Kiwa, a college dropout, abandoned his music degree to pursue a tattooing career because he was more interested in drawing and having his artwork significantly impact human bodies. For the past nine years, he has been tattooing professionally, fusing Hindu and Buddhist mandalas with color spectra seen in traditional Korean culture and architecture. They also […]
Tag: South Korea
EQ: From Art Teacher to Tattooer
EQ was an art teacher before becoming a tattooer in 2019. Friends and others encouraged her to explore tattooing because of her talent and excitement for drawing. Initially self-taught, she eventually attended Sol’s Tattoo Academy in Seoul. EQ plans to challenge age and cultural role expectations by working hard to achieve professional success despite being […]
Stippling Tattoos by Choi Yun
Choi Yun, 27, is not a fan of the term “dotwork.” Instead, she employs precise stippling to achieve intense gradient shading and reduce tattoo machine impression marks. She has a bachelor’s degree in fine arts from Chugye University, and her parents have always encouraged her to pursue her dream of becoming a tattooist right out […]
From Ceramics to Castles: The Work of Ovenlee
Ovenlee was born in 1995 in Chuncheon, the capital city of Gangwon Province in South Korea. She attended university in 2014 and studied ceramics and textiles before opting to pursue a career as a tattooer in 2018. Fascinated by the countryside’s natural beauty, she depicts it in vivid color in her tattoos. She creates fantastical […]
Eastern Asian Cultures Influence Daldam’s Tattoos
Daldam is a 29-year-old tattooer who draws inspiration from Chinese art, Japanese mythology, and Korean culture. She travels back in time to the period of porcelain vases and goblin legends to delicately tattoo these themes on her clients’ bodies. Peonies, massive waves, and tigers all have significant meaning in the East, which she is aware […]
Ink and Lace: An Interview with Songe
Songe was born in 1999 in Seoul, South Korea, and is a young creative looking to expand her portfolio. She is often asked for color tattoos instead of black-and-gray ones, which make up the bulk of her collection. Nonetheless, she is willing to work in monochrome and diverse skin tones. One of the reasons she […]
Solar’s Tattoo Jewelry is Inspired by Kings and Queens
Some people regard tattoos as purely decorative. Solar recreates antique European jewels and royal artifacts using the fine-line tattooing technique popular in South Korea. Solar is all about the details, from brooches to crowns, curlicues, and bling! She is currently working with 30 other colleagues at Sol Tattoo studio in Seoul. She prefers working there […]
Pauline’s Flowing, Evocative Line Art
Before exploring tattooing, this 27-year-old artist studied environmental sculpture at Seoul National University. Pauline, a well-known Korean tattoo artist, began his career in 2015 and has since done numerous guest spots in Asia and Europe. His art is characterized by figural distortion, scribbling lines, passion, and movement. Pauline’s delicate tattoos are influenced by Austrian art […]
Tattooist Basil’s Poetic Geometric Art
While micro tattoos are not for everyone, there is a sizable global market for this work, with South Korean tattooists in high demand for their meticulous talent. Basil is another emerging tattooist who incorporates art and design elements into her geometric tattoos. A customer sends visual references (photographs of birds, flowers, or landscapes), and she […]
Zee’s Interview on Delicate Flower Tattoos
Zee, who started his tattoo career in South Korea in 2016, concentrates his work on the eternal theme of flowers. His fine-line art is sought after by domestic and international clients who see them as an aesthetic fit and flowing for any part of the body. The main issue with flowers is that around 90% […]