Tattoo Techniques: From Bad Apple To Tattoo Royalty King Ruck EP 274

From Bad Apple To Tattoo Royalty | King Ruck | EP 274

In this episode Jake sits down with King Ruck of Black Spade Tattoo In Las Vegas. They hit on a ton of interesting topics including tips for becoming super efficient in your setup and tattooing process, which are vital for a shop in the heart of Las Vegas with tons of walk-in clientele.

They also touch on Ruck's newest venture "King Tattoo Ink". A black and gray ink brand designed for darker skinned clients. On that topic, Ruck shares his thoughts on creating strong designs and tattoos for darker skin tones.

Tons of great info in this episode.

King Tattoo Ink, Alongside The FIreside Tattoo Network, is also sponsoring the 2023 Paradise Tattoo Gathering! They’ll be providing ink samples and taking feedback from artists at the show! For more information and to get your tickets head to:

Paradise Tattoo Gathering

King Tattoo Ink

This episode was made possible thanks to:

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Interview by By Jake Meeks —

Writing By Daniel Pushcarich —

Topics: Tattoo Ink Companies, Las Vegas Tattooing, Running a Tattoo Studio, Tattooing Darker Skin Tones, graffiti artist, tattoo composition, Paradise Tattoo Gathering

“They taught me that if the line isn’t good and someone sees that, then it’s just not good, there’s no excuses. You just need to learn, get better, and more efficient with your skillset”

— King Ruck

King Ruck(@therealkingruck) is a former grafitti artist who has made a smooth transition to tattooing. He went from bombing and painting on walls and building his reputation as a respected graffiti artist, to owning two of the premiere tattoo shops in Las Vegas.

The nickname 'King' was given to him by his mentors because of the dues he paid as a graffiti artist and 'Ruck' is short for Ruckus (the main name he used while getting up on walls). King Ruck is known for his fine lines, smooth grays and attention to detail but also really enjoys the bold lines and bright colors and jumps at every chance he gets to do so.

King Ruck is based in Las Vegas, NV and owns at Black Spade Tattoo & King Tattoo Ink.

Please enjoy!

INTERVIEW LINKS, MENTIONS, AND SHOW NOTES BELOW…

SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODE

Connect with King Ruck:

Black Spade Tattoo | IG| King Tattoo Ink

SHOW NOTES

[00:00] Intro
[02:04] Enter The King of Ink; Efficiency and Marathon Tattooing
[09:57] Translating Graffiti Writing to Tattoo Composition
[13:32] As Bad as They Come, Apprenticing at Bad Apple Tattoo
[16:11] Bold Will Hold! Illustrative Realism with a Traditional Twist
[17:11] Join Inside Fireside! We'd love to help you Succeed!
[18:17] Just a Little Splash of Color!
[22:34] Tattooing Darker Skin is It's Own Artform
[27:02] Ink Master Is More Like a Learning Experience
[33:44] A Tattoo Is Like Memorabilia
[40:58] On Solving a Problem; Finding the Perfect Black Ink
[48:20] Sponsoring the Paradise Tattoo Gathering! Come Get Samples and Give your Feedback!
[51:40] Where To Find King Ruck and King Tattoo Inks
[53:10] Outro

MORE King QUOTES FROM THIS INTERVIEW

Efficiency and Marathon Tattooing

[02:04] “Being able to tattoo in an environment like these festivals, it kind of brings me back. I never lose that knowing, ‘hey, I need to commit to making that line crisp, strong, and one clean straight pass’, and it doesn’t allow me to get lazy.”

— King Ruck

Walk-in studios and street shops tend to be more high-demand, and efficiency in these environments is crucial. And certain times of the year, tattoo artists face the exhilarating challenge of “marathon tattooing” during events like music festivals or during holidays like Halloween or Friday the 13th. These events can be a whirlwind, with clients wrapping around the building and over a hundred tattoos done each day. Despite the discomfort and constant hustle, artists find it both exciting and skill-testing, pushing their limits while maintaining quality work.

The key to managing these marathon-style tattoo days is meticulous preparation. Artists have their setups ready to go, ensuring a seamless transition from one client to the next. This setup eliminates the need to break down equipment, allowing artists to stay in the tattooing flow. The focus is on optimizing efficiency without compromising on the quality of the tattoos.

While there's no rush to finish, artists understand the importance of delivering quality work within a reasonable timeframe to maximize earnings. Marathon tattooing is not for the faint of heart, and serves as a reminder of the need for precision, even in an industry that more and more values a relaxed, day-rate style of work.

Translating Graffiti Writing to Tattoo Composition

[09:57] “I would Just grab a marker, and start drawing on someone. Being a graffiti artist and a heavy visual illustrator, it just made it real easy for me to do that”

— King Ruck

Tattooing on skin demands a unique understanding of values, highlights, dramatic shadows, and other elements that set it apart from traditional art forms. The abstract shapes, structural elements, and compositional techniques of graffiti bring a distinctive flavor to tattoo design. This fusion of two art forms enriches the tattooing process, offering a unique perspective that traditional drawing backgrounds may not provide.

The experience of working with diverse layouts, such as tall walls, narrow spaces, and different shapes, in graffiti art, can prove invaluable when designing large-scale tattoos. The compositional skills acquired in the world of graffiti might not seamlessly translate to the art of tattooing, but they can definitely give you an advantage early on. Even if you aren’t a Graffiti writer yourself, taking time to study these designs might be beneficial.

One book among others we might suggest is: Graffiti LA by James Grody

On Solving a Problem; Finding the Perfect Black Ink

[40:58] “I don’t want all those different blacks, I just want a black that works and allows me to do the things that I need.”

— King Ruck

Tattooing on darker skin tones can be a challenge sometimes. All inks will change color or lose their brilliance over time because of the nature of skin. But, depending on the tonal temperature of someone’s skin and amount of melanin in the dermis some inks won’t be visible even after a short few years.

King Tattoo Ink Lining Black Bottles

Black inks in particular can sometimes shift to a greenish, blueish, or even reddish hue depending on the brand or composition of pigments. To combat these tonal shifts some manufacturers will make an ultra-concentrated mixture of a mostly carbon based pigment, similar to a Zuper or Triple Black. But these tend to be difficult to apply in certain situations like lining or doing fine-line work.

Creating an ink that combines ease of application with long-lasting, rich blackness is no easy task. And with the insane amount of different black inks out in the world it’s hard to find the right one.

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Transcript for this video can be found (here). All transcripts can be found (Here)

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The Fireside Tattoo Network is home to the Fireside podcast, Fireside Technique video series and our Fireside Weekly blog.

The Fireside Tattoo podcast is hosted by veteran tattooer Jake Meeks, check out our episodes where we discuss, argue and wax philosophical, from tips for all levels of artists to trends in the tattoo world. Many guest artists have sat down for interviews and in-depth conversations and many more are planned…check back often!

Our Fireside Tattoo Overview video series offers informative, short, and detailed videos geared towards helping artists understand the science and nuances of tattoos and make more informed decisions to improve their work. We often take some of our more technical topics from our Fireside podcast and film an in-depth, narrated, time-lapse video showing exactly how Jake or our featured artists handle certain issues.

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Tattoo Techniques

Tattoo technique is, no doubt, an art of its own. Like any skill or trade, tattooing has been closely guarded by tattooers throughout modern history. We take a different approach here at Fireside. Our goal is to embrace the information age by making a conscious effort to help artists of all skill levels solve their technical tattoo challenges.

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