Artist Profile: Kannon Loyd
Get To Know Independent Tattoo Company’s Kannon Loyd:
Finding His Way
It is not easy for someone to decide what they are going to do when they are finishing high school. The debate between wanting to go to college or starting a job right out of college has been a hot topic for a long time. Kannon Loyd started his journey to being a tattoo artist with this very topic. At one point after many discussions. He decided to give college a try and was looking to get a degree in fine arts. He knew he liked to draw and had a passion for creating things so this decision grew on him.
Earning His Dreams
One year into college he decided school may not have been the right route so it was time to look around for other options. Being covered in tattoos was always the end goal for Kannon, so he thought why not perfect my drawing and be able to do just that for others and in the process get tattoos myself. For him it was always a win win. So in 2014 it was time to start a new wave of life and decisions.
At the time he worked for Choices which was an establishment where overnight he would go take care of people with special needs and during the day he was chasing his dreams. He found a place he could do his apprenticeship at for one year and after that fill a position there as a tattoo artist. Being an apprentice at a tattoo shop is no easy task. No one tells you how hard it is to work up a clientele, understand everything that goes into tattooing and on top of all that your the main person doing all the cleaning and making sure everyone is taken care of.
Everyone at a tattoo shop has to earn their right to be there and tattoo and that is exactly what Kannon did. From tattooing fruit, fake body parts and cleaning toilets he put in all the hard work while still working nights to make sure his dreams came true. Nothing was handed to Kannon and there were no easy days during this time. It truly takes someone that is willing to dig extremely deep to make this happen. Kannons mom Julie Loyd says, “ I am so proud of what my son has accomplished. It is not easy to chase your dreams and work hard for everything you have but he did just that and now seeing his tattoos I know he is exactly where he is meant to be.”
Independent Tattoo Company
The shop that gave Kannon this chance was Independent Tattoo Company. Independent Tattoo Company started out in 2008 and is owned by Nick Spencer and Jay Painter. This tattoo shop is located in St. Joseph Missouri. They have won the award for the best tattoo shop in town multiple times and continue to grow from going to conventions, winning awards and keeping up with new tattoo trends. The shop has an oddities theme and when you go inside there is no telling what you will find there. Kannon grew up around these types of things so he fit right in with the shop and now a lot of the people that work there are like a second family to him.
The people that Kannon has tattooed have loved the service he provides. The practice and hours of work he has put in has paid off. Anatstasia Harwood was tattooed by him in Spring 2022. She says, “ I was really nervous when entering the shop because I knew what I wanted to get, but you never know how the artist is going to execute it. I am extremely happy with how these butterflies turned out and now I feel comfortable anytime I go there.” The style of tattoo Anastasia got was black and gray, but Kannon specializes in American Traditional.
American Traditional
American Traditional tattoos can be seen as early in the 1900’s when sailors popularized doing them with homemade needles and ink. Luckily, Kannon sanitizes everything and does this the way it originated. American Traditional tattoos typically have clean break outlines, vivid colors and minimal shading. The most popular American traditional tattoo is an anchor, dragon and eagle.
Where Is He Now
Currently Kannon Loyd has been at Independent Tattoo Company for about seven years. He has grown so much since starting out with tattooing fruit. His skills are improving every single day. With every convention he attends, every video he watches he is always looking for new ways to make himself a better tattoo artist.
Kannon Loyd is married to Stevie Loyd and has two children named Hatfield and Mavie Loyd. you can already see the creativity they have inherited start to show when they are coloring. He is now covered in tattoos and continues to find his path in his career. Kannon Loyd says, “ I know nobody ever told me chasing my dreams would be easy, but I am so happy I never gave up on myself and this career. I will forever be grateful to my supporters and the people that pushed me to be a better artist every single day.
Pinterest:
https://www.pinterest.com/remingtonloyd18/independent-tattoo-company/
Time-Lapse Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yorclqtw96o&t=21s
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