Check Out Andy Eschenbach’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Andy Eschenbach.

Hi Andy, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I started tattooing in 1999 after an apprenticeship under Gerry Rigsby and Tim Reed. After a couple of years at Queen City Tattoo, I went to work for Dana and Dot Brunson at Designs by Dana Tattoo. I learned a lot from them, as well as my co-workers (at the time) Joseph Nickley, Brenda Flatmo, and Jason Brunson, and was fortunate to work around Greg James, Robert Benedetti, and a handful of other great artists who were friends of the shop. Years later I opened Flying Tiger Tattoo in Pleasant Ridge, Cincinnati, Ohio, intent on giving people really nice, clean tattoo work in a properly sterile environment where they could have a good time with kind, knowledgeable artists. Flying Tiger has been going strong ever since, and our current lineup can boast a collective 100+ years of experience tattooing. I’m beyond grateful, and hope to continue until my hands fall off.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
From the start, it was an uphill push. I had no money, and a very hard time finding somewhere that would give me the time of day, let alone an apprenticeship. Not that I deserve sympathy for it- that was the way of things at that time. A few key words of encouragement and advice from established artists were like gold, and I took them to heart as well as practice. Still, my first learning experience in tattooing (before my official apprenticeship) was riddled with folly, mainly due to drug use on my advisors part that I was unaware of. After that fell apart, I found a place to learn- a biker shop in rural Ohio. It still was no bed of roses. Apprenticeships were harder then, and more labor intensive, but I learned more than I think folks get the chance to now, and really wish that at least some of the grime of an old-style apprenticeship would have stuck around in the present. Still, there were obstacles that anyone could do without. Seedy characters, crime, drugs, hazing- you name it. It was anarchy, but I wouldn’t trade it. I kept my head down. Eat, sleep, tattoo, repeat. Drawing, making needles, building machines- it was all hard but worth it. Nowadays, the biggest obstacle is economics. Only a decade ago It was impossible to get banks to take me seriously when I wanted to purchase a building, for example- and now they’re priced through the roof and inaccessible. Internet relevance and fly-by-night trends have taken over a bit where clout and word-of-mouth used to suffice. It’s still the same formula that puts me through it, though. Keep your head down. Make tattoos. Don’t be a jerk.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am happy to handle any kind of tattoo besides the hyper-realistic, and have twenty-seven years of experience to back that up. At the drawing table, I’m like most artists my age. I like to draw Japanese, and American Traditional style images when given the opportunity, but am happy and proficient making black and gray, tribal, fine-line, cartoons- you name it. I think people notice my craft- bold, clean lines and solid, bright colors- smooth healing- and when I’m given full reign, gnarly textures and oddball images help me stand out, for better or worse.. I think the best tattoos are power images: wild-eyed jungle cats, mythical beasts, totems, etc., but really, I want the client to leave excited and happy. That takes a different approach for each person, so I’m here for it all. My clients seem to appreciate that, sometimes as a breath of fresh air against the backdrop of coolguys and crappy vibes. If that’s what I’m known for, I couldn’t be more satisfied.

What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
Cincinnati is a strange place full of strange people, and I love it. Let’s get weird, y’all! I wish our representatives in government weren’t so out of touch with the actual needs of regular people. Living and doing business are too expensive if you live beneath the highest upper-middle-class rung, and if you’re at that level, it’s too easy to ignore or push aside the difference. I think it makes sense that a person with power (and the financial position to gain power) would be completely ignorant of that, but there’s a willingness to that ignorance that I can’t abide. Still, the people I’ve met and the experiences I’ve had could only be from Cincinnati, and that’s awesome.

Pricing:

• Smaller work is priced to scale.
• Larger work is $150 per hour.
• Deposits vary for appointments, usually $50-$100.
• The shop minimum is $100.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://flying-tiger-tattoo.com
• Instagram: @mr_flyingtigerandy