"They don't make things like they used to."
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Words one might expect to hear from someone at least twice Jarred Boland's age.
But a cursory glance around the 32-year-old Bendigo man's tattoo studio shows his appreciation for the talents of generations past.
An old bar serves as the counter. Model tall ships, a vintage telephone and a Kewpie Doll are among the decorations in the waiting area.
The walls are lined with art, most of which the tattooists have made.
Some of the pieces could be mistaken for images made many years ago, back when pin-up girls prevailed and tattoos were taboo.
There's a nautical theme to the place - something Jarred has long had an affinity for, even though his studio is more than 100 kilometres away from the nearest coast.
"It's timeless. It lasts forever," he said of art of that era.
Sailors Devil is anchored in the Bendigo CBD, in the Centreway Arcade.
Jarred is Bendigo born and bred. He has been a tattoo artist for 10 years, and has owned his own studio for roughly four-and-a-half of those years.
He still remembers the first tattoo he ever made.
It was a lily flower on a bloke called Max's guts.
Max was no stranger to a tattooist's needle - the patch of skin Jarred made his mark on was one of few not already covered in art.
But that didn't mean Jarred was any less nervous.
"I was more scared of doing my first tattoo than getting my first tattoo," Jarred said.
His first tattoo is on his right arm - a black star with a bat soaring through it.
He has lost count of how many he's had done since - enough that it's difficult to remember what it feels like.
One of the most daring places he has been tattooed is his eyelids.
Jarred said he could feel the pressure of the needle on his eyeballs as it was getting done.
"I always wanted to be covered in tattoos, even when I was a kid," he said.
His mum had tattoos.Getting inked was one of the first things Jarred did when he turned 18.
Excitement was one of the few sensations he could recall about getting his first tattoo.
He has seen it all when people have walked through the doors of his studio.
"Everyone handles it differently," Jarred said.
Some people giggled through the experience; others did not respond so well.
Mostly, Jarred said there was a sense of relief: "They expect it to be so much worse than it is."
Patience is important in his profession, with some tattoos taking hours to complete. Attention to detail is also critical.
Small tattoos with dates, names and words are bread and butter for a tattoo studio.
In one hour, the Sailors Devil had customers seeking intricate, large-scale works, and others after a small memento.
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Jarred said he always knew he wanted to be a tattoo artist. He always used to draw.
"I've always been creative," he said.
But it took developing a portfolio and presenting it to established tattoo artists to secure an apprenticeship.
Becoming an apprentice tattooist is not like becoming an apprentice plumber, or carpenter.
Jarred said the pathway was less formalised.
It took him about 18 months to complete his apprenticeship, but he said: "It depends how quick you pick it up."
Fruit skin was among his first tattooing canvases.
Jarred said learning to tattoo on pig skin wasn't a myth - he'd done it. But he wouldn't like to repeat it.
"It's gross," he said.
"It doesn't feel anything like real skin."
The oldest client he had tattooed was 88 years old.
The woman who requested the tattoo was one of the first customers at his studio.
As people age, their skin changes. And the changes in skin mean different challenges for tattoo artists.
"I like a good challenge," Jarred said.
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