Today we’d like to introduce you to Erick Satchell II.
Erick, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Let’s take it back to the old days when I was in college, pursuing a business degree while chasing the basketball dream playing on the college basketball team. I started off at a junior college, Montgomery College-Rockville. In my second year of school, I realized my passion for art had grown far beyond my passion for business, so I switched majors. During that time, the class that really jump-started my artistic skill was Figure Drawing. For those that don’t know, that’s the class where you sit in a circle around a nude model and draw sketches of them with different focuses from week to week. This class challenged me in ways I’ve never imagined!
Basketball got me a scholarship to my next school, NYIT, in Long Island, NY. Still chasing the basketball dream while pursuing Art. I further enhanced my art skills with the classes offered there and believe it or not. I was doing tattoos in my dorm room during my senior year, haha. We all have to start somewhere. Lucky for me, I have friends that loved my art skills and didn’t mind being some of my first supporters in my tattoo journey. Of course, I didn’t just jump into it, though. I had already been studying professional tattoo artists on YouTube and saving up money for good quality tattoo equipment. Yes, I’m a self-taught tattoo artist!
Being a self-taught tattoo artist has had its ups and downs. More ups in my personal experience. I would’ve loved the opportunity to complete a tattoo apprenticeship underneath an experienced tattoo artist, but college basketball didn’t allow me to have long breaks at home to complete an apprenticeship so I took matters into my own hands by studying videos and being very observant when getting tattooed at a shop. Eventually, after graduating from college, I was able to set up shop in my parent’s basement thanks to them being so supportive. I spent two years tattooing in the basement, building up my clientele until I felt it was the right time to get a private studio. My partner Dante’ and I opened a private studio together in the Arts District of Hyattsville, MD, where we have a music studio on one side and tattoo studio on the other. This was back in Feb. 2016.
Since then, I’ve made a name for myself in the area by putting out consistent good quality work, tattooing at conventions year-round and adding artists to the shop (two of which I’ve apprenticed). One would probably say that I’m too young to apprentice another artist, but I’m not the one for conventional rules. They are turning out to be good artists, which is all that matters. Today in 2020, I have seven years of tattoo experience, a respectable private tattoo studio of four artists (including me) and have tattooed in many cities! In addition to tattooing, I also do murals for some companies/restaurants and some occasional logo work.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It has been a smooth road for the most part, with very few setbacks. Initially, when my partner and I opened a private studio in Arts District of Hyattsville, MD, I had to temporarily stop business to get tattooing approved in that art district. This was because it was fairly new with zoning codes separate from Hyattsville as a whole and hadn’t established a new tattoo zoning code for that art district. It was frustrating at first, but after a month or so, we got that all sorted out, which welcomed more tattoo artists to the area. Also, I would like to say that owning a tattoo studio is a constant learning situation. So not necessarily a struggle, but I’m always learning new ways to make it the best experience for the clients and artists as well. In many ways, I’ve been blessed throughout my professional career.
We’d love to hear more about your art.
Curious about my style of work? I focus on more of an illustrative black & gray style with a touch of realism. I also do color depending on the design request from the client. My work is custom, so my process involves taking the description from the client and coming up with a design that is unique for them and also fits their body nicely. I draw on my iPad, giving me endless possibilities. See for yourself on my Instagram: @Satchmoe_Art. Occasionally I do murals for companies/restaurants thanks to my relationship with Green Owl (interior design firm). For the past two years, I’ve been a part of a cool team, led by Karl Unnasch, where we design the holiday tree for Downtown Silver Spring, MD. As a company, I’m most proud about how professional all the artists have been in the studio, which has let us to continue to have five stars and good reviews. I can’t speak for the other tattoo studios and shops in the area, but I will say we offer a clean, comfortable tattoo environment that welcomes clients to come back for more work and recommend others to book with us.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
Nothing! I like the journey for what it is and learned so much from each and every experience. Still learning to this day.
Contact Info:
- Address: 4331 Gallatin St.
Unit 201B Hyattsville, MD 20781 - Website: www.satchmoeart.com
- Phone: 3018800440
- Email: satchmoeart@yahoo.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/satchmoe_art/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SatchmoeArt/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/satchmoe-art-hyattsville?osq=Satchmoe+art
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