For more information, contact Jacob at:
www.facebook.com/JacobHanksTattoo
JACOB HANKS
54 INKwas
JUNKIE
What
itMAGAZINE
like growing up with Larry Hanks for a father?
It was great! My dad is a great man; he was larger than life in
an era that was like the Wild West. The kind of guy that people
would talk about in whispers, or like you would read about in
a book. I’ve always been proud to be his son. I didn’t always
think life was so cool though; we had hardships at times that
seemed like they were out of a movie...but no matter what, my
father was always there to take care of me. He provided food
for me, taught me things, rescued me from bad situations, and
even laid the boots to people who fucked with me when I was
little. I always knew my dad was a bad mofo, and that’s how I
wanted to be when I grew up. I can’t elaborate on the things
I knew and saw growing up because my father taught me to
keep my mouth shut. He told me never write anything down,
never tell on someone, and never talk about things. I can say
though that the times I shared with him I hold very close to
my heart; any chance I get to see him is special. There will
never be another Larry Hanks!
Who did you get to meet and hangout with growing up?
In my lifetime, I have met such a large number of artists that
I honestly couldn’t name them all. The old school artists are
the ones who really influenced my ethics and morals; they
taught me to love the fine line black and grey, and taught me
to work hard and have respect. I have always tried to learn a
little from everyone I meet, taking the things that worked for
me and leaving the rest. Growing up I was drawn to the art of
Andrew Deaton who worked with my dad in the mid 80’s at
Skin Deep in Waikiki. I was fortunate enough to tattoo with Andy
at other shops when I grew up. It was cool because I used to draw
on his flash and punch his balls when I was 4 years old and then I
got to make art alongside him when I was grown!
Some of the guys who came around when I was young and who
have stuck with me are OG’s like Jack Rudy, Gill Montie, Gary
Hoag, Steve Smith, Johnny Anderson, Andy Deaton, Mike
Hatfield, Kelly Miller, and so many others that my father had
worked with.
“Many artists have skill sets we can pick up on and
now that the world of tattooing is more accessible,
and portfolios are just a click away, we can research
styles and techniques to better develop ourselves as
artists with diversity. I want my style of tattooing to
be a hybrid of all styles and this is the era for it.”
Tell us about the Hanks Family Tattoo Company.
Well, after my father sold the original Aloha Tattoo Studios that
he had built with his brother (Leonard), The Hanks Family Tattoo
Company seemed to be the next logical step. I wanted people to
recognize the family name and realize that we are still around. I
didn’t want to call it something trendy, I wanted to honour my
family name and rack up accolades under that banner. When my
dad and I work shows together that’s the name we use.
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