Tag: South Korea

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Interview with Tattooist EQ

Tattooist EQ creates incredible miniature tattoos that are packed with colour and life in a studio near Hongdae in Seoul, Korea. We chatted to the tattoo artist about her journey into the tattoo world and how traditional paintings inspire her work…

How long have you been tattooing and how did you get started in the industry? It’s been almost four years since I started tattooing and getting tattooed. I started because the people around me encouraged me to become a tattoo artist. Even when I was younger people said I would grow up to be a tattoo artist as I was so good at drawing.

What inspired you to become an artist? Do you have a background in art? I majored in design in college and after graduation I worked as an art teacher. Then I became a tattooist on the recommendations of those around me. I started creating work that was based on the traditional art that I liked and was interested in.

How would you describe your style? What drew you to colour tattoos? The tattoos I create are small and detailed. I like to fill my designs and client’s skin in detailed, elaborate and vivid colours. In this sense, the art of oriental paintings with their traditional colours that perfectly represent Korea inspire me a lot.

What inspires your designs? I’m usually inspired by natural and traditional things. I think traditional art has great power. Because I base my work on this I think each piece I make has a message and it’s own power.

Can you tell us about the process behind your tattoos? I express traditional oriental paintings by depicting various materials, landscapes and oriental animals such as cranes and tigers. Using the genre of frame tattoos I create the scene of looking into a world through a window. Through the window anyone can obtain the beauty of an oriental painting. My client’s stories are expressed in the frame in various colours and details.

I condense the beauty of oriental painting into a small rectangular space.

We love the miniature details in your tattoos, are there any challenges with these? For me, there’s nothing particularly difficult about tattooing in this way. However I set a minimum size because my designs are drawn on skin rather than paper. Dragons and tigers are difficult to create in such detail when the frame is too small. So when possible I set the size to 10-15cm, then there are no difficulties.

What do you like to tattoo and what would you like to do more of? I like to express my customers’ stories with my tattoos. Of course, I like my designs to be based on traditional art, but it’s also interesting when I can convey the stories of my customers.

My clients will tell me their stories and experiences and I then transform these into my style. I think there’s no limit when it comes to my art. Although, I want to draw more diverse stories and a variety of subject matter.

How do you see your tattoos evolving in the future? I usually do small and detailed tattoos but I’d like to work on tattoos that are larger. Even if these take a long time I want to draw a person’s life on a big canvas. Also I think the day will come when I’ll make merchandise, prints and original paintings to sell rather than just tattoos.

Where’s your favourite place to travel and tattoo? I like to work abroad, I’ve found there are a lot of people who like my tattoos or have seen them on one of my clients and now want one. There are so many countries I haven’t been to yet, but if I get the chance I want to go to more countries and meet new people.

Do you have any travels or guest spots planned? I don’t have any places planned right now. But I’m ready to leave whenever I get the chance!

What was your first tattoo? My first tattoo was a plant. I drew a lot of plants at first because I’m interested in the natural world. My first tattoo was from a friend and to this day it looks good. My tattoos are all connected to nature and animals like oriental tigers and dragons.

What’s the tattoo scene like where you are? Tattoos are still illegal in Korea, despite this I think Korean tattooists are very talented, recognised for their work and popular the world over. – it’s very ironic to me. There is a movement for legalisation in Korea and I think tattoos will be legal soon.

What do you do when you’re not tattooing/drawing? I tend to go out of town on my day off to get some fresh air and see exhibitions.

What moment in your career are you most proud of? I feel the most proud during the moments when I finish a tattoo and show it to my client. I feel like I’m giving my clients their stories as a gift.

Make sure to follow @tattooist_eq for more incredible miniature tattoo-scapes.

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Interview with tattoo artist Yeono

Tattooist Yeono creates incredible realism tattoos at 10KF_Hollywood in Los Angeles, CA. We chatted to the tattoo artist about her pet portraits and how her personality goes hand in hand with realisitic tattoos…

How long have you been a tattoo artist? I have been a tattoo artist for nine years, since 2014.

