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INfrequently Asked Questions: Tattoo artist says it's skin crack

This week's INfrequently Asked Questions feature is with Kurt Jacobsen, who gives us the lowdown on tattooing (which, evidently, is really about being a big art nerd).

Kurt Jacobsen

Age: 29

Town: A native of Arlington Heights, he lives in Rolling Meadows

Why him? He's a tattoo artist at Perfection Dermagraphics in Des Plaines, who has seen it all.

Q: When did you get your first tattoo?

A: “I waited until I was 21, mostly because young and dumb, you do dumb things and I didn't want that to be a permanent thing. … I tried (unsuccessfully) to tattoo myself with a pin and a needle when I was 15. … I used to go to a Catholic elementary school and get in trouble drawing on myself all the time. I was always kind of obsessed with tattoos.”

Q: What was your first tattoo?

A: “My first tattoo was ‘My true love' in Gaelic on my upper back for my wife, well then, girlfriend.”

Q: What drives a person to want a tattoo?

A: “I would consider that a three-part answer: There is something very appealing about having something that's going to be with you for the rest of your life and especially if it something that's going to make a statement about who you are or the road that you've traveled. … Art in almost any form is beautiful. … And tattoos are extremely addictive. … It's like a legal drug, skin crack. … Once you get started, it's hard to stop.”

You said your wife isn't a fan?

“We're total opposites. The only thing we ever agreed on was the big stuff, kids and that type of stuff. Otherwise, on paper it should not work.”

Q: What was the reaction of your family to your career choice?

A: “Me and my family at that period in time were not very close. We've recently buried the hatchet, specifically with my father. The one I had the problem with was my in-laws, who also are amazing, amazing people and they‘ve always treated me as one of their own, but they're conservative and they're Irish Catholic and it was tricky because when I met me wife I wasn't doing this and it sort of developed as our relationship developed, so it was an adjustment period for them.”

Q: What's your favorite among the 20 tattoos you have?

A: “These I added on as I had my family (pointing to birds tattooed on his wrist and index finger), so this is me, this is my wife and this is my two kids, and I've got room for two more kids, just in case — my wife's Irish Catholic.”

Q: You said your place does custom work, while most studios do a big walk-in business?

A: “We don't do really any of the drunk, 3 a.m., or any of the goofy stuff. We're just big art nerds. We treat it like a serious thing, or try to. It's just nothing but problems with people like that. You're going to make silly decisions. We want people to be happy with the end result, not ‘what did I do.' It is permanent.”

Q: You say no one has complained?

A: “Because we are a custom art shop, it's not quick. ... You come in, take a look at what I've created, then work back and forth until you're 100 percent happy. … It takes three or four weeks to see design work from us; you'll come in to talk changes; it'll take another three, four weeks. I just tattooed a girl we went through 17 or 18 revisions to the design and that translates into 17 or 18 visits and that translates into 17 or 18 months.”

Q: You say a “suit” covers the body from wrists to ankles?

A: “We require a certain amount of time, which is four weeks, between sessions and we limit a session to about three hours at a pop. I've been working on a suit for about five years now. It takes a lot of time, costs a lot of money.”

Q: Is it a growth industry?

A: “Yes it is. We do book out a couple weeks in advance.”

Q: Can you make a good living?

A: “If you're super dedicated, absolutely. … It's something I love to do.”

INfrequently Asked Questions

A weekly feature of the Daily Herald that explores the sides of suburbanites' jobs or hobbies that you might have always wondered about. To see more, go to <a href="http://www.dailyherald.com/topics/INfrequently-Asked-Questions/">www.dailyherald.com/topics/INfrequently-Asked-Questions/</a>

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