Today we’d like to introduce you to Steve Whittenberger.
Hi Steve, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I started tattooing 23 years ago in Billings, MT under Buz Bailey. Since then, I’ve worked across the country including South Florida and San Francisco. Now I happily reside in St. Louis and work at Howdy Tattoo.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I’ve been pretty fortunate to get to work with a lot of my tattoo heroes but it definitely took a lot of work and very late nights. I started working in hectic and wild walk-in style shops before tattooing was on tv or as widely accepted as it is these days. Now I feel fortunate to work in a very mellow and laid back environment where I can spend more time focusing on art and my clients.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I consider art to be more of a trade or craft than some sort of artistic endeavor so I try hard to excel at whatever I need to do to give people the best possible experience and result with their tattoo. I get a lot of requests for my black and grey, Japanese, and more illustrative work I’ve developed into my own style of a retro futuristic sci-fi style. I feel proud to have worked in some of the best tattoo shops in the country including where I’m currently at, Howdy Tattoo.
Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
It seems like tattooing just gets bigger all the time and I don’t know if that will slow down. It’s nice to see a more diverse and experimental world of tattooing but it does get frustrating to see so many people trying to skip steps and not learning basic techniques that will ultimately make their tattoos last.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.stevewhittenberger.com
- Instagram: @stevewhittenberger
- Other: https://www.howdytattoo.com/
