Reykjavík Grapevine - 12.09.2008, Side 18

18 | REYKJAVÍK GRAPEVINE | ISSUE 14—2008
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For Jón Páll, the uncrowned king of the Icelandic
tattoo industry, it all started about fifteen years ago
when he was just as deeply entrenched in the 90s
rock-scene as the next guy; boasting long greasy
hair and rugged leather pants. Getting a tattoo was
an obvious next step to complete the rock n’ roll im-
age. But getting a tattoo in Iceland was not as easy
then as it is now: you had to go overseas.
When traveling in Greece, the summer before he
started his studies at the Icelandic School of Arts
and Crafts, Jón Páll decided to get his second tat-
too, and when he met his future mentor Pavlos Ma-
mantis there was no turning back.
“I basically forced him to take me as an apprentice
for stupendous amounts of money, but since I was
a poor student I had to beg my parents for the com-
plete sum. The next time I walked into his parlor
I had at least 600 thousand ISK in travel checks,
carefully stored in an envelope.” A few months later
he returned to Iceland and opened his very own
tattoo parlor, JP Tattoo, at the age of nineteen. Soon
after his return he mentored his friend Fjölnir who
co-managed the parlor. “Our lifestyle at that time
was pretty vulgar, so sometimes I ran things solo,
sometimes we were in it together and sometimes
I didn’t show up for weeks.” But although he had
initiated the Icelandic tattoo scene he soon moved
over to Canada to continue his studies, leaving Fjöl-
nir in charge of the parlor.
“I have always considered myself an illustra-
tor rather than a painter or anything alike and as
soon I discovered the “Classic Animation” course
they offered in Vancouver I realized it combined
all my interests in art”. After finishing his degree
he was hired to designing characters for the PS 1
game Goblins and his work there turned out to be
so promising that he was offered to design all the
characters for the first edition of the MMP game
EVE Online for CCP Games. After three years of
work at the CCP residence he moved on to the up
and comers in the children’s entertainment indus-
try, Lazy-Town, where he spent another three years
designing their look.
“I thought I’d never return to doing tattoos, I
was bored sick of tribal patterns, Chinese symbols
and children’s names, but the scene has complete-
ly turned around in the last two years. The tattoos
have become more thorough, bigger and more col-
orful. So presently I do tattoos fulltime and I’m hav-
ing the time of my life.” Recently Jón Páll was given
an award for the best colour-tattoo at the respected
Inkbash in Stockholm. and as you might wonder he
is a bit picky on tattoos he makes. “I’m not saying
that those tattoos I’m refusing to do aren’t chic or
anything, it’s just that if I can be a diva and pick
those out I’m interested in of course that’s what I’ll
do.”
The Diva of
the Icelandic
Tattoo Scene
BY SIguRðuR KJARTAn KRISTInSSon