Lery Baytown, TX

LERY

I’ve always had art classes up until college, where I received my degree in Fine Arts. I’ve been tattooing for a little over a year and a half. Becoming a tattooer has been a wild ride so far, and the road is looking far and wide ⸺ Who/where do you get your inspiration from? My family; my wife, our son, and our daughter. They’re always first on my mind. I knew I would have to catch on quick in order to broaden my skill set and pull in more money to make ends meet. Artistically speaking, so many people. my art teacher Roberta Sturges, Claude Monet, Edgar Degas, Renoir, Chris Trevino, Kat Von D, Laura Marie, Grime, Ed Hardy and, Chris Garver. Just to name a few. These guys will never know how much they have taught me ⸺ What would you say is your favorite part of the job? The people, building clientele, and designing specific tattoos for each person. I keep getting these promotors messaging me on my Instagram, offering “followers” for money. that ain’t my style. Everyone on my friend list has either got tattoos from me, or I have known them forever. I just got up to 600! That’s crazy to me; I like watching that grow ⸺ What is the most important advice you can give to someone new to the art of tattooing? Study Japanese traditional!! I really feel like this style holds the fundamentals of tattooing. as every line is exposed through skin breaks and ink saturation. Flow and uniformity, as well as forming with the body, are really important. Like Ed Hardy said, “Make it look like they were born with it.”

Also, don’t just jump into doing a small tattoo; instead, ask your friends and family if you could touch up their existing tattoos. This will familiarize you with your machine/equipment ⸺ Did you have an apprenticeship? No, not really; I’m self-taught. I just got a space to work at a shop. I only took on tattoos that I was sure I had the skill for until I got better and better. ✕