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[title]RECOMMENDED: The 10 best tattoo artists in LA
Time Out: How did you first become interested in tattooing?
Jarrett DeMartino: My mother is an artist and my father is a musician, so I grew up around a lot of creativity and people that had tattoos. I remember always being amazed at how an image could be in your skin and move with you. I started making marks on myself and buddies with razor blades and rapidographs by the age of 13. Yeah, I was that kid.
Time Out: What's your relationship with your clients like?
JD: Most of my clients and I become pretty tight over the long hours of working together. I'd say some of us are practically related. Most of the time, my client will give me a concept with some style references and then let me run with it, unless it's a painting or picture they want reproduced. Some of my clients are chatty, and sometimes we don't even speak the same language, so conversations are just as random as the subject matter I'm putting on them. I feel so honored that a person would even let me work on them, so having the relationships I have with my clients means the world to me.
Time Out: Can you describe one of the most memorable pieces you've ever done?
JD: I have so many that mean so much to me, but honestly, I remember the people and the times more than the work. It's about the smile on my client's face, not so much what I did.
Time Out: What's the weirdest tattoo you've ever been asked to do?
JD: I've had strange requests ranging from Jesus riding a chicken shooting a Star Wars gun to putting a tattoo on a woman's privates to make it "look ugly." Any business that is open to the public and that marks people for life will get some real wacked out requests.
Time Out: Is there anything you've learned over your years of tattooing that you didn't necessarily expect to learn?
JD: What I've learned over the years, just as any artist should, is that the more I know, the less I know. Also I've learned that if I don't like something I've done, I'll just hate it. And if I love it, I'll hate it even more. I find that way of thinking keeps me very motivated.
Time Out: What's your favorite music to tattoo to?
JD: As a drummer in my band Sick Shop, music is my lifeline while I tattoo. I prefer metal all day, but my iPod has everything to make a client feel comfortable.
RECOMMENDED: The 10 best tattoo artists in LA