Tag: Fine line tattoo

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Interview with tattoo artist Swani

Tattooist Swani (@swanissober) tattoos at @mizangwon in Seoul, South Korea. We chatted to the artist about his impresive tattoo collection, one tone tattoos and where he draws his inspiration…

How long have you been a tattoo artist and how did you get into the industry? I’ve been tattooing since 2015. I studied at a french art school until 2014, then I decided to go back to Korea to learn the tattooing techniques there. I asked a studio if they could teach and they did, I started learning the skills I needed to tattoo.

The first four years were a very difficult time, but now there are customers who want my tattoos and I think I’m completely indulged in this industry.

Do you have a background in art? My background is in ceramics and patterns as well as oreintal painting. It’s important to know about my background for my art but it’s more important that I studied the basics to develop my own style and perception.

What inspires you? I’m more inspired by the colour combination of real ceramic patterns than by any painting or photograph. I also like tile art and my favorite artist is Owen Jones. In fact, I get a lot of inspiration from real life objects rather than just getting inspiration from pictures.

I often refer to oriental paintings of the past and try to get more inspiration from traditional art rather than modern art. Saying that I’m trying not to get too swept away by the typical representatives of Asian cultures, like Chinese and Japanese art, because I identity as a Korean national. 

Why did you want to become a tattooist? In my early 20s, I went to art school in France. It was during that time that I started to get interested in tattoo culture.

There are so many methods to express art. Among the many ways to express art, I was very interested in how art could be expressed on our skin. 

But, also I was very attracted to the fact that it can be alive and also perish with the person. If I get to see my own art somewhere on someone again someday then I will feel such an indescribable feeling – it’s why I started tattooing.

How would you describe your style of work? Personally I wouldn’t say that what I’m doing right now is my definite style. I’m just a tattooist who’s inspired by and uses oriental styles as my material to create my own art pieces, because they’re beautiful to me.

Being inspired by this art form got me thinking about putting blue patterns onto skin, just like those asian ceramic pieces. When I was starting to use blue ink, some of my customers were a bit afraid to get them all in blue, because it wasn’t the standard for oriental tattoos. 

Currently, I’m thinking a lot and studying how I can express this art style in my own way and I want to work on bigger pieces with larger scales. 

Has your work evolved since you started tattooing? I’ve tried so many tattoo genres, at one point I thought it was important to only do what I liked and I could design myself. So, I thought long and hard about what I liked, and when I found it, I’m able to express my identity through it. I studied ceramics at college and I want to get deeper into this area at the moment and incorporate it into my tattoos.

In terms of tattoo skills, I have been using the basic skills and techniques I’ve learnt in my career so far. However, I want to create more colour combinations and use skills that can show more of my potential and creativity.

What attracted you to creating tattoos in one colour? Actually, I don’t think tattoos are beautiful if the colour combination feels wrong. So I started using blue tones because my art is based on ceramic arts and sometimes I think one tone gives more of a clean and better look. But I want to continue to create more of my own colour combinations.

Can you tell us about the process behind your pieces? First of all, I usually work with a custom design. In some cases, customers bring me designs, but usually I change the design to fit with my own style while maintaining the original design that they requested. 

If the sessions are too long and there will be too many, I think I get tired and the customers tend to get tired too. Therefore, in the case of large pieces I try to shorten the sessions as much as possible and have them on different days.

Usually, the design is prepared before we begin the tattoo session. But, sometimes it is fun and spontaneous both for me and the customer to suddenly change it or add extra details. 

What’s your favourite subject to tattoo and what would you like to do more of? I like to tattoo things that present balance in an artistic form and I like things that are symmetrical. Sometimes clients come to me with  good ideas that I didn’t even think of before which I love.

In addition to these predetermined materials, I like to draw oriental style women. I also like to paint especially when it’s not for a tattoo design.

What’s the tattoo scene like where you are? This is a very sensitive subject, as there are no laws about tattoos in Korea. So, we are virtually unemployed. In fact, there aren’t many problems these days, but I am always anxious because I work without any legal protection.

I hope that Korea will legalise tattoos and appreciate the art form as soon as possible.

Do you have any guest spots or travel planned? This year I’m going to work in Paris and London for a while. I have good friends who I met while working as there and I plan to visit them regularly.

