Hello BREAK! Thank you so much for taking the time to answer some questions for our readers. Please start by telling us something about yourself and your background. Please start by telling us something about yourself and your background. Hi! I'm BREAK, that's not my real name, but all people call me like this. I'm from Colombia, from a small city called Manizales. Nowadays I live in Envigado that is so close to Medellin, the capital of Antioquia deparment. Eight years ago I started to study architecture in the national university of Colombia, it was an excellent experience, I learned to much about design. Unfortunately I had to leave my carreer in the eighth semester.

Q: How you got into tattooing? How long have you been tattooing? When you turn into a pro full time artist?
A: Tattooing came into my life as a hobby, over time it became my lifestyle. I started tattooing 5 years ago, professionally 3 years ago.

Q: To succeed in this job it takes a lot more than just talent and equipment. It takes years of trial and error, lots of hope but most importantly complete dedication. What kept you motivated? Did you have any help from another artist?
A: After a while, a friend of mine opened a tattoo studio, his name is Juan David Redon, who today is one of the best neo-traditional tattooists in the world. Thanks to him I was able to have a decent space to tattoo, I also learned a lot from him.

- How was the feeling to tattoo someone for the first time? Do you remember? Would you correct the tattoo today if given chance?
A: Really, the first person I tattooed was myself haha. And I do not regret it. Then I tattooed my friend Daniel.

Q: Some say, that it is ok to start small, like with all kinds of styles with bold lines, old school etc then try to find yourself in one particular style and master it. What type of tattoos you used to do as a beginner?
A: I did a lot of trash polka and realistic tattoos in black and grey.

Q: I really love your style. It's like a mixture of the neotraditional style, but I see some comics, cartoonish vibe in it too. I don't know if I'm right, but I absolutely love it. It's unique and vibrant! Lots of bright, beautiful colors, nice balance between the inks and really cool details. How would you classify it?
A: Thank you! I could not tell you in which style I would classify it. Sometimes I do as a combination between Neotraditional and Sketch style. In some designs I also implement the Japanese theme. So, NeoJapo-Sketch? Haha

Q: I like the complexity as well. It's not that boring 2008 cross with a rose type stuff. Haha! Thank Goodness! I bet you draw a bunch of sketches for each client before the session, right? Or the inspiration can come up spontaneously meanwhile during the session and then add some extra details?
A: It is very relative, it depends on the design that I have to do. Normally when they are large tattoos, with enough details, I dedicate 6 to 8 hours of design. When I do a freehand tattoo, I let the idea flow during the session.

Q: Probably my favorite are the horror/dark fantasy themed neotrad designs. Really remarkable! Do you feel inspired by some movie, comic books characters etc? Oh, it will be so nice if you publish a book with interesting characters and crazy storylines. Just a suggestion. :)
A: I pay attention to how manga are illustrated, I like the contrast it has. Lots of black color. Black is everything. So it is a technique that works very well in tattooing. And thank you very much for the idea, I will consider it. :D

Q: Precise work!! No edit button! You have only your free mind and busy hands. How much tattooing as a job can be stressful? Even as a pro... a busy schedule can create sometimes a creative block. How do you handle it?
A: Some time ago I was stressed out because of the number of appointments that I had scheduled. For this reason, I made the decision to only tattoo 3 times a week, so I do not have creative blocks and work without stress.

Q: If I had your talent, oh I would have been blessed! Seriously, you're a lucky one! I bet having a talent is like a privilege in a way as it gives opportunities to people to either make a job out of it or enjoy it endlessly. Do you agree? How much do you think tattooing as a job gave you in your life?
A: I believe that more than talent, is having perseverance. Thanks to this, the tattooing has given me everything, because of it, I have a roof to live on.

Q: What are some of the other mediums you like such as digital art, painting etc?
A: I like to decorate spaces, it is also an art, architecture instilled this in me.

Q: If you were starting today what would be your approach? What should my young people who want to get into this business do? Advice us a little.
A: If today was just a beginning, I would focus first on learning to design well and then tattoo. One piece of advice I would give to young people who want to start tattooing is to take it seriously. This is not a game, not a hobby, it is a lifestyle.

Thanks for choose me, is so important to me!

Please write down your contact info
Whatsapp me (+57) 3207144659
Instagram: @theartofbreak
Private studio in Envigado - Colombia

Kind Regards
The Team