On Friday the 13th of August in 1993, Incognito Tattoo was born. It was birthed of Mister Jason Schroder, otherwise known as Mr. Incognito, a Clarkliving client and friend. Incognito first opened its doors on Colorado Blvd in Pasadena, and it thrived in that spot for more than fifteen years. About six years ago, Schroder moved the shop to Los Feliz and switched to an appointment-only model that offers greater privacy for artists and clients and allows everyone room to breathe and relax.
Tattoos by Jason Schroder
Schroder has been tattooing for 23 years, and in that time he’s seen the entire industry shift. As with pretty much everything else, the internet has made tattooing both more accessible and more acceptable. The stigma around having tattoos or becoming a tattooer that existed in the past has been rapidly evaporating for years. The chances of your professionals having tattoos under their suits are just as high as your mom treating herself to a petite tattoo for her 70th birthday. Tattooing appears to many now as a viable career choice, but when Schroder got involved in the craft, that wasn’t even close to the case.
Tattoos by Jason Schroder
“When I started to tattoo,” he says, “it was a very different world than we exist in now, you had to really want to learn how to tattoo, and seek out someone who was willing to teach you. This is pre-internet and at that time there were only two tattoo supply companies, and you had to have an introduction by a member of their club to be allowed the honor of ever getting a catalog. Tattooing had a very closed door policy for a very long time.”
Machines Made by Schroder
Schroder is something of a tattoo auteur: He owns the shop, he builds machines, he makes tattoos, and over the past decade his aesthetic has extended into other mediums and become an integral part of the Spitfire Girl empire he’s built with his wife, Kristin.
As an artist, his enthusiasm for his primary medium hasn’t waned over time: “I had and still have a real hunger for tattooing even after 20 plus years. Tattooing is a calling for some of us.”
In addition to Schroder, Incognito Tattoo proudly hosts artists Sara Lou, Henry Lewis, and Amelia Rose. For more information and appointment inquiries, please visit www.incognitotattoo.com. Be sure to also follow him on Instagram @mrincognito and the shop @incognito_tattoo_parlor , and on Twitter @incognitotattoo. Incognito Tattoo is located at 4714 Franklin Ave, Los Angeles CA 90027.
