A conversation with Jacob Des. July/August 2016, conducted via email. In December of 2014 I was asked to make a list for Swallows and Daggers of five tattooists to watch in the coming year. Three of the five were old friends, folks who I’d been tattooed by for more than half of my life and the fourth was some skinny kid from Ohio who I’d only met once. Without a second thought, I called him one of my five favorite working tattooers. Jacob Des. (Instagram: @jacobdes Truth and Triumph Tattoo Dayton, OH) Jacob’s art is unapologetically strange; traditional American style tattooing meets 1950s ..read more

Tattoo Uprising Trailer from Documentary Arts on Vimeo. Documentary filmmaker Alan Govenor, the director behind the quintessential tattoo documentary Stoney Knows How, has a new film out featuring vintage footage of Ed Hardy, Captn Don Leslie, Werner Herzog, and more! From the press release: “From antiquity to the present, Tattoo Uprising reveals the artistic and historical roots of today’s tattoo explosion. This sweeping overview explores Biblical references and early Christian practices before moving on to the voyages of Captain James Cook and finally to our modern day, ever-evolving use of ..read more