“As an artist, you need to have an open mind to learn and grow,” says Motif cover and tattoo artist Jay Blackburn of Pawtucket, “You’re constantly learning,” he emphasizes. Speaking in his workspace at Unicorn Ink, a tattoo parlor in Lincoln, the artist says he wanted to do something fun and different for the cover. He sought to incorporate the “whole Ocean State thing” into the design, and since Rhode Island is known for its calamari, he landed on the squid. Then, it was a matter of having the squid hold a couple of Rhody icons, and he settled on a Del’s Lemonade cup and the Big Blue Bug (not drawn to scale), along with a tattoo machine. Blackburn describes himself as a beach guy. In his free time, he can be found tinkering on his boat or going spearfishing. “I love catching fish and making fish tacos,” he says. “My kids love it when I take them for a boat ride. It’s just awesome out there on the water.”
There’s a whole different world below the surface, which Blackburn sees when he’s spearfishing, “It’s so interesting down there. There’s always something new to see.” His art classes in high school gave him some future inspiration. After graduation, he worked in graphic design and created logos, and then he did some carpentry. Things changed for him when he bought a tattoo kit. “I made some crappy tattoos,” he admits. The idea of the human body as a canvas appealed to him, and he set out in earnest to learn the craft. But the first few tattoo shops he approached weren’t interested in hiring a newcomer. Eventually, he ended up at a reputable studio in Cranston. “I went in with cold feet, and knew little,” he recalls, adding, “It opened my eyes a lot.” He learned about tattooing from the artists he worked with. “I was getting advice from everybody. You have to be open to criticism, because that’s how you get better at it.”
He recently joined the crew at Unicorn Ink. “And now I get to share all of that information I learned with the people here,” he says. Blackburn has developed his own spin on a particular style of tattooing that some call “new school.” His distinctive technique uses over-exaggerated imagery, wonky shapes, and animated characters. “It’s illustrative, inyour-face kind of stuff, with bold lines and bold colors,” he explains. “I like to call it animated instead of new school.” He does anime, like Pokémon, and Disney characters. “They’re timeless,” he says, “twenty years from now people will still know those characters, who’ve already been around for years.” On top of that, Blackburn’s making a name for himself with Lego tattoos. For one client, he created a sleeve with a retro, 1980s theme which “was fun as all hell to draw.” He’s also done several other Lego characters, from Lego Batman to Lego Chucky from the horror movie Child’s Play. He’s also tattooed assorted Lego Transformers and Disney characters such as a Lego Aladdin, among others.
That should come as no surprise. For years, Blackburn has been constructing, from scratch, buildings, ships, trees, and figures out of the hundreds of Lego pieces he’s amassed at his home. He’s decorated his workspace with a few pirate ships under sail, along with Dunkin’ Donuts, White Castle, 7-Eleven, McDonald’s, and Subway storefronts. As a bonus, working with Legos is a good way to avoid getting a repetitive strain injury like carpal tunnel. That’s because different muscles in his hands and wrists are used, giving what he calls his “tattooing muscles” the chance to relax and recoup. The artist loves using his imagination at work and at play. “It gives you the freedom to create what you want.”
Blackburn’s work can be seen on Instagram @jay_blackburn and the website unicornink.com under Artists.