Artist in view: Giovanni Tattoo Artist
How did you get involved with tattooing and how did you find your personal style of tattooing?
One day while going to get a tattoo in a small village in Switzerland (not as a cliché in the mountains ..lol), with curiosity I took some drawings and showed them to the tattoo artist to get his opinion. After a few exchanges, I was happy that he agreed to teach me some basics. Afterwards I opened my first studio, where I started to evolve more freely. Then I went to get tattooed by big artists that I like, to learn new techniques and observe their creative process.
I try to develop my style with a realistic and avant-garde base, then I try to combine concepts and movements so that my work can vibrate and match with the flow of the human body. I like to extend the curves and play with the dynamics!
What is the thing you enjoy most in the tattoo industry?
Collaborations are the most interesting experiences that I've explored so far! Especially the Kaos Theory Project. The mix of styles creates the most balanced work for me. It's also wonderful to learn a new way to share the same canvas, and to watch each other when sometimes we can't be in the same zone at the same time, or when we have to step out of our comfort zone and try a style that is not our own!
Do you have a ritual or specific thing you do every time before you start tattooing?
Nothing special, I like to prepare my tattoo station and the place in advance while listening to loud music and singing the lyrics haha..
What’s something you haven’t done yet but would love to tackle? (Tattoo related)
Once I saw a video of an artist called Lil B, who was going on an expedition to the beach with the person he was going to tattoo, he carried the material, the tattoo table with food and drink and they had a session just the two of them in the nature with a calm and ideal view! I found the idea incredible and I would like to do it my way eventually in the Swiss mountains…lol.. And who knows, maybe it will be a collaboration!
What’s missing in the tattoo industry? What would you like to see change?
Education. I think that it's important to try to teach/explain good values and principles to young tattooers and people who are thinking about getting tattooed. Learning to say « no » to a project that doesn't reflect us or that we do not want to do, for me it’s proof of respect for the industry and for the person that we can redirect them to the best artist for that.
Who are your biggest inspirations, or artists you admire and why?
There are many haha! To name a few I would say Jay Freestyle, because his versatility and the quality of his compositions surprise me since I discovered him and he is the one who made me want to try color, I see him as a mentor. Benjamin Laukis, Anrijs Straume, Alexey Mashkow and so many others. Because they have solid artistic identities.
If you could be any tattoo artist in the world for a day, who would you be and why, what would you do?
Haha ohh yeah! I would love to be Alexey Mashkow to try to visualize his process and I would do a Salvator Dalì portrait!
What’s the funniest tattoo related experience you have witnessed or heard of?
We were doing a collaboration with Ryan Smith for his 39th birthday and he made a video while it was my turn to tattoo, saying that he was questiong himself about what he could do on that day and he said with a laugh that he would like to make someone suffer on his birthday haha... And exactly at the same time, I was tattooing a sensitive area and the person screamed in pain haha... he came into the room laughing because the coincidence was too perfect and then he laughed and asked the person what she wanted, she said that she wanted to go home and Ryan smiled and told her that she still had some pain to go through and she couldn't go home for now! We had a good laugh watching the video afterwards lol..
What is most important for avoiding bad tattoo healing?
Protect the tattoo the first days with a thin layer of cream, then cover it with a Tattoo Armour Pads by respecting the application time of each pad. Have your hands washed and disinfected before any contact with your tattoo. Avoid scratching the tattoo, swimming pools and the sun. And wear only cotton clothes. Do not rub it too hard during the cleaning and dab gently with a clean paper towel or a clean shower towel. Do not put too much cream.
What’s your favourite tattoo convention(s) and why?
Milan and Venice. The quality of the shows, animations and artists was extremely high and to be able to share the ranks of the greatest legends was an honor.
What’s the one topic or theme of tattoo you get asked the most?
Animals, portraits, landscape and graphic compostions.
Is there a specific body part you enjoy tattooing and one you really don’t enjoy tattooing, and why?
I love tattooing forearms, thighs and calves, because the areas have stretch and flat skin, it’s very comfortable to create on these surfaces.
I don't like to work on the ribs, stomach and the back of the knees, because the sensitivity of these areas and the reactions of some people, slows down or affects the progress too much during the session. I feel like I can't create calmly.