When did you start your career as a tattoo artist?
I started tattooing about 3 and a half years ago, i was an apprentice at various shops for about 5 years before I ever did my first tattoo.
What is your favorite body part to tattoo?
Probably outside of calves, it's the easiest spot for both client and artist to work on, it's also a largely flat area so the design won't warp or skew.
Who is your favorite tattoo artist and why?
My current favorite tattoo artist or most inspired by artist currently would be Simon Bell. In my opinion he is just the top anime tattoo artist on the planet and no one comes close, i often stare at his work trying to break down his process and learn from it.
There are so many styles of tattoos now a days what is your favorite style to do?
I don't have a favorite style per say because if I do too much of one subject matter I tend to get burnt out pretty quickly. I draw everything myself from scratch there is only so many ways I can draw something before it becomes repetitive. I have a few styles that I love to do most, Anime, New School, Neo Traditional, and Japanese Traditional. A good mixture of those throughout my week would result in a fun one for me.
Do you prefer color or black and white for your tattoos?
I absolutely prefer color, but I do enjoy black and gray tattoos occasionally depending on the subject matter. I just personally feel like with my artwork I can bring the piece to life more using color. I can add tons of color elements and color theory elements that would make the piece stand out and I don't feel like I can do that with black and gray styles.
What is your advice to give to a new tattoo artist?
Advice for a new artist.... Hmmm... My best advice for any new artist would be to draw, as much as you possibly can. Finish every single art piece you create, even if you hate it because you can still learn from it. Do lots of studies, practice all sorts of styles to learn aspects from them and apply them to your own artwork. Most importantly, while it is very easy to go to Pinterest and steal/copy artwork and do that. Please understand that other artist know exactly what that drawing is from, who actually did it, and you lose credibility as an artist. You kind of blacklist yourself amongst some you might want to learn from, so focus on your own artwork, even if its not great at the start, if you hone on your own skills, you wont need to copy others and you'll feel more accomplished as an artist.
What are your top 3 songs that you hope to play when you’re tattooing someone? (This is our fun way of asking what are your three favorite songs?
When tattooing someone I don't really listen to music or pay attention to music. I'm just talking to my client and the music is background noise that I tune out but my 3 songs I love are "We're All Thieves," by Circa Survive, "White Hot," by Loathe, and "Sick & Tired," by Jacob Lee.
Where can we find you at? (This is where you can share any and all links!)
I will be tattooing in Iowa City starting in 2023, I mainly post on my Instagram which is https://www.instagram.com/kalvin.rosario.tattoos. I post timelapses for pieces, commissions, I paint, anime vans I've customized, PlayStation 5's, and all sorts of art related projects other than just tattooing.
Here are some recent pieces that i enjoyed doing :) plenty more where that came from over on Instagram.
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