REBEL HEART: The Legacy Of Hungarian Tattoo// A magyar tetoválás öröksége
Trends and those who went against them – the First Generation
During the 90s at first the most popular designs were indian heads, vikings, scorpions, various dragons, and later tribal tattoos came into fashion. Although tattoo artists trusted that people would strive for uniqueness, George Clooney’s character in From Dusk to Dawn refuted this; a non-figurative craze began among both women and men that lasted for many years. Then, to top it, a new trend began; classic figures were mixed with non-figurative patterns. Dark Art Studio was a little different, thanks to the fact that Zsolt met Andras Galler.
“It took me 20-30 years to look back and see what I got from Andris, besides a good friend and a nice time together. He had brilliant ideas, he could build from scratch and approached requests in a completely different way. A competitive spirit developed within the studio, which affected the team. During the day we fulfilled the guests’ requests, made miniature scorpions, vikings with huge axes in their hands, and the little tribal ones, and in the evening when we closed the shop, friends came, who already had designs on them that we had come up with. For example, a tattoo machine with a devil on the end, hitting the needle with a hammer.” – Zsolt tells about the period when the real magic began for them.
“We were searching our own style and tried to strive to get the best of it all. We wanted to be proud of our tattoos. We tried to get the best equipment. We looked at who was using what out there, we watched the famous names’ works. – Jana continues her reminiscence. – “Socialist regine came to its end, but back then it was still very difficult get Western stuff. Thanks to my musician background, I knew all the guys in bands, which helped us a lot in promoting ourselves. In addition to the musicians, we tattooed police officers, firefighters.
In many cases, they worked on particularly large surfaces, the friends got free tattoos, and the tattooists could express their creativity. It was regular for the machines to be buzzing until 4 am. Anyone who has ever been to a classic tattoo studio knows that there is a very special atmosphere there. The colors, the smells, the artwork on the walls, the stories that you can listen to for hours. So it’s no wonder that musicians and artists often went back to get tattooed in the 90s. Iconic figures of the rock and rap scene vitited them regularly which meant that a whole community of artists filled the place from day to day. The musicians were committed, so the tattooists could tattoo full arms, backs and chests one after another, and in color. At that time, they already saw a few magazines and knew the biggest tattoo artists from abroad. Paul Booth’s large-area designs had a huge influence on them. According to Indian, he and other innovative artists of the time were the main motivating force for them. “Guy Aitchison, Paul Booth, Robert Hernandez; everyone represented completely different style, and we were only interested in whether we could do something similar. This was a good opportunity for us, so eventually everyone had found their own style. At first we tattooed everything, after a while our clients
The crew of Dark Art Tattoo Studio around 1997from left to right: Adrienn Kiss, Indian, Zsolt Sarkozi, Poti
became more and more enlightened, they brought good ideas. They came to us, and there were those who were specifically interested in what the new trends were – biomechanics, colorful portraits, Asian? Back then we looked at it as body decoration. – Indian sums up his feelings about this exciting period. – “Dark Art was different from mamy other studios as we tried not to work from a catalog. The guest brought an idea, maybe a photo or a comic book as a reference, and we drew it and worked it out. If someone came up with something really stupid, we tried to convince them with reasonable arguments not to do it, or at least not like the way they wanted. For example, we didn’t do “George Clooney tribals”. The next time we reviewed it, and another round came, polishing. It was a multi-stage creative process, in which both the guest and the tattoo artist played an important role. We inspired each other, because we were together all day. We asked each other questions, the studio functioned as a community place. A circle of friends formed from musicians, actors, and filmmakers who came there regularly. During the time a tattoo artist was an artistic figure, but today it’s more of a craftsman, however, there are exeptions.”
Two years were enough for them to create a portfolio that gained an international interest. By 1995 the industry noticed that these new guys were embarking on a completely different path than most tattooers and shops. It was good for their reputation, but mainly for their own creativity that has blossomed by this time. They also experienced tattoo artists functioned as a community at the first conventions. They shared their experiences with each other. Moreover, everyone was strong in different fields. Zsolt and Indian visited their friend Adrian Kupcsik frequently, who was very progressive about tattooing at the time. They lent each other magazines and tools, and stuck together, because their goal was to become better tattooists.
“Although the catalogs, which layed in fromt of the clients featured fashionable patterns based on our own ideas,, we didn’t really like working from them, it was just a must at that time. That was still what people wanted back then, we had to transform that. - Indián tells about the agile attitude of his own generation, - „We started making full-arm tattoos. We used the body in such a way that we consciously built the pattern on it. I did the first full arm with a huge seahorse theme. We produced the backs in line. I did a full back for a girl back in 1996. Back then it was a huge deal! It took a while for this kind of approach to become embedded in people and leave all the stupid flashes behind. Today, you get a full back or chest in one session, while back then it took at least 2-3 sessions for a chest.”
Tattoo artists began to transfer their own ideas to the skin. They edited and enlarged their own photos, just like tattoo artists still work today, only then everything was done manually. Almost everything that came in front of them was considered reference material, it didn’t matter if it was an art magazine, a movie poster or an issue of women magazine The photos that were cut out were sorted into separate folders by topic, and when it was time to design, they took them out.
Musician friends at Dark Art Tattoo Studio
Indian is working on a large back piece
“Back then, it was what the internet is today. We saw the opportunity in everything,” says Zsolt about the main sources of inspiration of the time. “Photography wasn’t that common yet, but we started using it as a tool. If we had to compose more complex or group positions, we would reach for the camera.”
The really big changes happened in the first three years, after that everything were refined. By mid-90s they had already made quite a big step compared to the knowledge and technique of the time, they were making serious tattoos. Some of them had developed their own style by then, although they were influenced by others, they did not specifically follow trends. Indian still remembers when Adrian Kupcsik started the thick contour era based on a graphic vision; some followed him in this. Boris also agrees with the significant role that Adrian played in the scene that time.
“If there was a source of Eastern European realism, then it was Adrian Kupcsik, who is otherwise unfairly known on the Hungarian tattoo scene. I first saw the first real Hungarian realistic tattoo in the second half of the 90s from Adrian. We looked at the realistic chimpanzee head and the demon, and it seemed that those tattooes would be pernament despite the fine technique.”
