Honor & Iron specializes in custom tattoos

Illustrator Sean Rhodes quietly opened Honor & Iron Tattoo and Gallery in the Shoppes of Camelot last summer and says he almost instantly had a waiting list for new ink.

A classical education in illustration and fine art plays heavily into his success as a tattoo artist, he said, but the clients at Honor & Iron seldom come in with last-minute requests for stencil tattoos.

As a custom artist, Rhodes said, he often begins a new work with an extended consultation.  Appointments lasting as long as four hours are booked months in advance as the artist translates his talent for illustrations from books to body parts.

Hours at Honor & Iron are open ended, with most days at the tattoo parlor beginning at noon.

Often, his clients want a piece of body art to convey an idea or theme, which he said he prefers to a highly detailed request.

"They come to me because they know I can illustrate an idea that has come to them," Rhodes said of his clientele.

Millsboro resident Sherrie Black said she sought out Rhodes to cover up an old tattoo because she knew the result would be exceptional, although her wait was extended.

“I wanted something a little more natural looking,” Black said. “You will wait months in advance, but it is so worth it.”

Ryan Arnold is one of two other artists employed at the parlor. The artist said he worked in Baltimore and Great Britain before coming to Honor & Iron and does much of the work for walk-in tattoo requests.

"This is one of my favorite places to do tattoos," Arnold said of the Cape Region. "It's not such a street shop mentality of quick and cheap and easy."

Arnold said his inspiration comes from time-honored Polynesian custom, but he also likes the opportunity to customize a tattoo with the best imagery.

"I like to base everything in traditional tattooing but take it further than the mechanics of the time would allow and still innovate with new ideas," Arnold said.

For more information about Honor & Iron Tattoo and Gallery on Route 1, southbound at the Shoppes of Camelot, call 302-226-8118.