Recently, we visited the Moscow studio BUGPIN Tattoo, where the first stage of the event took place. Recognized Russian tattoo masters Maxim Kislitsyn and Oleg Turyansky shared their thoughts and knowledge about the art of tattooing with beginners and even some experienced tattoo artists. We asked a few questions to these famous masters, who have accumulated colossal experience and knowledge over more than 10 years of productive work. We are glad to introduce our first interlocutor - Maxim Kislitsyn!
- Maxim, good afternoon. I would like to start our interview with a question that has become traditional in this rubric. How did it all begin for you? How and when did you decide that you would be engaged in tattooing?
- Hi! How did it start? At the age of 16, I decided to get myself a tattoo. Of course, we did this with the usual sewing needle and ink, and nothing good came of it (laughs). After that, I decided to try to figure it all out by myself. Now I'm 29 years old, and I have been professionally tattooing for more than 10 years.
- So, did you immediately decide to be a tattoo artist and not try any other profession?
- Well, no, I actually tried a lot of things. When I was a student, I even worked in a nightclub. Then, for 4 months, I worked at a factory in my specialty. I am a master of carpentry and furniture production, and in parallel, I comprehended the art and skill of tattooing.
- Do you remember your first customer?
- It seems it was me (laughs). Yes, I remember, of course. We still maintain friendly relations with this person, who is from my native city - Vladimir. I remember how I gave him a terrible tattoo with my homemade tattoo machine, which we then covered up with another terrible tattoo, and in the end, we had to cover it up once more (laughs).
- How many years ago was that?
- It was about 13 years ago, at the very beginning of my tattoo artist's career.
- Okay, tell us more about your style.
- Preferably, I work in Japanese stylistics. This is a neo-traditional Japanese tattoo with traditional Japanese motifs or stylized ones. Let's just say - it's a Neo-Japanese oriental, Europeanized or Americanized tattoo. Why do I like Japanese tattoos? Because they clearly show how tightly the tattoo interacts with human anatomy and how you can organically and dynamically fit the drawing into a part of the body. Usually, my work is dominated by large-scale images.
- What features can you highlight in your own style?
- Probably, this is the observance of some canonical items in the composition and elements on the skin. In other respects, all the same features that are in other styles.
- What is the source of inspiration for you?
- I draw my inspiration primarily from the works of other masters. I am very inspired by my colleague - Oleg Turyansky. Even when I just moved to Moscow and started working in a streaming studio on the Arbat, I already knew who Oleg was. And even now, it happens that I come up and see what he draws on a body - it's cool! Also, of course, Instagram was a great impulse for development. This is the place where you can see the work of artists from all over the world, works in progress, sketches, and so on.
- And what does the word "tattoo" mean to you in general?
- No matter how strange it sounds - it's magic. Magic, as the pigment enters the skin, and as an image is formed for a whole life. And when the work is done, you can see the final result - this is real magic.
- And what can you tell us about your customers?
- I think they are courageous and resolute people. Because I do big tattoos, they take a long time, it's a little painful (laughs), it requires a certain patience with healing, and of course, regularity of visits.
- I remember that you had a very interesting project: you did a tattoo continuously for about 20 hours. Tell us about this experience.
- Yes, it was. I even plan to repeat such a project, but apparently, I will have to make the duration of the session longer - for example, 25 hours to beat my previous record. I have several options for implementing this idea. Either we will tattoo with my colleague Oleg Turyansky, or I'll tattoo a man in about 30 hours. I even thought of buying a huge timer, like in gyms, so that we could pause it during breaks, for example, for food. We think to conduct streams, live broadcasts - in general, this is an interesting project.
- How heavy is it? Do the eyes or the body get tired?
- I remember that I fell asleep around the 17th hour. I did something and fell asleep right away. No, nothing tired me so much: not my back, not my neck, not my waist. Only my brain got tired. We kept on the air all the time, I kept talking. And it was very fun. It was real hype. Because no one had ever done this in Russia before. It was funny when people wrote in the morning: "Oh, damn, are you still tattooing? I have done so many things in a day." In fact, I offered the customer a session of 55 hours, but his familiar pathologist told him that maybe it would be harmful (laughs).
- Do you travel a lot around the world?
- No, actually, I have not traveled anywhere and have not been anywhere. The fact is that I have a very good client base in Moscow, decent payment for my work, and I plan to travel with the goal of expanding my own horizons, making new acquaintances among tattoo artists, and meeting interesting people.
- Do you think that it is possible to single out some features of the Russian tattoo culture in comparison with the Western one?
- No, I think we have already caught up, and I know that many foreign masters admire the works of Russian artists in different styles. The main difference, I think, is in the mentality: novice masters, customers. In large cities, of course, everything is easier. In more distant areas from the "center" - it's a little heavier, a little bit like the '90s.
- And what about Tattoo Pharma? How did you get acquainted with its products?
- Besides being a tattoo artist for others, I adore tattooing myself. And one day, I encountered a problem with one of the most popular creams for healing tattoos, as I started having an allergic reaction. I started looking for an alternative, and then I got, probably the first samples of Tattoo Pharma products - Doctor Pro. I used it for myself. In general, the first thing I always do is test everything on myself. And I had a great tattoo, without any allergic reactions.
I looked at the effect and was ecstatic - wow! Since then, I have been using this gel myself, and I advise all my colleagues and clients to use it too.
- Thank you, Maxim, for the interesting story. We are looking forward to the discussion panel!
- Thank you :)
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