Looking back Adrian thinks that his stubbornness and thirst for knowledge led him to be a pioneers in those years. He says there is nothing mystical about it, he sees it completely different from the inside. According to him, he stood out of them that time because he practiced more as he was never interested in partying, staying up late. Instead he was busy find out the tricks from tattoo magazines.
“I simply devoted more time to it. If someone else has done it like that, they would’ve got the results faster than him. I only wanted one thing, doing world-class things. When someone brought a tattoo magazine from a Western country, we looked at in the way if there was good works in it. We especially wanted to see the tricks of the tattoos of the big names. We also wanted to create what they did, and since there was no internet, we didn’t know how to do it, so it took years to figure out. Because the tattoo may have looked exactly the same as in the magazine when it was fresh, but when you saw it again six months later, it didn’t look the same at all. We continued experimenting. For example, when I saw that the thick line didn’t come out with a thin needle, I figured out that the line had to be drawn; I did this by filling in the different surfaces.”
The first interview with Zsolt was published in Tätowier magazine in 1997, where several of his full-back works were also visible. This might not be a remarkable thing these days, when the internet makes it much easier to get in touch with editors and journalists, but back then it was completely different. Opportunities came by mails. Zsolt bought a magazine, and a friend of his translated the call for applications from tattoo artists. Encouraged by this, he sent to them nearly thirty photos. Shortly after, a letter arrived saying that they would like to interview him.
The Legacy of Hungarian Tattoo
Trends and those who went against them – the First Generation
“By the way, I still believe to this day, and I advise young tattooiests, that it works much better if you send a year’s worth of work to a magazine at once, because that way you have a much greater chance of being noticed. This interview, which went very well by the way, changed a lot of things. The invitations to international events arrived, and several ink companies contacted me, I received ink by mail, they asked for my opinion. The international magazines saw out works exotic; we thought differently, we wanted to show things differently, we brought new ideas. We created a new style.” – he sums up the most important moments of the international interest that came at that time.
Zsolt was among the first artists who used ornamentation as an important element for his tattooes. Later he was followed by many tattooists all over the world. Carlos Torres saw this idea for the first time in Zsolts’s works, and has been using it in his tattoos ever since. They didn’t even notice how different what they were doing was, they only became aware of it based on the external mirror. The Polish scene that was awakening in 2010 clearly names Hungarian tattoo artists as their main influences. Sandor Nyiri also remembers that Hungarian tattoo artists were in a very good position at the conventions at that time, and this was due to the breakaway from the previous social system, that they tried to move towards realism. And the fact that these tattoos were much more aesthetic and understandable, made them much more acceptable to the majority of people. Thanks to their geographical location, they were able to use this well.
“For example, compared to a southern country, Hungarian clients are quite whiteskinned, so these tattoos can work better on them, even compared to Italians. While I was able to sell my portraits in Milan, I couldn’t in Rome. It is no coincidence that in those countries the neo-traditional line with a much more distinct color scheme was already popular compared to pastels. – Sandor emphasizes the importance of circumstances and certain characteristics. – Of course, this was not a conscious decision in Hungary, I would rather think of it as a coincidence, but it is a fact that realism was able to develop well thanks to our geographical location, and this became the main trend for a reason. When we Hungarian tattooists went to these conventions, we caused quite serious surprises, especially to the German scene at the time, who had become accustomed to their leading status by then and had fallen asleep a bit. I emphasize that since then they have made up for what they have missed. But we were in a very good position at the time. I remember sitting there next to Boris or even next to me, and they were watching the tricks.”
Zsolt and Indian in the middle of a brainstorming
CSABA MULLNER
“The monotony in my life is killed by my lifestyle, not by changing themes or styles.”
Csaba Mullner’s style is as fierce and wild as the life he leads. Whether it’s tattoos or paintings, realism gives foundation for his works, which he always makes unique with a bold twist—typically street art elements, scribbles, or unfinished effects. His interest in realism evoked during his childhood, and it was the one that kept him away from tattooing for a long time. However, in 1999, he found his way at Dark Art Tattoo Studio and got the opportunity to step onto a path toward artistic fulfillment. His main motivation both in life and art is freedom. As a true bohemian artist, he enjoys diving into absinthe-fueled nights, brimming with creativity but at the same time he needs the moments of solitude for an inner philosophical discussion about life and death.
He’s an eccentric tattoo artist with a unique style both in his personal life and in tattooing, who brave enough to break the rules of society and art. But at the same time sense of mindfulness, logic, discipline and precision also exist in his life. Those who know him well say that he doesn’t just live by his instincts; but from the beginning he built his career with focusing the main goal; experiencing of freedom. And that often requires hard work.
Csaba Mullner’s style is as fierce and wild as the life he leads. Whether it’s tattoos or paintings, realism gives foundation for his works, which he always makes unique with a bold twist—typically street art elements, scribbles, or unfinished effects. His interest in realism evoked during his childhood, and it was the one that kept him away from tattooing for a long time. However, in 1999, he found his way at Dark Art Tattoo Studio and got the opportunity to step onto a path toward artistic fulfillment. His main motivation both in life and art is freedom. As a true bohemian artist, he enjoys diving into absinthe-fueled nights, brimming with creativity but at the same time he needs the moments of solitude for an inner philosophical discussion about life and death. He’s an eccentric tattoo artist with a unique style both in his personal life and in tattooing, who brave enough to break the rules of society and art. But at the same time sense of mindfulness, logic, discipline and precision also exist in his life. Those who know him well say that he doesn’t just live by his instincts; but from the beginning he built his career with focusing the main goal; experiencing of freedom. And that often requires hard work.
Most tattoo artists, early in their careers, aspire to find their own voice, hoping it will make them stand out from the crowd and allow them to work exclusively in their own style. However, many don’t realize that it often only happens if they are willing to experiment and take on anything at the beginning. According to Csaba, no one can become a great tattoo artist without humility, something often neglected today. In his view, those who start with an huge ego will fall as quickly as they rise. What excites him most is seeing how an initial idea transforms into a perfectly crafted tattoo, but this isn’t always the priority.
