Downtown district shops might get repetitive with their motley mix of Penn State paraphernalia, but there are a few shops where the only place you'll find Penn State is on the bodies of their clients.

Spread throughout the downtown area are shops where tattoo lovers and artists alike converge to appreciate the increasingly-popular craft of tattooing.

While each shop varies in its approach, they have many things in common, chief among them a love for the art.

Crafting Beginnings

Paul Rupeka, owner of Ink Inc., 110 Hetzel St., said he believes a formal classroom setting is not the best way to learn art.

"If I wanna learn business, I don't wanna go across the street and learn it from a guy that makes [$]30,000 a year and has a parking space," Rupeka said.

Rupeka has owned and operated Ink Inc. for about 20 years. His father was a tattoo artist, and Rupeka said it was just a natural thing for him to get into the art himself.

Instead of a classroom, Rupeka said much of his influence came from his parents, who were both artists.

He said that learning in a classroom has one fatal flaw.

"There are people that're out there that are making a living doing art, and those that can't make a living doing art, teach it," Rupeka said. "I learned from two people that made their living doing art."

Timm Sellers, also known as Timmytatts, a Penn State graduate, earned a degree in art education in 1999, but decided not to follow that career path.

After graduating, Timmytatts said that his current job at Tattoo Mark's Studio 2, 127 E. Beaver Ave., is much more rewarding.

"Teaching's alright. You get low pay and nobody respects you" Timmytatts said.

Local tattoo artist and owner of Good & Evil Tattoos, 225 W. Beaver Ave., Tony Campbell also decided to pursue his talents outside of the classroom. He was laid off from his job as a construction worker after 10 years and chose to move on to tattooing.

Campbell got a tattoo at Good & Evil Tattoos and started spending time there. After watching tattoo artists in the shop, one of them asked him to draw something. Once they saw Campbell's ability, they offered him an apprenticeship.

He has been tatooing for 13 years at the shop.

The Fad That Doesn't Fade

All of the artists have noticed that the demand for their skill is up.

"Tattooing has really become a lot more mainstream," said Charlie Verdavoir, who works at Good & Evil Tattoos. "Back in the day, it was really the people on the fringe."

Campbell said he also noticed a change in the tattooing demographic.

"It used to be just for criminals and bikers," Campbell said.

He noted numerous TV shows, such as Miami Ink, have made getting a tattoo prime-time entertainment.

Campbell said that the new attention to the art has caused the industry to sell out.

He also noticed the increased interest in classic tattoo artists, such as Ed Hardy.

"Ed Hardy himself wasn't a great tattoo artist back in the day," Campbell said.

Hardy's work is the focus of a label that bears the same name, designed by Christian Audigier. Campbell noted how the clothing, which once sold for a much higher price, is now less expensive.

"Right now, tattooing is at its peak," Campbell said.

He compared the recent trend in tattooing to the previous popularity of choppers, which he said peaked five years ago. Once the trend of owning a chopper died down, Campbell said, many people were left trying to sell their bikes.

The recent trend in tattooing, he said, will probably follow suit, but he said that will not necessarily deter people from getting a tattoo.

"Someone's gonna get a tattoo -- doesn't matter if there's a T-shirt or a TV show" Campbell said.

Verdavoir noted that the art goes back to the dawn of humanity and that even if the tattooing trend slopes off, the industry will not die out.

"Ultimately, tattooing will survive regardless of anything," Verdavoir said.

Don't Do This, Do Tat'

With the new trend of tattoo popularity, Campbell said he has had a decent amount of clients come in with tattoo ideas that he will not bring to life.

Along with other various tattoos, he said he will not tattoo names of spouses or significant others, which is a popular demand.

"I turn people away on a daily basis," Campbell said. "Boyfriends and girlfriends, they come and go, but tattoos are permanent."

Other than that, he said that his clients' requests run the gamut from normal to strange and everything in between.

Timmytatts agreed.

"Weirdos get the weird stuff and normal people get the normal stuff," Timmytatts said.

Rupeka said that he also gets all kinds of customers with all kinds of requests, many of them outside of the norm.

"I probably have millions of weird stories, but most of them you couldn't put in a newspaper," he said

Verdavoir said that while some tattoos may be strange, the ultimate judgement of the tattoo lies with the client

"Nobody can tell you what looks good," Verdavoir said.

Even though satisfaction with a tattoo lies with the client, all of the artists noted that there are certain things they get bored of doing.

"If we did Nittany Lion heads every day, we'd probably slice our wrists," Campbell said.

Campbell said lettering bores him while many of the stranger custom tattoo requests can be more rewarding. He said these requests give him a chance to stretch his artistic abilities outside of the norm, which can get somewhat repetitive.

Timmytatts said one important element is making sure alcohol does not enter the equation.

"You might be funner drunk, but driving drunk, you see, that's different." Timmytatts said. "This is kind of like driving."

While their interests and styles may be different, all of the artists agreed that careful preparation for a tattoo is key.

Keep It Clean

Along with never drinking on the job, Rupeka said he also makes sure not to drink too much coffee, which would leave him jittery. A still hand is very important, he said.

Apart from personal preparation, Rupeka stressed the importance of having a work station that is extremely clean and free of clutter.

In a tattoo parlor, he said, it's easy for things to get contaminated, which could put clients at risk. He said that while tattoos may be controversial, cleanliness is not.

"Hepatitis C, doesn't matter what your opinion is, it's still gonna f---ing kill you. That stuff is chiseled in stone," Rupeka said.

Though the preparations needed for each tattoo might be different, Campbell said he finds the same satisfaction in the work that he does.

"I like giving someone something they'll have for the rest of their life, and it's not a disease," Campbell said jokingly.