His story is truly magical, it's like he was blessed with a curse. Amazing artist who tattoos for most of his life, grows old and develops Parkinsons - a tattoo artist's kryptonite.
This is why ink master needs to go away and stay dead. All these museum minded clowns that have one tattoo and look at every tattoo line like wannabe artists who think they know it all based on a series. Ami James didn’t ruin the industry, ink master did. Such a backwards show….you shouldn’t judge people with tattoos, then let’s judge them under the narrative of competition and feed it to the masses. Creating big headed people in the industry that think they can judge a tattoo after watching that silly show. Remember they are for you and no one else, as long as you like it, that’s what matters. Thom made art from the soul. There is nothing wrong with a solid wonky tattoo that has more life then a pressurized piece to please others. Cool looking tats before fine art. Great Tattoo magazines in the early 2000s have awesome pieces that most people consider bad because of shows like Ink Master. Things evolve naturally and it would have. Things just got pushed way to fast in the wrong ways, just my opinion. To much crying over actual nice tattoos. Never happy even with nice stuff.
i'm sorry but if someone records one song or even a million bad ones i'm not considering him a musician. if someone creates clothes and they're ugly and uncomfortable i'm not calling him a taylor. if someone creates a thousand bad logos on a pc i'm not calling him a designer. if someone draws poorly i'm not calling him an artist. this guy has no talent, period. artist is a title you have to earn. if you use it for everything and everyone it means nothing. that's why this crap isn't art.
As somebody whos been in the industry for just a little over a year now i really teared up watching this. I do my best to educate myself on tattoo history and it's so sad seeing so many new people who don't really pay it any attention at all. I am beyond greatful for all the incredable work he did. A true legend.
i was very fortunate to have been tatooed on numerous occassions at thoms lower east side spot all my tats done by him were 20$ each and to this day and were talking 20 plus years ago.the colors and detail are the best i have.hats off to you thom your the og of tatoo artists!!!!!!
And now there honored to have you ... Aaaaaaa let me finish! It sounds cocky to a normal person .. but to a true artist . That is absolutely a humble thing to say .. an artist as his or her biggest critique. The world is a canvas ... Every wall Every brick ... Every slab of Wood.. is your God given right .. to create. He moved me in such a way that I sacrificed my wrist in his honor I tattooed a scratchy pattern of his Asian brick design on my left arm because of these vids ... My grandmother was his age and she played piano and wrote poetry and when I was a young man I cooked her favorite soup smoked cigs ... Drank coffee and would drive my mustang to her house and chill ... And just listen to the good ole years from her mouth because where I come from .. elders are key their the tree to pay the attention to. That's all we got as a whole youth .. the path in witch we came from. So yes not to be so sappy but damn... getting the honor to hear from your (tree) as an acorn .. that's one of the true meanings of life... God bless and listen to the old they'll steer you in the right direction.😎
I FEEL HONORED TO HAVE GOTTEN MY FIRST TATTOO FRM THIS LEGEND. NVR HAD IT RETOUCHED IT WAS ON $30.00 MY GIRLFRIENDS N MYSELF MADE IT A GIRL DAY'S OUT N 8 OF US GOT TATTOOS THT RAINEY DAY DWN ON THE LOWER EASTSIDE. GLAD TO SEE HE IS STILL IS DOING HIS THING.
He´s the Freud of tattoos. They were´nt great at their area, but they made the world look upon tattoos/psychology as something different then it had before.
ive seen this guys pictures constantly i knew he was someone unique and different and now hearing about him and these vids he was an unknown legend he seems like a very humble man... amazed by this guy
I remember Tom gave me a Bundle of heroin that someone drop inside his shop I remember the stamp of the heroin till this day it's called Bag n" Bag" red stamp . This was 1988 lower Eastside was the capital of heroin in New York City back in the 80s . He gave it to me because I didn't like the pain of the needle.
I love tattoos but I’m not too familiar with the history…could someone explain what separates this from other tattoos that would be considered as “bad” or “amateur” ?
I wonder, can he get that medical thing implanted to stop his shaking? Money issue? Not main stream yet? I've seen it work on a gut but maybe that was a volunteer testing it. It would be nice to set up a fundraiser so he could get the device, stop shaking, and be able to tatoo again. I know they said he's 80, but he hasn't stop following his passion so who can put a value on life? On time?
while this might be true for some people with tats it's definitely not true for all of them. i certainly didn't get mine so i get to talk about them, i got them for myself. some people put their art on their walls. i put mine into my skin.