Can you tell us about your own tattoo collection? Are you a collector and do you have any future tattoo plans? Actually, I really like getting tattoos and I have a lot of tattoos on my body. It’s hard to mention all of them, but some of my favourite works are by @ssamu_tt_, which is a tattoo based on Buddhist tatu. I also have blackwork by my good friends @delphinmusquet, @mattchaos_tt and @jaffawane.

I have a handpoke tattoo by @git__b as well as my right arm sleeve by @brownpeanut. I got my whole back handpoked with the help of @imgonnahurtyoubaby. I’ve also got some work by @pittakkm on my arm and my neck is by @sou.ttt.

The list is too long for me to mention all the amazing artists that I have had the pleasure to get their art, but I am extremely grateful for them. I plan to get my next tattoos from @ogitattooer, @rodrigosalcedo.v, @lifo_art and@n.o.u.v.e.a.u.

It hurts a lot to get a tattoo, but I’m going to get more as a historical record.

What’s been your proudest moment in your career so far? I got to meet so many good people at the end of last year, as I had the chance to participate in a seminar hosted by @q_tattoos. It was an opportunity to talk about tattoos and get deeper in the art form itself in front of 80 people who were also tattoo artists. I personally think it was the best way to end the year.

I was under a lot of stress and I was able to finish it with a lot of hard work. I was extremely proud of myself and our team at that moment and I hope to get more chances to share my experience with new tattoo artists in the future . 

What do you do when you’re not tattooing? Usually, when I’m not tattooing I draw and finish things I don’t always get time to do, like answering emails. Sometimes I meet my friends or girlfriend but usually I prefer to stay at home on my days off. I want to fully rest on my days off because I spend a lot of my energy working and tattooing.

Where do you see yourself in five years? I think I’ll become an artist who does art with more depth. And in five years, I think I can combine other areas of my art with tattoos. Whether I achieve my goals or not I will always be satisfied with my career and the fact that my art is loved and wanted by people all around the world. That is the ultimate goal which I have already accomplished. 

Follow Swani for more amazing tattoos and travel plans.

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Interview with tattoo artist Pokhy

Tattooist Pokhy owns a private studio in Seoul, South Korea. We chatted to the tattooer about what tattooing means to her, the beautiful blue tattoos she makes and her favourite tattoo experience…

How long have you been a tattoo artist, how did you get into the industry? I’ve been a tattooist for five years now. Before I was a tattooer, I worked as a graphic designer for seven years.

I took a break from my work as continuously working overtime meant that both my work and my health were deteriorating.

During my career break, I had the chance to learn tattooing and experience tattoos for the first time. 

Why did you want to become a tattooist? I have always been deeply inspired by the art that lasts on the body forever, rathert than computer graphics or design and so, I decided to become a tattoo artist.

In an era where all media is consumed quickly, art that remains forever is very attractive.

How would you describe your style of work? I usually use thin needles to create my tattoos. The style of tattoos that I make have fine details and vibrant colours.

Most of my tattoos are of natural objects, and these days I’m working on a lot of nature inspires pieces that mainly use blue ink.

Does your heritage or where you live influence your art? My mom likes to do small amounts of gardening at home. So, my house is always full of many plants and flowers. I have a natural affinity for plants and I love to draw them.

What attracted you to colour tattoos, in particular blue in? I simply love blue.

What’s your favourite subject to tattoo and what would you like to do more of? I like tattoos that flow along the shape of the body. For example, I like free-form natural objects such as the tentacles of jellyfish and the stems of long petals.

I want to try a large tattoo that covers the entire back or wraps around the entire leg.

What’s the tattoo scene like where you are? Korea has not yet recognised tattooing as a profession. It is illegal for tattoo artists to do tattoos. That’s why so many talented tattooists are working abroad.

The number of people getting tattoos is increasing, but the legal system is still in the past. I’m hoping for a gradual change. Although tattooists are not protected by law, the consciousness of the country’s citizens is gradually improving due to the popularisation of tattoos.

There are so many talented tattoo artists in Korea. The day will come when they are recognised.

Do you have any guest spots or travelling planned? I plan work in Australia next year and then work in the US.

Can you tell us about your own tattoo collection? Are you a collector and do you have any future tattoo plans? It’s a collection of my favourite things. I have tattoos of my pet, life’s motto, so many colours, favourite flowers, my religion and so on. It’s like my personal diary.

