Interview with Cazr Killz – Anime Specialist

Anime tattoos are one of the fastest growing tattoo styles of the 21th century. And one of the artists responsible for this style’s popularity is Cazr Killz, whom we’re speaking with today. 

He’s a Los Angeles based tattoo artist and an Otaku. Mastering black & white style using dotwork and fineline techniques, he’s a master of Anime / Manga tattoos he has amassed almost 40k fans on his Instagram page. 

Let’s get to know a little more about him, his path to becoming a tattoo artist and future plans.

So Caz, how did you know you wanted to become a tattoo artist?

The first tattoos I’ve seen were on my father.. and of course as a young boy I was always poking at them and asking him about them.. once I was old enough to understand the concept he explained to me the process and his experience getting tattooed in tattoo shops in the late 60’s. I was very impressed and in awe  of the concept. I knew from from that point what I wanted to tattoo.

Today you have a very strong and defined style, focused mostly on anime. Tell us a little bit about your path to becoming the artist you are today.

My introduction to doing tattoos was mostly Chicano style,lettering and portraits. Which I did passionately for at least seven years. After that I started to adopt and study American traditional Tattooing.Throughout my career anime tattoos would pop up here and there,so tattooing anime has been with me since my start. Around 2015 anime started becoming more popularized within tattooing. By 2018 anime blew up to become mainstream in pop culture.That’s the point in which all my tattoos started becoming anime. So for almost 5 years I have been hyper focused on anime and manga style tattoos.

And what is for you the hardest part of being a tattoo artist?

The hardest part is definitely being an entrepreneur. We get into this trade thinking we’re gonna do art and tattoo on people’s bodies all day. But there’s a whole lot that goes into this business besides the art. 

You started tattooing in 2005, that’s 17 years of experience. What do you wish you’d learn sooner? 

I wish Would’ve invested more into building the proper skills to run a business.

I know that besides being an artist there, you’re also the co-owner of the Black Water Collective. What is it like to run a tattoo studio and what advice would you give to those who are looking to open one?

Running a tattoo shop is a lot of work takes a lot of time a lot of emotional, physical and financial investment. The best piece of advice I could give for anyone trying to open a shop is simple. Get experience first. Find a tattoo shop that you can work at that’s being ran and managed by a professional. Study under them and learn everything they got to teach.

Regarding your style, which animes / mangas do you like to work on the most? And how do you see your art developing in the future?

The most popular right now are Demon Slayer,Jujutsu Kaisen and of course Naruto,Dragonball and Evangelion.. I’m personally really attracted to Manga art .. I love the heavy use of black simple grays. However I am pretty comfortable doing full color. Every month that goes by I get more and more color request.In the future we will see more large scale color work.

Did you ever have a tattoo project that went wrong? And how did you deal with it?

honestly every cat to artist has endless stories of things going wrong from the small to the large. I’ve learned to mitigate errors by refining my style and what subject matters I’m willing to do. That way I don’t simply master tattooing but I get to master a specific style and way of doing it.

If you could tell something to all your potential and future clients, what would it be?

Thank you for considering me to do your tattoo. It’s a big decision and I am humbled for the opportunity. I’ve dedicated my life to this trade/art.You are in good hands.

Do you have any ongoing / future project you’d like the readers about?

I’m a big fan of the Friday the 13th tattoo events that go on across the world. It gives clients a chance to show up, choose a design off the wall and get tattooed at a lower price. My shop and I do an Anime/Manga manga version of it. So every Friday the 13th my shop and I will be taking walk-ins.

I’m also currently engaged painting a series of Anime on denim jackets . It’s been quite an undertaking and will be released Fall 2022. Keep a eye for in on my Website/Instagram.

For those who want to get some awesome ink from you, what’s the best way to contact you and, on average, how long do they have to wait to get their session?

You can always contact me through email.The best way to get booked is to fill out the Request Form I release every two months on my Website/Instagram. The typical wait time is 2 months. But the truth is who knows the demand for my work goes up and down throughout the year. If you really want to  get tattooed quickly . Follow my Instagram from time to time I have appointments open up due to cancellations.

So go ahead and show Cazr Killz some love by following his on Instagram.

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