He’s been fascinated by tattoos his whole life. He was the kid who always bought those temporary gas station tattoos and plastered his arms with them. Today, Jymi Calkins (AKA the DotBot) is slinging tattoos of his own, and in a style he’s absolutely mastered: dot art. His geometric designs are created using spots, dots and speckles of different shapes and sizes. The result? Mystifying designs that get more detailed the more you look at them. And he specializes in combining love and death in a wildly intricate entanglement. His tattoos are something to behold—let alone to wear on your own skin.
Shop: longlivetattoo.com
Years Tattooing: 11
Style/Specialty: Geometric, Illustrative, Neo Traditional
Instagram: @jymicalkins
How did you get into tattooing?
I’ve always had an interest in it since I was 7 getting temporary tattoos from packs of gum at the gas station lol. But I actually started tattooing in January 2011.
How would you describe your style of dot-art?
I like to cover a lot of styles from, geometric, illustrative, neo traditional, and anything I can do with my particular technique.
What is your favorite part about that style of tattoo, specifically? What draws you to it?
It’s a style that I think I personally feel I have more control over and can be more precise with than other styles, so I strictly stick to that style so I can keep getting better at it.
How do you typically design one of your tattoos?
I always ask that if a client likes my style they just have to trust me. Keep it vague and let me do my thing. The more I feel like this project is a part of me, the more I will subconsciously get into things and overall have a finished product that both, the client and I, are happy with.
Do you have a favorite subject to tattoo (ie skulls, flowers, geometry)?
Personally I would love to anything that has to do with darkness(skeletons, skulls, gothy custom lettering) and love(floral, hearts, mandalas) anything that combines love and dead.
What's your favorite part about tattooing people for a living?
Being able to do my own art and the feeling of progression is the best.
Anything else you want people to know about you or your work?
I’m never against people getting what they want. If you want something outside of the style you see in my portfolio, I will refer you to who I think will do it best regardless if it’s at my shop or not. I do what I do because it makes me happy and if you are for it awesome, if not, that’s ok too. I limit my clientele to things I want to do because I know my art and my happiness are better when I can fully be myself, and I am so grateful for the trust and support my clients give me.
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