Meet Dave Rankin

Today we’d like to introduce you to Dave Rankin.

Hi Dave, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
I was raised in an artistic household. My father was a watercolor artist and my mother was very gifted at needlepoint and cross stitch. I spent a great deal of time as a child drawing while sitting on the floor of my dad’s studio.

However, it wasn’t until we took a family vacation to Florida when I was around six years old, that I discovered an art form that got my attention and consumed almost all of my thoughts. We stopped at a Chevron station for gas and a restroom break somewhere in south Alabama. I was sitting in the back seat of our Buick station wagon when I heard a rumbling sound. It kept getting louder and louder. I looked out the window and saw about a dozen or so Harleys pulling into the parking lot.

The motorcycles were cool, but it was the leather and the pictures on their skin that grabbed my attention. I had never been around anything like this before. My mother went into full-blown panic mode when I opened the door, jumped out, and ran towards the bikers. I still remember looking up at this huge guy with a long braided ponytail and a long braided beard. His black leather vest was covered with various patches. I just stood there staring at the grim reaper on his forearm. I can still hear his raspy voice say, “ what’s the up little man?” As he cracked a grin. At that moment I became obsessed with tattoos.

My parents were quite conservative and they were beyond freaked out that their son was so mesmerized by these people. That moment stirred something in me. I started sneaking into my dad’s studio and taking his permanent markers and drawing tattoos on myself as well as my friends.

By the time I was a senior in high school, I was getting paid by the cheerleaders on a regular basis to draw roses and hearts on their thighs before the pep rallies. No wonder I was failing chemistry.

I had also grown fond of music at an early age. Most of my adolescent years and early adulthood were spent playing in bands and drawing and painting. My band was sending demos to A&M Records in Nashville and we were getting pretty positive feedback. We got to open for Korn in ‘95 right as they were gaining popularity. A&M wanted to come to see us play. I always suspected that we were about to get signed. However, the band disintegrated almost overnight after the Korn gig. At that point, I decided it was time to step back and focus on finding a decent job. Which was easier said than done.

As a constant daydreamer, the grind of a 9-5 job drove me insane. I HAD to create. Whether it was making Native American jewelry and doing beadwork or painting with oils. I had to find a creative outlet. Eventually, in 2002, I was able to land a tattoo apprenticeship while working a full-time job. After about 11 months of working around 50 hours a week and spending all my spare time at the tattoo shop, I had to step down. It was too much. I left my apprenticeship and kept the day job.

Finally, in 2010, I went back to that same shop and picked up where I left off. Been tattooing ever since. I opened my own shop in the Avondale area of Birmingham in 2016. At some point around this time, I had become fascinated with the occult. I had dabbled with satanism and witchcraft quite a bit in high school, but as an adult, for some reason, I felt that I could be my own god. I wanted to control everything in my life and I was carrying a lot of trauma and anger. I was lost and searching. I had decided to name my shop Triple Two Tattoo. I often had clients ask me “why 222?” And I would sheepishly tell them that Triple Six was already taken.

I look back at this and cringe. It was a beautiful shop. I had worked very hard on it. Unfortunately, Triple Two Tattoo burned down in the spring of 2019. The irony is that the fire started mysteriously above my altar.

It took me quite some time to realize that losing the shop and everything in it was actually one of the best things to happen to me. It is a long story, but to give you an idea, I am currently preparing for my second year of bible college. Sometimes we need to lose all the things that are surrounding us and be brought to rock bottom so we can rebuild. I am currently writing a memoir called “God Says Hi”. The book is a testimony of how faithful God’s love is. It is real and raw. I am sharing it all. The good the bad and the ugly.

In addition to writing the book, I have taken the last few months away from tattooing to travel and focus on different art forms, including jewelry making.

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?
Great question. I have had several struggles along the way. That is often the case when you decide to take the road less traveled. I think that any artist could say the same thing. With life comes struggles. It’s what we do with those struggles that counts.

Long hours of being hunched over tattooing resulted in some back and neck issues. This started in 2014. I was devastated. I thought my career was over. Fortunately, I do not give up easily. I had to find the right chair and the right table to work from and get everything at just the right height and remain mindful of my posture.

I lost my shop to a fire in 2019. It was quite traumatic. However, a great friend had a shop and made space for me and the guys that worked for me. So no matter how negative the situation, there is always a way out. And looking back at that situation, I am actually quite thankful. We lost a bunch of stuff but no one was at the shop when the fire started and no one was hurt.

Another issue that I have dealt with over the years and still do at times is my own creativity. I get so many ideas that I can distract myself. I tattoo, paint, make jewelry and play music. So finding balance and staying focused can be a battle for me.

I was once known as the guy to see for dark and satanic imagery. I had a very profound spiritual experience and got radically saved. Dark imagery was not the only thing that I did, but it was a large part of my style. As an artist and especially as a tattooer, there is a need to be intentional with what you are doing.

I had to step back and recalibrate my approach. For a while, I was turning away more projects than I was taking on. God blessed me with the ability to create. I could not dishonor Him by producing art that He would not approve of. That can be a very unpopular stance to take in the tattoo industry.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I tattoo and paint. I specialize in large-scale black and grey realism as well as neotraditional Japanese work. I am known for doing a good bit of freehand work. I will often draw the design on with a sharpie and then tattoo it.

I am most proud when the client has a vague idea that they can not really articulate and then I intuitively draw exactly what they are wanting. I think what sets me apart is the fact that I am a Christian tattoo artist.

Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
If I am going to be needing to create a stencil for a tattoo, I will usually use procreate. As far as books, the Bible is the only book that really matters to me. Creative Glory by Joshua Mills is a great book. I don’t really read much fiction. I have always enjoyed the Joe Rogan Experience and Hot Ones.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @David_rankin_art

Image Credits
Faith Dunn @afaithphoto and Danielle Rankin @daniellemarierankin