May 7, 2020

Meet Quinton Artis of TattooQ in Buckhead

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Quinton Artis.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Quinton. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
My passion for Art started early on as a child, My mom is an artist so the influence was always there. I studied art throughout high school and graphic design at VSU, after college I took up normal jobs in the corporate field just to keep the bills paid but was never completely satisfied because my passion was put on the back burner, fast forward to 2015 the year my daughter Maleah was born, that’s when everything clicked and I realized I had to lead by example, I needed to show my daughter how important it was to follow your dreams. A lot of my peers put pressure on me to get into the tattoo industry because they knew my potential and seen my graphic art work. Graphic design was my focus so I did a lot of freelance work but I decided I wanted to take it a step further and experiment with another medium of art, so I purchased a tattoo machine. YouTube was my guide at the time, I watched numerous tattoo videos determined to learn the craft, with the trust of friends and family I began tattooing on them with the knowledge I gained but it wasn’t enough, I went to different shops in my area searching for apprenticeships so I could get the hands on experience but was turned down multiple times mainly because of the color of my skin just to be honest. But that motivated me to put the work in and make it happen on my own, I built clientele in my city and began taking clients at my house building a portfolio and working on my craft, still wasn’t enough. Back then I was into shows like ink master and black ink crew, Black ink to me was like the top for a black artist so it grabbed my attention. Oddly enough one of my brothers Dominique Martin lived in Atlanta and was the photographer for the Blackink shop in Atlanta and he invited me to a event they had for Mother’s Day, I lived in Virginia at the time so I didn’t expect to actually go. I drove to Atlanta the morning of the event and had the opportunity to meat Ceaser the CEO of black ink (this was my opportunity). I expressed my interest in the tattoo industry and urge to learn the art form, I was told he wasn’t looking for any apprentice at the time but if any artist in the shop was interested then we could make it happen. That’s when I met Danny Cruz who gave me the opportunity to apprentice under him, couldn’t turn that down but it came with a price ( moving to a different city, pure dedication, and being away from my daughter). At the time I wasn’t prepared for all that and I returned to Virginia and went back to working on my own and continuing my corporate job. After a couple months I decided I couldn’t miss out on the opportunity so I quit my job and moved to Atlanta to pursue my dreams. I started apprenticing at black ink Atlanta learning from Danny and the other artist in the shop. The apprenticeship was a big deal because it was at a reputable shop and I was surrounded by other creatives who pushed me to become the artist I am today. Three years later after completion of my apprenticeship Ceaser offered me a position in the shop as a full time artist, with dedication, grind, and persistence I’m here today making my mark in the industry

Has it been a smooth road?
One of my biggest struggles was being away from my daughter, she’s my motivation, but there were times where I didn’t even know where I was laying my head, sleeping in my car. I wasn’t making money thoughtout my apprenticeship, So I couldn’t have her here struggling with me, she lived with my family back home during this time. I did lose motivation because it wasn’t a easy road I had second guessed if this was the right thing to do at this point I my life etc.. I didn’t need this I Wanted it to be completely satisfied doing what I love to do. After putting so much into pursuing the industry I wasn’t letting it go to waste

So, as you know, we’re impressed with TattooQ – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
I’m a tattoo artist at Blackink Atlanta and graphic designer, tattooQ is my brand, I want to be known for who I am not from an affiliation with a company. I specialize in black and grey work, I’m known for being that guy who never gave up, people seen my growth they seen where I came from, I’m most proud in myself for not giving up and I still haven’t reached my full potential. Im relentless and forever a student of the game That’s was set me apart from anybody else, the design background helped me as well being able to create designs and concepts are a major part of tattooing. Give me a computer or iPad and watch me work, Im a knowledge seeker if I’ve seen it done I could do it myself

Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
I love Atlanta, I’ve always dreamed of living in Atl, everybody push everybody to become great that’s what I like most about the city, there’s endless opportunities and networking here. You really never know who you will meet here or what door you would walk through next. I love the southern hospitality here in the south, my only complaint is the traffic!!

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