Tag: Realism

Posted on

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.

Posted on

Interview with tattoo artist Sambee

We chat to North London tattooer Sambee about her journey into the tattoo world and her experiences as a woman of colour in the tattoo industry…

What inspired you to become a tattoo artist? To be honest it was never an ambition of mine, even though I had always drawn, been creative and did art at school. I also used to go home after school and watch LA Ink and NY Ink. I thought they were pretty cool shows but I never saw them as a future career.

Saying that, the idea of making things with my hands was attractive to me. It meant I would always have a way of being able to provide for myself without relying on someone to hire me.

How did you become an artist? A friend took a design of mine to a local tattooist and asked if I would go with him to get the tattoo done. Whilst I was there the tattooist talked to me about my designs, he was opening a studio soon and asked if I’d like to be the apprentice.

At the time I was looking to go to university but my parents were surprisingly supportive of me becoming a tattoo apprentice.

Can you tell us about your experiences in the tattoo industry? My apprenticeship started two months before my nineteenth birthday. I’m at the end of my twenties now, so it has been quite an education. It’s been a strange world to navigate through especially when you come into it quite young.

Tattooing is a great expressive art form and there’s always something to learn or a way to challenge yourself. The more you put in the more you’ll get out.

You meet all types of people, some sweet and some more savoury, but that’s like all industries. It’s nice to see more women and women of colour coming up in the industry.

Can you tell us more about the experiences you have had as a woman and a woman of colour in the industry? I’ve had some awkward moments. I think the frustrating thing about being a woman in a male dominated industry is that you can feel obliged to not create what’s sometimes perceived as ‘trouble’, or perhaps what used to be perceived that way. 

Even now, I initially felt like I had to answer this question by downplaying or lightly glossing over experiences.

If I were to mention every little moment where race or gender felt to me like a disadvantage or something I’ve had to speak out to defend against, it would be a long list. 

Toward the end of my apprenticeship, I was being tattooed by someone (who my mentor invited to the studio). I can’t remember how the subject of race was brought up, but somehow we got talking about it and mid tattoo session, with my limb in the tattooists’ hand, he says the words “ya know, I don’t actually believe in ‘mix raced’.”

My ears perked up, my heart rate rose and I had to control my facial expression. I just thought, let me make it to the end of the tattoo session and then I won’t have to listen to any more ignorance. 

I’ve also heard clients say they don’t believe in racism, casually, while I’m tattooing them. I’ve also seen someone point out the window at a person in a wheelchair and say the words “look, that’s a n*gger in a wheeelchair”. I was in that room. 

Are there any female artists and women of colour artists you’d like our readers to know about? Hell yeah there is! There’s lots of women that I know and follow on social media that make me proud to be in this job, at this time, because it has come such a long way since I started. 

My colleagues Trang and Chanelle are so talented, focused, driven and kind hearted. I used to work with Jade and we both had the ambition to get into tattooing. She’s got a beautiful heart and does beautiful tattoos. 

People should also follow:

The list goes on!

What attracted you to black and grey tattooing? I’m not sure why I was more interested in black and grey. I appreciate all styles, but when it came to doing them I found that black and grey made more sense. It feels more straightforward.

Have you always tattooed like you do now? I started out doing anything and everything and then slowly just narrowed it down to black and grey realism.

I’m sure in another 10 years my style will change, but I can’t see it changing too drastically. That’s the thing within any creative industry the only limits are what you put on yourself. It’s sometimes scary to change because it’s new to you and you obviously lack experience. Also you’re beginning the process all over again and that creates more self doubt.

Can you tell us about the process behind your tattoos? Sure! There’s not too much to it, my client would have given me images or a description through an email enquiry. With that information I search and source photos relevant to the idea and begin putting that into a composition to suit whichever area the tattoo is going. I tend to do image sourcing the night before and then put together designs in the morning showing a few options.

What inspires you? Other artists, not just artists who do black and grey. Or seeing people who have older tattoos and wondering how can I do my work to a standard that will hold and look sick as it ages.

It would be cool when my clients are in nursing homes and still feel excited about their tattoos or getting compliments.

What do you like to tattoo and what would you like to do more of? I really enjoy tattooing animals. Anything fluffy! I’d love to do more iconic portraits too. I’ve done a few civil rights projects and I loved those! Also any Marvel/DC characters would be a dream!

