Benji Harris is an open book. That’s what he told me, anyway. And, I believe him. Because he was a really kind, genuine guy, and he has these intense and very honest looking eyes. I found Ben’s work when I was searching for Philly tattoos on google. I loved the two I found that were his (see below), so I sent him a friend request on Facebook. What’s funny is, I don’t think he even knew that he’d been featured in the piece where I found him. But I bet that wouldn’t surprise the people who know him best. I get the distinct impression that Ben is a nice, funny guy who hasn’t been at this for a huge amount of time and because of that is seemingly unaware of how much talent he has. This guy is one to watch.
I headed out to meet him at Sink The Ink Tattoo in Willow Grove on a sort of chilly Sunday morning. He was getting ready for his first tattoo of the day, and sat down with me to answer some questions. Most of Sink The Ink, including Ben, was probably exhausted on that particular Sunday. That Friday evening, starting at 5pm, they did a fundraiser to raise money for the Fox Chase Cancer Center, wherein they did approximately 40 tattoos that night. All of the proceeds were donated to the Fox Chase Cancer Center, and they raised $3k.
Jamie: So, I love those Philly tattoos you did. Are you a Philly guy?
Ben: Kind of, I’m from New Jersey. But we really consider Philly ours.
Jamie: How long have you been tattooing?
Ben: I started my apprenticeship at Sink The Ink in 2008. I had been a video game animator, that’s what I went to school for.
Jamie (thinking about how her brothers might have wept to hear this was an actual possible career as children): Oooooh, was that cool?
Ben: Uh, no. It sucked very much.
Jamie: No! Why?
Ben: I didn’t realize that it took like, 200 people to draw a video game. I thought that it’d be awesome, I’d be drawing monsters and stuff. In reality, I made the shadows under things for an entire year. The following year, I made grass and bushes. It was soul sucking. So, I came here and everyone here really taught me. It’s a great place to work.
Jamie: So, what would you say your style is like?
Ben: I would say that my work has a traditional foundation. I like outlines and black shading. But traditional coloring is flatter than I work, I like to do more sculpting with color. And, my style is really still evolving.Jamie: What inspires you?
Ben: I am really inspired by nature – it’s way more inventive than humans because it’s had so long to think stuff up. I’m also inspired by chaos, too, like the way the water in a cup of water spills.
Jamie: What kind of tattoos do you enjoy doing most?
Ben: I like to do animal and nature stuff. I also love to do stuff that’s funny. Anything where I am chuckling to myself while I am working, like the Delaware River catfish that I did and the memorial tattoo a friend of mine got for his friend’s right testicle.
Jamie: Care to elaborate on that one?
Ben: A friend of a friend lost a testicle to cancer, the right one. So his buddy got a “RIP Righty” tattoo for it. I have on my arm an octopus holding a fork. I like that kind of funny stuff.
Jamie: What’s the strangest request you’ve gotten?
Ben: Well, I had this appointment that someone threw at me {meaning it was theirs and they passed it off to him}, so I should have known. This woman came in with a battle ax, and below it was a yin yang that had a rainbow in one half. She had had it done in a drug dealer’s house, but then the drug dealer got up and had to deliver his drugs partway through the tattoo, the lines were wavy, and it was not a very lovely piece of artwork. She wanted it covered up. Okay, I can do that. Only, she wanted it covered up with the same tattoo, just done correctly.
Jamie: Is there anything you won’t do?
Ben: Swastikas. I don’t love tribal, but I’ll do it.
Jamie: What’s the first piece you had done on you?
Ben: It was graffiti style, orange, and swirly. It’s covered up now, but the forktopus.
Jamie: What do you do for fun when you’re not working?
Ben: Hang out with my people and my girl. Play video games.
Jamie: Oh, good. I’m glad to see that bad animating experience hasn’t hurt your enjoyment of video games.
Ben: Yeah, I’m not scarred at all.
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