At the moment we are in a new era of younger tattooists coming to the fore,  but it is also nice to know that we still have many stalwarts of the UK tattoo industry still alvie and kicking. Sadly, some of the older generation of tattooists are starting to slip away and retire but the UK tattoo legacy is left to the new generation of tattooists. Mick Tomo is from the old school, but has kept up with the tattooing times.


Mick has been tattooing for a good few years now and has seen his fair share of tattoo conventions; where he has walked away with over fifty trophies for his tattooing skills.

Mick has been quietly working out of his city centre studio for many years and as such Ruby Arts is THE place to go for a good tattoo these days. As well as Mick, Ruby Arts boasts Boko, another talented tattooist, producing somegreat black & grey work. Both guys work tirelessly in the recently re-vamped studio, fronted by Adam, a friendly and helpful chap.

Mick has a very good list of guest artists working at Ruby Arts from time to time such is his reputation.

Guys like Bernie Luther, Yang Zhuo from China and Eak from Thailand as well as many other top UK tattooists; so you can guarantee that between Mick, Boko and the guest artists; you will not be disappointed from a visit to Ruby Arts Tattoos.


MICK TOMO

How long have you been here?

At this studio, about 9 years.

Were you interested in art and that sort of stuff at school?

Yeah. There was nothing that I wanted to do at school to be honest. I first started when I was 14, opened my own studio when I was 17. And back then there was only an old guy that used to have a studio in York called King Arthur, and his brother lived next door to my father.

Were any of your family tattooed?

My dad. He was the first person I tattooed. (Laughs) Then he went off to the pub. It was a swallow on his hand, and he went to the pub and showed all his mates, and all his mates said, “I want one of them”. I was getting more pocket money than what he was making in his regular job.

My uncle’s quite a famous artist as well so he does quite a lot of stuff. And sells them locally and all over the world. My Dad’s house is full of them, so I suppose I have a bit of an artistic background.

It can be quite a lucrative business can’t it?

I didn’t really go into it for the money side of it; it was just something I wanted to do.

When you were starting out, was the information readily available?

No there wasn’t a lot of information about at all. We had to find people who knew about tattoo equipment, a lot of it was just mates that knew stuff and you gleaned what you could from them.

Blimey! Were you the first studio in york?

No, I was the second person to open a studio here, legally. The first person who opened legally got himself into a bit of trouble…done a runner…When other shops open, you’ve got a lot to compete with. The latest one that’s just opened he’s got to compete with several other studios before he becomes established. It was a bit easier for me being the only other shop to start with. If you keep moving around as well, you lose a customer base. If you keep moving around your customers don’t know where you are. Then you’re starting over again.

You have a lot of guest artists here, and they seem to be from Asia/East Asia type tattooing. Is that a conscious thing what with YZ and Eak coming over?

It’s a decision that I made recently really, in the last few years.

Is that because of you going over there?

Yeah. We get a lot of European tattooists here as well.

A maximum of 3? I see that Bernie Luther comes over quite a lot.

Yeah Bernie comes over quite a lot. Generally have about 2 guest artists on a regular basis.

So is it just you and Boko?

Yeah it’s just the two of us two at the moment but we’re hoping that Adam will join us in tattooing soon.

Is Adam learning?

Yeah he’s learning a bit. His brother’s learning as well. I have his brother here sometimes. We’ve had quite a lot of artists here actually! Rob Doubtfire’s been here as has Bob Hoyle and others.

You, Rob Doubtfire and Bob Hoyle seem to be the main guys from this area.

We’ve been doing it the longest in these parts I must confess, we’re sort of like the granddads in the industry now!

Were you self-taught?

Yeah. When I first started there was no such thing as apprenticeships. You just had to keep pestering the old time tattooists and keep watching them. There weren’t such things as magazines. The few mags that were about, they were just like little fanzine mags weren’t they? You got a few pictures but it was mostly text on a sort of photocopied paper.

Have you got a favourite style? You seem to do a lot of Koi and dragon designs. Do you have a lot of Japanese influence in your style?

If I draw anything free hand Japanese, I just tend to do it in my own style.

Do you prefer to draw straight on the skin?

Yeah. Some things I’ll draw on paper, if it’s more precise type stuff. But I enjoy the challenge of drawing direct to skin; I find I can make the tattoo fit the shape of the body better.

What sort of client base do you have?

50% of my customers are all first timers. Many get a smaller tattoo and go onto bigger things at a later date. A Japanese symbol or a name on the wrist or something. And that’s it, away they go, but many do come back for more.

Who are your main influences in tattooing or in art?

