Jeremy Sutton  Born in Rome, Georgia on July 30th, 1978

“…when the client checks their new tattoo in the mirror and their mouth immediately drops open and then they smile.  That’s when you know you have a customer for life… It’s a great feeling to be appreciated for your talents.”

Jeremy Sutton recently passed the 10 year mark in his tattooing career.  In that time, he’s grown into a versatile tattooing machine.  Always the first to spring into action when a customer walks in the door, Jeremy is a veteran tattooer with none of the usual surly attitude you might expect from a man of his stature.  

A firm believer in the bold will hold traditional tattooing values, Jeremy Sutton creates strong tattoo designs with an emphasis on line weight and contrast.  His favorite imagery to create reflects his love for all things spooky and macabre.  But it’s not all demons and skulls.  Jeremy is just as comfortable tattooing flowers and butterflies.  Working at Ink & Dagger has cultivated his interest in the Illustrative style that the shop is becoming widely known for.  For Jeremy, it’s not about what the subject matter of the tattoo is, but more importantly, it’s the freedom to express his own creativity that drives him. “…the perfect client is someone who knows what they want, gets reference and ideas together, and then has enough faith in their choice of artist to step aside and trust them to execute their vision.”

Jeremy credits his southern upbringing in the Atlanta suburb of Fayetteville, Georgia with instilling in him the value of a hard day’s work.  In fact, Jeremy’s earliest interest in tattooing was sparked by a chance encounter with a customer of his lawn-mowing enterprise.  “He would come out and eyeball me to make sure I was doing a good job. He would stand there shirtless, smoking a giant hog leg of a cigar.  He was completely covered in tattoos, including a crucifix from navel to nape. It was the coolest thing I had ever seen.” As a teenager, Jeremy tried a number of odd jobs including several restaurants where he worked as a line cook.  He finally started to exercise his artistic abilities when he landed a job screen-printing for a company in his hometown.  It was during that time, that Jeremy began to think about becoming a tattoo artist.

At 19 years of age, fresh out of high school, Jeremy felt himself being pulled in several directions.  Unsure of what his future would hold, he began studying photography at North Georgia Tech.  It was during that time that Jeremy began tattooing.  With the help of an apprenticeship that he says “consisted of an old crotchety tattoo artist handing me tattoo magazines and having me redraw the designs so he could laminate them for the walls”, Jeremy started learning the ancient craft that would eventually become his passion.

It didn’t take long for Jeremy to realize that he would need to relocate to learn the proper way to tattoo. He abandoned his college education for the time being when an opportunity presented itself to move to Atlanta and work for Crash at Ace Tattoo.  Jeremy learned the basics and began honing his skills for a short time before moving once again to Athens, Ga.  Always the wandering soul, at 21 years old, Jeremy joined the Merchant Marines as a deckhand for one year before recommitting to his college education and moving south to attend the esteemed Savannah College of Art & Design.  He continued to tattoo while attending school in Savannah. 

Several years later, Jeremy decided to move closer to home and Jeremy ended up working with Deano Cook at Psycho Tattoo in Marietta, Ga.  It was there that he met Ink & Dagger’s future owner Russ Abbott, who also happened to be working at Psycho.  Jeremy called Atlanta home for 3 years but he found himself once again, longing for a change.  Feeling disconnected from tattooing, he decided to pursue a career in visual effects for movies.  His education in Savannah had left him only a year short of a degree and so he picked up and moved to Los Angeles.  

Freshly relocated to the West coast, Jeremy attended the Gnomon School of Visual Effects while he continued tattooing to support himself. He began filling more of his time working at Zoic Studios doing 3D modeling, texturing, concept art, and storyboarding. It was while living in Los Angeles, that Jeremy realized a new passion for tattooing. He had finally explored all of his artistic interests and was now beginning to realize what kind of tattoo artist he could be if found a way to balance his creative energy with the need to make a living.  After 2 years in LA, Jeremy returned to Atlanta for a week to see family and to work on some in-progress tattoo projects.  Russ Abbott heard he was coming and invited him to work at Ink & Dagger for the week.  After an awesome week tattooing and sharing ideas, Russ invited Jeremy to move back to Atlanta and work with him at Ink & Dagger permanently.  After he returned to Los Angeles, the pieces started falling into place and several months later, Jeremy called Russ to let him know that he was moving home.

Once Jeremy became settled in their new home, Jeremy began building his new life in Atlanta.  He has rededicated himself to tattooing, while still allowing his other interests to steal a piece of his time.  He is taking printmaking and sculpture classes and continues to work with the 3D modeling and texturing programs.  He has never before been this excited about tattooing and it shows in his newest work.  “I feel I am a well-rounded tattoo artist, not a one-trick pony.  I am ready and willing to tackle your tattoo project with a smile.  I am open to all ideas and want to work with you to get the best tattoo possible.”