Details Magazine Interviews Tattoo Artist Scott Campbell

World renowned tattoo artist Scott Campbell shares his fresh views on the ancient art of tattoos.

Getting a tattoo is a serious decision, and Scott Campbell takes tattoos particularly seriously. He’s an artist of both the ink and gallery trades, and his Williamsburg, Brooklyn studio—Saved Tattoo—is headquarters to some of the most innovative tattoo artists working today. A self-professed punk-rock kid who started out drawing Misfits logos on the backs of jean jackets, Campbell now inks clients like Marc Jacobs (and even collaborated with him on a Louis Vuitton collection) and travels the world tending to private clients. We caught up with him in Los Angeles and he gave us 60 Seconds on his personal ink history, how to prep for the needle, and tattooing for the senior set.

What was the first tattoo you ever got?
I was 16 and I went to this really cheeseball biker tattoo shop in Houston, Dragon Mike’s and Tiger John’s. I walked in with $25, the guy pointed to this little skull and to this little butterfly and said, “You can get this or this.” So I went with the skull.

How many tattoos do you have now?
It’s hard to say. It eventually turns into one big one. I look like the bathroom wall at Max Fish or CBGB’s.

When did you know that this was something that you wanted to try out on other people? Was it a natural progression?
It was because of a buddy of mine I hung out with in San Francisco. I was always drawing, and he said, “I want you to do a tattoo on me.” I was like, I’ll draw a picture and you can take it to someone who knows what they’re doing, but you don’t want me to tattoo you. He kept bugging me, and finally one day he bought this tattoo equipment and said, “Here, I’ll give this to you if you tattoo me with it.” Have you ever had one of those moments in your life where someone else believes in you so much more than you believe in yourself? I was really humbled.