Today we’d like to introduce you to Mark Diehl
Mark, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I was a shy, awkward nerd, obsessed with comic books, action figures, cartoons and drawing when I discovered punk rock. I was already into fairly mainstream metal such as Judas Priest and Iron Maiden, but the discovery of punk and more extreme metal, along with a newfound love of skateboarding, thrust me into a subculture in which tattoos played an important role.
Living a relatively normal life has since evaded me, much to my delight.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I began my tattooing apprenticeship at age 16 in 1991 with a biker named Johnny in my hometown of Freeport, IL.
The apprenticeship was pretty informal, id walk a few blocks after school over to Johnny’s house, where he tattooed, and he would show me how to make stencils, which we made by hand, basic machine function, tuning, and set up.
After about a year or so, Johnny’s drug use got to the point where I, even as a 17 year old punk kid, felt I shouldn’t be hanging around.
But tattooing was in my blood at that point, and was the only thing I wanted to do. At 19 years old, I took out a small loan to buy my first starter kit from Spaulding and Rogers, and began scratching away on my friends. The work wasn’t good, but I couldn’t quit.
Tattooing pre-internet, there were few resources for a fledgling tattooer. There were no forums or videos available to reference. All we had was “Tattooing A-Z” by Spaulding and Rogers, and any info we could glean from the tattoo magazines that were available at the time.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I do my best to specialize in overall good, clean tattooing. Stylistically, I lean more towards traditional style work, often incorporating influences from the world of horror, science fiction, Japanese art, and my love of hot dogs.
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
When you leave the shop after a days work with a couple bucks in your pocket, having made clients happy with the service you’ve been lucky enough to provide, that’s success.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @markdiehl
