“I would like to dedicate this to all of those that came before me and paved the way for me to be able to do this. For the readers, if you want to learn about real traditional tattooing and see my outlook and approach, this is a must. And even if you don’t like my tattooing, there are great historical images throughout the book that have never been published”.
These are the words of Rich Hardy, author of the new book released these days by Tattoo Life as the flagship title of the spring publishing season.
Traditional Icons by Rich Hardy is a journey into the past and the present of the traditional style, through some of the most famous and classic icons of this genre, subjects that are commonly used today, of which, all those who choose to wear them or to make them on someone else’s skin, should know the story they contain in a correct and appropriate way.
TRADITIONAL ICONS BY RICH HARDY
“An incredible portrait of the history of the Traditional style with sheets of flash, stencils, archive tattoos, a rare collection of vintage photographs and the large scale tattoos, at a very special price.!
Hi Rich how many years of work does the book Traditional Icons cover? When did you start thinking about such a project and why?
I’ve done several things with Miki Vialetto in the past and around a year ago I approached him about doing a second ebook after my first one in 2019.
He was into it but said he had something more special in mind and proposed the idea of making a book on myself.
I was pretty blown away that someone would want to make a book on my work and approach to tattooing so I gracefully accepted.
I think a couple of pieces go back to around 2016 but mostly the last two years predominantly. When the book was decided, I started a few projects specifically for the book to showcase a couple of ideas I wanted to do.
Your name is inextricably linked to Traditional and through this book you share a lot of the history linked with the icons of this style. Which ones for example?
I tried to cover as many staple favourites as possible from the beautiful Pharaoh’s Horses and the history behind it to the hymn that inspired the Rock of Ages motif. My favourites in tattooing are all imagery linked to Buffalo Bills’ Wild West shows.
Bill was held very highly amongst the early tattooed people and tattoo artists in the first couple of decades of the twentieth century and was embellished on many people’s skin as a homage to him. My favourite example of this is worn by a very successful tattoo artist and supplier of the trade, Albert Walters.
Tattooed upon his back by his business partner Harry ‘Buckie’ Buchanan was Buffalo Bill on his horse framed with ornate vignettes. This was made around 1905 and is one of the countless renditions of Buffalo Bill. I was very fortunate to be able to recreate my own on one of my very dedicated customers.
When you approach such famous icons in your work, how do you choose your references?
I always go back to try to find the original source images that the early tattooers of the twentieth century had when they created these pieces.
Then, with the images, I source old advertising layouts, patriotic imagery, floral illustrations and much more, approaching it all as artistically as possible, how the pioneers of our trade once did.
You are a collector of vintage images. How did you develop this collection and which images do we find in the book?
I’ve been collecting antique tattoo items for almost 15 years. Originally I would purchase anything I could get my hands on but over the years I have narrowed down to collecting extremely rare photos and machines.
Images of some of these items are throughout the book showing the inspirations behind my work along with a section of some of my favourite photos and machines. Without collecting antique items, my tattooing wouldn’t be anywhere it is now.
How did you select what to include?
I wanted to showcase as much as possible for the book, especially with the amount of pages. I hand picked all my favourite pieces from the last few years and after Miki approached me about the book, I worked on a few projects specifically, like the dragon that goes from the shoulder to the knee inspired by one of my hero’s, Ben Corday. I had wanted to recreate it for many years so it was the perfect timing!
What do you have to pay attention to when choosing references for the Traditional?
For me, I study the old photos in my collection, taking note of the imagery used, the shading, the details that they applied to the designs. They kept closely to the original artworks that they put onto the skin like the highly contrasted painting of the Pharaoh’s Horses by J.F. Herring.
Keeping close to the original gives a graphic representation of what artistic tattooing should be. When differently minded artists attempt to do a rendition of something so classic, the details get lost and simplified leaving it so far removed from the original.
Let’s talk about you as a tattoo artist, how did you get into tattooing and how did you specialise so much that you became a reference yourself in this style?
I actually never wanted to be a tattooer at all, it was something that found me. I was getting a few random tattoos and one day I was asked if I wanted to learn how to tattoo.
It was an easy yes as I had nothing going on in my life. I’m a very obsessive person and when I get into something I go all in and tattooing took over my life almost instantly.
I think that having an artistic eye has definitely helped me become successful but honestly just very hard work is the key.
Not just doing the bare minimum, I go all out, above and beyond and work everyday on getting better.
There is no finish line. I see a lot of people get good at tattooing and then take their foot off the gas and cruise into complacency. That is where dreams go to die. Anyone can get to where they want to be but you have got to have the minerals and not give up when you hit adversity.
Last question, to whom do you dedicate this book, to whom do you suggest it and how would you like to present it, here in a few lines, to our readers?
I would like to dedicate this to all of those that came before me and paved the way for me to be able to do this.
For the readers, if you want to learn about real traditional tattooing and see my outlook and approach, this is a must. And even if you don’t like my tattooing, there are great historical images throughout the book that have never been published.
TRADITIONAL ICONS BY RICH HARDY
“An incredible portrait of the history of the Traditional style with sheets of flash, stencils, archive tattoos, a rare collection of vintage photographs and the large scale tattoos, at a very special price.!