What’s been your proudest moment in your career so far? I received a letter from one of my clients, I had covered up some old scars with my artwork. She told me that her heart warms whenever she sees my tattoo and that she gains strength to continue to live in this world by looking at her beautiful tattoo rather than painful memories.

That letter was more valuable than winning any contest or any amount of money.

What do you do when you’re not tattooing? I do indoor rock climbing as a hobby. And I spend some time resting with my lovely cats.

Where do you see yourself in five years? The most famous tattooist in Korea.

We love Pokhy’s ambition, be sure to follow @pokhy_tattoo for more beautiful blue tattoos.

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Interview with tattoo artist Pauline

Tattooer Pauline (taken from his mother’s baptismal name) creates beautifully delicate fineline tattoos at Inktable in Seoul, Korea. We chat to Pauline about capturing the feelings of a specific moment in his tattoos…

Why did you want to become a tattoo artist? There are many reasons, including thoughts and memories that I don’t want to forget. Tattooing allows for elements of beauty in my life. It also indicates a direction and ideals that I want to live in and live by.

How did you become a tattooer? Since I was young I have encountered art in my natural environment. Being around art so much inspired me to go to university to study sculpture.

I was attracted to painting and the field of tattooing and so wanted to study this too. While studying sculpture, I fell in love with tattooing and creating my own paintings, especially the idea of engraving these onto skin.

How would you describe your style? I think my tattoos capture the emotions and stories of the moment. Due to the nature of my line drawings it’s difficult to get the same picture more than once. So, I can only draw the lines and the feelings expressed in that very moment. I think it’s this part that is so attractive to me and my clients.

Have you always tattooed like this? No, there’s been a lot of changes in how I paint. At first I did blackwork and oriental paintings as I liked this painting style. However, I was always drawn to line style paintings without realising it and then I openly fell in love with linework.

Your lines are mainly in black, do you prefer this over colour? I don’t insist on black, but I think I prefer black to color. In my tattoos I like to change the thickness of the line as well as the strength and weakness of it. Personally, I think black can express these things best.

What inspires your designs? In the past I was very inspired by Klimt’s drawings and Egon Schile’s drawings. These artists are one of the reasons why I became more interested in drawing.

I always try to look at other artists’ paintings to broaden my horizons. Mainly because other paintings, music and movies are also inspired by areas of art that surround them.

What do you like about tattoos? Tattoos are a way that you can live with pictures of your own stories. Then when we see a tattoo we remember ourselves and others from that time. You can express your personality through them and to me they’re a part of art.

What do you love the most about being a tattoo artist? I get to do what I like to do. It’s a very good thing as I love painting and I’m able to do a job that’s related to it. I also like having a free schedule and control over my time, that’s one of the many factors that makes it so good.

Can you tell us about the process behind linework tattoos? When you’re painting, you’re drawing and so you’re creating a line without any hesitation. It’s different when you’re transcribing that line into a tattoo. You have to express every line well from the neat ones to those with strong and weak points too. I think it’s better to make a line in the skin rather than draw it on paper.

Tell us about your own tattoos, do you collect them? Yes, I have a lot of tattoos. I have the face of my mother, whom I respect, engraved on me. Then there’s also a figure from Korean history, this tattoo helps to give me direction and live the life I want.

Sometimes I collect tattoos because I just like the artist’s paintings. I have a wide variety of tattoos.

When in your career have you felt the happiest? My tattoo appointments are a time where I can be supportive of people. Everyone has pain and some people want to overcome their pain by getting one of my tattoos. I feel proud and happy to be an artist who can be of any help in other people’s lives.

Do you have any guestspots or travel planned? I have been to so many countries including Germany, America, England and France. I’ll be in Singapore soon but currently I don’t have a planned schedule.

Make sure to follow @pauline.tattoo for more beautiful tattoos and travel plans.

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Interview with tattoo artist Fluffy Tattoo

Fluffy Tattoo creates the cutest mix of floral and animal tattoos we have ever seen! Working at Studio by Sol in Seoul, Korea we chat to the tattoo artist about the inspirations behind her tattoos and how she became and artist…

How long have you been tattooing and how did you become an artist? It will be exactly two years since I started tattooing in June this year. I’ve always liked to draw ever since I was a child. There’s someone who’s always drawing, right? That was me.

