Trang Nuen (capital.t.tattoo) is a tattoo artist of Vietnamese origin who grew up in Warsaw. Guided by her own sense of form and emotion, she developed a distinctive authorial style that combines influences from Chicano culture, black & grey traditions, and echoes of medieval plasticity. This is how her recognizable black-and-grey characters emerged — clowns with lowered eyelids, an emptied gaze, and shimmering tears, which have become the core of her portfolio. Most of Trang’s works are created freehand, directly on the skin, shaping each composition around the individual.
Today she travels extensively for guest spots and conventions, while keeping her home base in Warsaw at Syrena studio. In this interview, Trang talks about the evolution of her style and how her sad-faced characters first came to life.
— Hi Trang! Let’s start from the beginning — tell us about your journey into tattooing.
I started tattooing almost 11 years ago in Warsaw, Poland. I must've been around 15 when I first started discovering tattooing, tattoo art and the whole culture behind it. I got my first tattoo at the age of 15, and after that I began collecting tattoo magazines and traveling across the country to visit conventions.
Eventually my doodles naturally started morphing into tattoo designs. I was getting to know more and more tattooers, hanging out with them, asking for advice about my drawings, and when I was 18 one tattooist I knew put the idea of starting to tattoo in my head. At the time it seemed like a crazy idea — but the crazier it felt, the more I wanted to follow it. Eventually I was offered an apprenticeship.
Simply knowing how to draw and being decent and hardworking are the entry barriers — that’s what attracted me the most.
I like to think of tattooing as a very cool underground subculture that spans the whole globe and is held together by shared values, respect for tradition and a lot of mutual personality traits.
— Where did you receive your academic art education?
I was mostly self-taught. In high school, getting into art school became one of my biggest dreams, but my work wasn’t academically correct at all, so my application got turned down twice with a 2/10 grade for my art.
I've been drawing and painting since I can remember — I like to say that my first drawings are older than my first memories.
After that I started taking academic drawing and painting classes to upgrade my skills. That took about two years. I had the most incredible mentor, whom I would give credit to as a significant influence on my work. Eventually, on my fourth attempt — and in my fourth year into tattooing — I got into the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw to study Graphic Design. I graduated with a bachelor’s degree.
— How did your style develop over time?
Whenever I drew it was always with pencil or charcoal — I always loved detail and a wide range of value. I was drawing inspiration from Chicano flash too — later I realized it was actually the work on paper by Boog Star that had been one of my great inspirations, even though I hadn’t been aware of it at the time.
Back when I started apprenticing in Poland, I was being taught to approach tattooing in a way that was the complete opposite of how I was drawing — bold 11RS outlines paired with pepper shading or bright colors, simple forms. The apprenticeship got terminated fairly fast, and eventually I started digging on my own. As I learned more about tattooing and the culture behind it, I discovered that my pencil drawings could actually be transitioned into tattoo designs and transferred successfully onto the skin — and that people on the other side of the planet had been doing it for decades already.
— And how did the characters with sad, expressive eyes appear in your work?
Somewhere along the way I realized I had much more room and freedom for expression and experimenting, so I started making little tattooable dark illustrations rather than classic designs.
Darkness eventually developed into sadness.
Over time the eyes gradually started drooping down and getting more expressive and bizarre looking. I began adding shiny tears that became more and more dramatic. It all happened organically.
— What visual sources influence the way you draw today?
Late medieval art, Flemish and Italian Renaissance paintings, modern art — especially Cubism. This is where I usually learn to draw simplified human forms from — often wonky, crooked, awkward and separated from sexuality to bring more focus to the emotive aspect of the representation, similar to how the Old Masters approached it.
Also comic books, movie posters and films in general — especially for color combinations and composition. And of course incredible black and grey tattooers I look up to: Ken Carlos, Boog, Jack Rudy, Freddy Corbin, Tim Hendricks, to name just a few.
