Artist

Clinically depressed, from the Midwest! ⸺ Who or where do you get your inspiration from? Body horror movies and manga, unnerving aspects of real nature, guro, feral babes, retro gaming, TeamSESH, and 90’s goth ⸺ What advice would you give to someone about getting his or her first tattoo? (A tattoo virgin) Don’t bring a group of people with you. Avoid getting your first tattoo on your ribs. Fight the urge to get a super tiny tattoo. Your tattoo doesn’t need a meaning. Eat! ⸺ What would you say is your favorite part of the job? I love that I get to help people change their appearance in a way that makes them feel more confident in their own skin. It’s always a bonus if that confidence comes from getting a butt sleeve of bones and bugs ⸺ What was it that initially sparked your interest in tattooing? I was born in 1993, which means a good chunk of my childhood was spent browsing the internet by myself. I became fascinated by the BME website and knew that I wanted to look like the people on there. I was always into anime as a kid and loved to draw my own (terrible quality) manga. I wanted to have an art career but didn’t want to have to make logos or paint commissioned art of people’s kids. Tattooing gave me the ability to have complete freedom and control over my life and was the perfect fit for all of my interests ⸺ Are there any tattoos you would refuse to do? (face, private areas, etc.) I will tattoo any body part, but I will refuse to tattoo any subject matter that is racist, sexist, homophobic, transphobic, or supports the ideals of any hate group ⸺ What do you think is in store for the future of tattooing? The industry is oversaturated right now. We do, however, have some fantastic tools like Procreate, which help the design process immensely. The quality of tattoos has skyrocketed, with social media giving us the ability to share information and inspiration ⸺ What is the most important advice you can give someone new to the art of tattooing? At the beginning of your career, you are absolutely going to do some bad tattoos. There will be days when you go home feeling terrible about yourself. It is worth sticking through. We all constantly improve and learn from every tattoo we make- that learning never stops. ✕

Andres Makishi is a Peruvian tattoo artist with 9 years of experience. He currently resides in New York City and is a resident artist at the prestigious studio Ink Nation. He specializes in realism and micro-realism.

Who or where do you get your inspiration from? I like different forms of art like comic books, cartoons, anime, and video games; even when I am walking on the street, I find inspirational things for my next tattoo piece.

What advice would you give to someone about getting his or her first tattoo? (A tattoo virgin) To look for an artist, take your time to check the portfolio, that the studio is in good condition, and for the tattoo to be something with meaning because it is for life.

What did your family and friends think about you getting into the tattoo business?

I always had support from my family, probably because they are all artists too. My dad assembled my first tattoo machine; he used a pen and an engine from one of those little car toys. Making my family proud of me is something that gives me a lot of joy; there are no words to express how grateful I am to them.

Are there any tattoos you would refuse to do? (face, private areas, etc.) Intimate areas or tattoos that I know would not look good in the long term, there are many variables that play into the making of a tattoo piece; size, positioning, and area, with experience, I have developed an eye to foresee what is and what is not visually appealing.

What do you think is in store for the future of tattooing? Probably new types of ink, like inks that change color when exposed to some type of light or that can look good and be easily removed by laser. That might increase the number of people getting lasered and then getting new pieces more often.

What is the most important advice you can give someone new to the art of tattooing? Discipline is what has worked best for me. Do not just focus on tattooing; try other forms of art like painting and digital design; learning other expressions of art really expands your perspective and point of view, like training the eye. ✕