Eternal Smoke Ink

Eternal Ink and Tattoo Supply is dedicated to supporting tattoo artists and their art. By creating the best, brightest, and longest lasting tattoo ink pigments in the industry, they provide artists with the tools they need to bring their artistic visions to life. Through collaborating with artists and utilizing decades of pigment knowledge, they are able to continually produce top quality pigments that elevate their artistry and inspire them to push the boundaries of their craft.

Eternal Ink is the trusted choice for tattoo artists worldwide, placing the utmost emphasis on safety and uncompromising quality. Their industry-leading manufacturing processes adhere to the strictest standards. With their state-of-the-art in-house facility, they take full control of every step, meticulously monitoring and controlling their mixing and bottling processes to guarantee unparalleled quality and color accuracy. This unwavering attention to product quality ensures that they consistently deliver the vibrant colors that have come to define their inks. When it comes to tattoo ink, Eternal Ink is the epitome of reliability, providing tattoo artists with the peace of mind they deserve and the means to create extraordinary art while maintaining their clients’ trust.

Eternal Tattoo Supply is very selective about the manufacturers they carry. They believe a tattoo supply store should do more than just sell tattoo equipment. There should also be integrity and belief in those products. If you see a product at Eternal Tattoo Supply, it is because we believe it is the right choice for professional artists and tattoo studios.

The full history of Eternal Ink begins with Terry Welker. Often called ‘Tramp’, by his friends, Terry is a self-taught tattoo artist working in the traditional style. Terry began tattooing in 1976.

ETERNAL TATTOOS STUDIO

After tattooing for several years, Terry buys a small tattoo shop in Ypsilanti, Michigan. He relocates the shop in Livonia, Michigan in 1982. The shop is named Eternal Tattoos. With the growing success of this first studio, he soon expands creating a chain of five tattoo studios surrounding downtown Detroit, Michigan. To launch a new shop, Terry would tattoo at the new location while establishing the shop and finding artists for the studio. Terry has always been very particular about the talented artists working in his studios. All five Eternal Tattoos shops are recognized as premiere tattoo studios producing the best tattoo art. Among the many notable artists to have launched their careers at Eternal Tattoos are Jay Wheeler, Tom Renshaw, Marshall Bennett, and Bob Tyrell.

Mixing Ink

As an artist in the 1980’s, Terry experienced first-hand the limitations of traditional tattoo ink, the challenge of color mixing and matching, as well as questionable product quality. Black ink was the dominant pigment for most tattoos with colors added sparingly. Pelican black ink was the traditional black tattoo ink. Colored tattoo ink came from mixing powdered pigments from Spalding and National. 

Terry would regularly mix and supply tattoo ink for his artist friends. He mixed a limited number of colors, including a very popular bright red hue. This limited line-up of hand-mixed colors could be considered the beginning of the Eternal Ink evolution. 

By 1998, after years of small-batch ink mixing, Terry had refined the process and created his own palette of favorite, high-performance ink colors. He also recognized the need for a premium-quality, pre-mixed, ever-expanding, multi-colored ink system.

ETERNAL INK

A fortuitous opportunity occurred in 2004. Terry heard about … and purchased a small struggling tattoo ink mixing operation. Terry immediately applied his expertise from years of tattooing and mixing ink to rework and improve the pigment production. The resulting high-performance tattoo inks were mixed to the ideal consistency for tattooing. Terry then adjusted the color mixtures into 31 distinct hues to meet the artistic needs of working tattoo artists. As homage to his successful tattoo shops, Terry names the ink line Eternal Ink.

The next few years sees rapid growth. Utilizing the tattoo convention circuit and free samples, Eternal Ink expands throughout North America. By 2007, the Eternal Ink brand is an internationally distributed tattoo ink with an ever-expanding network of distributors. Eternal Ink is used by artists throughout North America and is being sold in Europe, Asia, Russia, and South America. Eternal Ink is recognized as a premium-quality tattoo pigment.

To accommodate the demand for ink, Terry needed to expand the ink production operation. He purchases a 15,000 sq ft building in 2009 to mix, store, and distribute Eternal Ink. By 2015, the Eternal Ink facility has expanded twice, the latest expansion brings the space to 30,000 sq ft.

THE COLORS

By 2010, the tattoo industry experiences an explosion of tattoo colors. After the creation of more than 50 Eternal Ink standard colors, a unique, themed specialty set called Muted Earth Tones is produced. Terry recognizes the potential for additional specialty sets and works with tattoo artists Dan Henk and Ron Russo in to create the first Eternal Ink Artist Signature Series Sets: The Zombie set and The Portrait set. During the following decade, more A-List artists work with Eternal Ink to create Signature Series sets designed for specific tattoo genres.