Just did the devita wrist design on my self im happy with it means the world to me devita is like if one of you grandparents experimented with tattooing the guy was such an old living legend like liqour prohibition had just ended when he was born...
it can if ur refering to a boss but if someone is that judgemental you dont wanna work there in the frist place.my neck is covered in tattoos and getting work isnt that diffcult or a gf. so explain how its biting my ass later on in life? cuz i dont really see much of one
tf is wrong with the damn audio cutting in and out during every episode i watch, good videos but damn get a better sound engineer to mix your shit down
his tattoos dont suck , they are different unlike what most of you are used to , some of you are so petty and small minded , thom was and still is a great artist and tattoer
devita is Awesome! a true pioneer. can't wait for part 2. ....also...i think i caught a little bit of my home town(Pittsburgh) in there at the end, pretty sure those were the fort Pitt tunnel's heading into Downtown.
true that. its hard as a young aspiring tattooer as few people want to take you seriously. and rightly they shouldnt because there are way too many half ass hacks that dont give a shit about tattooing getting into it and i can see why they would be inclined to include me in there because of my age. would love to see your tattoos man (especially the saint michael). do you have any photos online?
the symbol that we know as the swastika, has lots of diffferent meaning when varied slightly. in hindu and buddhist cultures it can mean peace and greater spiritual force.
His story is truly magical, it's like he was blessed with a curse. Amazing artist who tattoos for most of his life, grows old and develops Parkinsons - a tattoo artist's kryptonite.
Instablaster...
Thank you for everything, Thom. RIP.
Stuff like this is so inspiring to me
Anyone know the name of the song at 1:40?
He reminds me of christian bale
read our tumblr is the most 2012 thing ive seen
This is why ink master needs to go away and stay dead. All these museum minded clowns that have one tattoo and look at every tattoo line like wannabe artists who think they know it all based on a series. Ami James didn’t ruin the industry, ink master did. Such a backwards show….you shouldn’t judge people with tattoos, then let’s judge them under the narrative of competition and feed it to the masses. Creating big headed people in the industry that think they can judge a tattoo after watching that silly show. Remember they are for you and no one else, as long as you like it, that’s what matters. Thom made art from the soul. There is nothing wrong with a solid wonky tattoo that has more life then a pressurized piece to please others. Cool looking tats before fine art. Great Tattoo magazines in the early 2000s have awesome pieces that most people consider bad because of shows like Ink Master. Things evolve naturally and it would have. Things just got pushed way to fast in the wrong ways, just my opinion. To much crying over actual nice tattoos. Never happy even with nice stuff.
I hate to see folk shake like that!
We're all heading there
Neutral Film don't do coke
i'm sorry but if someone records one song or even a million bad ones i'm not considering him a musician. if someone creates clothes and they're ugly and uncomfortable i'm not calling him a taylor. if someone creates a thousand bad logos on a pc i'm not calling him a designer. if someone draws poorly i'm not calling him an artist. this guy has no talent, period. artist is a title you have to earn. if you use it for everything and everyone it means nothing. that's why this crap isn't art.
As somebody whos been in the industry for just a little over a year now i really teared up watching this. I do my best to educate myself on tattoo history and it's so sad seeing so many new people who don't really pay it any attention at all.
I am beyond greatful for all the incredable work he did. A true legend.
Great to see Devite i'm an old 70's client lower east side...
Way ahead of his time, a fearless guy.
RIP mr. Thom.
he looks like Trevor Phillips from GTA V in the thumbnail.
there I said it.
He's the Burgess Meredith look-alike
It's the mark of humanity boom he's talking to his tattoo guy after he that's there brains out jus like Trevor would with his foot in gta5
I have 5 or more pieces from deVita from the 70's east 4th St. NYC the home of the thirty dollar tattoo... so glad to see him alive and well
@One Love untrue
I was a young teenager in the 80's and also went to his east 4th st location in NYC. Devita did what Ed Hardy did, and brought it to life in the 80's
The Basquiat of tattooing.