How have you seen the industry evolve since you began? The tattoo industry has become more diversified and popularised in that time.

The most remarkable change is the number of people who enter the industry, and the quality of their work is really amazing and impressive.

How did you become a tattooist? I wasn’t interested in drawing when I was younger. When I was 17 my mother wanted to get a small tattoo, so we looked at photos of tattoos together. We came across a back piece tattoo by a famous Japanese tattooist and I remember marvelling at it. Before seeing it the only tattoos I knew were the butterfly and Chinese characters on my mother’s body. I knew instantly that I wanted to create tattoos like the Japanese tattoo artist, so I made up my mind to become a tattooist.

This was one of the decisions that changed everything in my life.

How would you describe your work? Why drew you portraits and realism? In the beginning, I just liked drawing things realistically without thinking about the concept or meaning of the picture. Later on I started studying the aesthetic and meanings of tattoos.

I don’t think drawing the exact same picture as you see in a photo is the most important thing about tattooing. Instead I’m drawing pictures that can touch my clients’ lives. I want to show realistic tattoos in an easy to access and new interesting way. Another charm of these kinds of tattoos is that they take a long time and a lot of effort is needed to complete them.

My work, alongside the importance of design also has an emotional element. I think the perfect realism is powerful and greatly influences people. The reality is a virtual reality and I like my tattoos to be more on the side of virtual reality.

Has your style changed? I learnt the basics of design and tattooing from a Korean tattooist who created Japanese-style tattoos. So, I did new school and Japanese style tattoos for several years. But I became interested in black and grey tattoos, so I studied drawing in pencil. Currently, I mostly work on small-size realistic tattoos and pet tattoos.

What inspires your tattoos? I think my clients and many of the artists in the world have a great influence on me. I’m often found appreciating the works of hyper-realist artists, when I view their work it’s hard for me to tell which is a photo and which is a painting, which is a copy and which is the original. I think this kind of experience is another charm of hyper-realistic paintings.

When I see this kind of work represented in tattoos I am amazed and think of all the things I would like to do in the future.

What’s the tattoo culture like where you were born? In Korea, tattooing is regarded as a medical practice, so it can be only performed by licensed medical personnel. Even though drawing tattoos is not against the law, no one can make tattoos without medical doctor’s license. Nevertheless, the tattoo industry has been continuously growing.

I can’t understand how so many Korean tattooists who are internationally famous are treated as criminals at home.

However, there are people who are working hard for the legislation of tattooing. I hope the bill is passed quickly, so many Korean tattooists can work in a safe environment.

We love your pet tattoos, can you tell us more about these? There are many artists who specialise in pet tattoos and so each artist has a different artistic approach and techniques to express these images. I think I have many strengths that differentiate me from these other artists.

Thanks to my ability to concentrate I can work on delicate animal hair, soft shading, clean and accurate colour packing for a long time. I try hard to create powerful and substantial tattoos by using the various techniques I have learnt.

I’ve always had dogs and cats, now I have three cats. I really love animals and I feel so happy when I get to tattoo animals. My memories and personal experiences of raising animals helps me to create a strong bond and sympathise with my clients.

Has your background influenced your style at all?  My personality has had much more of an influence on my tattoo style than my background. I have great concentration and thoughtfulness, so for the most part I complete my work accurately and perfectly. This is why my personality goes well with the realistic tattoos I create as they requires a lot of time and efforts

Do you have a tattoo experience that sticks out in your mind? Out of all of the tattoo experiences I have had in the past nine years, the tattoo I remember the most is my first tattoo.

My mother was my first client and she got a tattoo of my name and my elder brother’s name on her arm. It was such a simple lettering style tattoo, but on top of feeling really nervous, it took more than eight hours to complete the whole process, which is why I can’t forget this memory.

What’s been your proudest and/or happiest moment in your career so far? It is difficult to pick one because there are so many. I always feel happy whenever my clients smile or shed a tear of joy after getting a tattoo. I feel proud of myself when I can make somebody feel happy.

