TYE HARRIS

Originally from west Texas but based near Austin, Tye is a renowned self-taught artist and shop owner specializing in black and grey realism and portraits. He’s been tattooing professionally for nearly 20 years and has owned Faces In The Dark Tattoo since 2016. Outside of tattooing, Tye loves traveling and spending time with his cats, Church and Maeve ⸺ Who or where do you get your inspiration from? These days, I get a lot of inspiration from the artist I work with. We’re always asking each other’s opinions on designs and working together to make sure we give the clients the best tattoo possible. There’s inspiration everywhere at this shop ⸺ What advice would you give to someone about getting his or her first tattoo? (A tattoo virgin) Take your time, do your research, and don’t be afraid to travel a little bit to get a good tattoo. Sometimes you can luck out on a good artist location, but most of the time, the right artist for you isn’t going to be down the road from your house. Driving a few hours or even hopping on a short flight is always worth it to get the tattoo you truly want ⸺ What would you say is your favorite part of the job? I really enjoy meeting new clients all the time, having new conversations, and interacting with the other artist at my shop. The human connection is one of the greatest aspects of my job, for Sure ⸺ Was it hard getting an apprenticeship? How was yours? I never had any type of apprenticeship; I tattooed at my house for about 2 years before I landed in my first tattoo shop in San Antonio. I ran out of needles, so I started calling tattoo shops to see if anyone would sell me any. When I finally found a shop that sold supplies, I was stoked. I just went in to buy some needles, and they asked if they could see my portfolio. It wasn’t much at that point, but it was enough to land my first job in a shop ⸺ What is your favorite subject matter to tattoo? I really love doing portraits. Something about making a piece come alive on the skin is so satisfying, and they tend to be very meaningful pieces. ✕