Tattoo Artist Magazine - The Quarterly Trade Journal for the Professional Tattooer

Temptation From Hope
Article by Brandon Bond

In the history of tattoo artistry, there has been the constant of one artist focused on one client at a time. This union has traditionally created a unique blend between the client's ideal and the tattoo artist's representation, or design, of the client's vision. But a recent trend in the tattoo field has incorporated the concept of two tattoo artists simultaneously working on one client, and it is a trend which offers tremendous potential. A graphic image can truly be enhanced by the dynamic influence when two artists work together. Every aspect of the creative process; from the preliminary sketches to the final execution is altered and influenced by the combination of artistic ideas.

I have followed the growth and evolution of this exploration and I have been very fortunate to be the recipient of a collaborative back piece completed by two artists that have influenced my own artwork tremendously. The most important aspect of the collaborative process is the artistic relationship of the tattoo artists involved. In my situation, the selection of artists was an obvious and simple decision. Joe Capobianco has already tattooed the vast majority of my body. His illustrative style is unmistakable and easily recognized by anyone remotely related to the tattoo industry. His color blending is matched only by his business partner and friend Eric Merrill. Eric's tattooing style is incredibly dramatic and vibrant. His color saturation in skin is rivaled solely by his ability to create on canvas. Both artists are visionaries in their own right and neither suffers from the ego-trip that they rightly deserve.

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