interview with Krish Trece | neo traditional style, spain | 06/08/2019
Hello Krish Trece! Thank you so much for taking the time
to give us this interview. You're very inspiring artist with
interesting approach, I've seen many creative designs and artworks
in your portfolio, let's start with some basic info...
Q: How old you were when you first got interested in tattoo
art? Did you like any other art forms?
A: I was born in Girona (Spain), also known for being Salvador
Dali's birthplace, so I grew up surrounded by imagery of his surreal
worlds where the boundaries of creativity are nonexistent. He truly
inspired me to pursue in the field of arts, a place of comfort for
me. My favorite thing to do as a kid (and now) was to visit art and
history museums. I have always been mesmerized by oil paintings,
graffiti, sculptures and all the classic culture in general. I would
say my interest in the tattoo field started when I was 18, when I
got my first tattoo. This opened my eyes to a whole different world,
I was instantly captivated with the creativity, culture and
technique and I still am to this day.
Q: Was it hard to learn how to do tattoos? Did anyone help
you?
A: Yes, it was a very hard process. I come from studying arts so I
did have a foundation, but keep in mind there were very little
options out there back in the day. I basically was self taught and
assisted seminars and many illustration and color courses until I
found a studio that welcomed me, and provided me with a safe space
to continue growing and learning in this field. This said, it's a
daily process to get to the level of mastering this art form.
Q: How much is important to have some talent? Drawing skills
or just a sense of artistic approach?
A: Dedication and passion are in my opinion, the best way to grow as
an artist. To invest your time learning and doing something you
love, I believe is essential for us to obtain the best results
because this makes you want to establish more time practicing and
learning new techniques. The end result is to continuously grow as
an artist. I believe these aspects will reflect in your artwork and
profession in a positive way. Curiosity opens your eyes to endless
knowledge and creativity. As tattoo artists, we are asked to
continuously develop and create unique pieces on a daily basis, this
is why I believe all this is essential for us to provide our clients
with our best work and skills possible.
Q: How long took you to gain confidence in your work?
A: You are in constant evolution and growth, but I can say that
every time I tattoo, I gain more confidence in my work and in
myself.
Q: I like your style, unlike the very popular tattoo realism
style when we see tattoos that look like photographs (which is
amazing of course) with neo traditional style we see some sort of
realism but in a much more creative way. Awesome! How is your
feeling on this style? Would you say that that's your specialty?
A: Yes, I'm passionate about the neo traditional style and I
consider it to be the style I work with. I have dedicated years to
acquire the knowledge, skills and techniques it takes to work this
form. This has lead me to discover my own style within. My creative
curiosity has taken me through a path where I have approached a more
classic predominant style, combined with a nature inspired earthy
toned color scheme. More than ever, I now feel I have found my style
inside the neo traditional methodology, but this doesn't mean I have
stopped here, I still have so much to learn!
Q: Every tattoo style has its own most difficult parts to
master in order to get better. What are some of the most
difficult/time consuming parts to work on while doing a neo
traditional tattoo? Where is crucial to not make a mistake?
A: Yes, every tattoo style has its difficult parts to master for
sure. I would say the hardest aspect of the neo traditional style is
the amount of time you have to dedicate towards it's process. There
is a lot of research and design required in aspects like:
composition, perspective, drawing techniques, color and visual
detail. All these steps are crucial towards the outcome of a proper
neo traditional tattoo. You have to create a unique piece entirely
out of an idea and this takes a lot of time.
Q: It's a playful approach for sure, I can see many
interesting portraits of people that look way cooler in this style.
Do you feel like you have more creative freedom doing this style?
A: Absolutely. You are essentially creating a piece based out of an
idea or image and making it your own. Your perception and creative
insight is valued in this style, so there definitely has to be
creative freedom to approach this.
Q: Do you like to remain specialized in this style or you're
open to explore in the other styles too in the feature?
A: The neo traditional style is my absolute passion. It is a style
with so many layers and branches, I literally feel I will never stop
learning and have so many aspects to master and sub styles to
discover. This said, I admire many other styles and believe it's
very important to learn from all these fascinating talented artists.
It's truly amazing to see what is being accomplished by so many
professional and brilliant artists nowadays.
Q: You draw a lot I believe... how much is important to be
able to bring a cool design to the client and help them with their
idea? Do you give them some suggestions?
A: Yes, I believe the most important fact during the design phase is
communication and trust. I love learning about my clients vision and
I ask a lot of questions to make sure I don't miss out on any
important detail. We go over their idea, vision and references to
the last point, providing any feedback or notes necessary and when
we are all set on this, my creative process begins. In this phase I
appreciate artistic freedom, I dedicate days to come up with a
custom piece that is designed specially for my client and most
importantly, a piece that both me and my client are happy with.
- Do you work on other creative mediums such as digital art?
I think this new ways of doing art gave many opportunities for
people to express.
There is nothing like a piece of paper and a pencil. I have so much
respect for the artistic techniques and materials but there is a
huge advantage in using digital mediums to create your designs. The
process is so much less time consuming! I think every artist goes
through this particular challenge. We are here to create
distinguished and one of a kind designs for our clients nearly on
daily basis, and it's not the easiest thing to do. This gives you a
quicker way to try out compositions, try color combinations, save,
delete or combine sections, the possibilities are endless. Another
advantage is that you can organize your work all in one place, take
it with you wherever you go and to use another creative medium to
express yourself is always exciting.
Q: How long do you usually work on one big tattoo? How do
you comfort your clients during the long sessions?
- A few words on what to do/eat before long tattoo session?
A: When asked for a large project that takes a lot of time and
dedication both ways, I always like to explain how the process works
so my client is fully aware of how the session or sessions will be
going beforehand. We all know to stay hydrated, stretch during
breaks and to eat well that day are very important but to keep the
communication open is essential, I like them to know they can always
let me know how they are feeling at all times. It is extremely
important for me that they have the best experience possible. I also
like to recommend my clients to see it as a "treat myself day", to
come in wearing your most comfortable clothing, to bring your
favorite snacks and entertainment, this will definitely help to keep
your mind off the painful parts and the long hours!
Q: How is the feeling of knowing that someone trust you
enough to let you put eternal mark on their skin?
A: It's a huge responsibility that shouldn't be taken lightly! It
takes even the most skilled tattooers years to be able to execute a
tattoo correctly. This is why we can never stop learning and
perfecting our technique. We want our clients to be happy and show
off their piece now and when years go by with pride. To see your
client come back for more or bump into them when years go by, and
for them to look as happy as the first day, means the world to us
tattoo artists.
- You can continue by talking about your best travel/tattoo
conventions memory.
I would have to say the Brighton tattoo convention (United Kingdom),
it was my first international convention. I can't begin to express
how happy I was to be surrounded by so many brilliant artists
specialized in my style. It was an honor to be part of it and it
holds a very special place in my memory.
Please share your contact info and studio location.
Krish Trece
Instagram @krishtattoo
Ms.Krish Trece Thank you so much for the interview.
Kind regards,
The team