♪ ♪ WENDELL: "Artworks" is made possible in part by the Citizens of Baltimore County and by the Ruth R. Marder Arts Endowment Fund, The Robert E. Meyerhoff and Rheda Becker Endowment for the Arts, The E.T.

and Robert B. Rocklin Fund, The Henry and Ruth Blaustein Rosenberg Foundation Arts Endowment in memory of Ruth Marder.

♪ ♪ INGLES: So tattooing for us is, it's just another form of art.

It's like anything else, it's just permanent.

Instead of drawing on a piece of paper that could go away or get thrown away or get destroyed, you're tattooing a person and that art gets to live forever.

Uh, so sometimes, especially in a small town like this, you get to see people out in town you've tattooed.

That's just incredible and a lot of pressure.

GARRETT: Tattooing as an art form, I mean, really, it's more of a personal expression for your client body modification in, in some, some sense.

You know, my degree's in, in painting, expressing on canvas is kind of how I started and then learning to, to express on skin.

You know, one day you're doing a realism piece and the next day you're doing, um, an illustrative piece, some days black and gray, some days colors, so every day it's kind of a different artistic challenge.

Tattooing as an expression, it, it, it almost seems like it changes every day.

♪ ♪ INGLES: Um, I mean, the first thing we do when people walk in is create a nice environment.

Uh, we coin ourselves as "the friendliest shop in town," and part of that is being welcoming and kind of easing people's minds from the minute they walk in and during their consultation process, but also during their tattooing, you kind of get to know people and some people fall asleep, some people are vibrating in pain from the first five minutes.

And, you know, just getting to know people and figuring out what makes 'em comfortable, if they need more breaks, uh, all those things just come with time and experience.

GARRETT: My first tattoos are awful.

I've literally contacted multiple people that I tattooed 10 years ago and I'm like, please, please let me either fix that or let me give you something good.

Um, and most of them say no because they had one of my first and, um, early tattoos, and it's kind of like, you know, for them it's kind of a, a pride thing, 'cause they see where I was and they see where I'm at now and you know, for them it's kind of cool when they, they're like, "yeah, this was his first tattoo and it looks like garbage."

But, you know, it's, it's just part of the learning process.

Nobody is good at this right out of the, right out of the gate because skin is a completely different medium.

You can draw on paper all day and be amazing.

But to be able to translate that drawing on paper into skin, it just takes a lot of practice.

INGLES: It's a skill.

And any skill, you know, people don't learn to be an astronaut when they're born, they learn to be an astronaut.

Uh, and the process of becoming a tattoo artist can be longer for some people if they're not that skilled at it.

Um, but with practice, anything is possible.

It helps if you can draw well, it helps if you have a good imagination and can come up with things, 'cause somebody might walk in the door right now and say, "I want this."

And you, you know, you have to do it.

You can't just say, "No, we can't do that here, we don't draw dogs."

Some people are very descriptive, some people are, you know, down to the tone of blue they want, some people just say, "I want a flower, I don't care what it is."

Um, so it just goes back to that consultation, that inter, that first interaction of figuring out, out what kind of client they are and trying to work towards, you know, making them happy at, in the end result.

GARRETT: So tools of the trade, um, used to, when we used old machines and coil machines, we had to pick maybe two or three different needle groupings.

Um, I say groupings because, um, needles come if we're using a liner, it's can be as, as, as few as three needles up to like 14 that create like a, like a point.

And that's what makes the line work.

Um, there's needles called "mags," so it's basically two rows of needles, um, that, that live in that, that's basically our paintbrush.

So that's what the color gets packed in, that's what the shading, um, gets, gets done with.

So, um, depending upon like, you know, what part of the tattoo we're working on, it just depends on the needle.

Now with being able to use disposable cartridges, we can pull out six, eight, ten different needles, which makes our job super easy because each one has a different function.

Um, you know, liner needles kind of make all the lines for the coloring book and then the, the mags, we, we color the coloring book.

That's kind of the, the, what you learn over time is, this needle is great for this, this needle's great for that, this needle for this tattoo might've been great for something, but I'm gonna try something a little bit different, that works a little bit better.

So it's kind of trial and error for, for a while as you're, um, progressing through your career.

But, um, yeah, each one has a specific function.

INGLES: Any, any industry, whether it's, you know, cars, for example, I mean, times change.

People think of better ideas, technology gets smaller and more precise.

Um, and that's just something we take advantage of.

There's plenty of people still using old tattoo machines.

They still work just as fine.

But me personally, I, I, I love technology, so I'm always gonna buy the next newest thing.

