The whole start of our studio began with a couple of friends talking about what we could do to improve tattooing in this area. We wanted to build a place where art, history, and culture combined. After getting all the ideas together, we realized we didn't have a name for the studio.

Alan Sherman, the owner, lost his son (and our friend), Jackson, to cancer at the age of 19. Jackson was a big music lover, and one of his favorite bands was The Rippingtons. Some of their art brought an idea to us. In one of the pictures, there is a black diamond.

So how awesome is this? We get to have a great name for our studio, along with a way to honor a friend and loved one.

Fly on, proud bird,
Richie

 

Store Photos

Richard 'Richie' Richardson

I have been in the tattoo business for pretty much all of my life, and try and express what the world means to me in words, can't be done. I preformed my first tattoo on my brother's wife back in 1993, while I worked under artist AJ Capobianca at Backstreet Tattoo. Even though it was a nerve-wracking experience, the end result turned out great.

Unfortunately, I got away from tattooing for a few years after that, thinking that the craft wasn't for me. This didn't last long while friends and loved ones kept telling me, "Don't give up, you're too talented!" With the encouragement, off to the beach I went, and I began working for one of the largest tattoo companies on the east coast: Blue Horseshoe Tattoo. From there, I made my way from shop to shop, stopping at Danny's World Famous Tattoo in Blacksburg. After a few years there, a close friend, Alan Sherman, decided to open up Black Diamond Tattoo Studios. To this day, we believe that we have designed what we think is the nicest parlor in (and possibly outside) the New River Valley.

I worked under some of the most influential artists during my years learning the craft, and with their experience helping me, I can bring everything to my potential clients. What makes my tattooing style different from other artists' is that I take the time to understand your idea and explore all of the options available to make yours one of a kind. What that means is 90% of my work will be drawn onto your body--no stencils required. This allows me to custom fit your tattoo to your body's physique.

The tattoo machines I use are the new Neuma Air. They are state-of-the-art pieces of equipment that run off of compressed air, making it a much more comfortable and easier experience for my clients. Also in my years of experience, I fully comply with and respect proper state laws, the right rules and regulations, and on top of everything else, cleanliness.

Every single person that sits in my chair deserves the best and the most out of what I can give them, and because of this I work by appointment only. I usually book a week in advance, but that doesn't mean I will not have time for you.

Thanks,
Richie

In The Shop
Monday-Friday, 10am. To 5pm
Saturday 10am to 3pm.

Richie's Photos

Hampton 'Bugz' Forbes

In 1987-88, I began a career that would capture an interest for the rest of my life. I first started out in the tattoo craft not in the shop, but out as a lowly yard boy. I would rise through the ranks to the 'shop helper', mowing and trimming the studio yard, then cleaning the workshop where they would build the tattoo machines themselves. I soon learned needle building and pigment mixing, enabling me to learn the next steps as I watched the other artists in the shop. And from there, as they say, is where it all began...

I started evaluating my prior teachings as a working apprentice in a true 'hands-on atmosphere' in 1989. Then I had become the student of John P. Brooks at Thinking Ink Tattoo in Whitemarsh, MD. John was the one that taught me the skills needed in proper tattooing like sterile procedures, equipment maintenance, design layout and application. As he tattooed, I was to set up and breakdown the work areas and watch him apply his next rendering. To this day, he was the most patient and tolerable artist I have ever had the pleasure of meeting.

I worked with John up till his death in 2002, and during that time with him, he had become a true brother. After his death, I began traveling and tattooing with some of the most talented people I have met during my last twenty years, and appreciate the opportunity to have had the chance to do so. To this date, I have worked and managed some of the better studios in the business, while staying true to myself and my teachings.

It's my constant goal to uphold and improve on what I have been taught, and I strive to be consistent to that fact. I try not to be overzealous in my learning, but instead learn with enthusiasm, while passing on what I have gained in my education to the people around me. Each day, I thank God for my abilities and for the people He has placed before me and the opportunities to succeed in this craft. I still, to this day, realize the magic and mystery of this art, and they are the same things that captured my attention in the beginning.

These things have not changed, only the clients and the trends of design do. I look forward to every new rendering I do, and do not concentrate on any one style. I instead concentrate on a clean, readable tattoo.

I work on or off an appointment, or whenever the tattoo is finished.

Thank Every One of You That Make This Rewarding

Bugz

Monday-Saturday, 12pm to 8pm

Bugz's Photos

Jason Dobbs

I've been tattooing for over four years now, yet have been an artist since childhood, with formal training from some of the countries and world's most talented artists. When I was younger, I developed an appreciation for tattooing, which soon developed into a deep love. Though I have only been tattooing for a few short years, I have been around the art form for many; watching, learning, and spending countless hours getting tattooed.

I began tattooing in Fernandina Beach, Florida under my mentor Tony Mills at Roadside Attraction Tattoo. In that first year, I traveled to the west coast to test my mettle and to expand my learning. I did a guest spot at Lucky Dog Tattoo in Seaside, Oregon, spending time around San Francisco and Oakland, it was there that I observed, networked, and really discovered myself and art form I practiced.

I moved to Clarksville, Tennessee some time later, rejuvenated and ready to make art. There I worked with the Clarksville Tattoo Alliance, a combination of three different parlors (Tattoo Technique, Killer Rabbit Tattoo, and All-American Tattoo) that let me experience a fast-paced and competitive environment, where you have to learn to be quick at your designs and steady with the machines. After a year there, I packed up my equipment for a quieter place and landed myself happily at Black Diamond Tattoo Studios.

My tattooing style is consistently complimented in line work and color design. I use that as my incentive for confidence in each tattoo and to strive to be better with each design, no matter how simple or intricate the design may be. I will always, however, pride myself on the cleanliness of my finished product.

I enjoy working by appointment to guarantee that I will have plenty of time for the client and their design, but I have no problem with walk-ins and being creative on the fly.

Jason

Monday-Saturday, 12pm to 8pm
Friday and Saturday till 9pm

Jason's Photos