An Artist at Heart: Greg Howell
A local tattoo artist speaks about his journey to become a professional.
Heather Gioia
His parents used to sit and watch him, this young blond haired, blue eyed boy who could take a piece of paper and a pencil and make magic. Now you stand and watch in awe as this blond haired, blue eyed man creates a masterpiece on your friend’s back. His once-blank arms now filled with colorful artwork and his once-innocent face now masked by his red beard — he sits focused as the music blares in the background.
Greg Howell, 30, has been drawing since he could pick up a pencil, according to his brother Jeff. At 26 Howell walked into a studio and meet BJ Sanchez when he found away to make his passion his career – tattooing. Howell began his career four years ago at Sanchez’s side.
“BJ did my first tattoo, I talked to him about my interest in becoming a tattooer and eventually he told me that I could come by when I had the time and watch him work,” said Howell. “To not seem too eager, I stopped by every other day after work, but that only lasted a week and soon I was there everyday helping out around the shop.”
Soon Howell began his apprenticeship under Sanchez, in which he did his first tattoo… on himself. The nerve-racking experience exposed Howell to exactly how his customers would soon feel.
“Tattooing is not the same as drawing on paper with a pen,” said Howell. “It is completely different to be placing the ink onto someone else’s body.”
Simplified imagery and bold lines, or American Traditional style tattooing, is what Howell calls his specialty. It is the Ed Hardy artistic, classic style that Howell enjoys about tattoos.
“As I began tattooing, the traditional designs and imagery really appealed to me,” said Howell. “To me, they just look the way a tattoo is supposed to look. They’re timeless, bold, age well and you can recognize them from across the room.”
A few shops and well over 300 tattoos later, Howell is now working full-time out of Jack Brown’s in Fredericksburg.
Now you sit watching Howell create an angel on your friends back, not an American Traditional piece, but still a breath taking piece of art. Your friend stands up; Howell cleans the fresh tattoo, shows your friend in the mirror and quietly asks the two of you what you think. At a lack for words to describe what you think you finally whisper, “It’s amazing.”
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