Michelangelo as an artist, Filip Lue, for his style of work. Too many to name really. I find that as I look in tattoo magazines there are always good artists being featured, somebody who’s new, that I have not seen previously. I’m really encouraged by the quality of talent that is emerging these days.

It’s amazing how many new people come along in such a small space of time.

Yeah and they’ve only been tattooing a short time. And they’ve got a lot of art background. Same as Bez, he’s only been tattooing a short time. 3 or 4 years maybe? But spent 7 years in an art school. I think in this day and age, it’s easier to sell a tattoo than it is to sell a painting.

I guess there’s still a lot of starving artists and not as many starving tattooists.

And paintings only become valuable when you’re dead! (laughter)

So you recently had the shop refitted?

Yeah. I spent lot of money on it and a lot of time. I think the end result looks good and helps to give the customers a nice experience of a studio before they get tattooed. I hope it creates a chilled out atmosphere for them. The studio was okay before really, it just needed a bit of a revamp. Customers change too and we have noticed that we are now getting a higher calibre of people coming in, doctors and so on and we’re trying to make the tattoo industry a little more, respectable I suppose. It’s not just about getting a tattoo; it’s the whole tattoo studio/artist experience.

So are you from York originally?

No, I’m originally from Grimshaw but I have lived here for close to thirty-eight years now. So I’ve picked up a York accent!

You’ve been doing this since you were 14 plus, what do you think is the best part about being a tattooist?

I just like working. I like the social side too, there are a lot of people who are into it. A lot of people share the same thing in common, with body art. You can speak to somebody, you’ve never met before, but if you’ve got a tattoo suddenly you can be mates with each other. You can have a conversation about it; “Oh where did you get your tattoo done?” and a friendship can arise from just that one comment. It’s really nice.

I have seen you at many shows, not necessarily tattooing. Do you prefer that to working shows?

I prefer working. Depends on the show. It also depends how busy I am with the studio. If I fancy a break and if I’m not that busy in the studio and I’ve got time to prepare for a convention and to work; I will do.

So have you worked on many shows here, or abroad?

Yeah, I’ve worked on them all over the world. Europe, Asia, I have also been to America a couple of times to do conventions.

You seem to have turned your back on coil tattoo machines now and are using the pneumatic machines, was that a conscious decision, or just easier?

No, in the tattoo industry I always think you should learn how to use everything. ‘Cos you never know, in 20 years time they might be the only machines going. Any artist who wants to learn how to become a tattooist, should not just learn how to use one machine, they should be able to use anything. I also think a tattooist should know how to make needles. To understand what the needles are…I’ve taught a couple of tattooists and I’ve always taught them about the needles first. If they make their own needles, they know how the needles run in the machine. Very few tattooists nowadays do that. I actually buy needles, and a lot of them I can’t use, because they’re not made the way I would make them, the way I like to use them.

I’ve noticed you’re quite quick when you tattoo. Is that just a natural speed that you have developed?

Yeah, I don’t like to hang around. You don’t have to cut corners; just get on with it. You should never rush a tattoo. You can’t do a portrait quick for instance; you’ve got to start light and then wait for the skin to go back to normal. Let the redness go. See how much you’ve put in, layering it. That does take a long time to do.

Do you have a lot of custom from those you have tattooed previously?

I think every customer I’ve done has come back for more work. After thirty years, you build up a big customer base. The two guys that came in this morning, I’ve been tattooing them for close to thirty years. You can see the transition from when I was tattooing thirty years ago to now…. it’s a never-ending circle really. They don’t want to go somewhere else and start again, because one, they’ll get charged through the nose for it, what I charge them is between them and me; you know? Regular customers rates…if it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t be where I am today.

Is there anything happening in the industry that worries you?

Hmm…just an influx of a lot of tattooists I think. It’s not so bad at the moment is it? But in 10 years time there’s going to be more tattooists than customers. Ten years ago there weren’t half as many tattooists as there are now. I’d never heard of people like Nikko Hurtado, I’ve never heard of Kat Von D, I’d not heard of half of them.

I think a lot of that’s down to these TV programmes. Companies have realised it’s quite a big money spinner.

A lot of people are coming in to the studio because they’ve watched Miami Ink, and they want to be a tattooist. They think it’s a rock and roll lifestyle. That’s the bad thing about these programmes. Another thing that really annoys me is that if some one comes in, they expect 10 minutes worth of sketching then the tattoo is done in half an hour. (laughter)

They come in for a sleeve and expect ‘oh, give us ten minutes and I’ll sketch it up.’ I don’t know anyone who can sketch up a sleeve in ten minutes. They come in and say ‘will you knock us this up?’ They think a portrait’s only going to take 2 or 3 hours. It doesn’t!

