interview with Martin Sjöberg
Hello Martin Sjöberg! Thank you so much for taking the time to do
this interview. Please start by telling us something about yourself,
how it all started? I have been tattooing for around 8-9 years, my first tattoo was a
small dragon tribal on a friend of mine. When I started I did not have a mentor, therefore it was
difficult to see my own progress and how to work with different
techniques, shading and coloring. I got to test myself and my
development went pretty slow in the beginning before I figured out
how to do it. It was just practice.
Q: How long took you to gain confidence?
A: I would say it took 4-5 years before I felt that I managed all
and felt that I got the results I expected and wanted. For me it was
hard practicing and obviously the talent had something to do with it
too.
Q: Do you have any formal art training?
A: I went to an art education in high school but I started drawing
and sketching from an early age and always liked it. When I realized
that I wanted to test on tattooing and had done it for a few months
it was obvious to me that this was what I wanted to do in the
future. It was very hard to learn how to do tattoos, there is so
much more that you need to know than you think.
Q: How long can take to
finish a back piece?
A: I finish a backpiece in 6-7 sessions usually, 5 hours per
session.
Q: How long is the waiting time for appointment?
A:
My waiting time is around 4 years at the moment, the
bookings are via email.
Q: There's no "undo" or "edit" option when it comes to
tattooing, everything has to be well placed and planned before the
session. Have you ever thought like some tattoos could be done in a
different way, when you look back at some of your old works? It's
all about progress anyway...
A: My works reflect my development and how I worked back then. Of
course I can look back at some tattoos and think that I could have
done it in a different way instead but with the knowledge I had at
the time when I did those tattoos, I am still happy with what I managed to
achieve.
Q: Do you travel a lot for work like doing guest spots,
visiting tattoo conventions etc? How important to gain
foreign knowledge in order to grow as an artist? What is your
experience?
A: I am quite comfortable with myself nowadays but I have been
around doing guest spots in Sweden. I have mostly been to Sweden at
conventions and a few abroad. It has been important for my
development to get some environmental change now and then and I have
found that it is precisely the conventions that have triggered my
development, the goal is to win.
Q: What is your advice for those who are willing to start
tattooing?
A: For those who want to start tattooing, my advice is always to go
as an apprentice in a serious studio, because it is a very hard
journey to do yourself without a mentor. I know that from my own
experience.
Please write down your contact info and studio location.
Martinxsjoberg@hotmail.com
Instagram@martinsjoooberg
Vectorious Art
Sankt Olofsgatan 5 Falköping, Sweden