“Both the person and the theme is very important. In most cases, my cliens give me free hand, and that’s very important to me. I’ve had a passion for freedom since childhood, and I live it through tattooing. What I really enjoy and have been doing for a while now is blending a realistic base with a kind of street art madness. Of course, it wasn’t always
like this, because to get here, you have to give your all at the start and learn humility. In the early years, you try everything until you find your own voice. That’s how it was with me; I took on anything. Unfortunately, many people today start tattooing without even being able to draw a straight line, yet they refuse to take on small jobs. Even though I’ve been tattooing for twenty years, if a friend asks me to do a simple lettering, I’ll do it, and I don’t feel degraded by it at all. It doesn’t make me any less of an artist or a professional. It’s worth staying open to everything because I believe there’s something exciting to be found in every topic, and you can do any theme well. Only then can a tattoo artist truly discover what they’re not good at or, conversely, what their strengths are. Over time, this narrows down, and eventually, people will start asking for things that highlight their strengths. If they get enough requests, they can even start selecting and reach a point where they only work in the style they’re really good at and that they also enjoy.”
A common question arises: once someone finds their own style and the clientele interested in it, does it create certain boundaries? Does it trap the tattoo artist in their own style? While Csaba doesn’t handle monotony well, he doesn’t feel that having his own well-defined style limits him.
“The monotony in my life is killed by my lifestyle, not by changing themes or styles. As for the work itself, nothing can break the monotony for me. Most people don’t do anything. They have no hobbies or anything that truly interests them. For example, I’m much more interested in flying or wandering than tattooing. My passion for extreme sports comes from my father, who was a diver and worked with the Hungarian Television’s underwater film crew. Before tattooing, I was a cave and technical diver. I first dived when I was five years old. After a while, I craved to experience heights after the depths, so I started flying. I had a serious fall, and after they had to screw me back together, I had to stop diving due to decompression issues. I don’t just draw energy from these adventures; they inspire me as well. Reading and nature
are also important sources of inspiration for me. Nature has always been close to me—it’s how I grew up.”
Most of Csaba’s clients trust him so much that they don’t even bring references to the first consultation. An idea or a few thoughts are enough to set his imagination soaring. However, this doesn’t mean it always has to be that way. Sometimes a client arrives with a specific photo, and if the theme is exciting, he’ll gladly take on the work. He’s not someone who meticulously prepares; he mostly improvises.
“In my case, the process looks like this: during the first meeting, the consultation, the client plants the seed in my head, and when we meet again, I piece together the design on them. Improvisation is so characteristic of me that I often sketch the minimalist elements directly with the machine. Once, I was tattooing a guy, and I decided I wanted scribbles in the background. I handed him a Nietzsche book and asked him to open it at random and read a sentence. Not from the beginning, but just randomly. We repeated this several times—he flipped pages, read aloud, and I, as I listened, wrote the fragments on his skin with the machine. These are often the ones that turn out the best!”
He applies the foundation, the realistic part, using a stencil, and sometimes, he even photographs the reference himself. If necessary, he borrows costumes from a rental shop. DJ Kraft’s tattoo was created the same way, and since it was composed in such a unique way, it remains one of his favorite works. The main elements of the composition are a highwayman and a hussar, whom they themselves personified with the help of the costumes. The composition’s placement on the arm, with attention to the flow of the body, played an important role in its creation.
“Even today, some great tattoo artists don’t pay attention to the body’s natural flow. In their work photos, you often can’t even tell which body part the design is on. That’s how things are now; but it will pass in a few years. I like to think beyond realism; I like to think
Csaba Mullner
Csaba Mullner
The Legacy of Hungarian Tattoo
in concepts. While creating the piece, I made sure the light came from the front because that aligns with the body’s flow. In the case of a full arm tattoo, the main motif always goes on the outer upper arm, while the next important element is placed on the inner forearm—this is also related to the body’s flow. These flows aren’t necessarily direct; they evoke a feeling that everything is in place. While on the upper arm, we move inward; on the forearm, we move outward. This is beautifully demonstrated by the two portraits on the arm. For a piece like this, I first apply the foundation and, in a later session, add the lines, scribbles, and inscriptions because the result is much better in terms of healing. These extra elements can further refine the mentioned flows. That’s what happened here, too: once I was done with the realistic part, we added random street art, inscriptions, and scribbles around it.”
Like many artists, Csaba also desires to leave a mark of himself through his work. Regardless of the medium he chooses, his intention is always to create something new, more beautiful, better, richer in detail, more exciting, and more complex. He says it’s this constant thirst for knowledge that drives a person to push their limits. The momentum and strength found in his life also manifest in his approach to creation. He’s the kind of tattoo artist who’s happy to share his knowledge. This is one of the things that led to the creation of Tattootechniques. It’s a complete online course that guides a person from theory to practice, and even beyond.
“This course can’t give you one thing: talent. And I made sure to mention that in the introduction. If someone is talented at drawing, they have a good chance of learning to tattoo from it, but if they aren’t, they never will. It was one of the hardest
periods of my life; I lived almost like an ascetic for a year. I focused all my energy on putting together Tattootechniques because I knew that once it was completed, it would give me tremendous freedom in life. As profane as it may sound, freedom is nothing more than time and money. It’s a classic case of ‘give something to get something.’ For me, the bohemian life and precision are completely interconnected. To secure this free lifestyle long-term, I had to build a foundation. That’s why I believe it’s important for a person to be multifaceted.”
Csaba Mullner
ROB BORBAS
“When you start tattooing, the first thing you need to do is leaving behind some of the drawing skills you’ve learned. What looks good on paper doesn’t necessarily work on skin.”
