Artyom Bychkov is a tattoo artist from Almaty, Kazakhstan, known professionally as @stix_tattoo. His work brings together realism, strong color, technical precision, and an emotional visual presence. Over the past few years, Artyom has become an active name on the international tattoo convention scene, earning awards across realism, color tattooing, healed work, cover-up, collaboration, and Best of Show categories.
Artyom’s path into tattooing began long before he opened a professional studio. He grew up in a creative environment: his grandfather was a painter, and from an early age Artyom was surrounded by canvases, paints, brushes, and the atmosphere of handmade art. He later attended art school and studied interior design in college. But the deeper he went into that field, the clearer it became that he needed a more direct creative process — one built around hands, materials, and artistic freedom.
“As a creative person, I wanted to work with my hands, to feel the process, and to create something truly alive.”
Artyom got his first tattoo when he was 15. The experience captured him immediately: the atmosphere, the technique, and the energy of the process became more important than the pain itself. In fact, his interest in tattooing had appeared even earlier — back in school, he used to draw fake tattoos on classmates with gel pens. At the time it felt like a simple hobby, but looking back, it was already a sign of his connection to tattoo culture.
“The entire experience completely fascinated me. I loved the atmosphere, the technique, the energy of the process itself.”
A turning point came almost by accident. One day, a friend arrived with a homemade tattoo machine after a session with another artist had fallen through. He asked Artyom to do the tattoo, saying that out of everyone he knew, Artyom was the one who could actually draw. The first attempt happened in rough homemade conditions, far from professional standards. But it was exactly this difficulty that pulled Artyom deeper into tattooing.
Before tattooing, Artyom had already worked with pencils, paint, charcoal, and markers. Skin, however, introduced a different level of responsibility. In tattooing, there is no distance between the artwork and the person. Line, light, color, and composition matter, but so do pain, movement, emotion, trust, and the artist’s ability to control many factors at once.
“Tattooing felt completely different. It was art on living skin. There was pain, blood, movement, emotion, and responsibility.”
Artyom started tattooing at 16, and by 17 he had opened his first small tattoo studio and began working with clients professionally. Today, he has 14 years of experience in the industry, but his approach still carries the feeling of constant search: experimentation, new techniques, changing artistic tasks, and a desire to keep moving forward.
“Now, 14 years have passed since my first tattoo, but I still feel like I am learning every single day.”
His style has evolved alongside his technical skills and artistic vision. Like many artists, Artyom began with outlines, lettering, and small simple tattoos. Step by step, he moved into grey wash, black and grey realism, color realism, and more complex compositions. He does not limit himself to one narrow direction. His work reflects an interest in different sides of tattooing: the technical demands of realism, the atmosphere of black and grey, the energy of calligraphy, and the freedom of linework.
Calligraphy holds a special place in his practice. When realism becomes too dense and technically demanding, Artyom turns to lines, rhythm, and lettering. For him, calligraphy becomes a way to reset after large realistic projects. It gives him freedom, energy, and a raw emotional quality that later returns to his tattoo work in another form.
“For me, calligraphy is a completely different form of creative expression and, in some ways, a form of meditation.”
An important part of Artyom’s approach is his connection with the client. Over time, his focus has expanded beyond technical development into a deeper understanding of people — their ideas, emotions, personal stories, and inner requests. In his creative system, a strong tattoo is not a mechanical transfer of an image onto skin. It is born through real contact between the artist and the person.
“For me, a great tattoo is not only about strong technique. It is the moment when the artist and the client begin understanding each other without needing too many words.”
Artyom’s first tattoo convention took place in 2016. At the time, he was still very young. Together with friends, he traveled more than 4,000 kilometers by car to attend a convention in another country. He arrived with confidence and believed he could win. But when he saw the level of work from other artists, the experience became a powerful turning point. It did not break his ambition — it gave him a clear goal: to reach that level one day and create tattoos capable of genuinely impressing people.
Today, this journey is reflected not only in experience, but also in awards. Artyom has earned more than 20 prizes in different categories and countries. Among his key achievements are Best Realistic Tattoo, Best Color Tattoo, Best Cover-Up Tattoo, Best Collaboration Tattoo, Best Color Large Tattoo, and several Best of Show awards.
In 2023, at Tattoo Carnival in Kazakhstan, he received three awards: Best Realistic Tattoo, Best Cover-Up Tattoo, and Best of Day on Day 2. The same year, at Almaty Tattoo United, Artyom took 2nd place in Best Healed Color Large Tattoo.
In 2024, at Kula Worldwide Tattoo Convention, his work was recognized with Best Realistic Tattoo, Best Color Tattoo, and Best of Show. In 2025, at INKDIAN Tattoo Convention, he received 1st place in Best Small Color Healed Tattoo and 2nd place in Best Big Color Healed Tattoo. In 2026, at the same convention, Artyom won Best Collaboration Tattoo, Best Color Large Tattoo, and Best of Show.
These awards show the range of his practice: from small healed color tattoos to large-scale pieces, collaborations, cover-ups, and major competition works. For Artyom, however, conventions are not only about recognition. They are a way to meet strong artists, test himself, grow technically, and return to his work with a higher standard.
Behind Artyom’s professional movement is an equally mobile way of life. He was born in Shymkent and moved to Almaty at the age of 20. For the past 8–9 years, he has been living and working in different countries around the world. He feels especially connected to islands, warm climates, the ocean, sunlight, and calmer rhythms of life. Every country leaves a visual and emotional mark on him: architecture, people, music, traditions, and street aesthetics gradually blend together and find their way into his art.
“At this point in my life, it is difficult for me to call one specific country my home, because for me, home is more about the journey itself, movement, and new experiences.”
One of the more unexpected sources of inspiration for Artyom is discipline. He connects sport, a healthy lifestyle, and inner balance with the quality of creative thinking. When the body and mind are in harmony, ideas become clearer, deeper, and stronger. For an artist who works intensely, travels, and participates in conventions, discipline becomes part of his professional structure.
“I realized that inspiration is connected not only to emotions, but also to the inner state of a person. When your mind and body are in harmony, creativity starts flowing much more naturally.”
Outside tattooing, Artyom works with custom clothing, hand-painting, typography, calligraphy, textures, and visual concepts. He is interested in creating unique pieces by hand — through paint, fabric, material, and live lines. This practice supports his artistic form and allows ideas to move naturally from one medium into another.
“In a world where so much has become digital and automated, I still love the feeling of working directly with materials, paint, fabric, and live lines.”
Artyom Bychkov’s story is built around constant movement: from Shymkent to Almaty, from a homemade tattoo machine to international conventions, from simple early tattoos to complex color realism and major awards. His work continues to grow through discipline, experimentation, travel, and a deep respect for tattooing as a living, demanding, and emotionally charged art form.