GARRETT: The artwork in here, if, if you look around, you see that there's, um, old tattoo artists um, for example, there's Sailor Jerry there, there's uh, Lyle Tuttle there, um, Sailor Jerry again, you know, that's just part of, uh, you, me wanting to show respect and pay homage to the creators of American tattooing.

Um, I think it's really important to know where things started and where, where we came from, um, and I think it's really important to keep that tradition alive, um, 'cause it's easy to get forgotten, um, but I also know that you know, we have new forms of artwork, anime, um, people love "Star Wars," I love "Star Wars," that's kind of the reason why it's all over the shop.

Um, so I think it's great to integrate, you know, new things with the old and for, you know, people to see the, the Sailor Jerry flash on the wall, we have one traditional artist that does that style.

You know, the rest of us do, I have two anime artists, I have, Chris and I do realism, you know, Ari does black and gray illustrative stuff like, you know, so we, we kind of go all across the board, so I feel like we need to kind of incorporate that all around the shop.

So plus the more art you have, the more visually interesting it is, so while you're sitting there getting tattooed, you have something to look at.

(laughs).

Most important things that I try to work with my apprentices and, and help them learn, first off, being a tattoo artist is the coolest job on the planet, right?

We just listen to good music and create cool art and hang out with cool people all day long, right?

And we get paid for it, like, what's better than that?

But beyond that, like, people come to us for reasons, right, either they're going through a life change, um, they're unhappy with part of their body, they're celebrating something amazing, you know, there's many, many reasons, but they're choosing us to put something permanent onto their body, so, you know, it's really important for us, like whether or not it's a infinity symbol off Pinterest or whatever, it's super important to our client, so for us as tattoo artists, we have to, to, to really pay attention to that because, you know, we're, we're now a part of that person's story for the rest of their life.

You know, there's been many times throughout my career where, you know, I'm tattooing somebody and they start sharing their, their story and opening up and you, you realize like you're literally changing how they perceive themselves in the mirror.

You know, they, they may be unhappy with, with their weight, they may have gone through a drastic weight loss and unhappy with the fact that they have excess skin.

There's a million reasons why people might not feel 100% comfortable in the skin that they're in, and it's our job to help them feel beautiful again.

♪ ♪ (needle buzzing).

CHARLTON: My grandparents had a laundromat center in a tiny little valley town in Idaho, so wanderers and travelers would come to the laundromat center where I spent most of my time as a child and I would see bikers come through just covered in tattoos.

So innately mimicking as most children do, I would draw all over myself, my friends, and then that was kind of unconsciously unaware, however, speeding up into my early teens, I became more aware of what a tattoo actually was.

And after receiving my first tattoo at the age of 15, I was kind of hooked from there.

The human body is a very three-dimensional figure that has a lot of form and shape and flow to it.

So prior to tattooing, I took human physiology classes 'cause I've always had a deep appreciation and fascination for the human body and how magical it is, which translates later on into the art form of taking a flat motionless image and then understanding certain principles from the art realm as well as the anatomy realm and putting them together to where when the client wears a piece of art or the tattoo, it's there to fit, flatter and flow and compliment whichever area it is and designed accordingly, with the muscle striations, whether it's the joint or the arm, it should almost seamlessly be a part of them.

When the client comes in, this is where the accountability and responsibility of the artist comes in to confidently say yes or no, but also kindly educate the clients because the clients are collectors.

They don't innately understand everything that the artist does.

Tattoo artists, it's up to us to remember what it was like to be a collector and a client.

So to slow the role, be patient and kind and communicate with them why some things work, why some things don't work.

And then also ultimately educate them on how to take their concept and transform that into not only a tattoo but something that's going to age well and grow well with them, in the skin.

Because, unlike any other medium, the skin is a living, breathing, changing, I guess "canvas," so to speak, where, unlike paper or canvas, that'll stay the same, you have to take certain principles and steps to make sure that the ink doesn't settle and move and bleed together over time.

CUSTOMER: I was always drawn to Norse mythology, especially with the, uh, Celtic, uh, nodding or designs and, uh, the shading.

And then the thing that was super important to me was that I didn't want to have a tattoo that I could in a couple of years bump into someone and suddenly they have the exact same thing.

David's work just, uh, spoke to me really, really well just because it's unique, it's his own piece of artwork that he made from scratch, just straight out of his, uh, creativity.

He didn't even, uh, showed me the artwork when I showed up the, the first day he just kind of told me, "Hey, I got something really good.

I know you're gonna love it."