I got tattooed by him on Christmas morning in 1980 when it was illegal in Manhattan . And yes it cost $30.00. This documentary was a great find 🙂
R.I.P to one of the true originals. There can be no 'History of Tattooing' without mentioning Thom DeVita. One of my all time heroes. Rest easy, chief
i was very fortunate to have been tatooed on numerous occassions at thoms lower east side spot all my tats done by him were 20$ each and to this day and were talking 20 plus years ago.the colors and detail are the best i have.hats off to you thom your the og of tatoo artists!!!!!!
i keep coming one or two times every year to watch all the parts Thom deVita was amazing human and artist .
He is the proof that tattoos do look good when you're old, contrary to what people usually say when you say you're getting a tattoo.
RIP. One of the greatest, a true legend
Man he's held up pretty well for 80
2024/ BCK HERE AGAIN REST IN ART OF HYROGLIFIC ART, DAVITA, U & UR BARBER CHAIR LIGHT GREEN I BELIEVE, TRUE HONOR..🕊️🕊️🕊️
*hits subtitles immediately
utterly brilliant, i feel honored to have watched this.
And now there honored to have you ... Aaaaaaa let me finish! It sounds cocky to a normal person .. but to a true artist . That is absolutely a humble thing to say .. an artist as his or her biggest critique. The world is a canvas ... Every wall Every brick ... Every slab of Wood.. is your God given right .. to create. He moved me in such a way that I sacrificed my wrist in his honor I tattooed a scratchy pattern of his Asian brick design on my left arm because of these vids ... My grandmother was his age and she played piano and wrote poetry and when I was a young man I cooked her favorite soup smoked cigs ... Drank coffee and would drive my mustang to her house and chill ... And just listen to the good ole years from her mouth because where I come from .. elders are key their the tree to pay the attention to. That's all we got as a whole youth .. the path in witch we came from. So yes not to be so sappy but damn... getting the honor to hear from your (tree) as an acorn .. that's one of the true meanings of life... God bless and listen to the old they'll steer you in the right direction.😎
R.I.P. Thom, you will always be remembered
I FEEL HONORED TO HAVE GOTTEN MY FIRST TATTOO FRM THIS LEGEND. NVR HAD IT RETOUCHED IT WAS ON $30.00 MY GIRLFRIENDS N MYSELF MADE IT A GIRL DAY'S OUT N 8 OF US GOT TATTOOS THT RAINEY DAY DWN ON THE LOWER EASTSIDE. GLAD TO SEE HE IS STILL IS DOING HIS THING.
What's the song at the very beginning?
01:05
He´s the Freud of tattoos. They were´nt great at their area, but they made the world look upon tattoos/psychology as something different then it had before.
The quality of this aged very well 👌🏾💉
This is my fave series vice do, espesh the Valerie episode, can't wait for part 2 :D
awesome you have a passion for sacred geometry i see
Maybe for his time it was good but for me it looks horrible
Haha I love the pandas! That's so cute:)
amazing artist! would love to know the songs used if anyone knows???
ive seen this guys pictures constantly i knew he was someone unique and different and now hearing about him and these vids he was an unknown legend he seems like a very humble man... amazed by this guy
I always dug him.. My first tattoo I got in 1998... He is one of the best..
I remember Tom gave me a Bundle of heroin that someone drop inside his shop I remember the stamp of the heroin till this day it's called Bag n" Bag" red stamp . This was 1988 lower Eastside was the capital of heroin in New York City back in the 80s . He gave it to me because I didn't like the pain of the needle.
Reminds me how sad I am that I never got an FE Craig tattoo before he died ❤
Dear Lord, if I can be like this man making art every day and doing what he loves, then I will have lived a good life.
I love tattoos but I’m not too familiar with the history…could someone explain what separates this from other tattoos that would be considered as “bad” or “amateur” ?
little did he probably know that using cannabis oil could stop his shaking
People that dont like tattoos tend to forget. I dont give a fuck whether you like my tattoos or not, i like them and thats all that matters!
DeVita is like the Burroughs of tattoos
Iam pretty sure his using bandaids to put hi pictures up! Rip divita
the burgh!!!!!!!!
Vice your Docos are inspiring and I love them
@4:08 Conrad from Folsom city ink, small world man
haha 2001 pandas! :) love it
"im workin' on a bunch o' panda bears" hahahaha brilliant
I would tell anyone to watch all the parts of this
After watching this I’ve come to the conclusion that Thom DeVita is the Grandfather of the BLAST OVER TATTOO craze that we are seeing 2024 🤘🏆
That first tattoo artist featured. Large thick glasses and uncontrollably shaky hands lol !
