Tattoos and tattoo artists have always fascinated everyone due to their ability to grab the eyeballs with the moving samples of one of the most ancient and beautiful are they are part of. We know many inking artists who have taken the art to the next level with their sheer passion for it.
The crowd loves to know more about these artists who are generally away from the limelight yet famous because of their art. Recently we had an interesting tat-a-tat with one of the very popular tattoo artists Aakash Chandani who is also fondly known as ‘The inking man’, here are some excerpts:
1. The reason that you chose inking as your profession
Not many people know I come from a very humble background. I was very good at art, drawing, and sketching from a young age but making a career in the field related to art wasn’t a dream or choice. I started working in the retail sector to fulfil the financial requirements of the family and also used to do temporary tattoos at parties and events. Many of my clients praised my art and told me to try my hand at permanent tattoos. They suggested I can make a permanent and flourishing career in the field. I give huge credit to those clients for making me realize my potential. I then decided to attend the workshop in Delhi, which was the turning point of my life, and never looked back.
2. Tell us a few things that you like and dislike about your profession.
There are countless good things, not a few (He laughs), The kind of respect and trust we receive from our clients is incomparable. It's not a piece of paper that you can redo if something goes wrong, people give us their bodies to make beautiful and permanent art on it. Secondly, the art itself is so beautiful. The kind of happiness I get is beyond imagination that my art will be a part of someone’s life forever.
The only thing I dislike is many people still have a negative perception of the art or the people who adorn tattoos. I just want to say here these are just normal people with an extraordinary love for this ancient art which is even used for healing purposes.
3. Top 5 global tattoo artists who inspire you and, why?
Here I would say that I respect every artist because I know the kind of dedication and hard work this art requires to excel. But a few artists like Sunny Bhanushali, Steve butcher, Nikko Hurtado, Tempa tattoo, and Stephen Negar have made this art more meaningful, and valuable and helping the art in taking it to the next level. Their finesse and contribution are worth praising.
4. Top iconic designs by renowned artists that you wish to do in your style?
I would like to say that there is none, I appreciate their design but they have their style. Copying someone is not only unethical but disrespectful to that artist as well who has created the design with so much creativity and hard work. But I would love to try my hand at Hyper Color realism tattoos, organic, and Freestyle tattoos.
5. Top 5 suggestions for tattoo lovers?
There are a few basic suggestions like researching the tattoo artist you are going to as the design is going to be permanent on your body. Redoing a tattoo is tough and still may not look as appealing. Second do not provide pre-decided google searched designs, as they might not look the same as the picture after the final result, consult the design with the artist and trust his creativity.
6. Top global tattoo competitions that you wish to participate in and win?
Oh! there are many that I still want to do. These competitions are like milestones where you test your skills along with thousands of other people. A few of these are the Thailand tattoo convention, Nepal tattoo convention, Milano tattoo convention, Australia tattoo expo Etc.
7. Your take on the Indian tattoo industry and scenario and the changes you look forward to?
I think as compared to the global tattoo industry we are still at the nascent stage. There is a lot to be done. I have seen in many international tattoo hubs that artists support each other, they appreciate and respect others’ work and help them excel but here we are still competing with each other. This attitude should be changed. The industry has enough scope for each artist.
