Kings Avenue Tattoo - New York artist Mike …...14 Total Tattoo Magazine New York artist Mike...

Total Tattoo Magazine14

New York artist Mike Rubendalldoesn’t really need anyintroduction. He’s one of the bignames of tattooing. A guest spot orresidency at one of his KingsAvenue shops (Long Island orManhattan) is a lifetime career goal

for many a tattooer, and his work ishighly sought after by fans andcollectors the world over. Weinterviewed Mike for Total Tattoo afew years ago and it was a realpleasure to catch up with himagain.

Total Tattoo Magazine 15

Interview by Lizzy Pictures courtesy of Mike Rubendall

Mike, tell us how it all began for you.I started tattooing in 1995, when I was 17years old. I learned under a gentleman by thename of Frank Romano, at Da Vinci Tattoo inNew York. Now that I’m an older tattooer, Ican really see the benefits of working in astreet shop back then – just for the simple factthat you did whatever came in the door. Thatforced you to become really versatile.

So you did pretty much anything?I did everything from tribal bands to biomech,black-and-grey realism and Japanese – and Ilearnt how all those different styles work onthe body, and how to apply them. I got a lotof volume and mileage out of tattooing allday every day. And I was young, so I hadn’thad the chance to pick up too many badhabits. If you get into the industry whenyou’re older, and you’ve previously beenfocused on a different art – painting orgraphic design for example – you can kindafall into your old habits and routines. It’sdifficult trying to break that; tattooing is anextremely difficult medium.

In other words, if you’ve developed amuscle memory with a paintbrush, it’shard to adapt to a machine?Yeah, exactly. You have to re-program yourbrain on how to do things.

When you became a tattooist, it wasduring the time of the tattoo ban inNew York?Yeah, but I was fortunate because I was inLong Island where it was still legal. It wasunderground, though, and rough and tumble.Definitely not the way it is now. I was a youngartist who was into hardcore and metal – Iwasn’t a biker or into drugs or partying – andI was just fascinated with the art. The first timeI saw it, it was like I got struck by lightning.


each other in a healthy way. Thatfeedback is vital. There’s no wayyou’re going to grow if people don’ttell you what you’re doing wrong,because you might not see it in yourown work. So it’s important to create asafe environment where that canhappen in a positive, constructive way.We’re always wanting to step up ourgame and do different things. I thinkthat’s been a really big part of KingsAvenue’s success – thinking about howwe can make the shop even better andimprove the customer experience. Wedon’t want to be ordinary.

What changes have you seen inthe industry over the years?Tattooing is obviously more accepted bythe masses now. There’s all the art schoolkids, and the level of talent has definitelyadvanced. The equipment is better too.Reference and knowledge are so muchmore accessible – you can learn so muchon the internet, with YouTube etc – andthere are a lot more publications. When Ifirst came up it was more difficult. It wasa closed trade and access to informationwas very limited. It’s easier to learn now,and it’s easier to get good, fast.

Do you think that’s a good thing?It’s a double-edged sword. Moretattooers means more competition, but Iinvite that, because I think it advancesthe art form as a whole. It pushes you tothe next level. You can’t just do mediocrestuff anymore. There’s a lot of shows intown, so you have to be on top of yourgame and provide real value to thepeople you’re tattooing.

Is it important for you to surroundyourself with other talentedartists?For me, that’s extremely important. Itwas always a theory of mine: When youhire A-list players, they work together.You don’t have to push them becausethey’re already motivated. Nobodywants to get left behind! And we critique

We’ve interviewed a lot ofartists who have worked withyou, and they’ve all found itinspirational.I always feel that the people I hirehelp me to be a better tattooer! Theyinspire me! They motivate me and itblows my mind when I hear peoplesay things like they feel ‘honoured’ towork with me. It’s humbling, becauseI’m just a regular guy doing the samething as they’re doing. But it’s alwaysnice to hear that I’ve had a positiveimpact on people. Sometimes I feellike I haven’t done enough fortattooing. I want to keep thecommunity going in the rightdirection, do the right thing foreverybody, and – yes – hopefullyinspire people. I don’t want to stopgrowing. I want to keep improving. Ifyou become stagnant or complacent,that’s death to an artist.


