NEWS — Las Vegas

Well, the year 2019 is winding down and the Holidays are upon us. It’s been another stellar year at the studio. Time flies when you are having fun and it sure has blown by fast. We are so fortunate to have a wonderful staff to keep our reputation spotless and customers elated. As I sit here writing this, there is a family from San Francisco getting tattoos and hooting it up like there’s no tomorrow! They own a sushi restaurant so they probably need to let off some steam. That happens here a lot. We are in the heart of Sin City after all.

Just wanted to take a moment to let our wonderful customers know how much we appreciate their business. There are about two hundred tattoo shops in Las Vegas. That’s a whole bunch of choices! It always makes us feel good to be selected from a field that large. Everyone here at the studio strives to be the best at what we do. We rarely have a slow day and are still open seven days a week after all these years. Seventeen years to be exact! It’s no easy task to stay on top in this town. Las Vegas is a very fast paced city and people expect to be treated well on very short notice sometimes. As business owners, the Spencer family always wants to know if anyone is displeased with our product or services. It is very rare to hear of a complaint!

Here’s to wishing you all a very happy holiday season. Thank you Becki, Austin, McKenna, Kayla, Chad, Jose, Nick, Das, Travis, Mike and Josh for all that you do to make this studio run like a well oiled machine! Your hard work does not go unnoticed! Looking forward to seeing what the next seventeen years brings. Like one of my tattoo mentors said about twenty years ago when Austin and I were just getting started, “There’s a new batch of eighteen year olds every year!” So true. Thanks again.

Charlie Spencer

Owner/Artist

Studio 21 Tattoo Gallery, Inc.

Born and raised in Richmond, Virginia, Mr. Frank was previously known as Ben Elliott. Oh how things change!

Ben’s first influence in the world of art began when his third grade art teacher took him under his wing and had him doing special art projects during his lunch period at school. After impressing his teacher with an amazing butterfly print made from styrofoam. Ben was mentored with private lessons at his teacher’s home. Now, this was back in the old days. These days that would probably not fly! (insert laughing face here).

Fast forward to the year 2003, Ben picked up and moved to Las Vegas and soon began an apprenticeship with some wacky characters at a shop on the fabulous Las Vegas Strip where he soon adopted the nickname Frankenberry. We’ll leave that one alone! They soon shortened it to Frankie. Later on while working at another shop across the street, a customer who was a regular from over in Germany started calling him”Das Frank” and it just stuck. We think Ben kinda liked the whole nickname thing. Why not, right? Well, there it is folks. We all wondered about this and now we know!

This young man now known as Das Frank started tattooing full time in 2005 and has been at it ever since. He has a diverse portfolio covering a range of tattoo styles. An excellent painter when time permits, Frank is also recently married to a lovely Canadian lady named Sam and has an eight  year old daughter named Emma Gene. This guy has been married four, count ’em, four times so far. When asked if he planned on doing that again he emphatically replied “Sweet Jesus I hope not!” (insert another laughing face here).

For the past seven years Frank, sometimes called Das, has been making the long trek in the hot month of August to the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. He has been tattooing with the American Tattoo Society (sounds fancier than it probably is). This began when a guy named Reverend Bob from Richmond, Virginia recruited him. This year he towed his recently acquired 1964 Aristocrat Little Loafer the 2, 278 mile round trip without a hitch! Just kidding about the hitch. Pretty sure there was one of those attached.

Das Frank’s hobbies include painting, sculpting and restoring his 1964 T-Bird. That T-Bird is going to look great towing the aforementioned Aristocrat trailer!

When asked what the weirdest tattoo he’s done, Frank replied “I got paid $500.00 to tattoo (I heart Steve Madden) on some tourist dude who was on a scavenger hunt. That is weird! Don’t even know what to say about that one.

If you are thinking about doing a session or two with Das Frank you might want to know that his favorite  part of the anatomy to tattoo is the outside of the calf. Das says “Nothing beats the good side of the calf!”. He actually has a good point there. Pretty sure most tattooers would enjoy nothing more than doing calf tattoos ’til the cows come home! No pun intended.

When asked if it hurts when he tattoos Frank said with a smile, “Of course it does!”. He still likes to tell his customers that if feels like being licked by kittens. Not sure if we would all agree with that but Das Frank will always put his best foot forward and try to keep you entertained while those kitties are a’ lickin’.