Are you a tattoo collector? I’ve got a few cats! I wouldn’t say I’m a collector maybe just an enthusiast, I’m definitely not at that level by any means.

I’ve enjoyed getting pieces so far from my talented colleague Matt Lunn and the awesome Anrijs, Ash Higham and Edgar Ivanov.

What moment in your career are you most proud of? Working my first convention felt quite pivotal. There’s a lot of anticipation for that moment, so much preparation and it can feel like a big hurdle when you build it up in your head. But it was a lot of fun!

I’m currently at a big transitional moment in my career. I’m joining my friends in making our own artist led studio. I cannot wait for it to be finished! This will definitely be the proudest moment in my career once it’s up and running.

Make sure to follow Sambee for more amazing realism tattoos and updates on her new studio.

Posted on

Interview with tattooist Pasha Et

A tattoo artist for 6 years, Pasha Et (Pavlo Kurylo) creates beautiful black and grey realism tattoos in Ukraine. We chatted to Pasha about the inspiration behind his pieces...

How long have you been tattooing and how did you get into the industry? I wanted to be a tattoo artist when I was 18. I found some videos about tattoos and decided that I could do it too. I’ve always liked tattoos and at 19 I bought all the necessary equipment and made my first tattoo, that was back in 2015.

What does tattooing mean to you? For me, tattoos are style, beauty, and self-expression. To be a tattoo artist is to give these things to other people. I enjoy the process of creating a cool tattoo, so after the tattoo is finished, my client will also enjoy their tattoo for life.

How would you describe the tattoo scene in the Ukraine and Belgium? If we’re talking about tattoo artists, then every country has some very cool but also bad tattoo artists. It seems to me to be about the same, there’s a balance.

If we talk about clients then the difference is really big. In Ukraine tattooing is still developing. Basically people aged 20-35 want to get a tattoo, but many of them are still students and can’t afford a quality tattoo. Most people over the age of 40 don’t understand tattoos or tattooing, they don’t see it as art.

Of course, there are exceptions, but it’s mostly like that. But in Belgium, clients consciously approach tattooing, they’re smart with their choice of tattoo and tattoo artist.

How would you describe your style? I work in the realism style with the technique of “whip shading”. I really like how tattoos look in this technique. I work mostly with small portraits (usually celebrities) and various sculptures or statues.

What’s the process behind your tattoos? How long does a typical tattoo take? It starts with the client sending me an example of what they would like, then we meet for a consultation and discuss all the details. Then we create a sketch in Photoshop (this is usually a collage of several pictures), if necessary, I finish sketching by hand. The next step is to determine the size and try a sketch on the part of the body they want tattooing. Once this is ok we agree on the date and time of the session.

Usually portraits take 4-6 hours. If they’re quite large portraits, about 20cm in length without additional details and heavy elements I can do them in one session (5-7 hours). If a portrait has lots of details, it can take 2-3 sessions each one being about 5-6 hours, but it all depends on how detailed and complex the design is.

Where do you get your inspiration? I am inspired by so many things. I’m mostly inspired by people in other creative professions, those who work hard on themselves and succeed in their field and beyond. It could be a tattoo artist, graffiti artist, a photographer or musician – anyone creative.

What do you love to tattoo and what would you like to do more of? Generally, I like to do realism by using photos. I would like to make even more portraits, especially shots from movies.

How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected your tattooing? I’ve had more time to develop and improve my style, but I think COVID has had the biggest impact on my trips to other countries to either work or go to tattoo festivals. Unfortunately, until the situation around the world improves it will be very difficult to move. But someday it will all end and tattoo artists will be able to travel and make people happy with their tattoos again.

Be sure to follow Pasha on Instagram for more awesome realism tattoos.

Posted on

Interview with tattoo artist Suro

Suro tattoos out of Gold Leaf Ink, San Francisco where she creates incredible (mostly) black and grey realism mixed with illustrative style tattoos. In this interview Suro tells us about her path into tattooing and what she’s learnt along the way…

I was actually born in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. I spent my entire childhood there all the way up until 12th grade. I wanted to experience college in the states, especially art schools in New York, even though there are a ton of great art colleges in Dubai. I mostly wanted an escape. I come from a traditional Sri Lankan family and they wanted me to pursue a career as a doctor or lawyer. I knew that to be true to myself and find my creative rhythm I had to move.