By mid-2020s Rob Borbas became one of the most influential tattoo artists worldwide who was a pioneer of a new style. He leads online workshops on prestigious platforms, has published a book under the famous tattoo magazine label Tattoo Life, and makes tattooes for world-famous musicians and actors. Before tattooing, he had already gained recognition for his illustrations, even made design for Metallica’s merchandise. However, it doesn’t mean he didn’t have to struggle as a beginner tattoo artist. Despite the immense potential from the start, it wasn’t easy for him to transfer his ideas onto skin. His unique perspective led to conflict with other tattoo artists, but he battled with himself, too. It took several years when he finally saw that the direction he has been taking worked out in the long run. There is no revolution without blood, sweat, and tears. He believes that being in the right place at the right time also played an important role in his success, as the style he represents was just emerging that time. Moreover, the unique Eastern European bittersweetness that appears in his works made them exotic. Thanks to his solid client base, he and his wife Judit were able to open their own studio, Rooklet Ink relatively early, which operates with an amazing team.
Tattooing had come up multiple times before, but since he was popular as an artist among the coolest underground metalcore/hardcore bands worldwide, he didn’t feel an urgent need to try a new field. Eventually, at his own art exhibition, Zsolt Sarkozi who visited the event invited him to join his team at Dark Art Tattoo Studio, what he accepted. This period was undoubtedly one of the strongest one in the studio’s history, so Rob began learning alongside tattoo artists like Szabolcs Oravecz, Kriszta Varnai, Jelo and Csiga. It was not just a workplace but a community of artists where they constantly inspired and motivated each other, sometimes in harmony, and other times through conflicts. Meanwhile Zsolt as their mentor kept everything together. While Rob’s immense talent was evident, his first steps as a tattoo artist were far more challenging than many might assume. Despite his downto-earth caharacter, he was stubborn in paving his own path, which diverged in many ways from the established methods. Moreover, he was never a traditional tattoo apprentice; after a month, he was already tattooing as an official member of Dark Art Studio.
“When you start tattooing, the first thing you need to do is leaving behind some of the drawing skills you’ve learned. What looks good on paper doesn’t necessarily work on skin. A good tattoo looks great ten years later, as well. But no matter how many times you hear this, at first, you don’t keep it in mind because you’re under the spell of how detailed things can be applied to the skin. Unfortunately, many of these works can turn into poor quality in a few years unless you figure out techniques to make even detailed designs stand the test of time. This can take years of experimentation. In my case, my approach had to change. There were severe conflicts at the start. I had to understand that this works differently than I imagined. I simply had to recalibrate my mind to tattooing, which was great because later it inspired my illustration style. The two art forms provide good sources for each other. The other thing I believe, which caused many conflicts back then, is that not everyone has to follow the same path. If there’s respect for each other, certain steps can be skipped,
to my mind. In such cases, a certain flexibility is needed from everyone.“
Once he had the technical aspects down, he started focusing on how to transfer onto skin what he loved about illustration. At the time, he didn’t realize he was a pioneer of a brand new style. However, as a true perfectionist, it took him a long time to accept his own accomplishments. Eventually, it was his tenth anniversary in tattooing that brought the feeling of confidence, and from that point on, he became more assured about his place in the industry. Many tattoo artists use elements that he introduced first. While there was a time when this made him mad, especially when certain style biters copied specific elements and signature techniques, he now finds it flattering. In fact, it inspires him to come up with fresh solutions, whether it’s a new technique, element, or theme. Throughout the years, his attitude hasn’t changed: he always tries to think ahead.
“Of course, these are never precisely calculated things; the whole process is much more intuitive. For me, everything has always come instinctively. That’s what feels right, what I can identify with. For example, when I used to create characters without eyes, it wasn’t a conscious decision—it just came naturally. The others at Dark Art Studio used to tease me about it, but I was simply drawing on things that inspired me. These were mainly album covers and comic books, which I used in a way that the graphic I created, whether on paper or skin, would have its own flavor. For a long time, I felt uncomfortable with where people placed me within the industry. But recently I’ve come to accept that it’s not boastful to acknowledge that many consider me a pioneer of a new style. In fact, it was the tenth anniversary that began to solidify this for me. It also helped when I thought about how artists like Zsolt Sarkozi or Robert Hernandez believed in me, so there must be a reason for that, and from then on, I felt even more obliged to prove that the trust they placed in me was well-founded.”
He had only been tattooing for two or three years when he was invited to
participate in the 2015 London Convention. Not everyone in the industry was pleased; many felt it was too early for him. He acknowledges that there was some truth to that, but he tried to treat the opportunity with as much respect as possible. He wanted to prove he was worthy of it. It may not come as a surprise that many tattoo artists dream of receiving feedback from a jury that has included names like TinTin, Filip Leu, or even Luke Atkinson. In 2018 he was invited to collaborate on a tattoo with living legend Victor Portugal. He had never collaborated with anyone before, and it didn’t help that Portugal had just told him that he would soon be working with Paul Booth. Portugal reassured Rob that there was no need to over-prepare for the collaboration, as he would freehand most of it. However, Rob had never freehanded anything from scratch before.
“I heard that collaborations can be tough because everyone has a different pace, pulls the skin differently, wipes at different times, and it doesn’t help when one person is drawing lines while the other is shading—it doesn’t provide a stable surface. But Victor handled it with such a calming presence, that everything went so smooth. Originally, we didn’t plan to enter into the competition, but the client wanted to participate. Although we weren’t sure we’d finish in time, we entered—and we won! This experience was pure joy. I’d received feedback in previous years, but I hadn’t won. However, I learned a lot from those experiences, and not just technically. The biggest lesson was witnessing up close what it’s like when someone has been tattooing for twenty-five years and still has the kind of humility that’s rare to see these days. With a few exceptions, of course. This was characteristic of the London Convention as well—the tattoo artists there were almost universally friendly and down-to-earth. And since the best of the best gathered there year after year, I believe this attitude is one of the reasons they’ve become part of that elite group. For me, the greatest recognition was that they accepted me, and I got to be a part of that.”
