Thoughts

WordPress page from tedderfamilytattooing.com: "Dave Tedder" (https://tedderfamilytattooing.com/dave-tedder/) Dave Tedder: American Traditional, Japanese Irezumi, 25+ Years. Dave Tedder has been tattooing for more than twenty-five years, building a body of work rooted in two of the craft's most demanding traditions: American Traditional and Japanese Irezumi. Both disciplines require precision, patience, and a respect for the rules that came before you. Dave has never been interested in shortcuts. His work has earned over a hundred awards at tattoo conventions across the country. Between 2004 and 2014, his tattoos were featured regularly in major tattoo publications. The recognition came from consistent execution, not self-promotion. The work did the talking. American Traditional is where Dave's foundation lives. Bold outlines, a limited and deliberate color palette, compositions tested by decades of repetition and refinement. Traditional work follows rules established because they work, not because someone decided they were fashionable. Japanese Irezumi is the other pillar. Dave approaches the Japanese tradition with the cultural respect it demands. The iconography, composition principles, the relationship between negative space and imagery, none of it is decorative. It carries meaning, and Dave treats it accordingly. His large-scale Japanese work reflects years of study and a commitment to doing it right rather than doing it fast. Dave came into The Custom Tattoo Company through Jeff Cohen. Jeff's daughter Lauren and Dave built a life together, and the shop became the center of it. When Jeff passed in 2018, Dave and Lauren took the shop forward. Not as a reinvention, but as a continuation. The standards Jeff set are still the baseline. Recognition: 100+ awards at tattoo conventions, magazine features 2004-2014, 25+ years professional tattooing, specialties in American Traditional and Japanese Irezumi.

WordPress page from tedderfamilytattooing.com: "Tedder Family Tattooing" homepage (https://tedderfamilytattooing.com/) Tedder Family Tattooing: Three Generations of the Craft. A family's history in tattooing, from The Custom Tattoo Company in Havelock, North Carolina. Founded in 1983, carried forward by craft, tradition, and the next generation. In 1983, Jeff Cohen opened The Custom Tattoo Company across from the gates of Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point. A New York street kid turned Navy man, Jeff built something that outlasted him. His shop became a landmark. His family became his legacy. Dave Tedder: American Traditional and Japanese Irezumi. Twenty-five years in the craft. Over a hundred awards. Carries forward the tradition Jeff Cohen started, with a body of work grounded in bold lines of American Traditional and the discipline of Japanese Irezumi. Lauren Tedder: Traditional Americana, Dotwork, and Fineline. Raised in the shop by Jeff himself, returned to carry the family forward. Her work bridges classic Americana with the precision of contemporary techniques, earning recognition at conventions across the country. The Next Generation: Ronen is growing up surrounded by the same machines, the same flash, the same culture that shaped his parents. And the family is growing (second child expected May 2026). The Custom Tattoo Company, Havelock, North Carolina. davetedder.com, laurentedder.com. @thecustomtattoo, @davetedder, @laurentedder_