20 Questions with Darren Brass of Miami Ink Super Models: Beautiful and Tattooed

Hollywood Stars Tattoos, home of the Ink Addicts, is a Los Angeles County favorite and a life-long dream come true of owner Erik Gutierrez. A product of the streets of Los Angeles, Erik started to perform tattoos at the ripe old age of thirteen. He gained interest watching an “old man” tattooing a girl from his neighborhood. As he watched, he thought to himself how lucky that man was to making that pretty girl even prettier and getting all that attention at his age. He wanted to have that experience; he wanted to be recognized in the community in the same way as that man. He immediately started scratching out tattoos on friends and neighbors. Soon after, one of his best friends gave him access to a “real” tattoo machine, and from than on he just strived to get better.

“The thing that got me hooked was knowing that someone would always have something of me on them,” said Erik. During our interview, we reminisced about the times before tattoo artistry was all about making money and getting what some star had in a movie. “In the beginning for me, it was about getting exposed. I really didn't charge money for my work.” He went on to say that his family often asked him why he tattooed, because that was for gang bangers and loose women. But, for Erik, hustling his tattoo work became a way to feed himself, a way to get what he needed, and a way to be remembered. Studios weren't really regulated then, and he made his way around the neighborhood taking care of his business. But times have changed, and so has Erik.

At age 19, he felt he needed some discipline in his life to prevent his family from being right about the type of person he would end up becoming if he stayed with tattoos, so he joined the Marines. He continued to hone his artistic skills in the military, even in boot camp, where he tattooed his Senior Drill Sergeant. “That was risky,” he said, “I was nervous; we both would have been in a lot of trouble if we were caught. I kept that a secret for a long time.”

“The Marines were a great learning experience for me. I got to tattoo in Japan, where Yakusza were my competitors.” He talked about his experience in Japan as if it were yesterday. “My first week in Japan, I made about $700, which was the best I had ever made. People flocked to me to get work done.” After a while, he would hear rumors about himself, and could sit down to listen to the Marines talking about how they heard about the “tattoo guy” on base. He spoke about some real-life lessons. “I went from a nothing enlisted man to a man with insight about the worked, and a brotherhood and trust that I had not had before. It was an experience like no other.”

However, throughout his time in the service, he continued to plan for his own studio. Once he returned to the states, he worked in his first studio in North Carolina, where he credits the female owner for teaching him about the business end of tattoo artistry. “She knew what I wanted to do, so she let me learn from her.” Continuing to follow his dream, Erik kept in contact with Veterans Affairs after he left the Marines and returned to Los Angeles. He was told that when he left the military, he could get a loan to start a business. But when he attempted to do that, he was told something different. The VA only wanted to give loans for homes or college. He was disappointed and didn't want to give up on his dream, so he went to a local studio with photos of what he had done in the military and got another position in a studio.

Erik said of this experience, “This taught me some of what not to do.” His life in the military had steered him away from some old school habits. He could no longer feel good about some of the things he saw around the studio. He said that he didn't do drugs, harass female customers, or participate in the competitive nature of the artists he was around. “There was a lot of competition between the artists,” he said. Erik tried the same type of camaraderie he had experienced in the military. “I shared my customers and wanted everyone to be considerate.” That just didn't work out, but he made some good friends along the way.

Erik and his brother Louie opened Hollywood Stars just under two years ago, and it continues to gain recognition in the community. “At the shop, I try to create an experience for people,” says Erik. “It's more like a living space than a tattoo shop.” The studio is located right next to LAX, and gets lots of exposure.

Erik is known for his artistry and his leadership in the development of the Ink Addicts. He says that the “brotherhood” of artists share the morals he wanted to see in the other studios he worked. “We are equally coming up in the industry and we call each other brothers. Some of us had to learn to become brothers again.” The group includes Alan Padilla from San Pedro, Big Gus from Demented Image, Boog from Phat Graphs in Dallas, Eddie Reyes in Hayward, Erik, and his brother. They have all gotten to know each other's strengths and weaknesses. They teach each other new skills and continue to hold spots for each other in their studios across the Western United States. They each have their own, but like a family, they understand the benefit of sharing knowledge and growing together .