Rob Borbas The Legacy of Hungarian Tattoo
Rob Borbas
The Legacy of Hungarian Tattoo
Robi’s affinity for folklore is striking. The tattooes he makes often feature elements of witchcraft, the occult and various creatures from bestiaries. He doesn’t consider himself a big reader, but he particularly enjoys it when a client brings him a topic he knows little about. The less well-known, the better! In such cases, he dives deep into the internet. Over the years, he has acquired sources rich in this type of material. He finds it fascinating that all mythologies deal with the same universal beliefs, emotions
found all over the world. The Balkans are full of them. Slavic folklore is incredible! I recently discovered a map that collects the different forms of boogieman, from Mongolia to America. My clients inspire me with the ideas they bring to me. There’s a Norwegian medical student who brought me three heavy books on Norwegian mythology. It was refreshing to set aside Odin, Loki, and the other gods and work with much lesser-known mythological creatures. Through him, I learned about small demons living in
and fears. He’s particularly intrigued by how different cultures interpret them. Moreover, it gives him a certain freedom, allowing him to process anything in any way and incorporate it into the tattoo itself. His interest in folklore goes back to his childhood. One of the biggest influences on him was the Krampus culture, which crossed over from Austria to Hungary, along with everything associated with it—costumes and masks. This opened a creative door for him.
“I greatly admire the master mask carvers who live and work in the Austrian Alps. It’s a beautiful craft, with techniques passed down to new generations even today. But every region has its own folklore. Norse mythology is very popular but there are fascinating stories to be
lakes that, like sirens, lure fishermen to their doom, dragging them into the depths in the form of terrifying monsters.” There are peculiar themes in Rob’s tattooes that he must rediscover and reinvent time to time. Since his clients are open to creative discussions, he has the opportunity to rework the concept with them. Many people don’t realize how many different ways a familiar story can be expressed. Usually he asks his clients to summarize their ideas in just one or two sentences. This allows him to shape the theme in a way that suits the client. He says it’s easy to fall into the trap of using a theme or motif too often.
“I’ve gone through different phases. The crow, for example, is very distinctive. I’ve received criticism that it’s getting
boring. I don’t want it to be cliché, so I try to use different tools. It doesn’t have to be anything particularly complicated—the theme can stay the same, but the medium must change. Maybe I’ll add colors or fill it with new elements. With this aspect, while the tattoo retains the mood of the previous ones, there’s still something new about it. However, there are times when I get so tired of a theme that I set it aside for a while. Fortunately, even within dark themes, there’s plenty to choose from. Plus, if you leave a little space, you may later return to old motifs with fresh eye and rework them from a new perspective.”
Making beautiful tattooes is not enough; there are countless factors that define a good tattoo artist. According to Rob, it’s important to recognize what technique will work best for the client, based on not only the quality of the skin but also the personality and lifestyle. A good tattooist can make the requested design the way it suits the client. Of course, no one knows the future and it’s difficult to predict with 100% certainty how the tattoo will look ten years from now. But it’s crucial to assess the skin and determine what options are available to ensure the design is applied in the best possible way.
“I don’t think you can learn this on your own. You need to be in a studio with other experienced tattoo artists and follow the journey of many tattooes from sketch to the moment the client returns years later. The other path is self-correction, which I often do when I look at my works I made five or six years ago as a source of inspiration and see how I could do it even better today. You have to be retrospective. All in all, I’m very grateful that Zsolt let me follow my own path and make small mistakes back then.”
Rob Borbas
The Legacy of Hungarian Tattoo
Rob Borbas
The Legacy of Hungarian Tattoo
The Legacy of Hungarian Tattoo
Rob Borbas
LEVENTE VACSI
“I always find something to improve in my work afterwards. My art teacher once said that you can’t finish a work, you can only stop it, and how right he was.”
Levente Vacsi mostly creates colorful tattoos, and his unique world is based on realism. He enjoys playing with dark colors and confidently uses black ink as a dominant colour, while his works are exceptionally dynamic. Skulls and horror scenes inspire him the most, but also enjoys tattooing comic heroes and movie characters. He puts great emphasis on designing, spends a significant amount of time with every sketch, and is incredibly precise. As a workaholic, his fanatic attitude towards tattooing is outstanding; his motto is, “Do it well or not at all.”
He believes that a tattoo artist always have to learn new things and develop. Honest communication is certainly important to him, he want to present his works the way they are that’s why he makes the photos of his tattooes as realistic as possible. He thinks high-quality work requires premium equipment, that’s why he only chooses the best machines and ink.
He started tattooing at home, and although he later visited a few studios, it very soon became clear to him that he wanted to do it his own way. That’s when he founded his own studio called Black Velvet Ink with his girlfriend in Budapest. He says that tattooing is very complex if someone wants to do it really well. There are so many opportunities even within realistic style. For Levente, truly realistic patterns are detailed, precisely worked out, which is exactly why he uses small needles. He believes that this is a particularly slow style that requires time, he says there’s no point in being in a hurry, and the client needs to understand it. After mastering the basics, he threw himself into a progression,which somehow stopped after seven years; and that was the time when he started to feel that he was stuck at a certain level. He needed help, so he reached out for James, who helped him to take his work to the next level. He learned a lot from him not only technically, but his attitude towards tattooing has changed a lot, as well.
“Just watching him working would have been a huge help. I like learning this way anyway. At conventions when I had a chance I would observe the great tattoo artists at work. However, in the case of James, I got much more than that; we talked a lot, he shared his own experiences wirh me. I got different tasks, he even helped me to choose a tattoo machine that suits my style. Many people underestimate the importance of a good machine, but it really does matter what you work with. We are not the same, that is why everyone is different. The pen of Sol Nova works for me. You need to buy good equipment, and that requires money. I moved to Budapest at the time because where I was working until then, in a poorer part of the country, I didn’t see a chance of earning enough to ensure my professional advancement.”
Portraits were his favorite subject for a long time, but now he enjoys more making complex works. He cannot emphasis enough how important is for a tattoo artist to pay attention to see the tattoo as a whole. He says the most basic mistake he made at the time was doing a so-called strip tattoo; in this
case, the tattoo looks as if it was cut in half. It is not enough if it look good on the outside and inside separately, it has to work as a whole. It is difficult to plan a design as a whole, especially in the case of an arm or leg, so that it matches in color or form. For him, the biggest challenge is building an arm tattoo.
