“I’ve always been a crafty, artist type of dude.” “The tattoo thing just kind of fell into my lap,” he said. “It afforded me to be able to take care of my family.”īrumfield also started out drawing and designing shoes and shirts. “Art skills never die out, so I jumped into tattooing,” Johnson said. He spent some time in jail, and when he got out, he wanted to help take care of his family. He said he had been painting shoes and designing clothes for years. Johnson, who said he always took art seriously, told the students a mentor suggested that he give tattooing a try because he was already gifted at drawing and painting. Others wanted to know what inspired them. Questions included, “How much do you charge?” Ībout 80 students filed into the auditorium to listen to the tattoo artists share how they broke into the industry and encourage the kids to stay focused on whatever it is they’re passionate about.

VH1’s “Black Ink Crew” cast members Phor Brumfield and Van Johnson visits Hirsch High School. They overcame obstacles and ended up on TV.” “I thought it was important that these guys grew up on the South Side, they’re from the same hood, and they made it. “The kids don’t really appreciate art, and they don’t know the extent to where they can take it,” she said.

Van from black ink