At first glance, Joan Jaguar’s tattoos refer to the world of classical art: female figures, fragments of famous paintings, soft faces, and familiar silhouettes. But she does not simply transfer paintings onto skin — Joanna reinterprets these images through her own visual language.
In her work, portrait microrealism meets flowing blackwork: black abstract forms move around the figure, become part of the composition, and add a sense of tension. A classical image becomes more contemporary, slightly mystical, and alive.
Joan is originally from Warsaw, Poland. She has been tattooing since 2020 and studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw, where she specialized in printmaking and photography. Since then, she has worked in studios in London, Paris, Barcelona, Amsterdam, Berlin, and other European cities. Today, her home base is Hachi Ink in Amsterdam, although much of her practice continues to be connected with travel and guest spots.
Joan, tell us a little about yourself. Where are you originally from? And where exactly in Amsterdam are you currently working?
— I am originally from Warsaw, Poland, which is where I spent most of my life and where I started tattooing. I lived for some time in Spain, and now I mostly work while traveling, but my home base is at Hachi Ink in Amsterdam.
How did your journey in art begin? Do you have an academic background?
— I do, actually! I studied art at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw. My specialization was printmaking and photography. Before that, it’s a tale as old as time — I always loved art, always made art.
How and when did you first enter the tattoo industry?
— Well, in 2020, I lost my job — thank you, global pandemic — and since I had always wanted to be a tattoo artist and literally had nothing better to do, as the lockdown in Poland was pretty severe, I got myself a cheap machine and began tattooing my friends.
Surprisingly, when the tattoos are free, no one cares about the lack of experience of the “artist,” ha ha. Then, with some tattoos in my portfolio, I found an apprenticeship at a real studio quite fast, and so it went from there.
How did you arrive at your distinctive style? Was there a moment when you felt you had truly found your visual language?
— When I was studying art, I realized that while I can draw pretty well, there are people who do it way better than me, and the medium where I can truly excel and create something extraordinary is when I play with mixing different techniques: photography, collage, printmaking. This is where my tattoo style was born, first as serigraphy and offset print experiments.
I began using famous artworks as references because I am genuinely passionate about art history, but I wanted to make the designs interesting, modern, and genuinely mine, which is why I don’t settle for a simple render of a well-known painting.
You often use fragments of paintings by famous artists in your work. Which artists inspire you the most?
— I definitely love Tamara de Lempicka and Klimt. I think their style mixes with mine really well, and the tattoos always turn out great! I also love Magritte, the Pre-Raphaelites, Dalí… It’s very hard to choose favorites!
Besides classical art, what else inspires you when creating your tattoos?
— All things witchy, weird, and a bit trippy. I try to find inspiration all around me when I travel. I once created a whole flash sheet based on an idea I got while looking at a fountain in Lisbon.
How do your tattoo designs usually emerge — is it more of an intuitive process, or the result of long exploration and experimentation?
— It’s mostly intuitive, but behind every design there are at least five layers of trying out different things and exploring the options. By now, I know what works well and what doesn’t, so usually it doesn’t take me long to come up with the design.
The most difficult thing for me when creating flash is usually thinking of what paintings I should use as references, which is why I have many art albums at home to browse through looking for ideas.
How does the process of creating a tattoo for a client usually begin? Do you work with pre-existing designs, or do you prefer to create each piece specifically for the individual project?
— I do both. A lot of people prefer flash, as this way they can know in advance what they’re getting and feel safer doing so, which is why I always try to have many available designs to choose from.
But I also do custom works — usually I just ask my client to send me the reference they’d like the tattoo to be based on and a few tattoos of mine that they like. This way, I know which direction to go with the final design.
Are there any tattoos that became especially important or turning points in your career?
— I had one viral tattoo, the one with Ophelia by Millais, which blew up a bit on Instagram. Hundreds of people copied it, unfortunately, but some people actually know me because of that one.
The fun fact is that I almost didn’t post it because, as usual, I wasn’t satisfied with the photo — the lighting was off, there was one part that wasn’t perfectly sharp, the quality could have been better…
Could you tell us about your experience with guest spots, traveling for work, and other memorable moments in your tattoo career?
— I travel for guest spots all the time. Every time I travel somewhere, I also try to work there, just to see the tattoo culture in a different country, meet some new people and tattoo artists.
I think that’s the best way to grow as an artist: to see how different people work, share stories, and compare experiences. Out of very random achievements, I’ve also been in the Belgian TV show Tattoorist, about tattoos and travel.
Are there any other forms of art that you practice?
— Analog photography is my favorite hobby. I take my camera everywhere I go. I also create prints and posters, often using my pictures.
I have this little dream and passion project of mine: a series of zines about the cities I know well, a “touristic guide” of sorts, with my pictures and the places I recommend outside of your ordinary guidebook. But, as always, too many ideas, too little time.
How does living and working in Amsterdam influence your creativity? Do you feel inspired by the local art scene?
— Amsterdam is a big culture hub, with people from all around the world and many opportunities, but I definitely don’t think it’s the final stop in my journey.
I’m very grateful for my years here, which have without a doubt helped me become a better artist and businesswoman, but I think that soon I will look for a new place to live. I can’t survive staying still for too long!
Finally, could you share your creative plans for the coming years?
— As to creative plans — I would love to finally start creating other kinds of wearable art, like clothes and jewelry. I’d like to have a way for everyone to be able to enjoy my art at a lower cost and without the commitment of a tattoo.
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