Anyone you want to thank for helping you out over the years?

Rob Doubtfire, Bernie Luther, Bob Hoyle, me Mam, me Dad, Adam, me right hand man. He’s very good with customers. He is very intelligent, very quick with his humour. Nobody can talk down to him really.

BOKO

When were you first aware of tattoos and tattooing?

My earliest memories of tattoos started when I was very young. My father had a tattoo of a woman’s face at the top of his arm, which wasn’t that good by today’s standards, but always fascinated me how it would never come off. Then growing up in Bulgaria I would see various people in the summer with their tops off all sporting individual logos of their own. I started tattooing my friends at home in ‘96, so we could all indulge in the art form.

Have you had any formal art training?

I studied wood sculpture at college for a few years and have always loved art. Being into rock music and seeing all the musicians covered in tattoos, it just drew me down that path and away from the wood sculptures; it just had an appeal to me that I wanted to explore further.


Did you find the technicalities of tattooing easy to grasp?

I struggled early on with my tattooing, there wasn’t a lot of information where I was living, and the machines and equipment I had were very basic. It was only through meeting other tattoo artists along the way that I developed my skills and explored all the different styles in tattooing.

Would you point a person interested in learning tattooing in the direction of an apprenticeship?

I think an apprenticeship is definitely a good idea, to learn the hygiene side of things, but there are a lot of self taught artists out there who are turning out incredible tattoos, so I wouldn’t say that an apprenticeship is the only way to go.

How do you enjoy working alongside Mick and Adam?

I love working in the studio, my English has come on leaps and bounds and we are always having a laugh and joke with each other and the customers. It is quite a relaxed environment; the only thing I would change is Mick’s taste in music. Ha, ha!

Have you worked at many conventions and how do you think your work went down with the public? Do you ever get to pick up a few tips from other artists working the shows?

At the moment I’ve only worked at about 7 conventions, including Tattoo Jam, which I loved. But I love the whole convention atmosphere and I’m planning on working as many as I can in 2010!

I hope my work was well perceived at the conventions; most importantly my customers were always happy, which makes me happy. I’ve had bookings at the studio through people looking at my portfolio at the shows, which I’m very happy with. I have picked up a few tips and techniques from attending the shows, both through chatting with other artists in the bar over a couple of beers and also through just walking around and watching people work then going back to the studio and trying little things I’ve seen.

Do you think that formal art training is beneficial to tattooists?

I think some kind of art training is beneficial for all tattoo artists; it helps understand the design, rather than just putting on. It lets you be a bit more creative in what you do rather than just an exact copy of a piece flash for example.

Who inspires you artistically?

There are a lot of artists out their at the moment who inspire me. I like Pavel Angel from Russia, Zhivko from Bloody Blue Tattoo and Boris to name a few.

Do you have a preferred style of tattooing?

Black and grey work is definitely my preferred style if I’m honest; I just like the way it looks on the skin. I know with colour that things are more vibrant, but personally I just love working in black and grey.

I’m always drawing in pencil at home, or if I’m not busy in the studio so that’s definitely why I’m drawn to black and grey work, you can almost create exactly what its going to look like on skin and lets the customer have a bit of insight of what the finished tattoo will look like.

Is there a tattoo that you would love to tattoo but haven’t yet?

I would love to tattoo a full body suit. I have done many full sleeves, legs, back pieces, but never a full body suit that I have planned and designed myself.

Do you work in other mediums at all?

I’ve recently starting painting, which I enjoy immensely. It’s something I’ve wanted to get into for a while and now I’ve started I’m hooked! I can see the house I live in becoming full of canvases very soon.

Whose ink do you wear and who would you like ink from?

Many people have tattooed me over the years, in many different styles. It’s more of a collection rather than there being a theme to them. I recently lasered an old sleeve I had done years ago, and started having it tattooed again by Yang Zhuo of YZ Tattoo in China. I’m really pleased with how it’s looking so far.

There are many artists I would like to get work from and the list keeps growing. Viktor Portugal and Guy Aitchison are definitely at the top.

What is the best part about being a tattooist?

The best part of being a tattoo artist for me is the reaction I get from customers, knowing I have made them happy and also knowing that they are happy having one of my tattoos on them forever makes it all worth while.

Who would you like to thank for helping you out over the years?

Firstly I would like to thank Adam and Mick in the studio who have helped me enormously both in and out of the studio, also my family and friends who have always pushed me forward and supported me in everything I’ve done. Thank you all!


info@micktomo.com

www.micktomo.com

45 Blossom Street
York, YO24 1AZ
Tel: 01904 620 114