Photo by Tom Wallace At the Minneapolis Tattoo Arts Convention, Shane Wallin of Twilight Tattoo gave Alexis McKinnis a cat tattoo designed by Jonathan Stavole. "Do you have any tattoos?"

Just 20 years ago, the wrong answer to this question could've abruptly ended a job interview. But now, with an estimated 14 percent of the adult U.S. population sporting tattoos, the question is not only innocuous, but a handy conversation starter (and occasionally an effective pickup line). Give someone a glimpse of your tattoo in a social situation, and before you know it everyone around you is lifting shirt sleeves, pulling down waistbands and removing shoes to show off their latest pieces of ink.

Tattooing has changed over the millennia and continues to evolve today, even as current trends include a resurgence of the ancient Japanese-style black bodyscapes as well as all-American, Sailor Jerry-esque retro styles. The vast number of shops dedicated to the art of tattooing – roughly 70 in Minnesota and counting – has raised the bar for skilled artists and consequently pushed hacks out of the business, propelling purveyors of skin art to strive for being the best in the business.

Here, meet five local tattoo artists and tattoo-shop proprietors, all of whom are dedicated to the preservation and advancement of the art of tattooing in the Twin Cities.

Artist/proprietor of Electric Dragonland (923 Mainstreet, Hopkins electricdragonland.com)

Year established: 1990.

Electric Dragonland is the quintessential rock 'n' roll tattoo shop. Brilliant custom drawings cover every inch of wall space, and heavy metal assaults you from all sides -- yet the studio feels intimate, courtesy of each resident artist's individual, closed-door workspace. For four years, Anderson was president of the Alliance of Professional Tattooists, an organization dedicated to safe and legal tattooing practices. Electric Dragonland has received more than 300 awards of recognition, while Anderson alone has received more than 200 accolades for his artistic ability, as well as his dedication to preserving the art of tattooing.

Age when you gave your first tattoo: 19.

Specialty/favorite type of tattoo: All areas of art -- I try not to get pigeonholed, because the more studied you are, the more accessible you are as a tattoo artist. I do really like doing portraits, bio-mechanical art and sleeves.

Tattoos you don't do: Hate/racial tattoos, Satanic tattoos, first tattoos on the hands, face or neck. If you still want the hand, face or neck tattoo in a year, then come see me and we'll talk about it.

Funniest/weirdest tattoo you've given: The cartoon character Underdog doing Polly Purebred.

Who tattoos you: Marcus Pacheco [Calif.], Julie Moon [Mass.], Cory Kruger [Mass.], Scott Sterling [Va.], Sailor Moses [R.I.P.].

Year established: 1995.

The first thing you notice when you walk into Leviticus Tattoo is the koi pond, swirling with beautiful, giant Japanese fish. That sets the tone for Kurt Melancon's creative space, filled with paintings, sculpture and prints by Kurt and the artists who work in his shop. An art gallery and tattoo shop in one, Leviticus sells pieces of art off the walls on a regular basis, as well as at scheduled exhibitions at Leviticus and other Twin Cities galleries. Leviticus will offer laser tattoo removal starting in November.

Age: 35.

Age when you gave your first tattoo: 18.

Specialty/favorite type of tattoo: Mostly large-scale Japanese art.

Funniest/weirdest tattoo you've given: A cover-up of a hand-poked "I Mom" with a real "I Mom" heart and banner.

Who tattoos you: Artists I visit while traveling or meet at conventions; guest artists who come to work at Leviticus.

Artist/proprietor of Twilight Tattoo (3054 Bloomington Av. S., Mpls. twilighttattoo.com)

Year established: 2000.

An aficionado of vintage art, Wallin has decorated his shop with antique dental tridents and splashes of 1950s-esque flair. Wallin fell in love with the building that now houses Twilight Tattoo and petitioned hard to open his shop in a neighborhood that wasn't receptive to the stigma of a tattoo parlor. Together with the now-bustling Mercado Central, Wallin helped redevelop a previously blighted neighborhood on E. Lake Street into one that now thrives. Twilight received Mayor R.T. Rybak's Business Achievement Award in 2009 and has block-hosted the Powderhorn neighborhood's May Day Parade since 2001.

Age when you gave your first tattoo: 12 or 13, but I've been doing it professionally for about 15 years.

Specialty/favorite type of tattoo: Asian influence and portraiture, but I try to be diverse to keep up with whatever customers want.

Tattoos you don't do: None. If an adult is old enough to serve their country, they're old enough to make that decision. I'm not your mother.

Funniest/weirdest tattoo you've given: A "little devil big dick" tattoo on a woman's belly. Then she came in the next day to ask if I could make it smaller.

Who tattoos you: Brian Qualley [Happily Ever After, Harris, Minn.], Eddy Deutsche [Calif.], Matt Kolling [Twilight Tattoo].

Year established: 1990.

Tatus by Koré is a bright yet tranquil space where customers are encouraged to align their artistic interests with their spiritual desires. Koré Grate's belief that tattoos heal, and not just in a memorial sense, makes her the local go-to artist for a "special tribe of women," those who have undergone mastectomies and are seeking to cover or commemorate the marks of their fights against breast cancer. When she's not tattooing, Grate teaches martial arts at the Feminist Eclectic Martial Arts School in Minneapolis, which she co-founded in 1988.

Age: 54.

Age when you gave your first tattoo: 30.

Specialty/favorite type of tattoo: Spiritual tattoos, but all tattoos are spiritual.

Funniest/weirdest tattoo you've given: "DNR" (for "Do not resuscitate") on a woman's chest, or "Do not cut" on the "wrong" foot of a woman who was going in for surgery and didn't want any mistakes.

Who tattoos you: Most recently, a New Zealand shaman/teacher; various artists from all over the world; "Mad" Jack Kaplan [R.I.P.]; Don Nolan [Acme Tattoo, St. Paul].

Artist/proprietor of Acme Tattoo (1045 Arcade St., St. Paul acmetattoo.com)

Year established: 1988.

Perhaps the most traditional tattoo shop in the Twin Cities, Nolan's studio combines an old-fashioned parlor atmosphere with the eclectic workspace of an artist; decorated with hand drawings, endless picture books and Nolan's own carved wood and neon sculptures. Since 1975, Nolan has been mentioned in countless books and national media, even nabbing an entry in the 1991 Guinness Book of World Records as the primary artist of Krystyne Kolorful, the most tattooed woman alive. Clients come from all over the world to be tattooed by Nolan, as he's regularly regarded as a pioneer of both 20th-century tattoo art and mechanics. He helped develop modern tattoo machines and still makes his own today.

Age when you gave your first tattoo: 15.

Specialty/favorite type of tattoo: No specialty. I like everything I do, big or small, simple or detailed.

Tattoos you don't do: Obscenities, and I try and talk people out of face tattoos or name tattoos.

Funniest/weirdest tattoo you've given: Maybe a three-dimensional Band-Aid on a guy's arm. The coolest tattoo I did recently was for a blind man who explained to me what he wanted. I drew it, his friend approved it and I tattooed it.