The idea of tattooing was so far-fetched at that point because of my strict family and tattooing is taboo in the middle east, meaning haram (forbiddened) in the Islamic religion. I would get super intrigued by tattoos as I watched TV and saw tattoos on tourists that would come into town.

I kept saying that I would get a tattoo when I move to The States. Little did I know I would be pursuing a career in it. 

I’ve been creative since I was a baby, drawing on the walls and doors. I knew it was either art or nothing! I Loved to paint and I’ve painted with acrylics since I can remember. The only reason I even passed some subjects was because my diagrams were so realistic! So I knew I had to pursue a career in the arts.

I ended up at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY where I pursued Interior Design. I was super excited as I was going to an actual art school with other creatives, painters, sculptors, photographers, etc. It was during my time at Pratt that I found my way into the tattoo industry and I’ve never looked back. 

Starting out in a diverse city like NYC I was grateful to have come to work with some real cool people in the industry. I worked at about three shops mostly – the first Big Bang Ink in Brooklyn where I apprenticed at, and then Village Tattoo located in St.Marks which was my first shop as a tattooer and finally Red Baron Ink in the Lower East Side. Each studio had tattooers from different ethnicities and had different tattooing skills so it was cool getting to learn something new from them. I never once felt disrespected by any of them, so I know I was super lucky because tattooers, especially females have been treated unfairly.

I had quite a start, pretty rough cause I was super broke right after college. I was in between bartending and trying to keep my apprenticeship at Big Bang. Unfortunately I allowed nightlife to consume me which became my downfall and had to put a pause in my apprenticeship. I try to live with no regrets since I did bounce back a year later, but I do agree that was time wasted.

I have a better understanding of the industry especially to my clients. I’ve learnt to develop a language to communicate my art and tattoo what I like to tattoo.

This industry is forever changing, and has been since I started about nine years ago. From the techniques and styles to even the public being more accepting of them. So this alone has opened up many doors for tattooers. From tattooing celebrities to people in blue collar, tattooers are now finding more and more creative ways to tattoo. Example, wireless tattooing is now a common thing which was a spoken myth back in the day.

When I started, most of the equipment I used was heavy and bulky whereas now I can literally fit my entire set up in a Fanny pack (CRAZY!) So having a wider range of clientele nowadays has evolutionised the art of tattooing. There are more styles too, like minimalism, dotwork, blackwork, micro realism etc. I can’t say the days of the Sailor Jerry flash are dead because hell that will be the day the industry dies, but it’s amazing to see how the newer generation of tattooers are changing the game. 

My style of tattooing is a mix between illustrative and realism. I love playing with light and shadows, so the contrast level will differ from piece to piece. I also love playing with lineweight, so having both bold and fine linework. My inspiration comes from art all over. Abstract to renaissance paintings I love to pull inspiration from fine art mostly. 

Even though I paint with color I enjoy a monochromatic palette more. Using a pen, pencil or even charcoal is my favorite and has always been. I enjoy smooth shading and love when I can bring some realism with just one color. So my preference is mostly black and grey. I love to shade anything, from portraits to inanimate objects, to florals, etc. I really enjoy tattooing details so the more details the more fun the piece gets! 

I see myself opening a private studio sometime in the future. I want to create a space that will pull in artists of different backgrounds and styles so that we can learn from each other. The same experience I had when I started nine years ago. The beautiful thing about this career is that there’s always room to grow and learn. So I can’t speak on it much now but I’m excited to see what the next nine years will bring. 

So for those looking to start, understand it is a commitment and an investment. Don’t start if your mind is not in the right space whether it be financially or even emotionally. Your relationship with whomever will be affected but know no matter what that it’s so worth it in the end.

An apprenticeship could take anywhere from a year to two, but what determines that is your drive. Find a solid mentor who also is in a good mental space cause you will take on from what you see, and trust me you don’t want one who parties! So have a good support system, surround yourself with those who make you better cause you’re going to need every bit as you start this journey. 

Make sure to follow Suro on Instagram for more amazing tattoos.

