Manitowoc tattoo enthusiasts, artist share stories and trends: ‘If I get one, it has to have meaning’
MANITOWOC – John Bock wasn’t subtle with the meaning behind his first tattoo.
At the age of 60 and recently divorced, the Manitowoc man decided to have a broken ball and chain inked on his upper arm. Then, he needed a tattoo on the other arm to balance things out, so he opted for a tattoo of his Austria family crest. Now, he has six tattoos and likely will go under the needle again.
“My son is really into tattoos,” Bock said. “He’s got a full-back tattoo. He encouraged me to think about it, so I drew out a design and went for it.”
In 2018, he went for his actual heartline with a broken heart after a health scare.
“It’s a reminder to listen to my body when it tells me something’s not right,” Bock said.
His girlfriend, Chris Keip, also decided it was time for a tattoo earlier this year.
“I’ve always liked tattoos, and I thought, 'If I get one, it has to have meaning,'” Keip said. Bock helped her with a design — a vine with flowers and hearts filled in with the colors of the birthstones for her daughters, Brenda and Angela, and her grandsons, Julian and Anders.
“They are four very important people in my life,” she said. “I was hesitant at first, but now I’m glad I made the decision. I feel like my kids are always with me.”
July 17 is National Tattoo Day, and there’s no denying their popularity is on the rise. Three in 10 Americans had at least one tattoo in 2019, up from 21% in 212, according to an Ipsos survey. Those younger than 55 years old are twice as likely to have at least one tattoo, and 40% of those ages 18-34 and 36% of those ages 35-54 have at least one tattoo, the survey found. Just 16% of those 55 years or older have tattoos.
Those numbers don’t surprise Wayne Woodside, who opened Candy Apple Tattoo on Washington Street in Manitowoc in 2009 and, at 48, has worked as a tattoo artist for decades.
“I grew up in a country/biker family and everyone had tattoos,” he recalled. “It wasn’t until I was older and out in the world that I realized it was unusual for a mom or a dad to have tattoos. Now it’s come full circle, and it’s unusual for a mom or dad not to have a tattoo.”
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He can’t pinpoint the start of tattoos going mainstream, but suspects the transition happened as more women got tattoos and more women became tattoo artists themselves. They also became more acceptable as growing numbers of athletes showed them off.
“Bikers always had them, bands always had them,” Woodside said. “I think tattoos looked tough, daggers or skull and crossbones, in the old days. That trend has really changed over the years.”
The '90s saw the rise of the tribal armband, and the infinity swirl and dandelions were popular in recent years.
Current trends include smaller tattoos and those with simple linework.
“People use them as nice little accents or accessories, as opposed to something like a full arm sleeve,” Woodside said.
Popular design elements include roses, compasses and pocket watches with a birthday or special date inscribed.
Folks also are asking for tats on the inside of the arm or upside down, so they can enjoy the artwork.
20-year-old Maddi Backhaus got her first tattoo with her mom when she turned 18. For most people, the design appears as a pinky promise.
“It’s a pinky hug for us,” Backhaus said. “This is what we did every morning when she would drop me off at daycare early before work. We have done this for as long as I can remember since then.”
She’s also proud of her tat of the St. Thomas cross in Newton.
“This is the cross built by my grandfather so long ago,” she said. “I chose to commemorate him and my grandmother after they’d passed away by incorporating the cross, roses and cardinals with their initials to keep them with me always."
Woodside said he encourages patrons to come up with design ideas such as Backhaus’s cross and pinky hug.
“If you are getting a tattoo in memory of someone, don’t put the date they died in the tattoo,” he suggested. “Then it becomes a memorial. Tell us something that reminds you of that person, ‘They liked to play guitar,’ or ‘They loved Halloween.’ That gives us something to work with, and when you look at the tattoo it will give you happy memories of that person.”
Most area tattoo artists charge by the hour with a minimum of $50 or $60 for a session, he said.
Yes, getting a tattoo is painful. Woodside likens the pain to the feel of a slow cat scratch. The recovery process often feels like a bad sunburn, he said.
But the pain doesn’t stop people from getting multiple tats.
“Tattoos are like Lay’s potato chips,” Woodside joked. “You can’t stop at one.”
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And these days people aren’t so worried a tattoo will be a job-killer.
“They used to be seen as unprofessional, and people wouldn’t get one or get one where it could be hidden,” he said. “These days, I’ve read even not even neck tattoos are a job-killer. The only ones that are more unacceptable are finger tattoos.”
He expects the popularity of tats will continue to grow.
John Larson of Manitowoc got his one and only tattoo in 1954, long before inking was trendy.
“I was a paratrooper in the U.S. Army and jumped out of airplanes,” he said. “I was 18 years old and proud of what I did, so I got a tattoo of paratrooper wings on my arm. It’s still meaningful to me, and it makes me proud every time I think about it.”
Got a tip, question or comment for reporter Patti Zarling? Contact reporter Patti Zarling at pzarling@gannett.com or call 920-606-2586. Follow her on Twitter @PGPattiZarling.
This article originally appeared on Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter: Candy Apple Tattoo parlor in Manitowoc on trends, tattoo stories
