About

Hi, my name is Robert Meyers, I have been tattooing since 1994.

I started my career in Atlanta, moving from painting and sculpture on marble and granite, to working on skin. As much as I was very blessed to be working in that field, and making a very good living, it felt very empty to me. I’ve always felt that art should be a visual communication of emotion, and I wanted to be a conduit for other people’s emotions. I felt that tattooing would be the means to do that. To me, tattooing is the ultimate personal art form. It cannot be bought or sold, and it is the complete commitment to art. No one just buys a tattoo to tie a room together, as they might a painting, or any other piece of art.



As an artist, tattooing is extremely challenging, as you’re representing all mediums through one medium. Whether the rich acrylic tones of a large color tattoo, or the soft charcoal realism of a black and grey tattoo, all of it is done by ink and needle on various skin, various people, of various backgrounds and ages. It’s amazingly gratifying to me, to be able to create something for that person.

After tattooing for years in Atlanta, Georgia I moved to Barcelona, Spain. While living in Spain, I split my time between Barcelona, and Ibiza, also traveling to others to both work and study. In 2007, I relocated to Raleigh, North Carolina I have lived and worked in the triangle area every since.

While I do travel a good bit, I consider my shop Cary NC, at Apocalypse Girl Tattoo, located at 124 SW Maynard Road Suite C, my home. Once a month, I work in Wake Forest, NC to cover my North Wake clientele. Throughout the year I travel, to expos, and guest spots in various reputable shops around the country.

Stylistically, I’m very versatile and fluid in any number of styles from black and grey, realism, japanese traditional, bold colors, or soft watercolor tattoos. I pride myself on being able to work fluidly in many different styles. I consider myself only limited by the budget and imagination of my clients.

I am fluent in English and Spanish, and am conversational in several other languages.


The Process:

I don’t work in a traditional tattoo shop where we use flash or prepacked designs. Again, I believe every tattoo should be as unique as the person it’s going on.

Usually, my process starts with initial contact and consultation. I try to do as much of this as I can online, or remotely, as about 40% of my clientele is from out of town. If at all feasible, I will try to have a consult in person.

If I am creating a design, I will ask for as much reference as you can give me. It doesn’t need to be exactly what you want, just some things that can help get us on the same page artistically. For example: If someone wants a panther, I need to know, do they want an old school panther? A traditional styled panther, or a photo realistic tattoo of a panther? Color, or black and grey? Where is it going on their body? Have they seen other panthers that they like? The more they can explain to me, the better I can create this tattoo. I’ve often found the best way to explain all this is through pictures.

After I get the reference, and do the consult, then we can make an appointment for the tattoo. During this period I will work on the final drawing. I will not start a drawing without an appointment. Depending on how much work on my end will go into the drawing, the schedule of both my client and myself, this process can take anywhere from weeks to months. Some pieces go a lot quicker than others, for example if it’s a portrait or a piece from a famous painting that I’m re-producing then the only changes I need to make are a question of light and composition to fit their skin tone and area then the process is very quick. On the other hand, if I’m creating all original artwork only from a description the process can be very complex, and may take longer. Deposits aren’t always necessarily, but I do require a definite start date before I start drawing. There is nothing more frustrating for an artist, than to put many hours into a drawing, only to discover they want it 2 years down the line, when that time could have been put into a design for someone who wants it much sooner.

I consider every tattoo to be a work of art. I like to think that every tattoo is as unique as the person it’s going on. Therefore, every tattoo I do starts as a clean sheet of paper. I do not work from flash, or pre-drawn designs, unless of course, you bring it to me.

If you’re looking for getting a tattoo done quicker, or a place with more pre-existing designs there are several reputable shops I’d be happy to refer you to.


Rates:

I charge a fixed $100/per hour. I occasionally give breaks on extremely long sittings, especially on weekdays. I also occasionally run promotions, and donate gift cards to various charities. These will be listed on my events page.


What I do:

Beautiful custom tattoos that you’ll be proud to wear for the rest of your life.

What I don’t do:

Tattoos I’m not comfortable with.

Often I’ll send tattoos to other artists I feel are going to do a better job with it because it’s a style or image I’m not comfortable with, and I think another artist would do a better job of it. As much as I’d like to do the best tattoo I can for everyone, there are times when a particular design would be better suited to another artist.

Otherwise, in the event I am not feeling a connection to a particular client, or we are not able to communicate on the subject in the sense that I don’t feel like we are on the same page, I will refer them to another artist, who I think will be more suited. Luckily I have many friends and colleagues in this industry who do wonderful work in a variety of styles. My goal is to give a everyone the best tattoo I can, if that involves referring them to someone else, I’m okay with that.


What I do outside work:

While not tattooing, I hang out with my beautiful family.



I work by appointment, and do not limit myself stylistically. The imaginations and budgets of my clientele are my only constraints.

You can reach me by phone or text at (919) 535-3035, or email me directly, at [email protected]

I’m fluent in both Spanish and English, and speak several other languages as well.