Today we’d like to introduce you to “Little” Dave Parker.
Hi “Little” Dave, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Originally from Atlanta, I moved to Los Angeles in 2007 after starting to tattoo in 2005. I worked all over the city for the next 15 years, learning everything I could from the people I got to meet or worked alongside, traveling all over the world, and learning from heroes of mine in the tattoo world that I was lucky enough to spend time with. Then the pandemic hit. During the lockdown, I operated privately in a studio that I called “The Queen’s Head” and then opened an actual public street shop in Ktown in 2021. A little over two years later, I have a great crew of very talented and dedicated people that I get to work with every day. I’m very fortunate to do what I love for a living, which is why we try to give back to our neighborhood and city with things like our annual Toy for Tats toy drive, where we collect and donate over $2,000 worth of new toys for kids experiencing homelessness here in LA.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It took me over a decade and a half to get where I am today, and I still have so much to learn. Tattooing is a life-long journey and full of challenges and obstacles in and of itself.
Opening a business is a completely different set of problems. Everything from business licenses to health department headaches, from an oversaturated market to the seasonal fluctuations of business, it is a never-ending challenge.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I pride myself on being able to tattoo a lot of different styles; despite the current trend of young tattooers being one trick ponies and “hyper-specialized” as an excuse for their lack of experience, I’ve worked hard to be able to tattoo all sorts of different things, and I like to surround myself with people of the same mindset.
That being said, I’m most known for tattoos influenced by a Western traditional style of electric tattooing, bold designs that are crafted to ensure longevity. I put as much focus on the craft and proper construction of the tattoo as I do on the designs themselves.
What makes The Queen’s Head stand out is the atmosphere of a classic and proper tattoo parlor, but with a welcoming and accepting attitude where everyone can feel comfortable coming in as a stranger and leaving as a friend. Nowadays, it seems like you either have safe spaces in “studios” with sterile white walls and a plant in the corner, or a poorly run street shop that puts profit above quality or experience. At The Queen’s Head, we’ve created a proper walk-in shop with wall-to-wall flash and artwork but with a warm and welcoming attitude to our community and neighbors.
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
I feel like with all things, technology and automation will be creeping into tattooing sooner than we’d like to think. And after that, tattoos by humans will become sort of a niche market, like traditional sign painting became after the advent of digital sign printing. But to be honest, I don’t think anyone can truly predict what’ll happen after our robot overlords have taken over…
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.queensheadtattoo.co
- Instagram: @thequeensheadtattoo
- Other: tiktok: @thequeensheadtattoo
Image Credits
@ejdelfin @marc.madison.studios @thejeffpenalty