What drives you to keep pushingyourself?Maintaining that integrity. As the KingsAvenue shops grow, I don’t want thelevel of quality to diminish at all. That’sreally important to me. I never got intothis for the money. I could open up fiftyshops, but it’s not about that. It’s moreabout the legacy we leave behind. I wantKings Avenue to be one of the mostinfluential tattoo shops in the world… oreven one of the most important in history.That may sound egotistical, but it’scoming from a good place. I really wantthe best for our community because thecommunity is something I really believe inand feel strongly about.

Social media has brought a kind ofsuperficiality to some aspects ofthe tattoo scene…It’s all frosting and no cake! There’s nosubstance behind it. It’s life experiencethat matters. I’ve been travelling since Iwas 18 years old, and it’s taught me somuch that I could never have learnt atschool. I feel very grateful. Travelling is ahuge thing. You meet so many differentand interesting people, and you learn alot about different cultures. And talkingabout the tattoo community – it’s such acool cast of characters! So many smart,creative, motivated people. I think we’revery fortunate to have that, but a lot oftattooers don’t seem to take advantageof it; they’re too busy with their headsdown, on their phones.


Do you notice different clientattitudes in different countries?I think European clients tend to be abit more open-minded thanAmericans. They’re OK with nothaving creative control. SometimesAmericans want to play the artdirector role! That can be veryrestricting. I try to avoid clients whoare too controlling, because I want todo good work – and whilst I feel it’sthe client’s tattoo and they shouldhave the final say, I know they won’tget the best from me if they place toomany limitations on the design. It’sgreat to work with people who aremore easy-going. You listen to theirideas, and you take their personalityand combine it with yours. From that,you can create a work of art. Andafter all those hours, and all thatwork and energy you put in, if theywalk away happy – and you’vemade a tattoo that you can put inyour portfolio and be proud to show– well, it’s totally fulfilling. It’s hard toachieve that if you have somebodywho is in effect looking over yourshoulder and keeping you under theirthumb.

Tell us about your creativeprocess.My process has developed throughyears upon years upon years of trialand error. These days, I find it best totake a photo and do a series ofthumbnails on a smaller scale. Itmakes it easier to get thecomposition, and you’re able to seehow the image will flow with thebody. Flow is an important aspect;every client’s body is unique and hasa different shape – we’re tall, short,fat, skinny, etc – and you have towork with the contours, which isdifficult. I’ll prepare on paper andstencil just the main images (adragon, for example) but I’ll alwaysdraw the background on, so it workswith the body and gives a natural,tailor-made look. There’s a rawpower in that which I’ve always beenattracted to. It wouldn’t feel the sameif I stencilled every bit of the image.

Can you tell us more about howyou draw your designs?When I’m preparing a drawing Ialways have some music or a podcaston in the background, otherwise I getinto my own head and tend tooverthink things. Typically, I’ll do arough sketch and leave it on my deskat home. I’ll let it sit for a day or so,and when I come back to it I’ll oftensee something I don’t like. I like to


analyse and study the design, even if that means I’m a bit over-prepared. It’s what works for me. Some may find it hard tobelieve, but I still use reference. It keeps it fresh! If I just drewthings out of my head, they’d come out the same every time. I getreally inspired by looking at old Japanese woodblock prints.

Do you use digital tech for drawing?I still do everything by hand. I’m not tech-savvy. I don’t own aniPad and I wouldn’t know how to use one! I think tech is great forpeople who want it; I watch people at the shop working on aniPad and it looks very efficient and time-saving. But I think there’ssomething romantic about the whole handmade concept, fromstart to finish – from drawing to tattoo. I’ve been tattooing fortwenty three, twenty four years now and that’s how I’ve alwaysdone it. I’m all about change and growth and adopting new waysand techniques, but iPads are one thing I’ve yet to becomfortable with. Again, I don’t think tech is a bad thing – ithelps us in many ways – but it’s not something I’m particularlyinterested in myself. It’s the same with tattoo machines. I seepeople using pens and so on, and if that works for them and theyget a good result then it’s fine.


You’ve been involved with varioustelevision shows. How do you feelabout those?I don’t know if you’re familiar withVICE’s series ‘Tattoo Age’? I think thatwas a really accurate insight into ourindustry. It was very honest. It showedthe way we operate. We need more ofthat, because it portrays tattooing in apositive light. Reality shows and theirdramas are not always such a goodthing. They can be so misleading for thegeneral public. I would prefer to seemore documentary-style programmes. Butit all helps to make tattooing moreaccepted, which means more peoplewanted to get tattooed. However, we’velost the stigma and the secrecy oftattooing, which was cool too. I’m happythat I grew up in the nineties with all ofthat, but you know, times change. There’sgood and bad with everything. As longas tattooing is portrayed in a positiveway… well, you can’t ask any more thanthat.

