If you make a mistake with a paintbrush or pencil, you can scrunch up the paper and start again. But a human canvas is a completely different story, admits Bacchus Marsh tattooist Jade Baxter Smith, channelling an old memory.
“I still remember the first tattoo I ever did, 11 years ago now,” she says, laughing.
“It was so terrible. It was a star and a roller-skating girl, tattooed on a chest. I was so nervous for so long before and, looking back, it was just awful.”
Baxter Smith has come a long way since her brother recommended she channel her love of art into a tattoo apprenticeship in 2002.
“I’ve been running [Bacchus Marsh’s] Twisted By Design for close to four years now,” she says.
“I started because I’ve always been into drawing and I wanted something that was going to pay. I love putting art on people’s skin, something they can keep forever.”
Baxter Smith recently completed her most memorable tattoo yet – a Simpsons piece on someone’s back that took more than 120 hours to complete.
“It really does take a massive commitment from both parties. [The customer’s] been coming in for a full year, every few weeks, and we’ve just finished now.”
Baxter Smith’s walking masterpiece will feature in this year’s Australian Tattoo and Body Art Expo at the Melbourne Convention Centre from November 29 to December 1.
“I use any chance I can to see other artists and techniques that are out there,’’ she says.
‘‘There’s always new machines, needles, ink, ways to do things that already exist and can be improved.”
Baxter Smith says that of all her work, she has most confidence in her ‘colour realism’ tattoos. “I love my portraits, realistic animals, bold bright colours. We’re lucky enough to have different artists for various pieces.”
The studio has been fortunate to have locals willing to lend their skin to the cause. “We’ve got a guy that comes in and he loves having new things tried on him. He’s a human canvas, literally. Most recently we tattooed nuts and bolts on his face. They look pretty amazing, and when he grows out his facial hair they disappear.”
But Baxter Smith advises people to think before they ink, and make it meaningful. “We make sure the design is right, long-term. If it’s a name, I’ll often try talking them out of it; they’re usually the ones regretted down the track.”
