A resident tattoo apprentice, he is hugely helpful when I fancy a new bit of ink, or when I'm looking to do a feature on the art of tattoos. Yes, the aim was to investigate whether tattooing is really art. And to discover this, my aim - as a hugely unskilled and unartistic person - was to learn how to tattoo in a week.
So after practicing my sketching of cherry blossoms - my intended tattoo design which would provide the answer to my question - I turned my kitchen into a temporary tattoo studio.
And unsurprisingly as no right-minded person would want me tattooing my debut design on their body, we got out the best practice material and next best thing to human skin: pig skin.
After a quick shave (yes, we had to shave the pig skin!), I got to grips with the tattoo machine, drew on my design and started to ink.
Needless to say, the lines were shaky, uneven and quite frankly, crap. Josh's were neat and tidy and perfect. Reassuring as he's the paid tattoo artist.
And when side by side it was clear - even to the untrained eye - which tattoo was by which tattooist.
So, in answer to my question: yes, tattooing is an art. And although anyone could learn how to use a tattooing machine, putting it to good use with ink and a design, is quite another story.
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