interview with tattoo artist Lukasz Smyku
Hello Lukasz Smyku! Thank you so much for taking the time
to do this interview. It really means a lot having you here. Please
start by telling us something about yourself and your beginnings. I My adventure with tattooing began in 2005. But every day real
work started when I opened my studio Dead Body Tattoo in 2009.
Q: Tell me about the creative process.
A: Very often I create the whole idea in my head. To do the projects
I'm using a lot of of photography methods. I'm connecting, changing
them, redrawing and adding my own elements.
Q: How would
you call your style?
A: I would describe it as horror fantasy, mostly because of the
color I'm using, they are not much used in horror style. Bright
orange and yellow with good contrasts all this to make the tattoo
more vibrant in the long run.
Q: How important is to experiment with new styles and
techniques in order to grow artistically?
A: In my opinion before you find your style is good to
experiment, because every new thing is giving us more skills,
getting a different view on tattoo art is the most important thing.
Q: Would you try working on something completely different?
A: For a very long time I was looking for something that will give
me full satisfaction. On this day is horror fantasy, which I do. I
feel really good in it and it gives me that satisfaction so I will
not change it.
Q: Tattooing is a technique that needs to be learned. No
matter how good your drawing skills are, still working on skin is a
different thing. I bet many people don't realize this and jump right
away on eBay to buy a tattoo "equipment" Your
thoughts?
A: The most important thing is to work hard regularly. You will not
become a good tattoo artist if you do one tattoo weekly. Only
stubbornness and self critical point of view on the work you did
will allow you to get better. Very important as well is having an
artistic background.
Q: Did you face any difficulties when you were starting?
A: When you start you will find lots of difficulties. All this
will make you a better tattoo artist, but all depends on how you
will fix the mistakes. Spending a lot of time on composition of your
tattoos and how they are done from a technical aspect is a must.
Q: You own "Dead Body Tattoo" in beautiful Poland.
Working with Alan
Balcerak. Do you support each
other when it comes to tattoo ideas etc?
A: When I opened my studio in 2009 I was thinking
how nice would be work with someone. But unfortunately the studio
was too small. When I changed the location, my idea about another
artist came back. For this moment in our team there are 3 tattoo
artists. Alan Balcerak,
Izabela Emert and me. Everyone works in different style which makes
Dead Body Tattoo a place where everyone will find something for
themselves.
Q: You also travel a lot. Visiting events like tattoo
conventions and seminars, I believe it can be a great way to meet
new people, but also have fun and get inspired. Congratulations on
the many awards you got, absolutely deserved. Do you have any
favorite moment that you see as a career highlight?
A: Thank you very much for the nice words. This year is for me was
very busy. It's giving me
unbelievable energy to work and self improve. I love those trips
because you meet a lot of awesome people, fascinated with
this form of art. One of the most important points of my career was
the motivation from
Tomasz Tofi Torfinski which got me in many reflections about tattooing.
The whole idea of creating something more then just another tattoo.
As well a lot of great conversations and very
helpful tips I got from many other artists.
Q: I'm happy to see you working together with artists like Tofi.
Tell me more about this collaboration.
A: I had a conversation with
Tofi. After it gave me a big kick to
work, conversations with
Tofi are very great because he never say anything in easy
way. That's why we have to analyze and interpreted.
For me he is a big authority. He is still respected after so many
years and he work with the same passion.
Q: Any dream piece?
A: I have many. I'm
designing new ones for the new clients so
we have something for everyone.
Q: Your plans for the near feature?
A: I would like to travel in Asia and USA. I like to visit and se different
countries, learning some about the culture and try traditional food.
It give me lots of satisfaction when I can present my style
worldwide.