Today we’d like to introduce you to Gail Bryant.
Gail, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
When I was 13, I fell in love with the idea of tattooing. I remember seeing Kat Von D on LA Ink and was so inspired by her, that was the first time I realized women were in this industry. Since then, anytime I was asked “What do you want to be when you grow up?” I knew my answer. Fast forward to right after I turned 24. I was sitting in my car at 8am and I had just got done taking an insurance exam. All I could think was, what the fuck am I doing? This isn’t what I want.
So I called and turned down the job, then went home and started working on my portfolio. I was finally in a place where I could pursue an apprenticeship and had an amazing support system. I decided to take a chance and I’m so glad I did. It’s super intimidating taking a portfolio into a shop for the first time because you just don’t know what to expect. I went into Artistic Dimensions, a shop I wanted to apprentice at when I was younger, back then it was 5 Aces. Danny (my mentor) looked at my portfolio, then told me to hang out for a few weeks. Two weeks later, I started my apprenticeship.
I’m now 31 and have been at Artistic Dimensions for 7 years!
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
I don’t think anything in life is a smooth road. Anytime you’re learning something new it’s going to come with challenges and growing opportunities. Apprenticing was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life but it came with many learning curves along the way. Life had been pretty rough leading up to my apprenticeship. I had previously been traveling and working construction before going through a sudden breakup and ending up back in South Carolina. I worked a lot of jobs and moved so much during my first years back and couldn’t afford to go through an apprenticeship. I was in a relationship at this time and his parents (Tom & Michelle Pearman) were so wonderful and treated me like family. They offered me a place to stay and always encouraged me to pursue my dreams, I’ll be forever grateful to have had them in my life.
I spent every single day at the shop and wouldn’t leave until my mentor did, it was a lot of late nights watching him tattoo and chatting with his clients. The only days I took off would be a weekend every few months so I could work as an artist at Comic Cons. Since apprenticeships are unpaid, this helped bring in a little income so I afford a phone and car insurance. The struggle was real but the guys at the shop were like having brothers. They were always looking out for me and made sure I never went hungry. It quickly became my second home.
There was so much to learn and it could be a bit overwhelming at times. Regardless, I would power through and take every discouragement as a growing opportunity. Challenges are what make life interesting.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m a pretty versatile artist and spent the last few years experimenting with different styles and techniques. My preferences are Color, Blackwork, Minimalist, Linework, Dotwork and Illustrative tattoos. I prefer NOT doing Black & Grey Realism, Mandala and Portraits
I adore tattooing anything Disney, animated/cartoon, anime, video game or book related, manga panels, adult/hentai, and etc.
I’d say what sets me apart from others is that I’m always trying to learn and improve. I want my clients to get the best possible work and have an amazing experience when they’re in my chair. If the tattoo they want is from something I haven’t seen/played/or read, I will take the time to do so before designing the tattoo. That way, I know the design will be the best it can be and we will have some fun discussion topics as well!
I’m most proud of my growth as a person and an artist. Tattooing has pulled me deeper into my creativity than I ever thought possible and now I look forward to breaking out of my comfort zone instead of shying away from it. Seeing improvements in my work makes me feel so accomplished and pushes me to learn more. I’m so grateful for all of my wonderful clients. They let me have fun and do what I love. If it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t be where I am today.
What were you like growing up?
Honestly, I thought I was pretty cool but no one else really did. Lol. You know that shy, quiet kid who was always reading books? Yep, that was me.
I was always in the Library at school, buried in a book or practicing my art.
Pricing:
- $300 a session
- $500 for a full day
- $60 deposit to book an appointment
Contact Info:
- Instagram: Instagram.com/artisticexplosion
