Owner & Tattooer

Randy DeShong

American Traditional,Japanese,Neo- Traditional,New Skool · 33 years

For me, tattooing has never been just a job. It has been my life for more than three decades. My journey started long before I ever stepped into a professional studio. I gave myself my first tattoos at 13 years old with a homemade tattoo machine, fascinated by the idea that artwork could become a permanent part of someone's story. In 1993, I began my first professional tattoo apprenticeship at Moonlite Tattoo in Lewistown, Pennsylvania, under Bob Ewing. I worked a factory job during the day and spent my evenings learning the craft the old-school way—putting in the hours, paying my dues, and learning that tattooing was about much more than simply putting ink into skin. Over the next 33 years, tattooing took me from Pennsylvania to California, where I spent more than a decade tattooing throughout Southern California and beyond. Along the way, I owned and operated tattoo studios, worked beside countless talented artists, had my work published in international tattoo magazines, won awards, and watched the tattoo industry transform from an underground craft into the worldwide art form it is today. Through all those changes, my respect for the traditions and history of tattooing has never changed. I eventually returned home to Pennsylvania and established DeShong Tattoo Studio, where I continue doing what I have loved since I was a kid—making tattoos. Today, DeShong Tattoo Studio is entering a new chapter at our Washington Street location in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania. The studio brings together experience, tradition, family, and the next generation of tattooers under one roof. I specialize in bold, readable tattooing built to work with the body and stand the test of time. Whether I'm working with traditional imagery, black and grey, large-scale custom work, or designing something completely unique for a client, I believe a great tattoo starts with understanding the person who will wear it. After 33 years, I'm still learning, still drawing, still building tattoo machines, still studying the history of this craft, and still excited when somebody sits down in my chair with an idea. These days, I don't simply consider myself a Tattoo Artist. I'm a Tattooer. Tattooing isn't something I do. It's who I am. — Randy DeShong Owner & Tattooer DeShong Tattoo Studio Huntingdon, Pennsylvania