In the not so distant past, the image of a tattoo parlor may be one of a dark, seedy shop where sterile conditions and quality artwork are shady at best. A place where rebels and characters of questionable repute would go to get some ink on to show how bad they could be. But with the boon of popularity of tattoos and the art of tattooing the past couple of decades that image has changed.
Stone is the proprietor of the Human Canvas Tattoo parlor and has made the tattoo industry here in Wichita Falls a noble profession. An Iowa Park graduate of 1984, Stone has lived here most of his life. As a lifelong artist he says that tattooing just fell into his lap. About 18 years ago he had made a painting that a friend of his wanted to have tattooed on him. Stone gave him the picture, and a few hours later his friend came back with it on him, and asked Stone if he had ever 
considered becoming a tattoo artist. His friend connected him with Altered Images, a tattoo shop at the time, and they were looking for another artist to help expand into Oklahoma where tattooing was expected to be legalized. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen, and he says he was left out in the cold. He then approached Matt Skelton at Southern Star Tattoo parlor. At that time there were only three parlors in town, and Matt was looking for someone to apprentice. Soon after, Stone finished his apprenticeship and Matt left and Stone continued at Southern Star for another four and a half years.
Seeking to expand his knowledge and skills, Stone moved away to experience the big world of tattooing, traveling around doing guest spots in other cities and at tattoo conventions. Then about seven years ago he moved back with the aim of opening his own shop.
At the time, all the tattoo shops were located on the north side of town around Sheppard Air Base, and given the reputation of tattoo parlors, no one would rent space for one on the south end of town. But Stone wasn’t discouraged. He said that the experience and knowledge he picked up over the years helped him understand that knowing what it takes to run a good shop is not only knowing what to do, but what not to do in a shop as well. He was determined to find a location that would help his first shop succeed. He didn’t want to be just another parlor by the base, and the competition would be tough. Stone wanted to build a clean, sterile shop where you can get a quality piece from a great artist, and not be overcharged like some of the ‘pick and poke’ shops where you choose an image from a book of ‘flash’. And in a twist of fate, when he approached his current landlord of his shop at 3002 Midwestern Parkway, his landlord had been researching tattoo parlors and welcomed the opportunity with open arms. And he is happy he did, having a long-standing tenant.
“At one time there were 16 tattoo parlors in town, and a lot of hackers,” Stone said. “Now there are about six, and the true artists have stuck around.” He says that three to five years will determine if a business is going to succeed here and he proudly boasts that he has surpassed the five-year mark. He has been through many artists in his shop through this time, and feels like he has finally assembled the cream of the crop of artists in the city, and a few were unexpected surprises. And he emphasizes that bringing in Matt Skelton was a huge boost for the shop.
Stone considers himself a leader of the shop, not really a boss. And by that he means that he is in the shop doing tattoos and not just the guy that runs the place enjoying the fruits of the labor of others. This gives him a better rapport with the other artists and makes a shop solid. And he tries to remain humble. He said that he is always learning new things from other artists, and that even a first-year artist can come up with a technique he can pick up on.
“We use the best quality Fusion inks that go through a sterile process, and they are organic, made from vegetable oil and plant dye, and don’t have any polymers,” he said. “And all of our needles are totally disposable. And with the advancement of technology in this industry we jumped right on it as soon as possible so we could be the lead shop in town with the latest technology.” And every tattoo is a custom piece from his artists.
Stone says his goal is to keep his shop open longer than any other shop in town has done before, and the way it looks, it will stick around for a long time.
~Tim Maloney
