Tim Hendricks is a lot of things to a lot of people: a tattoo artist, a machinist, a painter, a surfer, a skater, a husband, and a good friend. Ask him and he’ll definitely tell you that “tattoo artist” is the one thing he was born to be. While he is an amazing artist, and definitely represents those other aspects of his existence succinctly, it quickly becomes clear that the one thing he’s not is a phony. No, Tim is the real deal; an artist who breathes creativity, cut from the very cloth that made the culture what it is today. For the first time in a Bound By Ink interview, names like Owen Jensen, Milton Zeiss, and Paul Rogers are mentioned by a subject. Terms like “coils” and “footswitches” are as relevant in this thriving artist’s vocabulary as the clouds are to the sky. After a few minutes of speech, this disciple of the culture is preaching the gospel of tattooing, according to Tim Hendricks. And the world is listening. “My life is fucking amazing, and I truly love tattooing,” he gushes. “There’s an expression I love that goes, ‘My riches consist not in the extent of my possessions, but in the fewness of my wants.’ It’s true, I’ve gotten more out of life than I ever thought I’d have when I was growing up, and it’s all because of tattooing.” While the quote comes from J. Brotherton, the sentiment comes from Tim’s heart, and that heart beats with the same fervor as the vibrations of the tattoo needles that he still makes by hand.

Some artists are content with pushing the envelope. That phrase simply doesn’t do justice to famed color portrait tattooist Nikko Hurtado. No, he’s more likely to take that envelope and shove it down the throat of contemporary constraint. Renowned for his stunning 3D color portraits and Dia De Los Muertos–themed pieces, Nikko is revolutionizing the color tattoo world, one sitting at a time. Timeless author Oscar Wilde once wrote, “Mere color, unspoiled by meaning and unallied with definite form, can speak to the soul in a thousand different ways.” By this logic, Nikko Hurtado is a 10,000-watt bullhorn blaring at your inner spirit through his phenomenal ink workings and shaking the foundation of what you thought a color tattoo could look like. Don’t get it twisted though, just because “Nikko” rhymes with “ego,” be clear that vanity is not this artist’s muse. “I just never dreamed in a million years that someone would pay me to draw something on their bodies,” Nikko says from his Hesperia, California, studio. “I get so much support from my girl, my friends, even past clients, and I just appreciate it so much; I’m honored every time I’m asked for work.” After a glimpse into his world, it is evident that his clients reciprocate this honor. Travelling the convention and private studio scenes heavily for the past four years, Hurtado has seen clients come from thousands of miles just to receive his one-of-a-kind color portraits.