Tattoo Artist Interview: Evan Olin of Tattooed Heart Studios
"During the Baltimore Tattoo Convention I finally got to meet the newest artist at Tattooed Heart Studio, Evan Olin. He has won a number of awards for his work:
1st place best small color - Rock the Ink 2008
1st place medium female color- Baltimore Tattoo Convention 2009
3rd place tattoo of the day Friday- Baltimore Tattoo Convention 2009
2nd place tattoo of the day Sunday -Baltimore Tattoo Convention 2009
I finally got the chance to talk to him.
How did you get into tattooing?
I've always been headed for work in some kind of art field from pretty much as long back as I can remember. When I was in high school I started really noticing tattoos and thinking they were cool. I planned on getting a bunch and would always draw up designs. After I started at college I began really buying a lot of tattoo magazines and really thinking that it could be a cool career. My second year at school I got my first tattoo and was just blown away by the whole process and experience. It became pretty obvious to me that I had to learn how to do this. By the beginning of my junior year I had found someone willing to apprentice me and began spending my days at school and my nights scrubbing tubes and making needles at the tattoo shop.
Do you have any formal art training?
I attended weekend art classes at the Maryland institute college of art when I was pretty young. My parents were very encouraging of my interest in art. I didn't really grow up in a sports family doing that whole thing too much, my parents were very artistic. I attended a public magnet school for the arts for high school which was really great. I was very lucky I was able to attend a lot of college level art classes for free in high school. Over the summer before college I also went to a pre-college program at the Maryland institute college of art and then for college I attended the Rhode Island school of design where I got my bachelors degree in illustration.
What would you be doing right now if you weren't tattooing?
If I wasn't tattooing right now I would be most likely just hustling some other artistic endeavors. I'm sure I would be trying to make ends meet as a freelance illustrator also maybe doing a little graphic design, web design, t shirt design and comic book illustration. All that stuff is definitely a hustle and I'm so lucky and thankful that I have tattooing. Most of the kind of commercial artwork I would have been doing is freelance and very competitive which means it can be hard to fully make ends meet just doing that. Most of my friends who I graduated with have to supplement their income by waiting tables, tending bar or whatever else while they spend their off hours making the art they really love. I feel so lucky to have tattooing when I think about how much I would probably be struggling without it.
What brought you to Tattooed Heart Studio?
Well, after I finished up at RISD I stayed in Providence because I was in a band up there and I was still really trying to make it big as a rock star. It was a fun time but after about 3 years I decided to head back to Maryland. Since I was away from Maryland for 7 years total I didn't really have any tattoo contacts and so I just found a job at a shop and worked there for about my first 6 months back. Johnny Love (owner of Tattooed Heart) ended up contacting me on myspace and I ended up doing a tattoo on his leg. That led to us being friends and doing a few conventions together until finally I was ready to leave the other shop and go work at the best most well run shop I have ever worked at. I have only been working at the Heart for a short time but I can tell you that I am really excited to be a part of the family here, we have an awesome time.
On your myspace page you said that when in an artistic dilemma you like to use skulls. Why is that?
Haha. Alright, well I say that jokingly on my myspace, but I also kind of mean it. I just think skulls are awesome. I really never get tired of tattooing them or painting them. About a year ago I bought this museum quality skull replica cast from a mold of a real skull that I use to do my own photography for all my realistic skull tattoos. I am actually in the middle of a series of skull paintings right now that I plan on making prints of and putting up for sale.
As a tattoo artist, what kind of work do you specialize in and/or prefer doing?
I definitely prefer doing more realistic, painterly or illustrational tattoos. I usually tell people that since I was a painter long before I began tattooing I really have a painters eye and approaching a tattoo like I am doing a painting rather then a traditional tattoo is really where I excel. That being said I do like to stay versatile and try different things, for example, lately I have been playing around with traditional sailor style tattoo elements mixed in with my realistic tattoos with some pretty cool results. I really prefer doing larger stuff too where I really feel like I have room to explore and make a whole composition. Personally I have always been into horror movies and scary stuff so I have a special place in my heart for the gory stuff too. In the end anything that I can make kind of 3D or realistic I can have fun with.
I have noticed going through your portfolio you get a good deal of requests for Star Wars tattoos. Why is that?
Well most of the Star Wars stuff is an ongoing leg sleeve project on a client and friend of mine. We actually just finished up the bottom half, from ankle up to knee all the way around. I'm very excited about it and plan on posting pictures soon. The only one that wasn't on him was the Bobba Fett, and that was just a random request.
As a tattoo artist what do you look for in other artists who tattoo you?
I usually try to get tattooed by people who I want to learn from. There are so many awesome artists out there and sitting down and getting worked on for a few hours is definitely one of the best ways to pick up some tricks from an artist you admire. Other than that I just love tattoos, as much as I love doing them I love collecting them too.
Advice you would give to someone thinking about their first tattoo?
Always look at portfolios before you decide on an artist. This is the biggest mistake I see, all artists are not equal so you should find someone whose work you have seen and respect. After that, trust you artist, don't fight them if they have suggestions or want to steer you in a certain direction, they know better then you. Also (and this is huge) don't be cheap! A tattoo will be with you forever so make sure it's as awesome as it can possibly be, don't limit the artist because you wanted to save 50 bucks.
Anything else you want to add?
I don't have a whole lot else to say. I am very excited to keep tattooing and learning and getting better and better. I just started traveling and doing conventions this year and plan to keep doing many more so if anyone is interested in getting tattooed by me from another state they should not hesitate to drop me a line.
Links:
Myspace: www.myspace.com/evanolin
Website: www.evanolin.com
www.tattoedheart.com"