Posted on

Awakening dreams: Maxime Etienne

Transforming dreams into tattoos and bodies into works of art – tattoo artist Maxime Etienne, owner of Leonart studio in Bondi, Sydney, Australia chats to us about his humble beginnings, the process behind his designs and his charity work…

I have been getting tattoos since I was 18 and always loved art in terms of creation. Painting, sculpting, drawing and tattooing have always been industries I’ve wanted to work in. But, I never thought I could have the skills to do any of them until I tried to draw in late 2016. I started drawing with a lot of geometry pattern and in an abstract version of realism.

I started tattooing in late 2016 at home when I realised I could actually draw a little. I wanted to get more tattoos but couldn’t afford them. So I ordered a $40 tattoo kit on eBay and started to practice on my legs, my arms and even my chest and stomach before tattooing some friends.

I never thought I could be a professional artist of any kind. But after tattooing a decent number of friends for the about eight months loads of people contacted me via Instagram and my follwers increased. I realised that maybe I could become a real tattoo artist one day. One night I met a bunch of tattooists that loved my chest piece that I did myself. They told me “if you can do that on yourself and it heals that way then you can definitely become a tattoo artist.”

So, after roughly 10 months I decided to apply for my licence here in Australia and started in a studio as soon as I received it. After 10 months working in that studio, I opened my own and now it has been two years and I work more than I ever expected.

After some researc I discovered so many artists that inspired me and realised what I like is already there and what I could do would be appreciated by a certain audience. I pushed my creativity further and came up with what I do today. Realism, abstract and detailed pieces that are done to tell a story or express a feeling. I am inspired by everything that comes into my mind and what I love. Nature, animals, astronomy, women’s features, architecture and scientific research illustrations.

Most of my designs are from my clients’ stories. I am trying to turn their feelings, dreams, or their past into images. I design everything one day before the appointment and finalise it on the day after asking further questions. I work that way because I really put myself into their story or project and so I don’t work on several designs at the same time. I only book one client a day to ensure we can get the best out of their future tattoo.

I see myself as a designer more than someone who draws, as I often mix up several elements all together.

I try to give my designs the best contrast and shape for the placement that is given to me. I cannot freehand my designs as they require great details and geometry. Floral and extra small pieces in a piece can sometimes be free-handed, but I prefer having a stencil on to ensure the result will be the best and let my client really visualise what it will look like.

My style is really hard to describe in one word. It is composed of micro realism, abstract and geometry. A dream project would be a full body covered of many designs that would express the wish of freedom and the love for nature and earth. I love the diagram patterns used from engineers and would attach all designs together that way to turn the body into an actual book of human feelings and perception of life on our planet. What we are doing on earth, thanking it for the beauty of it and mixing different feelings most of us are going through to express our strength and fragility.

I see my art lasting through time as I am constantly trying to evolve, learn and create. I am a dreamer and a hard worker at the same time. I always give everything I have to achieve my goals, but if one day my art isn’t appreciated any more and I am forced to only execute clients’ thoughts without having the opportunity to create on my own, then I will do something else.

Tattooing became a passion, it’s more than a job. It has never been a way to make money for me, but a dream that became true – to live by doing what I love and making people happy.

Tattooing is an industry where we are in contact with people for hours and deep conversations occur during the process of tattooing. I’ve met so many incredible people that have told me real stories of what they have been through and their issues. Which are unfortunately not mentioned enough to a general audience, including domestic violence issues. I have been raised by my grandmother and my mother and grew up with one sister. Women are everything, they made me who I am today.

I work with an organisation called Karmagawa created by two really close friends of mine, Mat Abad and Thimoty Sykes. I travel with them and help them on different events around the world and design clothes for charity. They both inspire me not only with their charity work, but with their personalities and open minds. They showed me that we can do more than just work for ourselves and we must all help when we can.

Domestic violence, which isn’t always physical, on children and women is something I would really like to help with. Organisations are here to help those in need and money is often necessary to ensure they can keep running. Doing a tattoo fundraiser isn’t only for the money but to reach people that might be in need or even to help them realise what happens to them isn’t normal.

Social media as a platform is powerful, me doing a tattoo fundraiser with posts and stories might push other artists to do so too. I have done similar with the Australian bush fires and given the money to people that were helping those on the spot not just to the organisation.

That’s what I would like to do here. I would like to raise money of course by giving all the profit to organisations, but I am sure that just posting about it could help to raise awareness and I will do that a couple of times every year. My future project is to open a studio in Amsterdam and work with artists that will be willing to do some flash days every year for different causes.