We caught up with Sean Ambrose, owner of Arrows & Embers Tattoo, last week to see just what it’s like to put permanent ink on someone else’s skin.
Do you get asked to do the same tattoo a lot?
It’s funny, it comes in waves. But here we do emphasize helping people express their individuality. That’s why we don’t have any flash on the walls, we do everything custom and draw everything from scratch for everybody. Even if somebody comes to the table and they think they want something generic or they don’t know what they want, a conversation unlocks that they do want something very specific. It’s an amazing process, and we love it.
What’s the most painful spot to get a tattoo?
It seems to be unanimously anywhere on the neck, the center of the chest or the rib cage, are all pretty sensitive spots for most people. Every once in a while you get someone that sits like a rock and it’s crazy, but most of the time those spots are very, very sensitive.
What’s the longest you’ve spent on a tattoo?
I do large scale work quite often so it’s not uncommon to invest 80 hours into a tattoo. People are covering their bodies, it takes a long time.
What’s the training like to become a tattoo artist?
You have to do an apprenticeship, similar to an electrician or a plumber. You have to work under somebody that has a state license already and then there’s state requirements, like minimum hours, classes and then your mentor is still able to say yea or nay. They deem you ready when you’re ready.
What’s the oddest request you’ve had?
You can use your imagination. I’ve tattooed all up and down the East Coast. Like here in Concord, it’s not that wild, but I’ve tattooed outside of Air Force bases, casinos. I’ve seen a lot of stuff.
If you could add one tattoo to your ink repertoire what would it be?
I have a list. I still have some real estate open on my skin.
How do you decide who does your ink?
Being a tattooer you do end up meeting other tattooers and becoming friends. I am a collector. I think about the parts of my body like rooms in a house, like my arm is my kitchen and it’s going to be designed by somebody where the color schemes are all gonna play a part. My other arm is my bathroom and it’s going to be designed differently as well.
What got you into this line of work?
Just an extreme fascination and just kind of let nature take its course. I’ve always been inclined to do art and express myself artistically and when the idea of being able to commit it to your skin came to the forefront of my mind it was full steam ahead.
Do you ever get people looking to have you fix a tat done by someone else?
Often. I’ve won awards in that category at tattoo conventions. I’m not shy or scared of any of that kind of stuff. It’s actually really rewarding and satisfying to help somebody turn something that might be an embarrassment into something that they can wear loud and proud.
What’s the No. 1 thing you ask a person getting their first tattoo?
With a tattoo, the possibilities are endless. So the most important question to me that I’d ask somebody is ‘How do you want the tattoo to feel?’ Not in a physical, pain-wise, but how do you want it to emotionally impact the viewer? It can be edgy, it can be soft, it can be fluffy, it can give somebody an impression by looking at it, so I ask them that almost every single time.
Care to share the worst tattoo – in your opinion – anyone has ever asked for or gotten?
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. What we specialize in here is applying artistic integrity to any design. So somebody could ask me for anything, a skeleton riding a dishwasher, and that sounds crazy, but if you put it through the filters of complementary color schemes, complementary textures, good composition, all those artsy fartsy words, they mean something and it’s about the science of how to please the human subconscious.
Do you get a lot of repeat customers?
Yeah, definitely. Probably 95 percent of people when we finish their project, they ask to set another consultation for the next project. That’s why we book out so far.
We’ve heard tattoos can be addicting.
They can be addicting for a couple different reasons. One is that you have an extremely positive experience and you’re empowered by expressing yourself. The allegory of hiding your emotions in a picture, the compliments it can bring, the positive feedback from people. There is no other accessory that you can acquire that a total stranger will be like ‘I love that’ just out of nowhere.
How nerve-racking is creating a tattoo, since there’s not any margin for error?
Oh yeah. I was sh***ing my pants before, during and after every tattoo I did for the first two years of my career. It’s a huge responsibility and I take it extremely seriously. You can be the best artist on paper, but the trick is learning how to wield the tattoo machine. It’s a very different beast and it’s unforgiving, every stitch is permanent.