He's a legend you dipshit. He doesn't tattoo anymore.
lol
respect the old man u douge bag
First :)
What the people say about deVita often contradicts what he says about himself.
Does anybody else think that Thom seems like he did a little too much acid when he was younger?
I wonder, can he get that medical thing implanted to stop his shaking? Money issue? Not main stream yet? I've seen it work on a gut but maybe that was a volunteer testing it. It would be nice to set up a fundraiser so he could get the device, stop shaking, and be able to tatoo again. I know they said he's 80, but he hasn't stop following his passion so who can put a value on life? On time?
Greeting from Medellín, Colombia...... You're leyend Mr. De Vita, Respect🍃
I got serious about tattooing and tattooing history because of this legend , i love to watch this doc , thank you Thom ❤️❤️
does anyone know the song playing around 6:42? it's really beautiful.
while this might be true for some people with tats it's definitely not true for all of them. i certainly didn't get mine so i get to talk about them, i got them for myself. some people put their art on their walls. i put mine into my skin.
Just did the devita wrist design on my self im happy with it means the world to me devita is like if one of you grandparents experimented with tattooing the guy was such an old living legend like liqour prohibition had just ended when he was born...
it can if ur refering to a boss but if someone is that judgemental you dont wanna work there in the frist place.my neck is covered in tattoos and getting work isnt that diffcult or a gf. so explain how its biting my ass later on in life? cuz i dont really see much of one
tf is wrong with the damn audio cutting in and out during every episode i watch, good videos but damn get a better sound engineer to mix your shit down
his tattoos dont suck , they are different unlike what most of you are used to , some of you are so petty and small minded , thom was and still is a great artist and tattoer
love this series
#mauricioteodoro🥰🐲🐉🥰🐲🐉
devita is Awesome! a true pioneer. can't wait for part 2. ....also...i think i caught a little bit of my home town(Pittsburgh) in there at the end, pretty sure those were the fort Pitt tunnel's heading into Downtown.
true that. its hard as a young aspiring tattooer as few people want to take you seriously. and rightly they shouldnt because there are way too many half ass hacks that dont give a shit about tattooing getting into it and i can see why they would be inclined to include me in there because of my age. would love to see your tattoos man (especially the saint michael). do you have any photos online?
Thank you so much for making this! you guys need to find more of the real ones of tattooing! Not these new school guys!
the symbol that we know as the swastika, has lots of diffferent meaning when varied slightly. in hindu and buddhist cultures it can mean peace and greater spiritual force.
what is the name of the track which starts at 13:57?
No it doesn't. Maybe if you get poorly done tattoos, but even so it's not your body so don't worry about it.
I was on my phone checking this out so I couldn't see if other parts were up or not. Know how long till the other parts come up?
He lines with a shader
first scene you can see he has shaking hands, this guy did not spoil any thing.
cheers
Increible este tio es la ostia!!!!!!!!!!!! Quiero uno de sus Flash.
Me da pena que se sepa tan poco de el. Gracias por hacer Tattoo Age.
at 14:30 why didn't anyone tell that guy he had a caterpillar about to crawl into his mouth?
I cant wait till I'm old and covered in tattoos.
Thom was doing black work before it was cool
this is the greatest show on the internet also id love to be half as cool as thom when im 80
Tattoos are cool but some people juts overdo it and make it look wasted.
Big Respect from Germany ❤
After watching all these Tattoo Age videos that's what you got out of it?
Awesome.
LIFE ARTIST
I always try to explain this concept to my people but they never get it.
I totally love tattoo age series, really.
Congratz from Chile folks.
Inspiring
Man...I had to chuckle at the Pandas....this guy is awesome :)
we all (artist) no mater what color we are.
Tattoo Age: Nikko Hurtado!!!! PLEASE MAKE IT HAPPEN!!!
Are you a member of the anti-opinion police Kenny?
Rip ol man
A Historic Black Tattoo artist would make a great story.
ThesisOriginals it actually wasn’t too common or they only tattooed other black people. It became more common in the 80’s
living legend. what did you get tattoed from him?
Then why you on a video about tattoos? lol
what's the music in the background around 7:30
The guy is doing what he loves to do.
Rest in peace mr. deVita