Just as tattoo artists are busy in their chairs, working on clients and establishing a design idea for a permanent piece of body art, Jeff A. Menges is busy doing the not-so-quite opposite. A graphic artist by trade, Jeff shares his work with body art enthusiasts as a temporary tattoo designer.
With a passion for pirates and steampunk style, here's what makes the Skaircrow Graphics designer a tattooist, in the fantastical sense.
How did you get your start as an artist?
I had always been encouraged to draw, while my family was not artistic professionally, there were two generations of amateurs before me, and some design sense as well.
My beginnings professionally came in the Role-playing industry. Dungeons and Dragons , and its competitors. I played those games as a teen, and at the time, the standard for art there was not what it is today. It was a great entry point to getting work as a fantasy artist, and over 25 years later, I still do work for that industry.
Describe your style
My style for temporary tattoos has an approach different than any of my other work. I love the organic qualities of a hand-drawn line, and while I spend hours each day working on a computer, my tattoo line work all remains ink on paper, old-school style. When I get a line piece down, I bring that to my desktop by scanning, and use the bright, smooth transitions of a digital palette to fill the image with color.
What made you venture into the world of temporary tattoos?
I've worked at Dover publications as a cover designer for 15 years. There were areas in their temporary tattoo line that my interests worked well for, when those opportunities came up, I was in the right place to pitch my ideas.
Do you have any tattoos?
Yes...a single armband, made of three
animals on my left
arm. The animals were chosen for their heraldic significance. One
totem each from
air, earth, and water. The
crow, who watches for its friendsâ€"The hound, for its loyaltyâ€"and the turtle, for defense of the home. It's a neo-celtic piece, of my own design. I'm thinking about adding to it in the near future.
Your most recent projects include coloring books, sticker books and tattoos. Do you have any children who can enjoy your creativity?
My kids are both in their teens. They've had plenty of opportunity to work with my images over the years. Now much of it gets spread on to nieces and nephews.
To date, what's been the most popular designs from you temporary tattoo collection?
I've done eight or nine sets for Dover, the Skulls and Crossbones images appear to do the best, with seasonal spikes for both Talk Like a Pirate Day and Halloween. The Steampunk images that came out last summer have some serious fans, though.
Where are your products sold?
All of my tattoo work to date has been through Dover, and their product has wide availability, through bookstores, online, and gift shops, or direct from Dover.
Please name your favorite movie.
Wow. Just one, eh? For all of its campiness, I still have a real warm spot for the first Pirates of the Caribbean film. But if you'd said animated film, I'd probably have said The Iron Giant.
Finish this sentence as it best applies to you: There's no place like.....
There's no place like a boat in the water. For me, it can be a kayak or a cruiser, its where all the senses come togetherâ€" and the coastline inspires so much of my work.
Thank you Jeff for your time and contributions to the body art world. If you need a little coastline musings later, here's a link to some interesting information about mermaids. How about a Merman tattoo?
To contact Jeff directly, email jeffamenges@dreamcolony.com or visit his FACEBOOK artist page for Skaircrow Graphics.
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