Lego tattoo at Fresta

Make a summary of your tattoo style? 

I don’t think I have a very defined style. My flashes are like the drawings I make in my notebooks for art projects, from memory. But now I do a lot of toys and cartoons from references I find online or in movies, and the art pieces I like to draw them from life 

Your name, age, where were you born, and where do you live now? 

My name is Francisco Pinto, I was born in Alcácer do Sal and now I live in Lisbon.

When did you think about becoming a professional tattoo artist?

I did a video performance tattooing myself, and since I really enjoyed doing it, I decided to continue. 

What was your first contact with the tattoo world? 

My mom got a tramp stamp when I was little. 

How long have you been tattooing and what was your first project? 

I saw a prison-made tattoo machine and I thought I could make one out of Lego. So in 2019 I decided to do it and document the process and in the end I would tattoo myself as a performance. The process was intense and it was a lot of work, but it was fun to learn about how tattoo machines work and how to build one. I only made it because I had help from Cintia (@espirro_), and my friend Débora (Surma) did the soundtrack for the video. 

As a visual artist, how was the transition to tattooing?

As I said, it all started with my performance for which I have a link in my Instagram bio. But I still work as a visual artist and I think my art education and work are a really good background for tattooing since the tattoo world is now much more open and free, as you can see by the different types of tattoos coming up in the last few years. 

Can you tell us more about your project to build your machines from LEGO blocks?

It’s a never-ending project and I’m doing experiments to build a new machine soon.   

Did you start tattooing with these machines?

I only did one small thing with a real tattoo machine, but mine is more fun. 

PS: I can’t do hand poke  

Where can we follow your work and where are you working? Do you have a studio?

All my tattoo work and illustrations are on my Instagram account: 

@legotattoos 

Now I’m a resident at Castigo Lisbon 

Photos and Video : Francisco Pinto Interview: Vital Lordelo

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

Although. In conclusion. Further.

Lego tattoo at Fresta