George was born in 1968 in Sevastopol, Crimea. His real name is Sergey Bardadim. The name George came from his childhood nickname 'George Best Buddy'. George became interested in tattoos during his childhood, and remembers asking his father repeatedly about the origin of the tattoo on his wrist. He was especially impressed by the fact that the letters would not wash off with soap, and would stay on his Dad's wrist for life. While a high school student, George had discussions about tattoos with his uncle, who had several since his prison term. It was then that George first learned about the technology of tattooing. It was around this time that he realized having a tattoo has nothing to do with a person's criminal aspirations or defacing the human body.

George did his first tattoo at age 17 using an ordinary needle and thread; a primitive tattoo method used in Russia back then. This was an experiment rather than the beginning of his career, but it bore fruit later on. After many friends asked him to tattoo them, he created his first tattooing machine. It consisted of a 'Sputnik' spring powered razor, a button, and a sharpened guitar string. With the help of this device George started experimenting with tattoos. It was then that his career began.

Each experiment added to George's desire to master the craft. Experimentation helped to compensate for the shortage of information available then. It was during that period that George met Taras (Shevchenko). Later their friendship grew into a close partnership, helping to shape George's creative ideas and leading to further development of the machines they were using. Taras and George tried different devices until they came up with what could be called a professional model.

See more of George's tattoo designs here!

As they experimented, both artists gained considerable experience in tattooing, and George took up the art as a life career. He worked as a guest artist for tattoo studios in St. Petersburg, Austria and Germany. In 1998, he entered the Association of Professional Tattoo Artists (A.P.T.A.), an organization based in London, and in 2001 joined the Alliance of Professional Tattooists (A.P.T.), an American organization.

Having attained international expertise, George started to take part in tattoo conventions in Europe. He has worked in Denmark, Sweden, Germany, and Austria. An article published during the 7th International Tattoo Convention in Frankfurt (1999) in 'Tatowier Magazin' # 11, 1999 stated:

'Although there are a wide variety of highly professional tattoo artists, at conferences as big as this one, sometimes tattoo specialists of the highest qualification appear. Two such extraordinary talents attracted our attention at the Frankfurt International Convention this year; George from St. Petersburg and Taras from Ukraine.' (Translated by Roman Danzis)

Considerable practical experience gives George the possibility to work in every area of tattooing art. However, he prefers 'Black and Gray Style' and photo realism, and says that involving the customer in a detailed discussion of the work is an important part in the tattooing process.