A small town like San Andreas seems an unlikely setting for such a niche specialty service as tattooing, but Fat Cat Tattoos is doing quite well.

Owned by Isaiah Cummings, a 28-year-old resident of Pine Grove, the shop is located behind the Hemptation clothing and gift store on Highway 49, and offers tattooing and piercings.

The shop was part of a chain of three, with the other two located in Carmichael and Pine Grove, but Cummings now owns and operates the San Andreas parlor on his own, purchasing it from former owner Chris Aguilar.

It wouldn't seem San Andreas' small population would offer much of a clientele base, but that's not the case.

"We do pretty good," Cummings said.

San Andreas was chosen because of its central location to other towns in the county, such as Angels Camp and Valley Springs.

"And everybody's got to drive right by here to get to Stockton or Sacramento," Cummings said.

The shop opened last summer. It was closed for about a month to clean up water damage from some heavy winter storms, and re-opened last month.

The shop's two other artists are Bob Niederbrach and Sean Stewart. Tina Finkes does piercings.

While the business is something of a departure for the local business community, Cummings said he's received positive comments about the shop, and has a good working relationship with several of them.

Fat Cat uses the services of Anchor Prints, has fliers up at Gold Rush Collectibles and has had customers referred to them from the Red Brick Saloon.

Cummings has even applied his trade to a couple of employees at the Red Brick.

These are not your grandfather's tattoos.

Back in the day when skin art appeared primarily on servicemen or bikers, it came in one color n black. And that would eventually turn green, Cummings said.

Now the black ink stays black, and there's more than a rainbow of color from which to choose. Cummings has 47 different hued inks.

"Pretty much any color that you want," he said. "I've got it or I can mix it."

And the clientele has expanded.

"It went so mainstream and now everybody wants to get tattoos," Cummings said, adding that he recently had a 78-year-old woman get her first tattoo at his parlor.

Many customers already have an idea of what they want when they come in, and about 15 percent bring their own artwork.

Others can take their pick from among a huge display of artwork lining the shop's interior walls.

Darker elements, such as skulls and serpents, still abound, but there also are more whimsical pieces of art, such as butterflies and faeries.

Butterflies, in particular, are the hands-down favorite among women.

"I've tattooed so many dang butterflies," Cummings.

Niederbrach recently was completing two sunburst designs on the left arm of 31-year-old Murphys resident Jeremy Arvin.

One sunburst was getting the letter "J" added to the center and the other was getting the letter "D."

Those are the initials of Arvin's sons, Jeremy Daniel and Justin Dale.

Being half Cherokee, Arvin chose a tribal eagle as one of his first tattoos when he was 18.

He was so pleased with how that turned out, he now has three of the majestic birds on different parts of his body.

"I love eagles," Arvin said. "The best one's on my chest."

That tattoo, which still needs to be completed, was designed by Cummings.

"It's a one of a kind," Arvin said.

Being a tattoo artist requires a special touch.

The tattooist must delicately apply the needle to skin while a pair of magnets operate an armature bar, poking the needle under the flesh.

Leaving a dot of ink, the device runs so fast the dots form a smooth line.

But sink the needle to shallow, and the color won't last. Go too deep, and the lines will "blow out" causing the ink to spread.

Some parts of the body are more difficult to tattoo than others, and no, it's not what you might think.

Places with loose skin, such as the neck, are difficult.

The stomach requires extra care, also, because the skin is more pliant, and the artist has to work in time with the customer's breathing, Cummings said.

Ideal sites are the backs of the calf and the ankle because the skin is stretched tight in those areas.

As society's taboo about tattoos has eased, more and more people are getting them where they are plainly visible, Cummings said.

Still, there are those with careers that might frown on them, so they get tattooed on more discreet places, such as on the upper arm or the ankle, where they can be covered up during working hours.

And eagle-lover Arvin said first-time customers should make sure, like he was, that they really want to go through with it.

"You got to be happy with what you're going to get because you're going to have it for the rest of you life," Arvin said.

First-timers can rest assured that today's artists run a clean operation.

The needles come in packages, are sterilized just before the tattooing takes place, and then put in a special disposal receptacle after one use.

One thing that hasn't changed n there is an element of pain.

"Oh, it hurts," Cummings said.

It's not so bad that you can't stand it, "but it stings a little bit," he added.

It ain't cheap either.

At the very least, one, small tattoo will cost you $50.

For more elaborate pieces, such as chest panels that cover the upper torso and the top of the arm, the work can run $1,000 to $1,500 and take several sessions to complete.

Fat Cat is presently open from noon to 8 p.m., Monday through Saturday. When summer arrives, it will be open on Sunday, as well.

While it may be a little out of the common-place, running a tattoo parlor is really no different than any other business. You have to keep the customer satisfied, and Cummings appears to be doing that.

"This is the place to come," Arvin said. "They've got a light touch and they're very good artists."

Contact Craig Koscho at ckoscho@calaverasenterprise.com.

Tattooist is businessman and artist

By Craig Koscho

Their work doesn't hang in museums or galleries, but you've no doubt seen, noticed, perhaps even admired their handiwork.

Tattoo artists work with ink instead of oils or water colors, and they apply their creative energy to human skin instead of canvass.

And just like any other artist, they spend a lot of time honing their skills.

Isaiah Cummings, owner of Fat Cat Tattoos in San Andreas, noted that the basics apply here as in any artistic endeavor n you have to have a creative sense and know how to draw.

Cummings went through an apprenticeship, watching and learning how to make needles, sterilize the equipment, and then cleaning up.

From there he moved on to drawing up the artwork and stencils for the tattooist who was teaching him.

Practice sessions involve drawing as much as you can with a pen, then attaching a tattoo machine to the pen and working on something such as a grapefruit to get used to the weight of the equipment.

"Then you just find somebody that's willing to let you start, and give them a free tattoo," Cummings said.

He added that it's surprising how many "willing victims" want to get a free tattoo from a first-timer.

"I'm not sure I would," Cummings said.

Now 28, Cummings got his own first tattoo when he was 17, at his home in Arizona.

"I did it in my living room," Cummings said.

Actually, it was a buddy of his who did the needle work, drawing a small skull with a jester's cap on Cummings' lower right arm.

His body art has burgeoned since that first skeletal jester, and includes a swallow pierced by a dagger, said to represent serenity in Irish folklore.

There's also an entire story-board on his left arm that features a coffin, whiskey bottle and a serpent, all done in a Mexican "Day of the Dead" motif.

That was penned many years ago by a friend who feared Cummings was drinking too much, and drew the scene as a reminder of where it could all lead.

It helped, along with getting older and taking on more responsibilities. Cummings said his partying has given way to other interests.

Skin and needle aren't Cummings' only medium. He also works in water colors and acrylics.

On this particular day, Cummings was drawing a Celtic knot on the upper left arm of Scott Pitto, creating an armband out of previous tattoo art.

Pitto is obviously pleased with the quality of Cummings' artistic endeavors.

"Finding a good tattoo guy is harder than finding a good bartender or a barber," Pitto said. "Isaiah does good work."

Contact Craig Koscho at ckoscho@calaverasenterprise.com.