What do you do when you’re not tattooing/drawing? I like to exercise and have fallen in love with reading books. After enjoying some recent travel experiences I’ve made it my goal to take trips more often. I just like to live a happy life.

Be sure to follow Yeono for more adorable pet portraits and extraoridinary realism tattoos.

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Dragon tattoos: Interview with tattoo artist Intat

Tattooist Intat creates mythical blackwork dragon tattoos at Yasaeng tattoo parlour in Seoul. We chatted to the artist about his style and how he’s working to change how tattoos and tattooers are thought of in South Korea...

How long have you been tattooing and how did you get started in the industry? I started tattooing about eight years ago in 2015. At that time I didn’t have any contact with the tattoo world or tattoos, but coincidentally I came across the fine line genre of tattooing and became fascinated by it. So much so that I dropped out of university and immediately entered into the tattoo industry.

What inspired you to become an artist? I would say that I was inspired by the time I have spent with different types of people who were firm in what they wanted to do, they were free and happy. I longed to be like them.

Above all else my will to do what I wanted to do was the main reason I became an artist.

Do you have a background in art? I started painting when I was four years old and I majored in art at university, before I left to become a tattoo artist.

How would you describe your style? Among my works you’ll see representations of dragons, other animals and plants. If I have to choose a style or genre of tattooing I’d say I fit in the blackwork genre.

I express my own black and white art with a naturally toned arrangement that harmonises with my clients’ skin tones. My tattoos have a stable balance of composition and delicate and complex expressions.

Why did you choose to work mainly in black ink? I think the delicate and heavy atmosphere that can be expressed through black ink is really attractive. The use of dark and bright is simple and easy to interpret.

My favourite colour is black, but that doesn’t mean I only use black. If the design appears to me as being an interesting experiment then I am open to using various colours.

What inspires your designs? I’m affected by everything I see and experience. I only work in my own set style, but if you look closely you can see subtle differences in all of my works.

I think that this is the reason why what I see and feel in real time and real life is directly, or perhaps indirectly, incorporated into the tattoos and paintings I do at that very moment.

Does your heritage influence your art? For me, it’s always interesting to deal with traditional symbols and images from my heritage that have a unique feel to them. However it’s also very difficult.

I’ve been dealing with all sorts of oriental gods (such as dragons and haetae) and the experiences I have with these ideas and creatures have a huge impact on me.

Can you tell us about the process behind your tattoos? I actually have an obstacle that makes pulling off the complicated and difficult style I do difficult. During my military service, I had an accident involving my fingers and I had to have surgery. This incident means that the fingers that hold the tattoo machine are actually numb.

It has taken me a long time to overcome this problem but eventually I have learnt to create tattoos as I do now.

What do you like to tattoo and what would you like to do more of? I like to tattoo anything that I can express in my style. But I especially like to tattoo my signature material – dragons and snakes.

How do you see your tattoos evolving in the future? I think tattooing will stay on the timeline it’s on at the moment. It just feels like it’s continually moving as it always has but when we look back we’ll realise how much change there has been.

Where’s been your favourite place to travel and tattoo? I have worked in a lot of countries and experienced different places. Based on these experiences, I think the best environment is one that follows the rules of sanitation and allows you optimal space to move around and be comfortable.

What was your first tattoo? Do you still like it? My first tattoo is a Darth Vader Star Wars tattoo, it’s a big piece on my shoulder. I love Star Wars, but I didn’t plan on having these designs tattooed on me at the beginning. I got this tattoo because I wanted to know what being tattooed was like, so I knew my customer’s point of view and could learn the technicalities of tattooing. I don’t regret getting it and the experience taught me a lot.

How has your tattoo collection developed since then? After my first tattoo I have only gotten tattoos from my favourite artists. For example I have tattoos from @oozy_tattoo and @zihaes.tale.

