Tattoo artist and Dal dropout, Jack Graff, inks realism onto Nova Scotians
His journey from self-taught to business owner
When Jack Graff was 13, he was tattooing his friends in the basements and school bathrooms of Oakville, Ont. Eight years later, he’s working out of his own studio on full back, arm and leg pieces that take up to five six-hour sessions to complete.
Graff discovered his love of tattoos through the internet. He bought his first tattoo kit off Amazon, and inked about 50 of his peers before his parents found out and destroyed it.
At 16, Graff went back to the craft. Rather than getting an apprenticeship, he bought some ink and set up shop in his basement. Tattooing himself, his friends and fake skin, Graff quickly found an affinity for black and grey realism.
Many of Graff’s pieces are sleeve or full back tattoos of ancient Greek gods, skeletons, warriors and even skeleton warriors. Typically, he works with someone over two five-hour sessions, a far cry from the bathroom-stall setup he operated at 13.
“I saw realism tattooing, and I was like, ‘Wow, that is so cool,’” Graff said. “I was unaware you could do such cool things with a tattoo machine, and so it inspired me.”
The self-taught artist officially founded 808 Studios in twelfth grade out of a Hamilton, Ont. studio, but shut down his operation to pursue post-secondary education.
In his first year at Dalhousie University, Graff studied business and dedicated his spare time to practicing tattooing on whoever was willing. He said about 30 people are walking around Halifax with a free Jack Graff tattoo.
As a student, he worked part-time at Port City Tattoos, a tattoo studio in downtown Halifax. The experience helped him build a clientele, and halfway through his first year, he dropped out to open his own studio, this time in Halifax.
The new 808 Studios is equipped with a coffee machine and a pool table. Graff said that playing pool with clients is a great way to break social tension.
“Maybe I don’t talk to [a] client during the day because we don’t have anything in common, but most people will play a game of pool with me.”
Renaissance art and skateboards adorn the studio’s walls. Near Graff’s work station sits a marble statue of a woman in a toga holding out her hands.
“I’ve always loved statues, specifically Greek and Roman sculptures,” he said. “I find it so fascinating, so I try to incorporate that in my work.”
About half of his current work is done freehand.
“If you want a good realism tattoo, you need really good lighting,” he said. “Once you know how to form good lighting with faces and other types of imagery, freehand gets a lot easier and you become a lot more confident in it.”
Graff combines his love of classical sculpture with more modern art using digital design tools, saying he finds “stark contrast in the imagery.”
Graff views himself as equal parts entrepreneur and artist.
“It’s so cool to watch something grow. It’s kind of like your own project, ” he said. “I knew … when I got into tattooing, it would be really cool to build out my own shop. Because it’s a business where you get to be really creative.”
His advice to aspiring tattoo artists is to combine practice and grit.
“There are no shortcuts. It’s strict, it’s literally just putting in the hours,” he said. “You don’t need talent at all to start.”