And it's been like that ever, ever since, but I know that he's gonna make it his, his art and he's gonna make sure that it's like done as, uh, flawlessly as he, as he's capable of doing.

It's just absolute satisfaction.

♪ ♪ CHARLTON: Tattooing was definitely like the main corridor slash doorway that opened up other venues since I had been constantly on a pursuit.

After moving from Idaho to Florida of like tattooing and learning that and then approaching the art forms and still doing that, it's like an adventure in chasing mountain peaks, I appreciate the journey.

And then about a handful of years ago, a friend of mine over in Cocoa Beach had a box of cans, I was able to realize the amount of coverage that I could achieve in very little time with spray paint was just phenomenal, it bit me and I just had that itch.

There's something magical about not touching whatever it is that you're actually applying a picture to.

'Cause tattoos are so precise, there's no room for error, you're like there, you can't erase, but with art, it was like taking all the leashes and the safeties off and it's just like Bob Ross would say, "happy accidents," you know, there's no mistakes, I mean it's paint, so it's like if you make a mistake or a happy accident, you paint over it.

You can't do that with tattooing.

I wanna provide a sanctuary, a space where individuals can get a glimpse of what it's like to feel what an artist feels when they're in that creative moment.

So I made the decision to do a private studio because that's the endeavor I'm still pursuing, is that path of an artist and tattooing is just one of the main foundational mediums that has spring pointed me into now.

I would say right now my hobbies consist of more childlike recess time activities and rock climbing's really got my inner child right now because of the slight addiction to failure and being like, "Oh, I can't do that now," but through discipline and practice, like, "I wish I could do that."

"I think I can do that."

"I just did, did that."

I view it as an art form, I guess everything's an art form, that's my core.

The series I'm working on is Geishas and Samurais, they're both artists in their own right, their own art forms on a daily basis they wake up and devote themselves to the perfection of whatever it is they decide to pursue, and the mindfulness that those art forms practice is also implemented into the mindfulness of tattooing and spray paint.

MAHMOOD: Henna typically lasts about seven to 14 days on the skin.

My name is Nadiyah and I'm a professional henna artist.

I have been a henna artist with 15 years' experience, but professionally about eight, nine years.

I'm a second-generation Pakistani American, me and my sisters grew up getting henna done and I just kind of took to that form of art.

When I was about, you know, like 13 or 14 years old, I was just going to the local mosque in Atlanta where I'm from and just adorning little kids and friends and family members and you know, having fun with it.

Then I decided, you know what, this is something I wanna take seriously.

So I just dedicated little by little my time to practicing, it got better as I went on and here I am.

Here's the fun part.

CUSTOMER: The coloring!

MAHMOOD: The scientific name for henna is Lawsonia inermis.

Lawson is the actual dye that is released from the plant.

I make the paste myself.

It's a 24-hour process to make the henna paste.

Henna typically lasts about seven to 14 days, it's typically done on the hands and the arms, and then second to that, the feet and the legs.

More and more people are getting it done on various other locations of the body.

Henna itself has dated back thousands and thousands of years.

A historical figurehead that made it even more popular was Cleopatra of Egypt.

Each culture has their own specific style, how they, you know, adopted the form of art.

I would say Moroccans have like their Fessia style, which is very detailed, more line work.

Arabic style, very dainty floral, chainy look.

East African, very bold, thick lines, so it varies from different cultures.

My style is very eclectic.

It's all over the place.

I would say though I always end up going back towards like Indian-Pakistani style 'cause that's what I'm comfortable with.

That's what I grew up with, like the paisleys, the florals, maybe a little bit of structure.

I am also known for adding various modern elements to my designs.

I've done a sleeve where it was all Harry Potter dedicated.

I also did an alien-themed henna sleeve as well.

One of the most common things I like to do, um, is bridal henna.

Back in the day, this is how they would show off their lineage, their heritage.

Culturally it means significance to them to adorn themselves as feminine as possible.

I also sell some of my artwork as well, I, I paint kinda artistry, style canvases, and so on.

When someone wants like to book with me, we will talk about locations, and nine times outta 10 I'll suggest Felicitous.

CUSTOMER: Can I get the teacher's pet?

BARISTA: Yeah.

MAHMOOD: Felicitous is this awesome coffee shop, that feels like it's home right on 51st Street.

PAUL: My wife and I, we had always had this vision of what we wanted our, our coffee shop to be.

Um, and the number one thing was we wanted to be a place where people in the community could come together over art, over music, over making connections.

Nadiyah has started out as a customer, just like most of our vendors.

MAHMOOD: I first started going there just to study a little bit, and then I just started having clients meet me there.

