Becoming a Tattooing Artist is not an easy task. It’s a path riddled with challenges and responsibility. One must not only be an artist, but also an entrepreneur.
So, if you’re wondering what you have to do to get there, nothing better than speaking with the best and understanding their path, what inspired them and how they overcome the biggest challenges.
That’s why we’ve started a new series of interviews where we chat with some of the best Tattoo Artists of today.
Our first artist is Lucas Martinelli. He is a Brazilian Tattooist specialized in Blackwork, Sketch and Geometric tattoo works. He’s a huge reference in these styles, with a follower base surpassing 100k fans throughout the world.
If you’re looking to get inked by Lucas, you can find him at Most Wanted Studio in São Paulo.
Here’s some of Lucas’ work, to get you inspired:
So Lucas, when did you decide you wanted to be a tattoo artist?
I decided that I wanted to be a tattoo artist when I went to the tattoo parlor to get my first tattoos. I would watch the tattoo artist get the tattoo and think “I can do this, it’s easy”, of course I was wrong, because when I tried to tattoo the first time I had no idea what was going on. This happened in 2013.
And what steps dd you take to become one?
The steps I took to become a tattoo artist were to study drawing, I tried to tattoo and it didn’t work, so I took a step back and took a basic Tattoo course, then I started as an apprentice in a studio to get more drawing techniques and tattoo, and so I stayed for a few months until I had my first opportunity to tattoo in the studio.
What challenges did you face on those steps?
The biggest challenge in the beginning was to stay focused so as not to give up, because in the period when I was an apprentice my only payment was to learn, I often thought I needed to work to earn money and pay my bills, so either I would give up or try to the maximum to become a tattoo artist as fast as possible.
Make sure to follow Lucas on Instragram @lucasm_tattoo and show your love for his art.
Did you enjoy this interview? And who would you like to see next? Make sure to request your favourite artist using [email protected].