Forget the dimly lit, brooding atmosphere you’d expect from a typical tattoo parlour. In a Sun Valley studio, the constant hum of tattoo machines sets the rhythm as Lof Schaaf and Nate “Stoic” Giloi, ink their creations in an open space filled with natural light.
Using the human body as their canvas, they bring bold, creative designs to life and every tattoo tells a story.
The studio opened its doors two years ago.
It was in the quiet isolation of lockdown that Nate, the former lead guitarist of the acoustic rock band Crimson, and Lof, who had worked in event security, experienced a creative awakening.
Lof says he spent lockdown with Sam Cluer and his partner, Caroline Knight, who encouraged him to start tattooing.
While he had many tattoos of his own, he had never dreamed of becoming a tattoo artist.
For Nate, it was easier as he had tattooed before and had a background in design and videography.
Lof says despite having a love for art as a child, he was classed as an “academic” at school and was never encouraged to take art as a subject.
“Art, like anything, is a skill you develop,” Lof says. “You don’t have to be naturally artistic to be a tattoo artist, although it certainly helps.”
The two used each other as “guinea pigs” starting with traditional tattoos.
“I cant’s remember which tattoo Nate did first. I think it was the panther or the anchor,” he says.
While there are tattoo academies for aspiring tattoo artists, Nate and Lof believe an internship is the best way to learn.
“The medium you work on is very different, and different areas of the body react differently to ink and certain areas move and absorb more ink than others,” Lof says, adding that this is not something you can learn online.
“You have to be hands-on.”
Of his first tattoo he says it “was easy,” as he had no expectations.
“The second one is worse as now it’s not your first one anymore,” he says, laughing.
But he got a thumbs-up from his mentor, which encouraged him to keep going.
“There are always ways to improve. There are always new machines, new needles, new ink,” he says.
Communication and a clear understanding of what a client wants are vital, he says, adding that it is not about whether the design makes sense to you, as long as it is what the client wants.
“People can’t always vocalise what they want,” he says.
Nate says that when doing your first tattoo, you “don’t even know what you are looking at, and you can only improve once your flaws are pointed out to you”.
He adds, “You occasionally look at a piece that you feel is good, and there are certain ‘landmarks’ that make you feel you did well.”
One such landmark was when Nate’s wife, Gina, the studio’s piercer, offered her body to him as a canvas.
“I’ve done some significant sketch-style pieces on Gina,” he says.
The tattoos done on her can be seen in a collection above his workstation.
One of his most significant pieces is a black arm, says Nate.
“I’ve always wanted a black arm, and there is no meaning to it; it’s how you perceive life. It’s not a clear message; it is just very different,” he says, adding that a “blackout” is only used for a cover-up, but it has become popular in America.
As Lof and Nate continue to grow as artists, they say they remain committed to improving and creating something truly special one tattoo at a time.
