DIOGO SOARES IS A PORTUGUESE TATTOO ARTIST AND DESIGNER. HE STUDIED COMMUNICATION DESIGN AND TAUGHT HIMSELF HOW TO TAKE PHOTOS. ALSO, HE IS A RESIDENT AT JOIA. HE DOES HIS BEST TO LEARN EVERY DAY AND CREATE NEW THINGS, WHATEVER IT IS AS LONG HE CAN EXPRESS HIMSELF.

How was your first contact with tattoo? How did it happen? 

I don’t know exactly when the first contact was, but I always loved drawing. At 7 years old I was already doing “flash sheets’’ for my friends and “tattooing” their arms with bic pens ahah. Then as a teen I listened to a lot of metal, punk, pop punk, so I was used to seeing tattoos on all of these people I looked up to, like Linkin Park’s Chester Benington and his iconic flame tattoos. I guess I always dreamed of being a tattoo artist one day, but it was only at 18 or so that I started thinking that maybe I could  make  that  dream  come true.

It’s temporary

When did you think about becoming a professional? 

From the moment I laid my hands on my crappy Chinese tattoo machine and tried it for the first time, seeing how challenging  and  fun  it  was,  I  knew that it was something I wanted to work with. From then on, my goal has been to keep improving and doing my best. Tattooing is such a complex art that I think that, more than a professional, I’ll  always  see  myself  as  a  student.

“AT 7 I WAS ALREADY DOING «FLASH SHEETS» FOR MY FRIENDS AND «TATTOOING» THEIR ARMS WITH BIC PENS”

When was your very first tattoo ? What was it ?

At the very start of my tattoo journey I got to be an apprentice at a private studio for a couple of months. After spending some time learning about cross-contamination, setting up my masters’ tattoo stations and preparing stencils for him, he told me to call a friend of mine to tattoo on. I had only tattooed pig skin before, so as you can imagine I was nervous, but he guaranteed he’d help me and would fix my mistakes, if needed. So I found a friend who was willing to get a tattoo from an absolute beginner and tattooed him for free: a moon with the moon kanji on top. And it didn’t go that bad!

É temporário

Have you ever rejected a tattoo project? why? 

Yes. There’s a responsibility that comes with being a tattoo artist, and part of it is knowing your limits and when to say no to projects. If someone comes up to me wanting to tattoo something I know I won’t be able to, I need to be humble enough to admit that and either adapt the client’s idea to my style or reject the project altogether. I’ve also rejected projects in the past from people who were not willing to pay what my work is worth.

“THERE’S A RESPONSIBILITY THAT COMES WITH BEING A TATTOO ARTIST”

“MANY TIMES, MY WORK ENDS UP BEING A MIRROR OF WHAT I’VE BEEN THINKING ABOUT OR SITUATIONS I’M GOING THROUGH.”

What are your references? 

There’s a couple of tattoo artists I look up to: @ helm.of.awe (so much so that I already got one from her), @tereutattoo and @black.tulip.tattoo. I take inspiration not only from them but from any art i may put my eyes on: be it the music i listen to, the books i read or the movies I watch. Many times, my work ends up being a mirror of what I’ve been thinking about or situations I’m going through.

Tattoos and Diogo Soares

“I KNOW PEOPLE WHO HAD TO BUILD THEIR OWN MACHINES, SOLDER THEIR OWN NEEDLES AND LEARN BY TRIAL AND ERROR”

Do you think Tattoo is a tough market? If yes, what kind of difficulties have you experienced? 

I think it used to be harder to get into. I know people who had to build their own machines, solder their own needles and learn by trial and error only a couple decades ago. When I started, there were already lots of “tattoo kits” on ebay. So I got one, before I decided I liked tattooing enough to invest in a proper machine. Still, there wasn’t much information available and the tattoo artists I knew were not that helpful. The tattoo market as a whole seemed to not want to let anyone new come in. Nowadays it seems easier. You can get rotary machines, which are easier to set up than the old coil machines.

There’s an infinity of YouTube videos on tattooing and even tattoo artists seem more friendly and helpful. Maybe because some, like me, felt rejected as beginners and want to help change that gate-keeping mentality.

A tattoo on your skin

From your experience, what advice would you give to tattoo beginners? 

Get a cheap tattoo machine and start tattooing on pig skin or fruit to see if you like it before seriously investing in it. Draw a lot. Know that being an apprentice at a studio is a good way to learn, but it’s not the only way. Things won’t always go as planned, and that’s okay. Don’t get discouraged if your first tattoos come out bad, they probably will, and like anything it gets easier with time and practice. Also, a tattoo artist does more than just tattooing. You need to know how to deal with people, keep studying  new  ways  to  perfect  your craft and know how to promote yourself (which usually includes a lot of content creation for social media). My last advice would be to have fun! Tattooing isn’t easy but it’s fun to the point that sometimes it doesn’t even feel like I’m working.

If someone wants to tattoo with you, can you explain your creative and work process? 

Nowadays it’s very common for people to see tattoos online and come to me wanting something similar. So I usually start by asking if the client has any references. We talk about the client’s idea for a while, if there’s any meaning behind it that I should be aware of and so on. After that I start sketching and send a couple of options to the client, which I adjust as needed until we get to the final piece. While tattooing, I usually put on some chill music and try to get to know the client better. I feel like if someone is entrusting me with their skin. Then I should do my best to make the whole experience enjoyable… One time I even brought homemade chocolate- chip cookies as a gift. Maybe I’ll bake some for you too, if you tattoo with me. You never know!

THE FLASHES PRESENTED HERE CAN BE TATTOOED WITH DIOGO ( PLEASE DO NOT COPY )

CLICK HERE TATTOO APPOINTMENTS

Photo and flash tattoo: Diogo Soares Interview : Vital Lordelo

This interview was featured in the March 2021 FRESTA catalog magazine, a JOIA publication (2019-2023). The publications are now being made available in this blog post format