“Most tattoo artists go through the phase when they start tattooing, that the most important thing for them is to build their portfolio. In this case, quantity is important, and you prefer to create works where the different elements live separately on the skin. After a while, I realized that I don’t want to photograph the different details separately, I prefer to wait until the full arm is done and it looks good as a whole. The central element should stand out! I always build everything around one element. I pay attention to the focus, how it appears in a tattoo, so I work out the central figure in great detail, and as I move outwards, I replace the contour details with a circular stroke, and at the very edge I only detail with a stroke. This way the entire tattoo will have a very good effect. The same can be achieved with colors. For example, a very colorful pattern can work well with a gray background.”
He has no proven method, he always designs differently. If the request is so unique, he sometimes composes the central element from several reference images. If he is lucky, he finds a good image that he can place on a large scale, in which case he just transforms it. Realistic tattooists are often accused of only using one image and copying it onto the skin. Levente does not agree with this at all. For example, an entire back or arm for him consists of at least twenty layers, so he scissors twenty different images together. Adjusting the lighting for this to look uniform is a very complex task, even for someone who designs a lot. It can take up to four or five hours. The record so far is a full back pattern, which he put together with nineteen layers.
“ Most of my clients want a unique tattoo, they trust me entirely, they only bring a basic idea. However, I insist on having a theme as a starting point. I have very
good clients. They’re different from an average tattooed person. Many businessmen come to me, mainly the older generation, and I really enjoy that. I’ve always surrounded myself with people of this type, so it turned out that my guests were also similar. For me, the hardest task now is to learn to say no. I take on many things that others don’t. Cover-ups are one of those things. But to be honest, sometimes I even enjoy having to implement the most mindless ideas. I may not even know how the picture will turn out at first, but then when the end result speaks for itself, I am satisfied. I am a complete perfectionist. If after healing I see that the given tattoo is not good enough for me, I tell my client that I will not let it go until I have corrected it and it is one that I am 100 percent satisfied with. Because if anyone sees it, it should be something that I am proud of. Of course, at the level I am at, because as time goes by, the level of expectations for myself also increases. In fact, I always find something to improve in my work afterwards. My art teacher once said that you can’t finish a work, you can only stop it, and how right he is.”
In Levente’s case, colorful tattooes dominate his portfolio. He started with black and grey designs, but after he no longer saw a challenge in it, he switched to a monochrome style. Now he wants to do only colour tattooes. He believes that a colour tattoo can be more spectacular, and the problem with gray-black tattoos is that not all images work. He gives animal tattoos as an example, where you can’t work with enough contrast.
“If a person develops a color palette and has enough creativity, and can touch on a color that is not originally in the reference photo, but the harmony looks good, then they can soar much more freely. It’s not typical for me to change my tried-and-tested colors. If a guest comes back after eight years, it’s a good feeling to see that they still hold up after all that time. But I do tend to fine-tune them. In the past, I used to use certain colors on too large surfaces, so I changed that. Also, recently I’ve started to sneak purple into my tattoos, which was not typical at all before.”
Levente Vacsi The Legacy of Hungarian Tattoo
Levente Vacsi
The Legacy of Hungarian Tattoo
His love for portraits has remained to this day, and they still represent a great challenge for him. The main difficulty is finding the perfect match for the skin tone. He has been experimenting with this for years. Nowadays, there is a wide range of inks in this regard, and he likes to buy new colors, and since there are so many options, he tends to overcombine during the process. It is not uncommon for him to spend four or five hours working on a face. But he had to realize that
sometimes less is more, so he constantly tries to keep this in mind. Today, he prepares a maximum of four shades from one colour instead of the forty shades he used before, which makes the tattoo unified. Nowadays, however, his real favorite theme is skulls.
“They can come in all sizes, colors and quantities. I especially like to depict them in colour, lit from the inside. In addition to skulls, horror themes are also a big favor-
ites, but unfortunately few people go for a design like this. Therefore, if someone asks for a design with some bloodbath, it is a real celebration for me. I really like dark stories and characters, I’m not afraid to use black! I don’t have many female guests; probably because my style is very dark and intense.”
The Legacy of Hungarian Tattoo
Levente Vacsi
The Legacy of Hungarian Tattoo
Levente Vacsi
The Legacy of Hungarian Tattoo
Levente Vacsi
GALLER ANDRÁS INDIÁN
„Egy portrét ezerféleképpen fel lehet tetoválni. De mindig van valami új trend, egy friss látásmód...”
Galler András, aki az Indián becenevet még kaszkadőrként szerezte, több, mint húsz éve az egyik legmeghatározóbb zenei videóklip rendező itthon. Sokan viszont nem tudják, hogy tetoválóként kezdte karrierjét, és a mai napig megmaradt az életében a tetoválás. Ráadásul annak idején a Dark Art oszlopos tagjaként komoly része volt az úgynevezett magyar stílus kialakulásában is. Később aztán máshol is kipróbálta magát; kaszkadőrként dolgozott, színészi feladatokat látott el, és belevágott a rendezésbe. Végül a három-négy területet nem tudta összeegyeztetni, ezért három évre abbahagyta a tetoválást.
Az időhiányon kívül más oka is volt döntésének; kicsit belefáradt, és ahhoz hogy újra lelkesíteni tudja, szüksége volt egy kis távolságra. Három évvel később már tudatosabban indult újra neki, és csak olyan munkákat vállal azóta is, amik kihívást jelentenek számára, és ahol tudja használni kreativitását.
Bármit is csinál vagy csinált, legyen az a filmkészítés, hawaii stílusú bárja Budapest legmenőbb strandján, a kaszkadőrködés vagy a tetoválás, mindegyik ugyanazt jelenti számára; az élményt, hogy adhat magából. Ráadásul így ugrálni is tud a különböző területek között, ha úgy érzi, hogy az egyik túlságosan is leszívta az energiáját.
Tetoválásainak alapját a realizmus adja, amibe szívesen csempész egy kis szürrealizmust. Mára a nagyobb felületek, komplexebb minták irányába mozdult el. Bármi is a téma, fontos számára, hogy vendégével kompozícióban gondolkodjanak. Ilyenkor átbeszélik, hogy lehet az ötletet szépen és jól felépíteni. Számára sosem lehet az a cél, hogy valamit csak úgy feldobjon a bőrre. Tisztában van vele, hogy a tetoválásnak mindig van egy divathulláma, és az aktuális új dolog mindig rázúdul az emberekre. Vannak olyan tetoválók, akik ezt meglovagolják, ami véleménye szerint teljesen logikus, és személy szerint semmi kivetnivalót nem lát ebben, de számára nem ez az út. Mindig is abba az irányba szeretett volna tartani, amit tud és szeretne magából adni.