You’ve branched out into a lot ofartistic projects over the years.How do you decide on what totake on board?It’s tricky, because I get offered a lot.The way I look at it these days is that ifthe people involved are good people,and the project aligns with my standardsand ethics, then I’ll do it – especially ifit’s interesting and fun. If it’s forsomething I would buy or wear myself,then I’ll be even more likely to take it on.Obviously the last thing I want to do islook cheesy, or be seen as someone whosold out, but everything I’ve done I’vealways believed in. People might notagree, but I sleep well at night! At theend of the day, I just want to enjoy whatI’m doing, and I still love tattooing asmuch as I did when I started.


Do you find it hard to say no?Yeah, but you get better at it as you get older! When you’ve been around for awhile, you know it’s gonna be less painful to say no than get involved in somethingyou don’t want to be involved in. Everything comes at a cost, so you’ve got to pickand choose. You only have so much bandwidth. You can’t give 100% if you sayyes to every project and every client that comes along. There’s many times thatclients come in with ideas that we don’t feel comfortable with, or that we know wecan’t execute 100%, and we’re fine with sending them to someone else – becauseafter all, we want them to have the best tattoo possible.

Do you have a good work-life balance? I do my best. And I’ve gotten better at it! But it’s hard. When I’m at the shop I feelguilty for not being with my family, and when I’m at home I’m thinking about theshop. I’m really working on being present where I am, because living in themoment is so important, and the rest will fall into place. It’s like a fear of missingout, right?! I’m terrified of regret. I don’t ever want to look back and think‘Shoulda, coulda, woulda…’


You’ve got two tattoo shops, apublishing company and now asupply business. What is youroverall business philosophy?This might sound corny and clichéd, but Ijust want to do the right thing. It’s allabout challenging myself. The supplycompany that Henning [Jorgensen] and Istarted came about because we felt therewas a void that needed to be filled. Yes,there are tons of supply companies outthere but we wanted to give thecommunity something that we believedin. We met Jimmy [Whitlock] from LuckySupply and found that we had a lot incommon. We wanted to be able to sellproducts that we use; products that wecan get behind; products that are reliableand do what they say they’re gonna do.We’re tattooers, so we’re able to trythem all out and vouch for them. So Iguess my business philosophy is ‘do whatyou say you’re gonna do, and do yourbest to bring value’.

How do you tackle the inevitable obstacles and challenges? Whatadvice would you give others?I feel that if you’re not failing, you’re not taking risks and you’re never gonnagrow! The thing is, you have to fail. I’m hit with problems every day, and I’mconstantly making decisions. Sometimes they’re the right decisions andsometimes they’re not. So you take what you learn from that past decision andapply it to the next thing, and you build on that. You just need to maintain yourintegrity, and not do things you don’t believe in. Never rip people off. Youcan’t short-change a client; that tattoo is gonna be with them forever. And ifyou’re making books, put all your pride and love into them. Make books thatyou would want to read yourself or have on your own coffee table. Becausethat’s what it comes down to; you make a product or create something that youwould want yourself. I’ve learned to work through the difficult times. The thingis, I chose to be here; nobody forces me to do anything I don’t want to do. I’maddicted to the suffering and the chaos and I enjoy it!

Tell us what you love about tattooing…I love it because it’s challenging. Even now. The creativity of it has alwaysmotivated me. There are so many variables – different people’s skin, differentbody shapes, and no two designs are the same. I think that’s what’s kept meinterested, as well as seeing the beautiful stuff that other people are doing,which keeps my eye fresh. I never imagined I’d be doing something like this forso long, but I’m still fascinated by it. It’s like a drug to me. I can’t stop thinkingabout it and I’m grateful for that! Life’s too short to be doing a job that youdon’t love.

www.kingsavetattoo.com

KINGS AVENUE LONG ISLAND844 N. BroadwayMassapequaNY 11758USATel +1 [email protected]

KINGS AVENUE MANHATTAN188 Bowery 2nd FloorNew YorkNY 10012USATel +1 [email protected]

Kings Avenue Tattoo - New York artist Mike …...14 Total Tattoo Magazine New York artist Mike...

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