Nick Bones is proof that you don’t have to be some fancy schmancy dude with a fine arts degree to be an excellent tattooer. Like many tattoo artists today, Nick is totally self taught. Fascinated with drawing at an early age he was inspired mostly by Disney cartoons. “I would turn off the television and try to draw what I had just seen on the screen” says Nick. His interest in comics still shows in the numerous flash sheets he’s done depicting characters from adult cartoons. These adorn the walls of his booth here at Studio 21 Tattoo.

Mr. Bones grew up in Dayton, Ohio and eventually found an apprenticeship at Vertigo Tattoo in Oxford. He moved to Vegas twelve years ago. Nick got married to Destiny in 2012. They have two pugs together named Bone Thugs-N-Harmony and Pugsley. Supporting Southern Nevada Pug Rescue is one of their many shared passionate interests, as well as embracing the vegan lifestyle.

Most of Nick’s time away from the studio is spent running. As of last month Nick completed his first 50 mile marathon. Congratulations to him on that great accomplishment. I am sure there will be many more runs on the horizon. He also enjoys cross-fit training and rock climbing out at Red Rock Recreation Area. For those of you not familiar with Las Vegas, Red Rock is an amazing geological formation about a twenty minute drive west of town. Rock climbers from around the world enjoy some expert level climbing adventures year round.

An avid outdoorsman, Nick recently purchased a Mercedes Sprinter Van he says is “fancier than Nick”. He has plans to outfit this rig as a camper with all the bells and whistles. We are all looking forward to seeing what this baby will look like upon completion! Las Vegas is a perfect hub for anyone who enjoys the great outdoors. Vegas is surrounded by National Parks and Bureau Of Land Management property, also know as BLM Land as far as the eye can see. Over sixty percent of the land in Nevada is managed by the BLM.

Mr. Bones has been working with us here at Studio 21 for about nine years now. He enjoys traditional style tattoos with bold lines and a simple color palette. A versatile tattoo artist, Nick has been working a lot recently in black and gray. It’s super popular right now. He’s an excellent at that too!

It’s always a pleasure spending time with Mr. Bones. His schedule is always busy so you might want to call ahead and set up an appointment. You will not be disappointed.

Get familiar with Nick on Instagram @nickbonestattoos

Click on the link for Nick Bones portfolio: https://studio21tattoo.com/artists/nick-bones/

Mr. Chad James, @chadjame5, is what one might describe as the atypical tattoo guy. With a passion for sports that involve inflated balls and those with stitches, Chad always looks like he’s on his way to the ball park. It’s not just the way he looks, it’s that this guy is the ultimate sports fan!

Chad and his wife, Josielyn, have a son named Brooklyn (as in Dodgers) who is on his way to becoming a college basketball star! Mr. James’ entire summer is dedicated to shuttling Brooklyn around to basketball tournaments all over the west in hopes of getting a scholarship. We wish him the best of luck. Surely all that hard work will pay off.

Like all of the artists here at Studio 21 Tattoo, Chad recognized his interest in art at an early age. In the fourth grade he won a Lake Erie art contest back in Columbus, Ohio. That gave him the confidence to continue drawing and painting.

Much of Chad’s art was influenced by eighties Saturday morning cartoons. He loved watching Johnny Quest, Thunder the Barbarian and Scooby Doo. At some point he became fascinated with drawing his shoes. He illustrated his shoes like a mad man! Must have been great training because this dude can really draw.

Like many artistic eighties youth, Chad became enamored with graffiti art. In high school he specialized in sports related graffiti. He was so inspired he decided to pursue a career in the arts. Chad attended Columbus College of the Arts in the early nineties where he aspired to have a career with Disney or Pixar.

Eighteen years ago Mr. James decided to take up a career in tattooing. He tattooed in Ohio before relocating to Las Vegas. After a few years of working in a shop on the fabulous Las Vegas Strip he was offered the opportunity to join the team here at Studio 21. We’re all glad he did! His irresistible personality and good looks make him a perfect fit! 

A versatile tattooer always stays busy in Las Vegas if he is willing to work hard at it. Chad says “I like to work” which is another reason we believe he’s found the right environment here. His “New School” art style is apparent in the numerous paintings he has on display here in the studio. But wait, there’s more! Chad can proficiently execute traditional style, portraits (black/grey and color) and pretty much anything you bring him. A well rounded, hard working artist is what you will find in Chad James. A no bullshit, get ‘er done kinda guy. That’s our man Chad.

To view more of Chad’s artwork visit https://www.etsy.com/shop/rocket5art/

To check out Chad’s tattoo portfolio https://studio21tattoo.com/artists/chad-james-tattoos/

Charlie Spencer

Co-Owner/Tattoo Artist

Studio 21 Tattoo Gallery, Inc.