Today, a distinctive signature can be seen in my work, which sets me apart from other professional tattoo artists. People often recognize my tattoos even before they see the artist’s name. For me, this is one of the main indicators of an established style — when the work begins to live its own life and becomes recognizable.

But it wasn’t always like this.

• Like most artists, at the beginning of my journey, I tried everything. This is a normal stage for everyone. At the start, you are interested in different tattoo techniques, styles, and approaches. You want to learn everything at once. But around the third year of work, a moment comes when you need to ask yourself the main question: “Who do I want to become in the tattoo industry?”
• I consider this particular period (from three to five years of work) to be one of the most difficult in the tattoo artist profession. Because at this moment, an artist either begins to form their own direction or continues to scatter their efforts, taking on any job that comes along.
• I have always been of the opinion that globally there are only three main directions: black & grey (black and grey tattooing), graphics, and color. Everything else consists of derivative forms and mixed styles. And the main task of an artist is to understand as quickly as possible which of these styles you belong to.

The longer you postpone this decision, the less time you will spend at the top.

Doubt slows down professional growth very significantly.

• So, I chose the black & grey style, but according to the following scheme: choose a style and, no matter what happens, do not take on other types of work, no matter how much you want to, even if the clients want it. This was difficult, especially at the beginning. After a certain period, you will no longer be able to return to other styles.
• I realized one important thing: if you are constantly distracted by other styles, you will never be able to fully immerse yourself in your own. A unique tattoo style is formed only through long repetition of the same actions, mistakes, searches, and experiments.
• When I finally decided on the direction, it resolved about 50% of my internal questions. Then the next stage began — the search for my own signature and author’s technique.
• In this, I was helped by tattoo festivals, in which I started participating as early as my sixth month of work, and this exactly became the starting point for the development of my style. Especially in large domestic projects and large-scale realistic back pieces.
• During that period, I was constantly worried about one question: how to achieve the smoothest possible tone on large areas of the body without drops or blemishes?

Most artists back then packed the pigment using circular motions.

But I didn’t like the texture and unevenness of that method. Therefore, I began to look for a different approach.

• Thus, my pendulum motion and shading technique using small sections with a round magnum gradually took shape. This allowed me to saturate large areas of skin with a smooth, dense, and controlled tone. Over time, this tattoo technique became a part of my style.
• But any technique has its price. Developing this approach, I began to notice that it was gradually moving me away from ultra-fine detailing. The movements became broader and more sweeping. Detailing began to transition into simplified forms and painterly silhouettes.
• And that was exactly when I realized an important thing: my style is born not through copying details, but through texture, depth, contrast, and the overall feeling of the work in black and grey realism.
• My technique partially sacrificed details, but in return, it gave me recognizability, a painterly quality, and its own character in my works. A style cannot be invented or created in a single day.
• It is formed from thousands of hours of work, mistakes, doubts, technical searches, and an honest understanding of who you want to be.

The path itself will lead you to your own style. The main thing is to decide which direction you truly want to go: black & grey, graphics, or color!