Inkblot Studios Debuts on South Main

For Kevin Scheer, a tattoo artist, the human body is a living canvas on which he can express his creativity.

At Scheer’s shop, Inkblot Studios, on South Main Street, about a dozen young men and women gathered one evening recently to have work done on their tattoos. The shop opened in October in a small building to the left of the Botsford Firehouse.

“My customers discuss with me what they want," said Scheer. "I sketch the design to see if they like it before I proceed.”

Rob Carlson of Southbury had Scheer inscribe a tattoo on part of his arm a while ago, reading, “Don’t tread on me,” with a dagger running through it. Carlson returned to have the tattoo extended down his entire arm.

“I want a three-leaf clover on my elbow,” Carlson said.

Scheer drew the clover design on paper. When it met Carlson’s satisfaction, Sheer drew it on the elbow with a marker in preparation for completing it with needle and ink.

“I drew the design for my tattoo, the earth with birds flying out of it. Kevin reproduced it perfectly on my back,” said Stevie Sacco, 20, of Southbury, who also has artistic talent. She raised her shirt to display the art work.

She had returned to the studio to add more birds to the design. Scheer drew them with a marker on her back to extend the tattoo further up her back. He arranged to complete the work at a later date.

“I’ve been drawing, and I’ve also been a musician, all my life. The two are intertwined,” Scheer, 23, told his guests. “I’ve been working on tattoos for eight years. I also play drums and guitar, write music and do my own music production.”

Relaxed and happy, Scheer exuded self-confidence as he created tattoos for his visitors. They expressed eagerness to come back to have more work done on the designs.

He said his wife, Jessika, enjoys his work so much she had him put tattoos over her whole body. Her tattoos include his name and the name of their 15-month-old son, Blake, lotus flowers, a frog and other beautiful designs.

Jess Scholl, 23, of Middlebury, who has known Kevin many years, proudly displayed the cherry blossom branch he drew on her side.

“He was working on it for about a year. It took three sittings, one to produce an outline, another to draw in the brown and pink and a final one to apply blue to the design,” she said.

Alex Rotas, 26, of Newtown, a dedicated customer, had Scheer produce a tattoo over his entire arm, with a life and death theme and skull and crossbones.

“I wanted to do it for a long time,” Rostas said, showing his arm to the other customers.

Scheer, who lives in Southbury, said he began applying his artist gift to tattoos in 2003 when he was 15.

“I’m basically self-taught. But I also learned from Brian Galian, who had a shop on Route 34 in Monroe, which has since closed,” Scheer said. “I had a shop in New Haven, but I closed it because it was too far from home. I came here because it is more convenient. It’s a good location because there’s nothing like it in this area.”

Inkblot Studios is open Mon - Sat, noon - 9pm; 309 South Main St, Newtown, 203-586-6385.