Melissa Fritz Denver, CO

YOUTHLESS

I was born in Korea and lived a normal life. After military service, I returned to college, but it was boring, and I decided to become a tattooist something that I had long admired and left school without my parents knowing. At first, I worked in a studio as an apprentice, and I was in one studio for five years. I was hooked on the U.S. where I first came last year, and I decided to move after that, and I finally settled in New York this year ⸺ How did you start doing pixel tattoos? I was an old-school tattoo artist, but at some point, I wanted to draw something new. So I thought about it for quite some time and searched for it. There were pixel tattoos, but I discovered that there were no tattoo artists who only do pixel tattoos. In addition, I wanted to have my own color and my own style of pixel art ⸺ What was it that initially sparked your interest in tattooing? The reason I wanted to be a tattooist was that everything seemed cool ⸺ Who and what influences you to create your work? I was very influenced by my 1boss in Korea. My 2bosses taught me to focus on challenging new styles, different from traditional tattoos ⸺ What is the most important advice you can give someone new to the art of tattooing? Drawing skills are really important, but I think the style of the tattoo is more important. In my opinion, how and what you draw is more important than drawing well. I hope they always create something new ⸺ Are there any tattoos that you refuse to do? I tend to refuse designs rather than areas. A lot of people want to put a lot of detail and everything they like in three inches. And they want the square pixel details too. This is impossible, even with the god of tattoos. When I draw a design, I always draw it so that it can work. It is also my job to close the gap between what customers want in pixel art and what is possible. ✕

Independent Artist