A personal interview with highly sought-after black & gray artist: Tony Ritter.

1. You've been tattooing for over 14 years. What first inspired you to become a tattoo artist, and what keeps you passionate about it today?

I've always been fascinated with art, tattoo culture & its original history, and the permanence of the art of tattooing. I've always been drawn to the fact that you can collect tattoos to tell a story on your own living skin, and wanted to be a part of the story telling process that people will wear for the rest of their lives. My passion for it continues to grow as I grow in my tattoo career, and I frequently seek inspiration from other shops, artists, conventions, or places I travel to ignite fresh ideas, motivation, and keep my passion for tattooing alive and burning strong.  

2. How would you describe your artistic style, and what types of tattoos do you enjoy creating the most?

I have a ton of experience will all styles, and most people wouldn't know based on my portfolio today, but I have a lot of experience with American Traditional Tattoos, and I love a deep love and appreciation for Japanese Traditional too. Bold lines, bold colors - I love it. But my real lane of interest is, and has been, black and gray realism. I love working with monochromatic blacks and grays to build photo-realistic imagery like portraits or sceneries with a goal of making it feel like you can reach out and touch it and it almost looks real. I love the way that type of style moves with the body, and is also tonal enough to compliment anyone and anything/colors they wear with it aesthetically. I feel like there's endless creativity that can be manifested within the style, and love the ability to create really meaningful storytelling with it. 

3. When a client comes in with just a few ideas or reference photos, how do you turn that into a custom tattoo that's uniquely theirs?

Honestly, the fewer reference photos is sometimes better! I tend to produce my best work around a general concept or idea, with many one or two reference photos for stylistic reference. My clients know that I love a long creative leash, but at the same time it's very important to me to make sure I'm hitting the nail on the head in terms of designing a piece that hits all of the important elements my client has requested. After all, it's on THEIR body for life. My favorite projects are a perfect mix of both - a great general concept from the client with a few meaningful elements requested, and a lot of creative freedom to make sure the entire design flow is as epic as possible. 

4. You've won numerous awards at tattoo conventions across the country. What do tattoo conventions mean to you beyond the competitions?

I definitely have a competitive spirit and love to bring my A-game to tattoo conventions and try to compete! But that's really not my "why" behind attending conventions. It's also not for the marketing opportunity, that actually might be furthest down the list of importance for me. I get SO inspired at conventions. When I see other artists grinding, designing, tattooing long days - the camaraderie just fuels my passion for the industry. Especially when I see someone tattooing something out of this world - I fixate on how to elevate my own craft and I always come back from conventions with new motivation, new ideas, new goals, and always a fire to level up my craft for the year ahead. 

5. What's one piece of advice you wish every client knew before getting tattooed?

My best advice for my clientele might differ from advice from another artist, but I just advise that my clients choose me as their artist truly based on what they see in my portfolio. If you're into soft, delicate, light fine-line florals, I'm probably not the best artist for you. If you want black and gray illustrative, there's also probably a different artist you'd be better paired with. I want clients to truly understand and seek out my signature style, because if they like what they see, it will set their expectations up appropriately for what you expect stylistically. When we get to the design portion, it also usually allows the client to trust my design process more, and allow me to "do my thing". When the client tries to be in the full driver seat of the design process, it can really stifle the overall flow and composition, so I really appreciate when the clients choose me based on research, and allow me to be the artist so that the highest quality of tattoo can come to life.  

6. Looking back over your career, is there a tattoo or project that stands out as especially meaningful or memorable?

Oh man, I've had so many. There have been a select handful though, that have moved me to tears. I had a client and his wife last year that I had never previously met before, but they sought me out to tattoo a portrait of their baby girl who tragically passed in the hospital just days after being born. My wife and I were celebrating the recent birth of our baby girl at the time, and my heart just broke for this family. The entire process was emotional but so meaningful, and I'm so glad I could help heal parts of their hearts my creating a permanent memorial of their daughter right over dad's chest. 

7. What do you hope every client experiences when they choose Chariot Tattoo Studio?

We worked really hard to create not just another tattoo studio- but a tattoo experience- and set ourselves apart from what you'd typically expect to see when you walk into your average tattoo shop. Our vision here was to make it feel more like a fine-art gallery inspired by the Baroque era of art, and for our space to immediately lead with elegance, cleanliness, classiness, and sophistication. We keep our music parallel with this, and put a huge emphasis on providing a high level of customer service, professionalism, and clear communication. We don't want anyones experience with us to slip through the cracks, and aim to make sure every client that walks in the door feels like their reason for walking in is an absolute top priority.  

8. Outside of tattooing, what are your hobbies, interests, and passions? 

I am a husband, a dad, and a Christian before absolutely anything. I clock so many hours a week designing and tattooing, but it all comes after those first priorities of mine. My family is my hobby, interest, and passion - especially with the current young ages of our kids! If I'm not working, you can find me with them, and I wouldn't have it any other way.