Putting ink to a canvas
Tommy Branch grew up an artist in Athens, and over time what changed is how he did it.
In elementary school, he competed in a poster contest about fire safety, earning state level recognition for it. This experience gave him a chance to see his work displayed, encouraging him to do bigger things.
“To see your work all laid out, it made me think a little differently about it. Like, ‘I can take this further. You can do that,’” Branch said.
Over the past 16 years Branch has delved into several art forms including painting, drawing, digital art and tattoos. He now teaches at Cedar Shoals High School where he helps students expand their talent.
“My goal in teaching is to get people invested in what they’re doing toward college. Even if it’s not college, maybe you might want to open up a business like a tattoo shop,” Branch said.
One of his students, sophomore Savannah Bond, says that Branch’s teaching is easy to understand and finds his suggestions helpful.
“It’s very easy to understand because his examples are very simple, at least to me,” Bond said.
Of all the art forms Branch has worked on, tattooing became one of his favorites.
“(Tattooing) was a medium I really want to get into, because everybody wants one. And I consider tattoo painting because it’s wet medium ink,” Branch said.
Most of his tattoos are his own design and they all weave together the story of his life.
“My back was my first. It’s actually my logo. When I became a tattoo artist, it was kind of a thing. There’s also the David statue. Instead of throwing a slingshot, it’s throwing a paintbrush, so it’s paint splattering. It was the concept that I came up with, but another artist designed it for me. Most of my tattoo designs (are) my own concept,” Branch said.
As a Clarke County School District student, Branch’s work was featured on the annual academic calendar in fifth grade as well.
“I was one of those child prodigies when it came to art. The county actually inspired me, getting a chance to see my work early like this. ‘Oh, okay, I can do bigger things now’ It inspired me at an early age,” Branch said.
After graduating from Clarke Central High School, Branch then attended the University of Georgia in 2008.
After high school, Branch painted murals for businesses around town including a turtle for Terrapin Beer Company and a bulldog at the Eastside Tires Plus location. He also painted a Gladiator inside Clarke Central’s gym after high school. After finishing college Branch moved to Atlanta to discover new art mediums. There he learned how to tattoo and joined several tattoo parlors.
“I have a private studio. I’ve been in a bunch of different shops over the years in Atlanta, and I own a couple too. That’s because I came back last year. I haven’t opened one in Athens yet, but I do plan on opening one,” Branch said.
