Eddie has been tattooing at Absolute Tattooing since September 1997, and this shop is the only place he has ever worked in the field. He takes on realistic portraits, wild new school pieces, and most of the ground between the two.
One shop, since 1997
Most tattooers move around. Eddie has not. He started at Absolute in September 1997 and has never tattooed anywhere else, which means every year of his experience was built in this room, on this equipment, under this shop's sterile procedure.
That matters more than it sounds. An artist who has worked one counter for that long knows the regulars, knows which pieces held up over twenty years because he has seen them walk back in, and knows what the person in the chair is actually asking for when they describe something badly. Consistency is not a marketing word here. It is the same hand in the same chair for decades.
Portraits at one end, new school at the other
Eddie describes his range as running from realistic portraits to crazy and unusual new school images, with absolutely everything in between. Those two ends demand opposite instincts, which is why very few artists sit comfortably at both.
A realistic portrait is an exercise in restraint. There is no outline to hide behind, the likeness lives in a handful of millimetres around the eyes and mouth, and the artist has to plan for how the values will soften over the next twenty years. Get the jaw a shade too dark and the face stops being that person.
New school is the opposite problem. Nothing is given to you by a reference photo. Proportion gets pushed on purpose, line weight becomes a design decision rather than a boundary, and the colour has to carry the whole thing. The drawing has to be exaggerated correctly, which is a real skill and not the absence of one.
Bring him the awkward idea
Eddie enjoys the challenge more than the easy booking. If you have an idea that other shops have looked at sideways, a portrait of someone with an unusual face, a concept that mixes styles, or a piece that has to work around existing work, that is the conversation he wants.
Come in with whatever you have. A phone full of screenshots is fine. A bad drawing on the back of an envelope is fine. He will tell you honestly whether it will read as a tattoo at the size and placement you are picturing, and what would have to change if it will not.
Book with Eddie
Call the shop at (262) 255-4884 or come to N89 W16687 Church St. in Menomonee Falls. Ask to see Eddie's personal album while you are there. It shows what they actually enjoy tattooing better than any description can.
Questions about working with Eddie
Does Eddie do custom work or only flash?
Both, and custom carries no extra charge at Absolute. Eddie draws original pieces regularly, and he also works from the shop's flash library if you would rather pick something off the wall. Bring reference images either way, since they tell him more about the look you want than a description usually does.
How far ahead should I book with Eddie?
Call the shop at (262) 255-4884 and ask, because it moves with the season and the size of the piece. A small walk-in is a different conversation from a portrait that needs a drawing session first. Larger custom work generally needs a consultation before any needle time is scheduled.
Can Eddie cover an old tattoo?
Cover-ups are part of his range. Whether a specific piece can be covered depends on how dark and how saturated the existing ink is, and on how much space there is to work with. Come in and let him look at it in person, since photographs flatten out exactly the detail that decides the answer.