Eyesack Anchorage, AK

EYESACK

Raised by wolves in the snowy backwoods of Alaska, I spent most of my time as a kid drawing and listening to music. I moved to Oregon at 20 to play music. At 22, I traveled around Central America for the better part of a year painting murals, working on farms, and living as cheaply as possible. After a stint back in Portland, Oregon, to go to school, I got an apprenticeship at Analog Tattoo Arts Kolectiv in San Jose, CA, where I lived and worked for 3 years. Currently back home in Alaska with all the bad bitches at Ultra Violence Tattoo.

Who/where do you get your inspiration from? I try not to look at other tattooers’ work as much as possible and stick to the old ukiyo-e masters

8 Years

Tattooing

Anchorage, AK

Location

Independent Artist

Irezumi American traditional

Specialty

@isaacnichols

Instagram

izaakn

@hotmail.com

like Kyosai, Yoshitsuya, and Kuniyoshi. It takes practice, though. Other tattooers have already done the legwork over the years and taken those old images and made them more tattooable, so they’re easier to reference. But if you’re trying to do traditional-style tattoos, I think your goal should be to go straight to the source and focus on the traditional reference.

What did your family and friends think about you getting into the

tattoo business? They all thought it was great. My dad is a sign painter, my grandfather was a sign painter, my brother is a tattooer, my mom is a really talented illustrator, and all my friends are degenerate punk rockers.

What was it that initially sparked your interest in tattooing?

My older brother was the one who got me interested in tattooing. He’s been living and tattooing in the CA Bay Area since he was 17 and introduced me to all the really good shit. There wasn’t much of a tattoo scene in Alaska when I was growing up, so my only exposure would have been tattoo reality shows. Without his influence, I doubt I would have found it.

What is the most important advice you can give someone new to the art of tattooing?

Don’t rely on an iPad to do all the work for you. Pick up a non-digital pencil every once in a while. And paint as much as you can. It’s as important to paint as it is to tattoo. ✕