TATTOOANDY

Raised in the small town of Kent Ct. With little else to do, Andy spent much of his childhood drawing with his grandparents. This constant practice early on landed him acceptance into the illustration program at Pratt Institute, where he developed his love for color. During school break, he was offered a job drawing and helping out a lot at a local tattoo shop, but he began tattooing by the end of the summer, dropped out of Art School, and never looked Back. When not tattooing, Andy can be found painting, playing drums in his band, or camping and fishing with his wife, daughter, and two dachshunds ⸺ Who or where do you get your inspiration from? I find that in order to have a unique voice within this rapidly growing industry, it’s important to also look outside of tattooing for inspiration. Illustrators like Aaron Blaise, Max Grecke, and Greg Manchess are a few that I look at regularly for different ways to approach my work ⸺ What would you say is your favorite part of the job? My favorite part of tattooing is when a client gives you the freedom to create. I love taking a simple prompt and doing my thing with it ⸺ Was it hard getting an apprenticeship? How was yours? My apprenticeship was definitely a lot different than most 20+ years ago. I was still in Art School and had two years left when I started tattooing. The plan was to spend my vacations from school helping around the shop, doing drawings, painting flash, etc., and then when I graduated, go from there. But I ended up learning to tattoo much sooner than that. My mentor showed just me how to tattoo and skipped all of the hazing and making the apprenticeship hell that you hear about from a lot of other artists. So I would definitely say it was easier than most ⸺ What do you think is in store for the future of tattooing? That’s honestly hard to predict. More and more artists are coming into tattooing from art school and upping the game, not to mention the advancement in both tools to do tattoos and the tools to design them. So much growth has already happened since I started that I can only see it grow further. But in what direction, I couldn’t begin to imagine. ✕

I was born in Bosnia pre-war. My family and I moved to Croatia when the war started, and in about ‘94, we moved to the US, where we landed in Georgia and have lived since. I have always been artistically inclined, so my parents enrolled me in an art institute at a young age, where I quickly dropped out because I disliked someone telling me how to draw. Fast forward to now, I have 4 kids, am married, and tattooing, and I wouldn’t change a thing ⸺ Who or where do you get your inspiration from? Friends, family, friends in the industry, but most of all, my wife, Megan. She is an amazing artist herself. I am enamored listening to her talk about color theory and the science behind fashion hair color and education ⸺ What advice would you give to someone about getting his or her first tattoo? (A tattoo virgin) Do your research! There is an artist out there for every style, but please pick a good one, and don’t cheap out! ⸺ What did your family and friends think about you getting into the tattoo business? I tried to hide it from my parents for a while, but everyone was supportive from the jump. Even my parents, who I thought would absolutely hate it. Maybe my dad will even get that Snoopy tattoo that he’s been joking about one Day ⸺ What would you say is your favorite part of the job? Creating art and hanging out with friends. Also, the money isn’t bad either ⸺ Was it hard getting an apprenticeship? How was yours? As bad as it sounds, I didn’t really have much of one. Most of everything I know is self-taught and from learning from friends in the industry. Hell, every day, there is something new to learn ⸺ What do you think is in store for the future of tattooing? Tattooing is ever-changing, so who knows what will come in the future. I just know that if you aren’t willing to grow as an artist, then you will quickly be left behind ⸺ What is the most important advice you can give someone new to the art of tattooing? Do an apprenticeship. Find a good artist that you like and bug them until you get an apprenticeship. Also, don’t give up and be open to change and learning because tattooing is an ever-evolving art form. Have fun with it. ✕