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JIME LITWALK
A WALK INSIDE THE MIND OF A MASTER
by Chris Collins of Steadfast Brand
Photos courtesy of Jime Litwalk
From the May 2007 issue of PRICK Magazine.
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I first met Jime Litwalk on the tattoo convention circuit in Florida
about four years ago. I was impressed with his animated style
and his overall attitude towards his art. I had been to his shop,
Electric Superstition, in Detroit, Mich. Then while on a trip to Las
Vegas, Nev. I got to hang out at his new spot at Hart & Huntington
Tattoo Company, and I sat down with him to do this interview.
Where are you from?
Southwest Detroit.
How old were you when you got into the
tattoo business and why?
I first started hanging out at shops in my teens. At
the time, I was drawing and airbrushing. The guys at
the shop asked me to draw tattoos for their customers
and charged them extra because they were
"custom." I just thought it was funny to see my art
on other people. That was when I first started
thinking about actually tattooing. I officially started
working when I was 21, after a year and a half
apprenticeship.
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What was the first shop you worked in?
Color Master, and I apprenticed under the owner, Chuck Groulx. He was the one who
suggested that I start tattooing.
How did you and Chuck Groulx meet?
At first, Chuck and I didn’t get along. I went over to Chuck's one night because my friend
Jason wanted to get a tattoo from him. We all ended up partying while Jason was being
tattooed. A couple of bottles later, I woke up with my name tattooed on my arm, misspelled.
After that, Chuck and I were friends.
When did your tattooing start to head in its current direction?
I didn't really hear about custom tattooing until about two years in. Chuck and I went
over to Eternal one day for Chuck to get an Octopus by Scotty S. Scott. Scott took
Chuck’s arm and drew a circle on his elbow and some squiggly lines down his arm.After
Chuck agreed to it, they got to work.Two hours later and I’m looking at a really cool
ocotpus. At that moment, my eyes were open to greater possibilities to what could be
done in tattooing.
Who were some of the artists that have inspired you?
Some of the first artists that inspired me were Bernie Luther, Mario Barth, Eddie
Deutsch, and Little Vinnie. I really like Jeff Zuck's earlier work, Gunnar, Frank Lee's earlier
stuff, Sparky from Calif., Randy Muller, Joe Capobianco, Eric Merrill, Dave Fox, and
my hero, Josh Ford.
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How is it working at Hart and
Huntington?
It's really not that much different from any
other shop I’ve worked at. On television you
see the drama and the story lines for the public,
but when there are no cameras, the situations
are pretty much the same as any other
tattoo shop. My attitude has also changed
concerning shop owners who don’t do any
tattooing themselves. I used to have the opinion
that if you didn’t tattoo, you didn’t need to
own a shop. Now, I see that the owner provides
a clean shop with the interest of the
public and the employees in mind. I know a lot
of tattoo artists that don’t deserve to have their own shops. I like it out here and so
does my family. I make a good living so that I can take care of them and that’s all that
matters to me at this point.
What’s your favorite pastime outside of work?
My work is my life. I have my family at home and my work family, who I only get to see
when I travel, but I wouldn’t trade my home life for anything. I owe everything to them.
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