As I decided to go to an art university, I started to learn painting with earnest. After entering university I majored in crafts, especially pottery. However, I preferred the process of painting on top of the pottery rather than making it. After graduation, I started to work as a designer while drawing as a pastime, but I felt that it wasn’t for me. I decided to become a tattooist because I wanted to draw again.

What’s your favourite thing about being a tattooer? That people like my drawings. I feel happy that so many people like my style and tattoos. The reactions when I show the results of our tattoo session to my clients makes me feel good .

Can you tell us about your experiences in the tattoo industry? After years of working as a tattooist, I think tattooers are comprehensive artists. Tattooists often have to schedule work, take pictures, edit and market themselves, not just draw pictures.

There have been so many differences between watching the tattoo industry when I was outside of it, and seeing it inside its boundaries. At first, I thought it was difficult because of these differences. I wasn’t used to dealing with customers or taking pictures. But now I think of all this as being part of a tattooist.

How would you describe your work? Every one of my tattoos is a small world in itself. There are stories to be found in my little works. Most of my tattoos are cute or beautiful and I always try to put a special meaning in them. Most people want to express themselves with tattoos or have them contain stories. Customers also give the tattoos I make for them meanings that even I don’t think of.

You’re open to doing cover-up tattoos, can you tell us more about this? I do about four or five cover-up tattoos a month. My customers usually want to cover their existing tattoos with flowers, animals, the moon and clouds. Cover-ups are more difficult than general tattoos. Not only do I need to cover previous work in a natural and beautiful way, but I also have to pay attention to any damage to the skin. They’re just as interesting as the other tattoos I do and I love that my customers are always very satisfied with the new tattoo. I feel very proud of them.

What would you say to someone wanting a cover up tattoo from you? If you want to get a cover-up tattoo, you must read the cover-up precautions beforehand. Since the cover-up isn’t magic you need to consider that the size and colour can’t be as diverse as a regular tattoo can be. This is because tattoo ink cannot put bright colours over dark colours. Plus, the cover-up design should be larger than the existing tattoo. I make an appointment after the customer has thought about these things.

How do you feel covering and updating another tattooer’s work? I’m not conscious of the tattooist who gave my customers existing tattoos. I just focus on the needs of my customers. I see so many people get cover-ups because their tattoos smudge or the previous tattooer has messed up a lot. But, there are some people who cover them because their tastes change. Therefore, I’m open to someone who has been tattooed by me having my work covered by someone else.

What inspires you? Everything around me. Of course, nature is my greatest inspiration, especially as natural things are always around us. The changes in seasons and temperatures, the flowers and animals I’ve seen along the road and new scenery on trips inspire me. 

Can you tell us about the process behind your tattoos? The first thing I do is draw a design and almost every day I upload one on Instagram. So, in fact, even when I’m not working on tattoos, I keep drawing and editing photos to upload. When the design is sold through Instagram the appointment date is set. I then prepare a stencil, guide customers on placement during our consultation and finally tattoo them.

What do you like to tattoo and what would you like to do more of? These days, the combination of animals and flowers is the most interesting to me. These tattoos are small and delicate and they take a lot of time. But, it’s always fun when I’m working on these. I do, however, want to draw and tattoo bigger pieces.

Can you tell us about your own tattoos? Are you a tattoo collector? I have eight tattoos on my body. Three small doodle tattoos, three plant tattoos, a goldfish tattoo and my cat tattoo. Two of them were given to me by my tattoo teacher, Soltattoo. After I got a few tattoos on my body, the style I wanted became clear. But I don’t think I have enough to say I’m a tattoo collector maybe after another two or three tattoos.

How does it feel making tattoos in Korea when they’re still illegal? I always feel like I’m carrying a certain amount of anxiety. Before I became a tattooist, I hesitated because it was illegal. That’s why I’m always cautious. Now I’m used to the anxiety, but I hope it becomes legal soon so that both tattooists and customers can get tattoos safely.

How are tattoo artists seen by society?There are still two points of view. Contrary to the positive perspective of people who enjoy tattoo culture, there is a conservative and disgusting view of tattoos. As a person engaged in tattoo culture, I am still surprised when I encounter people who feel disgust for tattoos, especially while I’m surrounded by people who love tattoos. Most of the older generations still regard tattoos as a symbol of negative attitudes, which is why tattoos are not legalised in Korea.

Despite all of this what moment in your career are you most proud of? I’m proud every time that people love my tattoos. I’m glad that I do this job whenever I receive good reviews from customers after tattooing.

