We absolutely adore micro realism tattoos and tattoo artist Mooji (@mooji_tt) has taken the style to a whole new level, putting teeny works of art inside postage stamps (look how cute this one is!) and peeking through aeroplane windows. They work in Korea and we’d love to take a trip over there to get tattooed. Instead, we sat down for a chat where Mooji tells us about their journey into the tattoo world, their love of travel and future goals…
When did you first fall in love with tattoos?
I worked as a web developer at an IT company, which of course is a completely different industry from tattooing. My job involved writing code to build websites and also included web design. After working in the industry for about three years, I started dreaming of a different life. Until then, I had never really drawn, but on my days off, I stumbled upon drawing tutorials on YouTube and started sketching. That changed everything for me.
At 22, I started pursuing art seriously. I left my job to focus on it. As a result, I became a teacher, instructing art both online and in person. I also began developing an interest in drawing, eventually focusing heavily on portraiture. I even have an art Instagram account (I used to be quite active but I’m taking a break right now).
Initially, I didn’t have any desire to learn to tattoo. But that changed when I discovered the genre of micro realism. I was completely blown away by it, it felt entirely new. I became fascinated and developed a strong interest in learning how to tattoo in this style from that point onwards.
Before I found micro realism, I was only familiar with styles like blackwork, Irezumi, old school, and black and grey, so discovering this genre was quite a refreshing shock for me. I wonder if others fell in love with it for similar reasons?
How long have you been tattooing for? What was it like learning?
It has been five years since I started tattooing. @ziho_gallery taught me to tattoo; he is an exceptionally skilled micro realism tattoo artist. From him, I was able to learn various skills and techniques.
How did you develop your style to what it is today?
I believe my current style has been largely shaped by my clients. When I started tattooing, I didn’t immediately work on landscape tattoos, cover-up tattoos, or watercolor tattoos. It was when my clients began requesting these designs that my own ideas were incorporated, resulting in the creation of new designs. Through these processes, I naturally developed my own style.
Your style is so unique, your tattoos are almost like trinkets or souvenirs from travelling… stamps and aeroplane windows, what inspired that?
I was primarily doing landscape and photo-realistic tattoos, and I started looking for more unique and appealing designs. That’s when I thought of using postage stamps and airplanes as themes to create tattoo designs. These designs are more attractive to me because they are distinct from typical landscape tattoos. People seem to be really drawn to them.
Do you love to travel? Where have you been and where’s next?
Sure, I enjoy traveling. So far, I have visited Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Ireland, Bangkok, Japan – to name a few of the places. I haven’t decided on my next destination yet, but I’ll probably choose somewhere I haven’t been to before.
Are you planning any guest spots? If so where and how do we book in?
Sure, I’m currently planning for my next guest spot. Once the location is confirmed, I’m going to post about it on Instagram @mooji_tt. Anyone interested can send me reservation enquiries based on the instructions in that post.
Which artists do you admire and why?
I admire several artists. Among them, the ones that stand out to me are Sol (@soltattoo), Oozy (@oozy_tattoo), Saegeem (@saegeemtattoo), PittaKKM (@pittakkm) – plus others but there’s too many to name. They each have their own distinct style and possess a quality of expression that is unique to them. I believe there are many other artists as well from whom I can learn a great deal.
How do you usually work with customers? Do you mostly do custom work or do you create flash too?
I mainly focus on custom work. When customers describe the design they want, I create the design based on their descriptions. I sometimes make flash designs as well, but these days I primarily focus on custom projects.
What do you like to do when you’re not tattooing?
When I’m not tattooing I like to exercise and look after my health. In my personal time I’m also curating photos of my work and organising my socials.
What are your hopes for the future?
I still have so much to learn. My personal goal is to create artwork of even higher quality than I am now and become more proficient in tattooing. Establishing a systematic tattooing process and achieving excellent colour saturation in every piece is my aim. I hope that one day I’ll look at all my work and feel satisfied with what I’ve accomplished.
Follow Mooji on Instagram for more amazing micro realism tattoos.
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