Do you have any more travels or guest spots planned? I’m open to travelling to any place but for now I think I’ll be tattooing in Korea for a while.

What’s the tattoo scene like where you are? The tattoo scene in Korea is not particularly pleasant, because tattoos are still outside the bounds of the law.

I am working as an executive at the Tattoo Union, which was established to legislate tattoos in Korea, and I am working for the rights of tattooists.

What do you do when you’re not tattooing/drawing? I spend most of my day doing tattoo-related things. When I finish my tattoo work, I work through my reservations and consultations. I also produce content to upload or draw a design and the rest of the time I’m sleeping.

Some people say that this kind of life is unfortunate, but I’m happiest when I work.

What moment in your career are you most proud of? Although it’s much better now the recognition tattoos and tattooers get in Korea is still very bad. Often though my work breaks people’s preconceived notions of tattoos and some of these people even end up getting a tattoo from me.

I think my proudest moments are when my work contributes to the positively change the way tattoos are perceived.

Follow Intat for more incredible linework dragon and mythical creature tattoos.

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Interview with tattoo artist Girin

Tattooist Girin creates dark Japanese tattoos at at 3layer studio in Seoul, South Korea. We chatted to Girin about how he got into the industry and what inspires his work…

How long have you been tattooing and how did you get started in the industry? I’ve been tattooing in Korea for five years. Years ago my cousin opened a tattoo shop and it was there that I first experienced tattooing and tattoos. It was that day that I decided I wanted to become a tattoo artist.

Making my first tattoo was a special experience. My cousin trusted my drawing skills straight away and let me tattoo them.

What inspired you to become an artist? Comic books inspired me to become an artist. I’ve read a lot of comic books and ever since I was young it’s been my dream to become a cartoonist. When I was younger I started painting and I studied cartoons and animation at college.

How did your dark tattoos come about? I learnt how to tattoo on my own and when it came to learning colour tattoos I found them really hard. This style was too much for me to study by myself so I decided to work in black ink and create only black tattoos.

Can you tell us about the process behind your tattoos? I start by thinking about the overall idea then I draw a rough sketch. If I like the rough sketch I make a neater one. After that, I finish the design by drawing the light and shaded parts.

What inspires your designs? I study different designs by watching martial arts comic books and illustrations. In my tattoos I make sure that the details on the armour and helmet, that I’m tattooing, aren’t the same. I always keep trying to design new things.

I get a lot of inspiration from seeing monsters in the martial arts movies and games that I watch.

How would you describe your style? My work looks like Irezumi (Japanese tattoos) but I want to create my own unique style – Girin style.

How do you see your tattoos evolving in the future? I usually get to create big tattoos which I like. In the future I want to continue to engrave really nice tattoos on people’s skin so they can wear them like luxury clothes.

What was your first tattoo? My first tattoo was lettering by my cousin, I didn’t like it so I’ve since covered it. I kept finding problems with the designs and tattoos I chose, I just wasn’t satisfied – I keep thinking about getting better tattoos. Maybe one day I will.

Do you have any more travels or guestspots planned? I’m planning to go to Australia for a guest spot this winter.

What do you do when you’re not tattooing/drawing? I like to spend time watching games, animations, movies and dramas.

What moment in your career are you most proud of? Of course, I feel the most proud and excited when my customers are satisfied with a tattoo I’ve given them.

Follow Girin for more blackwork tattoos and travel updates.

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Interview with tattoo artist SOP

Tattooist SOP works in Yeonhui-dong, Seoul where he creates beautifully delicate linework and handwritten tattoos. We chat to the artist about his style and life as a tattooer in South Korea…

How long have you been a tattoo artist? It’s already been six years since I started working as a tattoo artist. Without taking a break, I started this job right after I completed my mandatory military service.

Why did you want to become a tattoo artist? Do you have a background in art? I have studied art since middle school. I majored in sculpture, after I studied art in high school and chose to do the same major in college.

