In preparation for this class session, I researched the work of tattoo artist Yann Black. When I looked at the list of artists I could focus on for this presentation, Yann Black’s work immediately stood out to me. I read that his background is in graphic design and animation; he got his art degree before pursuing tattooing. I think this path to the career is evident in his tattoos, which look very artsy and sketchy, almost as if they were designed for paper rather than skin. At the same time, this “designed for paper” quality of Yann Black’s tattoos makes them all the more interesting. His style is not something I see very often if at all in tattooing, so his designs feel bright and refreshing.
In terms of my research topic, I ended up stumbling upon a YouTube channel, GQ, that has a series of videos where celebrities talk about their tattoos. Among these celebrities are several musicians, so I am super excited to go through these videos and take notes on them as primary sources. Before YouTube recommended this video series to me, I was struggling to find interviews with artists about their tattoos – most articles I found just speculated about the meanings behind musicians’ tattoos without any input from the musicians themselves.