Profile: Ink

Shaun Carrol inks custom designs that nurture his client’s image-inspirations into one-of-a-kind tattoos.

His easygoing, enthusiastic and likable demeanor is one reason why he's booked two to three weeks in advance. Another is the superb quality of his custom work.

"Part of me likes to work on the fly, but another part of me likes to be prepared," he said. "If I can sit on it for awhile, I can see things that I didn't before."

Shaun said when he left Ancient Art Tattoo's downtown shop to open Hot Rod Tattoo way down South Main Street that it was nothing personal. He just wanted to indulge his passion for custom designed tattoos, and break away from situations where the customer picks prefabricated designs off of the wall.

It's like comparing a band that plays your favorite cover songs to a band that writes their own. Shaun wanted to have a more active part in the creative aspects of the medium. "Up here and away from downtown I get to do more sleeves, more backwork, and larger pieces," he said. "I have more clients, and I have the freedom to schedule sessions any time."

One of Shaun's regular clients is Jeff Mangold, who has spent 120 hours under Shaun's needle.

"He's someone you go to if you're looking for a one-of-a-kind piece of work," Mangold said. "He takes a concept and top-shelves it. He did that to me, and I hear it echoed from other people around town."