inked Mag (U.S.): Ryan Evans
Five-page interview feature in Inked magazine showcasing Ryan Evans of Kamil Tattoos and New Wave Tattoo, London UK.
What year did you start tattooing?
I started tattooing in September 2010.
How did you get into tattooing?
I really hadn’t had much exposure to tattooing before I decided that it was something that I wanted to do. I didn’t personally know any artists or studios that I could ask for help or advice on what to do so I collected a bunch of drawings that I had been doing at the time, put them into a folder and started going around studios asking if they were looking for an apprentice. I knew that apprenticeships are very hard to come by, but I figured it was going to be the best way to start. I was lucky enough to be taken on in a busy street shop in Auckland, New Zealand.
What was your first shop experience like?
I apprenticed under a busy tattooer and there were a lot of very long hours and hard work. It was pretty crazy, everything was totally new for me. I was very excited, I knew straight away that it was something that I really wanted to do every day. I’m glad I had the opportunity to start the way that I did.
What conventions have you done recently or are planning to do next year?
My most recent convention was the London Tattoo Convention. I really love that show. It’s well organised and it brings so many of the greatest artists together. For me, I am very humbled to be able to work there. It is very inspiring to watch other artists that I look up to. I am also heading home to New Zealand soon this year to do the convention there. It is a really fun show and it gives me an excuse to go home again.
What brought you to work in black and grey?
I’m not entirely sure what the turning point was. I started off using colour as well but as I progressed, I found myself doing more and more black and grey and also enjoying it more than the colour work that I was doing. I really like the look of black and grey tattoos and a lot of my favourite artists are black and grey artists, so I guess it was a natural decision for me to make.
What are the major differences between color and black and grey pieces?
Personally I find color a little more difficult, maybe because 99% of my work right now is black and grey, I’m not sure. I do like the fact that I have less bottles of ink to carry when I travel.
Some of you most revered pieces are statues. Can you tell us how the process is different between capturing a portrait of a person versus capturing the same likeness in a statue?
I actually think that using a statue reference is a little easier than doing a portrait. Often statue references have a lot of contrast and great composition, which are a big help straight off the bet. They also provide a lot of hard edges that portraits don’t often have, which I find a whole heap easier to work with compared to a portrait. That makes it easier right from the stencil as well.
One of the most impressive things that you do as an artist is the way you depict reflections. Is it difficult to achieve this effect in a tattoo?
I try to pay as much attention to detail as I can, right from the start when I make my stencil all the way through to the end of the tattoo. I think if I take my time to really focus on shapes and contrast in each individual part of the tattoo, trying to match the reference as best I can, then the end result is going to be more realistic. At the end of it all, a reflection is just a part of the stencil that if you copy as closely as you can, it’s going to look pretty similar to the reference. I don’t find I treat it any differently than the rest of the tattoo.
What inspires you as an artist?
I get inspiration from everywhere. Obviously, social media plays a big part in that. It is very easy to follow other artists' work, which is where a lot of my inspiration comes from. Seeing all the amazing work that is getting turned out really gives me a lot of inspiration and drive to push my own. I also find a lot of inspiration working alongside my colleagues every day, being friends with the people that I work with and sharing the same passion for tattooing as a huge push.
Can you tell us a little bit about tattooing in London? The scene seems so vibrant there.
It certainly is. Coming from a small country, London is huge. Which is a good thing, the population is massively bigger, meaning far more people getting tattooed, and also far more Studios. I don’t really know too many artists over here, but the ones that I do are from all corners of the globe and are great people. It is really cool to be immersed in such a diverse range of people and backgrounds all doing the same thing as me bracket tattooing.
Is there a tattoo that you haven’t done yet that you are dying to do?
Yes, a portrait of Dolly Parton.