„Szeretem, ha változatosan dolgozhatok, a mai napig kedvelem a képregény vonalat vagy a hiperrealizmust, és eleve szívesen keverem a különböző stílusokat. Így leginkább egyfajta ötvözetként tekintek a munkáimra. Portrék esetében is minden alkalommal megpróbálok köré valamilyen kontextust kreálni. Bárkiről is legyen szó, legtöbbször zenész vagy színész, próbálom meggyőzi a vendéget, hogy sokkal izgalmasabb lesz a tetoválás, ha még behúzunk valamit, ami jellemző az adott ember életére.”
Számára nagyon fontos fázis a felkészülés. Szívesen emlékszik vissza a régi időkre, amikor a tetoválók mindenhol keresték a kreatív ötleteket, hogy aztán maguk kísérletezzék ki, hogy mi működik jól a bőrön. A referencia anyag egyrészét a különböző magazinokból gyűjtötték össze, rengeteg könyvet, képregényt vásároltak, és azokat próbálták lefordítani a tetoválásra. A mai napig lesi a könyveket, de van, hogy egy film nézése közben a kép vagy a világítás inspirálja. Próbál mindig nyitott szemmel járni, és hasznosítani, amit lát. Amennyiben meg tudja oldani, a mai napig befotózza a tetováláson megjelenő jelenetet. A digitális eszközöket kevésbé használja, ha mégis, leginkább montázsol. Az alapgondolatiság semmit sem változott nála az elmúlt húsz évben; összegyűjt egy anyagot, ami az alapot adja, és azt aztán úgy alakítja, hogy a kitalált koncepcióhoz passzoljon.
„A tetoválásaim nagyrészét leginkább free hand technikával lehet úgy feltenni a bőrre, hogy azok anatómiailag jól működjenek, ezért a mai napig így dolgozom. A mintát egyszerűen rá kell építeni az izomzatra. Van is egy régi munkám, ami nagyon szépen leképezi ezt; egy csikóhalat készítettem, aminek a feje a mellrészen volt, és egy egész karban folytatódott. Fontos, hogy legalább egy alaptéma legyen, amikor megkeresnek. Az tetszik, amikor valaki azért megy el egy tetoválóhoz, mert kimondottan tőle szeretne valamit. Nálam jellemző, hogy arra kérnek a vendégeim, hogy vigyem bele magam valahogy a tetoválásba. Hogy ez pontosan mi, nem tudom megfogalmazni, de teljesen érthető számomra, hiszen mások munkáit én is felismerem. Persze van olyan is, hogy nem tudok túl sok mindent hozzátenni, de ha a kérés izgalmas, simán elvállalok ilyen munkát is. Ilyen volt, amikor egy lány számára készítettem egy teljes comb tetoválást gyerekkorának meghatározó mesefiguráival. Ő a felhőtlen, vidám gyermeki énjét szerette volna ünnepelni, ami egy meglehetősen nehéz életút után is megmaradt. Nagyon tetszett az alapgondolat. Mivel ebben az esetben kötött formákról volt szó, sok saját dolgot nem tudtam belevinni, ilyenkor maximum a kompozíciót tudom úgy kitalálni, hogy a lehető legjobban nézzen ki a lábán. Egy faliújságszerű mintát készítettem, aminek hasonló hangulata van, mint amikor egy tinédzser kiragasztja a falra a kedvenceit.”
A mai napig komolyabb ötletelés, diszkurzus eredménye egy-egy tetoválás, de persze a személyes találkozások helyett ma már a net a fő kommunikációs csatorna. Így sokkal gyorsabban lehet haladni. Bár sok tetováló különböző programokkal fel is helyezi a tervet az adott testfelületre, ő a különböző figurákat, elemeket montázsolja össze. Jellemző, hogy több méretet is készít, mert gyakran előfordul, hogy nem úgy néz ki a legjobban a minta, mint ahogy azt a vendég elképzeli.
„Magadon teljesen máshogy látod a dolgokat, mintha belenézel a tükörbe. Én az utóbbihoz mindig ragaszkodnom, és ha kell, akár több méretet is szívesen kipróbálok. Érdekes, hogy a legtöbben
A4-es papíron túl nagynak látják a mintát, pedig akár egy karon vagy lábon az még mindig elveszik. Ilyenkor gyakran elmondom, hogy testfelületekben kell gondolkodni, mert ott teljesen mások a méretek. Nekem egyébként még a tükörkép sem elég, ezért szoktam lefotózni, hogy megmutassam, hogy mások hogy látják majd az adott tetoválást.”
Nem jellemző rá, hogy nagyon színes dolgokat készítene, de ha a téma adja magát, akkor bátran használja a színeket. Inkább a fekete-szürke tetoválásokba csempész bele egy-két színt, hogy feldobja az összehatást. Ezeket mindig az adott témához választja ki.
Feliratokat sohasem szeretett készíteni, azt mondja, nem áll ré a keze. Ma már nem jellemzőek rá a nagyon kötött, vastag kontúros munkák, inkább a lendületesebb dolgokat részesíti előnyben. Ebből adódik, hogy azokkal lehet haladni. Pont emiatt van, hogy egy felkar kivitelezése nem biztos, hogy több időt vesz el, mint egy kisebb tetoválás, hiszen annak az aprólékossága sokkal időigényesebb. Elmondása szerint egy nagy felületnél viszont jól lehet haladni.
