EPISODE 13 – The Sacred Art of Tattooing, with Franco Vescovi.
How good do you have to be to land clients like Britney Spears, Korn and Travis Barker? Our guest today has been tattooing for 25 years, specializing in black and grey realism, and is the owner of both Vatican Studios and Bishop Tattoo Supply. It is none other than Franco Vescovi, who talks to us about intention in your artistry and the importance of understanding the sacred
nature of tattooing. He also shares about what it means for him to do a tattoo for someone and where your heart needs to be so that you really give that person the best experience. He also talks about why the focus should always remain on the quality of the art rather than on fame, the need for stricter regulation around sterilization and what can be done to raise the bar in the industry. Being utterly committed to preserving the purity of the art form, Franco talks about why the tattoo industry is only for those who have a genuine love for it, and we get into all the wrong reasons for people to be involved. Join us for all of this and more form this absolute legend in the world of tattooing!
Key points from this episode
- A brief history of Franco’s career and how it evolved along with the industry.
- How his passion for pencil drawing developed into a career in realistic tattoo art.
- Hear about Franco attending conventions, winning awards and his big break.
- What really bothers him about social media, instant fame and the lack of regulation.
- The need to pay your dues and produce quality in order to earn respect as a tattoo artist.
- Making his own tattoo machines and being one of the first people to have a rotary device.
- The issue with coil machines and when Bishop machines started flying off the shelves.
- Why Bishop is a story of perseverance and the experience that prevented him from quitting.
- How artists can ensure that they’re buying quality and making sure that equipment is sterile.
- The need to educate artists and consumers about what to be on the lookout for.
- Why you should think very carefully about becoming a tattoo artist and realizing that’s it’s not a money-making career.
- All the exciting Bishop products that artists can look forward to.
And much more!
Links mentioned in this episode
Franco Vescovi on Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/franco_vescovi
Franco Vescovi on Twitter — https://twitter.com/francovescovi
Britney Spears — https://www.britneyspears.com/
Dennis Rodman — https://dennisrodman.com/
Carey Hart on Twitter — https://twitter.com/hartluck?ref
Avenged Sevenfold — https://avengedsevenfold.com/
Korn — https://kornofficial.com/
Travis Barker on Twitter — https://twitter.com/travisbarker?lang=en
Vatican Studios — http://www.thevaticanstudios.com/
Bishop Tattoo Supply — https://bishoptattoosupply.com/
Jose Lopez — http://www.lowridertattoostudio.com/about/
Tom Renshaw — http://tomrenshaw.com/
Deano Cook on Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/deanocook/?hl=en
Alexis Vaatete — http://www.thevaticanstudios.com/alexis-vaatete
Alexis Vaatete on Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/alexisvaateteart/?hl=en
Latisha Wood — http://www.thevaticanstudios.com/latisha-wood
Mei-Cha — https://www.mei-cha.com/
Swashdrive — https://swashdrivetattoomachines.com/
Steve Jobs — https://allaboutstevejobs.com/
Steve Soto — http://www.stevesototattoo.com/
Blow — https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0221027/