By NICOLE VALICEK
THE perception of inked skin has changed since the early days of tattooing but Greg ‘Beans’ Hines has championed the art for more than three decades.
The owner of Crossbones tattoo parlour in Melton has been tattooing for the past 35 years and knew it was exactly what he wanted to do from the age of 11.
All it took was one educational video that showed prisoners making a tattoo machine and he was hooked.
“I went home and made one,” Mr Hines said.
The tattoo artist said 95 per cent of his work is done free-hand and that more than 1000 people had willingly let Mr Hines put needle to skin.
“I’ll have a go at everything but I specialise in portraits and cover-ups,” he said.
Mr Hines said he was a believer in the commitment a person makes when getting a tattoo, but that’s not to say it can’t be fixed if a wrong choice is made.
“It’s eternal art. You can create anything and there’s no limit to it.”
Mr Hines said tattoos have become more socially acceptable mainly though TV shows like Miami Ink and the industry is rapidly growing.
One of the thrills of any tattoo artist is to have their work on show with Mr Hines exhibiting his art pieces at tattoo expos in every capital territory in Australia.
He also has 30 years’ worth of trophies displayed on shelves and scattered throughout his shop.
His work has also been recognised internationally with one customer taking his body, and Mr Hines’s tattoos with it, overseas.
That journey began when one customer came into the shop with a small back tattoo he wanted fixed.
“He just kept going and four years later we finished (his full body tattoo).”
Last year the man entered his body art in the International Tattoo Convention in Prague and won in the category of best large tattoo.
“It’s pretty good, it means if I go overseas I can get a job there. That’s pretty cool,” Mr Hines said.
Crossbones is located at 17A Scott St, Melton.
