Tattoo Artist Peter Savage

With a creative eye for geometric dotwork style tattoos, we’re pleased to bring you Peter Savage as our featured Tattoo Artist. Get to know more about him in our interview below while scoping some of his recent work.
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Full name: Peter Savage (@slickback_tats)

Shop: Heart & Hand Tattoo

Years tattooing: 7 years

Tattoo style: Dotwork/ Blackwork/ Geometric

Hourly rate: R1000/per hour

Give us some insight into your journey of becoming a full time tattoo artist?
I was lucky enough to find tattooing at a very young age. I have been hanging around in tattoo shops my whole life, and started my apprenticeship while I was still in high school, that allowed me start tattooing full time at the age of eighteen whilst furthering my knowledge studying fine art.

What were some of your most memorable moments of your learning stages/ apprenticeship?
I think what I remember most from my apprenticeship is just the overall rush and excitement I felt. I found people who were like me, we had painting nights and played pranks on each other on the daily. So apart from the actual learning to tattoo and the hunger that it gave me, I think I’ll always remember the people who showed me this world and made me a part of it.

What did you feel were some of the hardest skills to learn and why?
I was always very focused on being a technically good tattooer, and I think the biggest hurdle I had to overcome was learning that you have to be an artist first. Even if you tattoo every day, the one thing that will make you better is spending even more time on your other art mediums.

How do you like to make sure you keep progressing as an artist?
I try and do at least one drawing a day, if not more. I also have several art projects that I’ll come back to every now and then. The key for me is to just be creative and have fun.

What does the world of tattooing mean to you?
It honestly is everything to me, I don’t even know what I’d be without tattooing.

What style of tattoo do you enjoy creating the most and why?
Mandalas, sacred geometry, and dotwork is my life. Recently I have also been working on a series of traditional Japanese drawings morphed with my own brand of black work.

When not tattooing, what do you like to do with your downtime?
I read quite a lot, I have a bit of an obsession with history and symbology.

What does a day in your life usually consist of?
I usually start my day a little slow and relaxed, usually just making sure my designs for the day is perfect and stencilled. Soon as I get to work it’s catching up with the boys for an hour, before prepping my station for my client. After work I’m either hanging out with friends or chilling at home with the kitties.

If you could spend the day in any tattoo artist’s shoes, who’s would it be and why?
Cory Furgeson for sure! He’s just the OG of dots, and geometric, and his understanding of creating shapes is just crazy!

For anyone wanting to make an appointment with you, what’s the next step?
Clients can get in touch with me by sending an email to petesavagetattoos@icloud.com, or they can inbox me on Instagram @slickback_tats. After that we’ll usually schedule a free consult where we find out all the specifics, and book an appointment. Clients can also email the shop heartandhandbookings@gmail.com.

Heart & Hand Tattoos
Contact: 060 814 7265 or heartandhandbookings@gmail.com
Address: Shop 20, Devon Valley Shopping Centre, Cnr 9th Ave and Rugby St, Weltevreden Park, Johannesburg
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