Ray Allen Hughes, the owner of Vision World, inks a panther tattoo on customer Ashley sanders (out of frame). (Sam Mullineaux, Buzz photographer)

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For those who are looking to sport some ink in the CU area, look no further. Vision World Studios at 104 W. University Ave. in Urbana is the place to go. After some thought on the client’s part (and hopefully not too many drinks), Ray Allen Hughes and his artists are the ones who will make the tattoos happen. Hughes, the owner, a graduate of Parkland College and a recipient of training as a commercial graphics artist, has over 20 years of experience with tattooing. In addition to many years of training, he is a custom furniture craftsman and artist whose work can be seen on the Vision World’s Web site at VisionWorldTattoo.com. When walking through the doors of the shop, one is immediately surrounded by very friendly and approachable people who take a genuine interest in their clients both professionally and personally. One minute is all it takes to see what a warm-hearted and friendly man Hughes is. It is also enough time to see how much Hughes cares about his customers and how much he stresses the importance of bringing their ideas to life with his tattoos.

“I have no desire to push my thoughts forward, I want to push my clients’ thoughts forward,” says Hughes as he explains one of his philosophies behind tattooing. Vision World is currently celebrating its 15th anniversary and is even filming a local reality show entitled “Vision World Ink,” which will air in August and allow even more people to see why this tattoo studio was voted the best in the CU area.