I knew about tattooing before I did fine art, but I never considered it for a career. During high school we had a career counselling day, especially for fine art students, run by the vice principal. He told me that tattooing existed as a job and after that I became interested in tattoo artists. I’m still grateful to the vice principal for giving me that advice.

How would you describe your work? I hope my tattoos look like an accessory rather than a typical tattoo. They’re not noticeable because they’re thin and small, but that makes them more precious and special.

As we wear our favourite accessories all over our bodies, my tattoos are the one and only accessory that’s for the rest of our life.

This is my attitude towards tattooing and I will continue to work with this belief. In addition I think my delicate work is so attractive, so much so that it can have a positive effect on people even if they think tattoos are scary.

You create a lot of script tattoos, what can you tell us about these? The lettering tattoo designs that I make are with my own handwriting, which my clients choose to get tattooed with. I have loved handwriting since I was a kid, so when I started as a tattoo artist, I began making designs using my handwriting.

There are a lot of tattoo artists that work with existing typefaces or ones that aren’t their own, so I feel especially proud of my handwritten tattoos.

What drew you to linework rather than colour? Has your background influenced your style at all? I think black is the most basic and simple colour, and it can be seen for a long time without anyone getting tired of it. That’s why I was fascinated by black in the first place, and started to use only black ink.

As I mentioned earlier, I studied sculpture in art high school. However, during my school life, I enjoyed drawing small pictures, scribbling and handwriting rather than making sculptures. I have always liked the neatness of a black line drawing rather than drawings with colour.

I started tattooing by taking advantage of my strengths, and now I am very happy to be able to work with the things I have enjoyed since I was young.

Your tattoos are super delicate, what’s the process behind these? I think delicate tattoo designs are related to my personality – I enjoy organising and cleaning. People often think I’m a woman because of my work style, but I’m actually a man!

I’ve always admired works like dioramas and miniatures and I’m attracted to small and detailed things – I like to find the details when I look at things.

My tattoos are very thin which makes them special, unlike other tattooists I always use single needles so my work looks delicate and smooth.

It cheers me when my client gets one of my tattoos and says: “I’ve never seen such a thin tattoo before and I love it because it’s so thin.”

What inspires your tattoos and what do you like to create? My work is inspired by the details of things and is a result of me reinterpreting what I see. For example; paintings on signs, small designs on candy wrappers and patterns on clothes. I’m inspired by all of this and connect this with my tattoo designs.

As I like small and delicate things, I also like to make small sculptures or objects out of clay or assemble Lego. I also like to practise my handwriting by writing my favourite phrases. This helps me to evolve my handwriting into something new, especially if I’m tattooing the same words a lot – I think it’s very special.

What’s the tattoo culture like in South Korea? In Korea, older generations perceive tattoos in a negative way – they’re recognised as a part of the gangster culture. These perceptions are changing over time, and I think my cute little delicate work can have a positive impact. In fact, people from older generations have seen my tattoos and now have a better awareness and experience of tattoos. This opportunity makes me feel proud.

Do you have a tattoo experience that sticks out in your mind? I had a client who was a big fan of the legendary guitarist and austronomer Brian May, and at an astronomy lecture in Switzerland he autographed her arm. She wanted to get it tattooed, so she perfectly preserved it as she travelled back to Korea. I was able to tattoo his signature on her arm which was a very special and precious experience.

What’s been your proudest and happiest moment in your career so far? I studied art from middle school to high school and entered college as a sculpture major. But I dropped out of school after a year because I wanted to be a tattoo artist.

When I dropped out of college and told my parents that I would become a tattoo artist, they worried a lot. But now, my parents are more proud of me than anyone else and they show off my Instagram to their friends.

I’m very happy that I turned my parents’ worries into pride.

What do you do when you’re not tattooing/drawing? I like to go camping as I get a lot of inspiration from nature. While I’m quietly meditating complicated things get organised inside my head. Absorbing the sound of nature helps me get myself together especially while I’m working on tattoo designs.

Follow SOP for more incredibly delicate tattoo accessories.