Interview with tattoo artist Marcos Alves

  Hello Marcos Alves! Thank you so much for taking the time to do this interview. Please start by telling us something about yourself and your start in this business? Was it hard to get into? Did anyone help you? I was a drawing teacher and over time I started to have many tattoo students, which led me to have more contact with this market and I gradually got into it until I decided to actually be a tattoo artist. My beginning was something unusual because I never imagined I would be here. I received help from some friends, including Alexandre Dallier, who introduced me to the more professional side, and most recently my great friend Tobias Augustini. I would also like to mention my great friend Wagner Cavaliere, who extended his hands to me when I did not have the resources to pay for a good treatment.

Q: Was the talent crucial to get you where you are today?
A: I took numerous courses in drawing, illustration and private lessons in art history which has always reinforced my desire to work in this medium.

Q: Do you laugh looking at some of your old works? :)) What type of tattoos you used to do back then?
A: Wow, I usually laugh too much! There were countless unsuccessful attempts at realism and a lot of watercolor, which in fact was what was on the rise when I started

Q: How long does it take to finish a realistc tattoo?
A: I like to create a whole environment before tattooing, I prepare the songs that I will listen to, I select the images well and I spend an average of 10 to 16 hours on each.

Q: How long took you to gain confidence?
A: I started to feel confident after about 3 years ago, because I was really determined to go deeper into realism.

Q: Do you suggest your clients some ideas for their tattoo?
A: Usually my clients allow me to implement ideas and let me create something for them.

Q: Working as an artist is a cool and funny job at times, you meet all kinds of people! What are some of the funniest moments with your clients? Do you like their reaction when you finally finish their tattoo and they show up in front of the mirror and just "woww" they... look?
A: Dude this is the best part, all that anxiety with emotion and adrenaline at the same time on the client's face when seeing the tattoo. In fact, my day is really funny because each client that comes has a new experience for me.

Q: Would you try something else in the feature?
A: I always liked to try other styles and to be able to evolve as an artist in general. I am very interested in neo traditional, a style that I really like alongside tattoos with many doodles as if they were sketches on the skin.

Q: How is the tattoo scene in Rio De Janeiro, is it growing?
A: Our market here is very large and every day new artists appear, some good and others not so much... However, I would say it is growing.

Q: The best parts of being a full time artist? What you're most grateful for? Did you learn something about yourself?
A: I am grateful for all this, when I look back and remember my days reading comics and watching animes... those hours in the arcade playing the king of fighters and dreaming of a day to live by art. It was years of drawing on school tables wondering if one day I would be able to live of art. I learned a lot about the value of friendship and persistence even though we have many obstacles. And in the meantime I ended up meeting my wife (Brenda Santos) who fell in love with the art of tattooing and today she is proving to be a great artist and a great companion.