Make sure to follow @fluffy_tattoo on Instagram for more adorable tattoos.

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Interview with Hernán Giamberardino

Tattoo artist and founder of Cry Baby tattoo in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, Hernán Giamberardino (best known as “Adamexiste”) tells us about his journey to become a tattooer, his appreciation for his clients and the detailed tattoos he creates…

What inspired you to become a tattoo artist? I got my first tattoo at the age of 15, but what inspired me to become a tattoo artist was actually TV shows. Back then we didn’t have social media, so I was exposed to the tattoo scene by the pictures hanging outside of tattoo shops in my hometown. I never thought about it as an art expression until these TV reality tattooing shows came out and I became obsessed.

How did you become an artist? My grandfather was a musician, my mother is a painter, so I guess art is in my DNA. I knew that if I wanted to become a good tattoo artist I would need more information. I was studying fine arts in Barcelona at the time, but I wasn’t getting what I wanted out of it, so I quit and got into Illustration at the Superior School of Design in Palma. That was game changing for me, I finally got the knowledge I needed and became more confident about tattooing.

My first job as a tattoo artist was in a nightclub, I always say if you can tattoo in a nightclub you can tattoo anywhere! It was a lot of fun and I gained what felt like years of experience in just a couple of months. I’m very grateful for that opportunity, although I would never do it again. I then worked for the same company in downtown Palma and after three years I had gained enough clients that I decided to open my own tattoo shop.

How long have you been tattooing? Ive been tattooing for almost 10 years and hope to keep doing it for a very long time.

How would you describe your work? I would describe my work as “delicate and detailed”. I have some sort of Horror Vacui, so even if it’s a small piece it needs to be full of details. I’m a perfectionist and in small tattoos there’s no space for errors. I think that’s what I love the most about fine line and small tattoos, every piece is a challenge and you need to be focus a 100%. I also love the aesthetic, love to see a sleeve full of small tattoos and think of the story behind each one of them.

Have you always tattooed like this? When I started tattooing I tried a little of every style, mainly because when you work for a company you don’t really get to choose what you tattoo or just do the things you like. You have to do a bit of everything. Instagram and social media really helped me develop the audience and clients that I wanted. I only posted the kind of tattoos that I wanted people to ask me for. Now I’m very grateful that I can decide what I want to tattoo and what I don’t.

What do you love to tattoo and what would you like to do more of? I love tattooing anything related to nature. Now more than ever tattoo trends change so quickly and I find something timeless in nature related tattoos. You can see them 10 years from now and they will still work. Insects and plants are my favourite, and pet portraits too when you see the client’s reaction. I would love to do more portraits of people, I absolutely enjoy it and it’s the biggest challenge for me.

How has the pandemic affected you and your tattooing? I can’t really say the pandemic affected my business in a negative way. I had to close the shop for four months and stay at home and that gave me the chance to work on other projects that I had going on.

Once we could reopen I think I had even more clients than before. Bars and restaurants were closed, social events were cancelled so people that love tattoos had the time and money. I’m very aware that this hasn’t been everyone’s situation so all I can say is how grateful I am to all my clients that kept on coming to the shop in this hard times.

The bad part of the pandemic for me was the fear. Obviously the nature of our job demands us to take extra care regardless if we are in a pandemic or not. In the beginning it was very unclear what was the best way to keep everybody and ourselves safe.

Can you tell us about your own tattoos? Are you a tattoo collector? Most of my tattoos are handpoke. I’m very lazy on the aftercare, and handpoke doesn’t require a lot of it. I always have to think a lot for my clients, so when it comes to my own tattoos I prefer to go to my friends’ flashbooks and choose the first thing that calls my attention. 

I’m more of a friends’ tattoo collector, I love tattoos that makes me laugh when I see them or remind me of a special person. I have a lot of tattoos that were made by friends that had never done a tattoo before and they’re my favourite. I also have a lot of insects, animals and matching tattoos with people I love.

Plans for the future? I’m currently in the process of opening a second tattoo shop so I can have more artists with me. I love working with people and the inspirational flow it creates so I’m very excited about it. I’m also gonna be participating, for the first time, in a tattoo convention in October and I think that will be an amazing experience.

Give Hernán a follow on Insta for more incredible tattoos and keep up to date with his future plans.