„Ezt általában úgy magyarázom el a vendégeknek, hogy képzelje el a különbséget a között, hogy egy rotringgal vagy egy ecsettel húzok meg egy vonalat. Azt gondolom, hogy a megfelelő kommunikációval sokat tudunk segíteni a vendégeknek más szemszögből nézni a dolgokat, máshogy gondolkodni. Ezáltal pedig egy-egy ötlet is sokat tud formálódni úgy, hogy az a legideálisabban ölthessen testet. Ilyenkor nem ráerőlteted a másikra az akaratodat, hanem ő az, aki rájön, hogy az ötlete mennyivel jobban tud működni más megvalósításban. Így pedig ő maga is sokkal többet kap annál, mint amit eredetileg elképzelt. Ez azoknál a legjellemzőbb, akik először fekszenek gép alá. Sokat szídják a Pinterestet, de ha jobban belegondolunk most az felel meg a régi idők könyveinek, magazinjainak. Szerintem azt is lehet jól használni, inspirációs felületként nagyon jól működhet. Csak ne egy az egyben másoljunk! Ott elsősorban nem azt kell nézni, hogy milyen tetoválások vagy minták vannak fent, hanem fel kell kutatni olyan képeket, amiket fel lehet használni egy szépen
Galller András Indián
Galller András Indián
The Legacy of Hungarian Tattoo
megtervezett mintához. Sokan sajnos már a teljes kompozíciót veszik át, pedig külön-külön sok izgalmas dolgot lehet találni, amikből egy jó tetováló izgalmas tetoválást tud felépíteni.”
Folyamatosan figyeli, hogy mi történik ezen a területen is. Látja, hogy az elmúlt 10-15 évben rengetegen lettek itthon is, és ez a minőség rovására ment, de szerinte a nagyszámok törvénye alapján nagyon sok jó tetováló is kinevelődött ez idő alatt. Azt mondja, mivel a technikát ma már nagyon könnyen el lehet sajátítani, ha valaki egy jó mentorhoz kerül, aki további értékes tudást tud megosztani vele, nagyon gyorsan elérhet egy magas szintet. Ez mindenképpen könnyebbség, a nehézség viszont abban áll, hogy kreativitás nélkül, ahogy ő fogalmaz, egyszerűen nem áll össze a kép. A filmezést hozza fel példának, ahol szintén így működik a dolog. Emellett pedig még ott van egy nehezítő tényező; hogy már szinte mindent megcsináltak. Ettől függetlenül, hiszi, hogy aki kreatív, az tud új látásmódot belevinni a tetoválásba is.
„Egy portrét például ezerféleképpen fel lehet tetoválni. De mindig van valami új trend, egy friss látásmód. Én azt gondolom, hogy a jelenlegi minimalista irányt is hamarosan fel fogja váltani egy új. A meglévő klasszikus stílusok mellett mindig lesznek új hullámok, amik nem mindenkinek mennek. Ez a generációs váltások sajátossága. Az viszont fontos egy jó tetováláshoz, hogy az ember ismerje a bőrt és a gyógyulási folyamatot. Hogy fel tudd mérni, hogy kire mit tudsz tetoválni. Nem mindegy, hogy milyen az adott bőrtónus. Nagyon kell ismerni, hogy melyik festék működik az adott bőrön. Hogy egy nagyon fehér tónuson a legjobb minőségű festék feketéje is szürkéskék lesz. Pont emiatt fontos, hogy tudd a jó
értelembe véve terelgetni a vendéget a jó irányba. Nem árt, ha az ember ért a színek keveréséhez, nagyon szép dolgokat lehet belőle kihozni, de ott is tudni kell előre, hogy az adott bőrárnyalathoz melyik fog passzolni. Egy jó tetoválás esetében nem mindegy, hogy mi hova kerül. Van, hogy a vendég előre kitalálja, hogy a hozott ötletet hol szeretné látni magán, de előfordul, hogy a kiválasztott helyen nem jól működne, mert mond-
juk eltorzulna. Ilyenkor megint csak el kell magyarázni, és jobb opciót kell adni a felületre. De át is lehet dolgozni úgy, hogy jól illeszkedjen a kiválasztott testrészre. Nekem az a tapasztalatom, hogy a legtöbben vevők arra, ha segíted őket.” Amikor annak idején a Kisképzőre je-
lentkezett, még nem tudta, hogy milyen sokrétű élet várja majd szakmailag. Bár a felvételi bizottság kimagaslónak találta a rajzait, mégsem vették fel akkor. Nem sokat gondolkodott, belevetette magát a munkába; 16 éves korában már grafikákat készített, 18 évesen pedig éttermeknek, billiárdszalonoknak a beltereire készített festményeket többedmagával. Végül nem is maradt hiányérzete, mert nagyon jó irányt vett az élete. Rengeteg helyről kapott impulzust, és mindig örömet okozott az aktuális művészeti ág, amiben benne volt. Persze így hosszabb lett az út, és úgy érzi, egyik területen sem igazán kiemelkedő, de ez egyáltalán nem zavarja.
„Nem vagyok az az olimpikon fazon, nem tudtam csak egy irányba menni, hogy aztán ott elérjem a csúcsot, inkább sok mindenbe szerettem volna belenyúlni, és az volt a cél, hogy élvezzem, amit csinálok. Számomra sosem volt komfortos átvenni tetováló díjakat sem, nem motivált, hogy felálljak a dobogóra. Az sem mellékes, hogy mennyit profitáltam abból, hogy ennyi mindent csinálok. A különböző területek mindig is segítették egymást. A rajz által megtanult kompozíciókat például tudtam használni a filmeknél, hogy passzoljanak az öltözékek a hátfallal, a világítással. Ennek a jelmeztervezők, díszletesek is örülnek, mert így össze tudunk dolgozni. A filmes látásmódot sokszor hasznosítottam a tetoválásokban, hogy képekben tudjak gondolkodni. Engem a gyakorlat mindig jobban izgatott annál, minthogy egyetemi szintű tudásom legyen. Valahogy a szakmán belül egymástól tanulni mindig élvezetesebb. Például a régi időkben amikor Sárközi Zsolt, Kupcsik Adrián és Boris átjártunk egymáshoz, nagyon jót tett a fejlődésünknek, hogy amit tudunk megosztottunk egymással. Közben meg sodort is az élet. Nem biztos, hogy ez a jó, nem mondom, hogy mindenkinek így kell csinálni, de nekem bevált annak ellenére, hogy néha egyáltalán nem volt könnyű.”
