Kate Black Pen Manhattan, NY

VALERIE PITOHUI

I’m Pitohui; I’m 21 years old and I love anime and cosplay. I also make music in a band called Mi Lluvia ⸺ What advice would you

give to someone about getting his or her first tattoo? (A tattoo

virgin) The advice I would give someone about getting their first tattoo is to always eat before a tattoo, make sure you are well rested, and have a good meal beforehand. The anticipation is always the worst part about getting a tattoo, in my opinion ⸺ What would you say is your favorite part of the job? My favorite part about my job is my clients. I’ve made countless new friendships and relationships with this career, and I’m excited every day to make more. I would also say tattooers are also the new “therapist,” and I don’t mind it at all. I’ve always been an introverted listener, so I love one on one conversations with people ⸺ Who and what influences you to create your work? I have lots of artists and tattooers who influence me to create my work. Laura Anunnaki, Horni Benny, and Little Thunder are my top influencers when it comes to my own artwork. I also take a lot of inspiration from the Chicano single needle tattoo style for my pieces as well ⸺ Are there any tattoos you would refuse to do? (face, private areas, etc.) I wouldn’t mind tattooing any place on the skin besides on someone’s dick. I feel like that’s pretty obvious for most people. I’m sure not a lot of people want to get that part tattooed anyway due to the amount of pain they’ll be in ⸺ What is your favorite brand of ink? My favorite brand of ink is Dynamic for black and white inks. And for a colored ink, I prefer Eternal and Solid ink ⸺ What tattoo convention would you like to attend? I would love to attend Anime Ink Con in Richmond, Virginia. I would love to meet people who are inside me and also get tattooed myself ⸺ What is your least favorite spot to tattoo? My least favorite spot to tattoo is the neck/face. I always feel super awkward getting up and personal with clients. I also feel like I can’t breathe properly when I do the tattoo. ✕