This week we hooked up with John Scully from Savil Row Tattoo Parlour at his new shop near Arts on Main in Joburg to snap some pics and interview him for our Tattoo Artist of the Week feature. An artist that thrives in his Realism and New School tattoos, see what John had to say when we asked him about his tattoo career, his style, difficult clients, the shop and more:
Full name: John Scully
Nickname: Scully
Age: 27
Hometown: Killarny, Ireland
Shop: Savil Row Tattoo Parlour – Revolution House, Ground Floor, Cnr Main & Kruger Street, JHB
Years Tattooing: 8
Tattoo Style: Realism , New School and most New Age styles
Tattoo Pricing: R800 per hour
How long have you been tattooing and how did you get into the industry?
I’ve been tattooing for the most part of 8 years. My tattooing started after an old friend turned me on to it and the more involved I got, the more I learned, the more fascinated I became. My career took off shortly after that.
What did you find was the best way to practice and learn during your apprenticeship?
Most of my learning came from watching and asking as much as I could and as often as possible, paying attention to all the fine detail. The practice itself came by grasping as many available opportunities as often as possible, when they arose.
You have recently moved into a very cool new shop near Arts on Main in JHB Town. How did you find the shop and what plans do you have for it?
I found the space for the studio after more than a year’s worth of searching numerous areas and hot spots. After a large number of referrals, from more than one person, to the Arts on Main area, I scoped out the area and the possibilities that came with it. Almost everything about this area is focused on different forms of art, which flows in nicely with my studio.
Future plans for the studio: For now, I’m just keeping the studio as a comfortable space where I can pursue the type of tattooing and art previous studios denied me of. Bigger plans are definitely on the horizon but those will be revealed as the right time nears.
Explain the name, Savil Row?
The name Savil Row was inspired by a street name in the United Kingdom (Savile Row). The street is home to some of the best bespoke tailors in the world, all custom and once off designs. The name is a reminder to myself to keep my tattooing fresh and aim for the same high-end reputation.
There are a bunch of new tattoo styles becoming more and more popular. Can you break down the different styles for us and explain them?
Many of the tattoo styles have actually been around for a very long time, most are just evolving with different artists personal touches. There are a great number of styles available but, again, perception plays a large part in determining what category a style falls under. For example many will say that New School American is a revamped version of Old School American, it’s not. Not only is there this factor to consider but we also have to take into account that each style branches off into various sub-categories. Let’s speak about a few very popular styles, as I have come across them:
Realism: To me it is to create an authentic representation of the picture using traditional, realistic art techniques and contrasts.
Old School American Is your traditional Sailor Jerry type of flash; simple lines and solid colours.
New School: Is big, colourful, flamboyant, whacky art work, which is what I consider as New School American and others tend to consider revamped Sailor Jerry type work to be New School American.
Portraits: Many people feel that portraits should be an exact replica of the photograph they have brought in. I feel that it should be more of an artistic representation of who that person was/ is to the client. Many people tend not to take artistic liberty when considering a portrait, whereas I feel that it is a must.
What style do you like the most and which would you say you are best at?
My favourite style is a mixture of New School and Realism. I try really hard not to excel in any specific style. I try to keep a fresh, open outlook and allow the idea and designs to choose the style. Although, I do have my own style that I have been working on, which I hope to share with the people soon, but until then, it’s being closely guarded.
What type of client do you enjoy tattooing and what type of client can’t you stand tattooing?
I would have to say that the most enjoyable client is one that is willing to become as involved in getting the best out of the tattoo as I am, starting from the initial design/ idea right up until the end result. The worst client is one that allows those around them to dictate their decision on a piece, especially once a redraw/ design has been discussed, designed and agreed upon. When all is said and done, it is the client who must be happy with their chosen piece as they are the ones who will have to accept it every day, not those around them.
There are many places on the body which apparently are the most painful to get tattooed. From the mouth of a tattoo artist, what are those body parts?
This is the one question that every tattoo artist hates being asked. It hurts everywhere, but the levels of pain vary with the different perceptions of the clients. It’s not an unbearable pain, it is tolerable. People experience everything in their own way. What I will add is that men tend to squirm more when it’s done on their sides, closest to their rib cages and women have mentioned that their lower backs and feet are painful. Then you get other clients, male and female, who barely feel a thing in those areas. Any joint areas – knees, elbows, ankles, wrists , are also commonly referred to as ‘painful areas’ and, again, not all clients will agree. It all comes down to perception and pain threshold levels.
How do you think the perception of tattoo artists and tattooed people has changed over the past 10 years?
Over the last ten years, tattooing has seen a huge rise in popularity. A lot of people contribute this to the tattoo reality shows, although I would have to say this is contributed more to the rise of talent within the art community. The more tattooing evolves to be a full art form, the less taboo and more popular it will become.
Where would you like to see your tattooing career take you?
It’s not something I place all my focus on. If one has set a specific level or destination to reach in their career, the odds of them excelling further than that point are, usually, highly unlikely to happen. As long as I am tattooing and being allowed to explore and push the boundaries with my work then I am on the right track.
If you could do a guest appearance in any international tattoo shop, which one would it be and why?
I would definitely guest spot at Mark Mahoney’s Shamrock Social Club. The studio has such a unique style and Mark himself has such a long history within the industry. I believe I could learn a lot more with him and expand on my techniques and styles, with the direction I am heading in.
Do you think the reality tattoo shows that are on TV portray the true style and ways of a tattoo shop and its artists?
That is a definite no from me. There are some aspects that are the same, such as the basics, but one must consider that those shows have been specifically made to draw an audience in. It was made for television, so lots of editing and planning goes into them. They film what the public want to see, what will make them watch and sell their show. People also like to watch drama unfurling in a reality TV show and I have never experienced, in all my eight years, the level of drama they portray in the shows.
Finally, If someone is keen to make a booking and get tattooed by you. How can they go about doing it?
For a booking, or a consultation to discuss a piece, you can get hold of us in various ways, which I have listed below. The client needs to send me their design, or an idea of a design, they are looking to get tattooed and we will discuss redraws/ designing, sizing, chair time and pricing from there.
E-mail: savilrow@me.com – Contact Number: 082 452 6141
Follow Savil Row of Facebook and Twitter.
Some of John’s work:
Photo Gallery:
I am so happy I came across this..!