click on the thumbnail below
to see the full image











SS: How did you get into tattooing?

JS: I met this fella who was tattooing out of his house in Newport News, Virginia and he
taught me how to make a ghetto gun.  I really wasn't planning on becoming a tattoo artist I
just thought it would be cool to put a piece of my artwork on somebody.  After my first piece, I
had people lined up at my front door waitin to get tatted up.  Not because I was good, but  
because I was cheap. About a month later I purchased my first professional machine.  I spent
about a year trying to put together a decent portfolio and soon made my rounds to all the
local tattoo shops to see if I could get a job as a professional. Initially, I got rejected by all of
them, but about 6 months later I tried again and eventually got scooped up.


SS: What artists have influenced you, and how?

JS: Off the top of my head I'd hafta say Craola, Gunnar, Jime Litwalk, Joe Sorren, Michael
Hussar, Electric Pick, Can 2, Toast, Scribe, Tim Biedron, Jason Stephan and Tony Ciavarro.  
Of course there are a ton more, but these fellas tend to stick out.  They have all influenced
me to bend my imagination in directions that I would have never thought of had I not seen
their work.


SS: What other interests do you have (besides tattoos and illustrations)?

JS: Being that I spend a lot of my time sitting around drawing, I like to try and stay active on
my off time.  I like to work out, play sports and do stuff outside.  I also really enjoy traveling
and seeing new places.


SS: Could you tell us some more about your work?  How do you come up with your
characters and designs?

JS: Most of my tattoos are creative collaborations between my clients and I.  I usually set up
a consultation so we can dish around ideas for an hour or so until we come up with
something that we can both agree on. It usually starts out pretty shallow and as the
consultation runs on it begins to gather depth.  My clients always seem to push my mind in a
different direction, which helps me build a pretty diverse and creative portfolio. My paintings
and illustrations usually spawn from ideas that I've implemented in some of my tattoos and
vice versus.


SS: I see you have been tattooing since 99. Did you attend any schools that helped you
along the way or does your work just come naturally?

JS: I studied art at Virginia Commonwealth University and received my degree in 2004.  It's
definitely played a large roll in who I am today.


SS: What advice would you give to an artist just starting out?

JS: Draw and learn as much as you can.  Go to college.  A lot of artists that I talk to feel as
though college is a waste of time.  I really feel as though it did a lot for me.  Not only did it
force me to draw more, I was surrounded by a ton of great artists who gave me great advice
on how to improve my artwork.  It also exposed me to a ton of different styles and techniques
that I would have never seen had I not gone.


SS: Do you ever get in a rut and have a hard time creating new work? If so what do you do
to take get yourself back on track?

JS: It happens to me all of the timeJ I usually go to my links section and browse my
inspirations for about a half hour.  That usually seems to get the brain juices flowing.


SS: Do you have a favorite style of music that puts you in the right mood to create some sick
shit?

JS: I usually try to put it on something that is continuous.  DJ Mixes (Mr. Dibbs, DJ
Lowbudget, Diplo, DJ Z-Trip) or Ambient.  It kinds seems to keep the mind flowing vs. having
random songs from different albums stopping and starting with different rhythms.


SS: What type of equipment is your favorite to work with when you are tattooing?

JS: I've been using the same machines for the past eight years, which consist of 3 Mickey
Sharps and a Mickey B.  As far as pigments are concerned, I'm still shopping around for a
full palette.  Most of the pigments I use come from Eternal, Intenze, and Starbrite.


SS: Do you have any last words for up and coming artists working with Spellbound Society?

JS: Keep on crunchin!  It'll pay off in the end!


Do you have a website or a myspace account?

My website is WWW.JESSESMITHTATTOOS.COM

My Myspace Account is WWW.MYSPACE.COM/JESSE_SMITH

And my Inkednation Account is WWW.INKEDNATION.COM/JESSESMITH


Any last words??

I'd like to thank everyone at Spellbound for their support and I'm
really flattered that you guys chose me to interview.  Thanx,   Jesse