PAUL: As soon as we learned a little bit about what she was about and her talents, we were all about having her come and set up a tent in attending our day markets.

I really like that one, like the tattoo element.

MAHMOOD: The markets are monthly get-together type of thing where a bunch of vendors and artists showcase their artwork, their product.

♪ SINGER: Tell this to you.

♪ PAUL: This is the kind of thing that we, um, we live for really is just to try and support local artists, local artisans to make a, make a living really out their passion.

Coming into the coffee shops and having something as culturally rich, as Nadia's henna, it just ticks every box.

We're able to connect people in the community to a, a new perspective.

Ultimately what that does for us as a society is, uh, brings us closer.

CORRINE: Hi.

MAHMOOD: What I love the most about being a henna artist is I get to look at my work, my finished product and see how happy it makes my client.

That is probably the biggest gift, is just watching someone you know go from, "Hey, I need this," to, "Oh my gosh, I can't believe I got this done."

It's so vibrant.

It brings joy to people's hearts.

You don't have to necessarily be part of the culture or any culture that henna is dominant in, you just have to, you know, just love the form of art, honestly.

♪ ♪ WHITELEY: I am Brian Whiteley and I run Satellite Art Show, it's an art fair in Miami and I'm the founder and director.

We're in John Gomez's Chicano theme tattoo parlor.

Um, and John is an artist based in L.A. and he comes from a lot of the culture there that, um, mixes kind of like lowbrow highbrow, um, and Latin culture.

Right now with the live tattoo that I'm getting, um, that same type of idea where art is can be this highbrow lowbrow art for the people you can leave with from this fair with a tattoo, artwork on your body, buy a painting, experience immersive, um, rooms and artworks and installations.

So we basically are trying to provide opportunity for people to have access to art without feeling like you have to just be a collector.

♪ ♪ We have about 30 projects in here, each one attracts you into the space and provides with some different type of, um, engagement.

Artists like Kyle Heinly from uh, Florida, who as a artist with, uh, been battled cerebral palsy since he was a child who found art as a therapy.

Beautiful works, and we have other artists, um, like Carla Maldonado who, uh, is from Brazil who does, who deals with like the deforestation and the rainforest, and climate change.

Juan Bravo from New York, where you are literally flying through space.

Inflatable objects that will inflate and contrast based on your presence next to them.

Mirrored rooms, 3D map rooms from, um, an artist, um, named Holly Danger and it's a lounge area.

You can, it's kind of like a therapy and a calming area for you to experience and soak in all of the visuals that you are getting impacted with.

The work here is from wide variety of people with different backgrounds, um, and what I've been trying to, to do with them is propel them to kind of make these spaces the most exaggerated form of what their artwork can be and should be.

And so the diversity of backgrounds and culture and where their experiences are coming from can be heightened when you add this immersive element to it.

And people can really get saturated in this one person or this one artist's idea, um, that they want to convey to you as well as you're typically going to meet the artist or the person behind the work instead of just someone just trying to simply do maybe an art sale, so people have really interesting and in-depth conversations about where their practice is, where their ideas come from, and they leave this art fair feeling like they've learned something valuable or learn more about culture.

MALDONADO: My name is Carla Maldonado and I'm a Brazilian artist.

To me, this work is pretty much me going back to this romantic idea of what the Amazon Forest was, but at the same time getting to know that the only way that this forest is gonna stay alive if it is if this indigenous activists have the power to keep doing the work that they do for humanity.

Everything that we need right now is coming from 60% of the remaining rainforest that it's now in Brazil and it's endangered.

The newspapers, the news are actually like the current news that I've been dealing with, um, for the past few months.

The act of like printing them, putting them on the wall, just putting a red blinking light is just trying to remind people that this is still happening.

♪ ♪ WHITELEY: Museums are coming here to see what's next and who to pick up and who to show.

And I think that's a testament to what we're, we're doing is that we're trying to build a platform for, uh, where the art world can go in the future, not what's happened in the past.

We have something for everybody.

So when they come to the fair, they have this experience where they feel included, there's something for you there.

And that's I think, the magic of it.

WOMAN: Have you ever done an interview while you got a tattoo?

WHITELEY: That's a definite no.

(music plays through credits).

WENDELL: "Artworks" is made possible in part by the Citizens of Baltimore County and by the Ruth R. Marder Arts Endowment Fund, The Robert E. Meyerhoff and Rheda Becker Endowment for the Arts, The E.T.

and Robert B. Rocklin Fund, The Henry and Ruth Blaustein Rosenberg Foundation Arts Endowment in memory of Ruth Marder.