchez, even kat von d.

Grillo and Hendricks do it good too but they aren't married to it.

The thing with these tattoos is it can look good even when it's bad. The tradition is that it's handpoked or done with homemade machines, so even when you see people with rough looking stuff, it still looks great.

You don't find a lot of people outside of southern California that do it right, and while it's a style most associated with inner city Los Angeles, the people that do it the best are in orange county, riverside, inland empire, etc.

There are some shops that specialize in this stuff, under the gun, tattooland, oc ink house, Por vida, lowrider, rubes, shamrock, the Slauson swap meet ha ha.

But these are just tattooers known by the general public or people who know about tats. Every hood in califas has a few local people working out of their house or in small little shops or swap meet spots that get it in.

[Dusty]

Scrappy doesn't do single needle tattoos.

There are lots of newer tattooers carrying on what the aforementioned tattooers started.

Pint and chuey q, Placaso, drew flores, Jose l, jun cha, ruger, chente, chuco, andrew farnsley, Tattoo tony, Mexican tattoo family, Steve soto, tattoo Louie, big Gus, el bros Mendoza, Antonio m, kiki platas, Dave Sanchez, even kat von d.

Grillo and Hendricks do it good too but they aren't married to it.

The thing with these tattoos is it can look good even when it's bad. The tradition is that it's handpoked or done with homemade machines, so even when you see people with rough looking stuff, it still looks great.

You don't find a lot of people outside of southern California that do it right, and while it's a style most associated with inner city Los Angeles, the people that do it the best are in orange county, riverside, inland empire, etc.

There are some shops that specialize in this stuff, under the gun, tattooland, oc ink house, Por vida, lowrider, rubes, shamrock, the Slauson swap meet ha ha.

But these are just tattooers known by the general public or people who know about tats. Every hood in califas has a few local people working out of their house or in small little shops or swap meet spots that get it in.

I thought this thread was in regard to the style, imagery, and partly application. Not to strictly single needle tattooing..

[Dusty]

Ink House is no more by the way.. Unfortunant closing after a fairly long time..

[Dusty]

Two quick clarifications hahah, I had went by InkHouse due to hearing they were closing, not exactly sure the reasoning nor is it my business (just incase I'm asked) and everything was taken off the walls and stuff kinda weird just because they had been in the area so long.

The other is to huero, don't take the "quoting" of your post that I'm being ignorant I just thought it was a general thread about the style. I know that these forums can get heated over the smallest things hahah

[Xhooliganx]

[Tim Hendricks]

I started with 'homemade machines' and sharpening my needles on matchbooks. All I knew at the time was single needle and black ink, I was totally clueless to anything else. When I met real tattooers and learned to make real needles I was instantly hooked, there was no turning back. I rarely use single needle these days, I want my tattoos to last as long the person I make them on, but I am very proud to know how to wield a single needle when need be. I believe Chicano style comes purely from where you came from as a tattooer and how you learned. Some try and copy it, some actually do an amazing job at creating it as well, but in my opinion the only people who can tattoo that true Chicano style are the people who lived it.

ps - Ben Grillo tattooed my foot yesterday, he busted out the single needle, ouch.

[Shannon Shirley]

because I worked for GTC in Modesto for yrs it is part of my lexicon, and I do feel like I ''get it ''having grew up with many Chicans in the suburbs of the East Bay ,Nor Cal,So I feel like It being strictly So Cal is not true. Charlie left ELA in 85'. To quote Tim...''that fish has been fileted''.Do to the internet and media everyone ,now, can pretend to be part of it. Even in south Alabama they like my ''California style'' lettering. Not because I imitate, But because its part of who I am. although BJ's books are beautiful and helpful to the masses, that's not where'' I'' got It....heck I did Scott S's belly rocker 20yrs ago...''Loco Amor'' .Scott and them at American Graffiti used to ask me how and what spanish words were spelt and meant...hehehe...another Huero..Soy Como Soy.

[Shannon Shirley]

I do like this thread ,but Freddy ? Im not sure he belongs in here.Ive known Freddy for a long time ,I never really thought of him as a ''Chicano'' style tattooer. I havent seen Jack in yrs,does he still use singles? I havent in yrs. these factory 3s are plenty tight.

I'd like to start a chicano style tattoo threat. The style is a favorite of mine. It also translates well into traditional style tattooing.

I'd like to know which tattooers are highly influenced by this style, as I'd like to get more work done.

Some of my favorite chicano style tattooers are:

Jack Rudy

Freddy Corbin

Eli Quinters

Jason McAfee

Tim Hendricks

Daniel Albrigo

Fernando Lions

Chuco Moreno

UZI

Here are some of my tattoos. Based off of Teen Angels Magazines.

By Eli Quinters.

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[hogg]

ps - Ben Grillo tattooed my foot yesterday, he busted out the single needle, ouch.

I saw pics of Ben tattooing your foot--came out great! I have 4 little tattoos from him; 3 were all single needle and the other was mostly single. All 4 are awesome, and I'm sure Ben was stoked to get to put something on you.

[klauskosmas]

That's great Tim! Words of wisdom! Great advice. It would be an honor to get tattooed by you someday!

[Julio Avila]

Daaaayum I'm glad somebody brought up dick warsaki. My old boss has a huuuge front thigh piece by him. Huuuge buffalo head. If you get close enough you can see a tiny Indians head he tattooed in the animals eye. It's fucking amazing!!! Tattooed Dicks nephew a handful of times. He bugged out when we told him all about his uncle and how famous he is to us guys haha

[Huero]

Daaaayum I'm glad somebody brought up dick warsaki. My old boss has a huuuge front thigh piece by him. Huuuge buffalo head. If you get close enough you can see a tiny Indians head he tattooed in the animals eye. It's fucking amazing!!! Tattooed Dicks nephew a handful of times. He bugged out when we told him all about his uncle and how famous he is to us guys haha

One of the most slept on of the single needle old guarde, and among my favorite tattooers. Did I mention tony olivas? Him too.

[Shannon Shirley]

I missed it...somebody said somethin about Worsocki? Charlie used to talk about him. Lets hear some....

Daaaayum I'm glad somebody brought up dick warsaki. My old boss has a huuuge front thigh piece by him. Huuuge buffalo head. If you get close enough you can see a tiny Indians head he tattooed in the animals eye. It's fucking amazing!!! Tattooed Dicks nephew a handful of times. He bugged out when we told him all about his uncle and how famous he is to us guys haha

[hogg]

Here are a few pics from Dick Warsocki's Facebook page:

[Shannon Shirley]

hell yeah.....lets see more ol school shit. thx Hogg.Its funny, my grlfrnd said when she saw this ''wow, nice photorealism'' and I said '' Chicano style is where it came from'',right or wrong?If you work in a shop regularly tattooing chicans and blacks, you will do portraits,like it or not.