— Do you have favorite themes or characters?
My favourite themes and motives change constantly and are often a reflection of what fascinates me at a certain time — whether it’s something external like music, nature or travel, or something internal like emotions, dreams and even traumas.
There’s one motif that keeps evolving and that I never get tired of — the Pierrot character. He fell in love and his heart got broken, and nothing inspires me as much as love and heartbreak.
And of course all the classic motifs from fineline black and grey tattooing rooted in Chicano culture — masks and clowns, sacred hearts — I never get tired of these either.
— Do your clients usually choose pre-made designs or custom pieces?
Recently I would say my clients definitely prefer custom pieces based on freehand design, even when they’re getting tattooed for the first time ever. It feels like a huge privilege. I remember how nerve-wracked I was drawing directly on somebody’s skin for the first time, and now I almost can’t think of a better way to achieve the results I aim for.
I think it’s an interesting experience for clients to watch the whole process from scratch and feel like the piece was tailor-made according to their needs, for them and them only.
I also like the idea of a drawing having no other purpose than being a tattoo and belonging nowhere else but on the skin.
— Are there any special projects that stand out to you?
Recently I’ve been very much into doing custom projects based on no idea coming from the client whatsoever, or just a very vague thought or a quote they like. I find it quite challenging — in a fun way — to design a tattoo that resonates with someone else's personality and to ask the right questions to get to know a complete stranger in a brief conversation. The results are always surprising, both to the client and to me — in a good way.
— You prefer working in an analogue way — drawing in sketchbooks and directly on the skin. What attracts you to this approach?
Yes, hands down. I never felt like incorporating digital tools into my work would improve it in any way, and I don’t find that type of work pleasant either. I’ve tried making a flash sheet on my iPad after purchasing it, but at the end of the day I never felt like it was the tools that needed any upgrade — if it ain’t broke…
I also feel more comfortable not relying too much on things that could easily break down or not be available — like wifi, a printer or a charger.
— We saw you released a jewelry collection featuring your sad-eyed characters. How did that idea come about?
I’d been impressed by Isabel’s (Elfin) amazing work for a long time — not just the jewellery she makes but everything she creates. Her paintings, ideas and energy are incredibly inspiring, and I had wanted to collaborate with her for a long time.
Jewellery is my little soft spot — I have a huge collection of pieces that I find on my travels. We had plenty of ideas, but the sad little character ended up being our favorite. My idea was to place a little sad clown face close to the heart of the person wearing it, as if it reveals a hidden emotional part of their nature.
Fun fact: my name Trang (pronounced “Chang”) means “beauty”, “beautify”, “adorn”, and jewellery in Vietnamese is “trang sức”. I think that’s kind of cool.
— What has been your experience with tattoo conventions?
I absolutely love tattoo conventions. For me, as an artist, it’s a great way to share something I see as valuable and to celebrate tattoo culture. As a visitor, I love being able to ask other artists questions and actually touch the paper they used for their art — it’s so much better than seeing a picture online and forgetting it five scrolls later. I think conventions need to keep offering what can’t be found on Instagram if they want to stay relevant.
I’m a huge fan of True Blue Tattoo Convention in Eindhoven — I never miss it.
Every time I’m at a tattoo convention I get reminded why I started tattooing in the first place. The energy and support within this community are unmatched.
— Do you currently have a waiting list? How can clients book a session with you?
My books are always open. I take bookings via email only, and when I’m at a convention I always make sure to leave time for walk-ins.
— What are your plans for the future — creatively and professionally?
I hope I get to paint more and create art that’s unrelated to tattooing. At the same time, I hope I get to travel more for conventions and do guest work outside of Europe too.
I’ve got some exciting events lined up already — South African Tattoo Convention, Scottish Tattoo Convention, True Blue Tattoo Convention and Biribi Tattoo Meeting. For the nearest future, my plan is to be less distracted and more focused on what is really important to me. More to come.
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