Artist in view: Adrian cier
How did you get involved with tattooing and how did you find your personal style of tattooing?
It has always been one of my biggest dreams to become a tattoo artist. In 2010, one of my best friends Miguel Angel Espinosa (@miguelangel_espinosa) showed me how to start.
After ten years of tattooing I’m still looking for my own style, but it will be in color for sure. This obsession with color comes from doing Graffiti art (since 2003/2004).
What is the thing you enjoy most in the tattoo industry?
Definitely the conventions, I really enjoy to see friends from around the world and connect with them. But nowadays the circumstances force us to be patient until next year…(hopefully).
Do you have a ritual or specific thing you do every time before you start tattooing?
Coffee. I need coffee and of course my “peanut energy bar”, I’m a lazy person in the morning…well, almost all day. I have to confess, that I “hate”, when the client comes early as I don’t like to see my client waiting while I’m enjoying my “ritual”.
What’s something you haven’t done yet but would love to tackle? (Tattoo related)
To do my work better, more solid and clean. And of course more collaborations with my “Legends” of tattooing.
What’s missing in the tattoo industry? What would you like to see change?
It’s difficult to say, when it comes to supplies we can always find new products to support us in our daily business. Every small detail now is covered with a new product.
We still have a lot of work with the governments about regulations, but time will solve these problems.
Who are your biggest inspirations, or artists you admire and why?
I have a huge list on this point. That would be almost all the artists I’m following on my social media. But if I had to choose, I would say mostly color realistic artists; Kätlin Malm & Torsten Malm, Sandra Daukshta, Dmytro Samokhin, Boris, Sasha O'Kharin, Natasha Lisova, Daria Pirojenko, Dave Paulo, Sam Barber, Benjamin Laukis, Levgen, Luka Laoie, Michael Cloutier… and of course Moriel Seror ;) and for sure I’m missing so many.
If you could be any tattoo artist in the world for a day, who would you be and why, what would you do?
I would be Derek Turkotte. Apart from being one of my first references from the beginning, I would love to experience how it is living in one of the most beautiful towns I’ve never been to (Canmore, Canada).
What’s the funniest tattoo related experience you have witnessed or heard of?
The most recent was the collaboration with Torsten, Kätlin and Moriel we did on Hendrik, the clown backpiece. Hendrik made this experience one of the funniest experiences ever. But if I had to name one I’ve “heard” of: all of Torsten’s stories are the best.
What is most important for avoiding bad tattoo healing?
Usually the first and second days are the most critical, but you guys make this problem disappear.
What’s your favourite tattoo convention(s) and why?
This has always been Venice, it’s small and you feel like part of a big family, but unfortunately I couldn't attend last year. Another one I really like is Milan; it’s a very big one and it’s always really fun and in the same time professional, I hope next year we can go again!
What’s the one topic or theme of tattoo you get asked the most?
Realistic color about animals or movies (and I really love it :D)
Is there a specific body part you enjoy tattooing and one you really don’t enjoy tattooing, and why?
I really like to tattoo legs and arms. The skin helps so much in this process and is not really painful for the client.
I think the worst is the head, it’s really painful for the client and not really comfortable. I feel really bad when the client is suffering (yes, I do).