The Stripped Issue_1

When and why
did you start
tattooing?
I started
tattooing in
2012, when I
was 22 years
old. I grew up
writing graffiti; I
was always
drawing on
something.
School wasn’t
my thing, and I
just wanted to
make a career
out of
something I
love, so I
sought out an
apprenticeship.
When you first
started, what style
did you lean
toward? Why?
When I first
started
tattooing, the
shop I was
apprenticing at
focused on a lot
of Filipino tribal
— heavy line
work, all black,
no shading. It
was their roots.
I can’t say I
leaned towards
it because it
was just
something I was
being taught. I
wanted to soak
up everything I
could and any
advice that
would help
build me as an
artist.
You do almost
exclusively black &
gray realism now.
What changed?
It’s a huge
change. I just
started
focusing more
on the detailbased
application of a
tattoo and
trying to make
something
come to life
rather than
remain flat.
There’s
something
about
comparing a
tattoo to your
reference and
being satisfied
with the end
result.
Your work has
improved like crazy. To
what do you attribute
your progress?
I’d say everyone I’ve
surrounded myself
with and had the
chance to work
alongside. That’s the
best part about
[tattooing], the
inspiration is
constantly flowing. I
think the shop I work
at now, Skanvas
Tattoo, has had the
biggest influence on
my work, though.
They’re all black and
gray artists, and we
push each other
daily to improve
without even
knowing it. I want to
thank the guys I
work with, for sure.