Carlos Velasquez (also known as Velco) is a tattoo artist who creates unique, textured tattoos. He started tattooing in 2019 but has perfected his technique of creating gritty tattoos.
His creative studio is all about tattoos, design, and music. Demilked spoke with him about his first tattoo. He explained that he started only doing fine lines because he wanted to become more familiar with the skin, needle, and ink. After one year of practice, I explored different techniques and discovered the dotwork effect. This was thanks to a request from a client to add shading to one of my designs. It was amazing how much I liked the grainy texture and how it changed the direction I took with tattooing.
Velco said the effect also gave him the feeling of a beautiful, vintage, grainy texture in photographs captured with a film camera. Since then, I have been working on designs in which I can incorporate this effect. Check out his amazing tattoos in the gallery.
More info: Instagram
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The artist told us about his mentors and how they helped to find his thing. “Saska & David have been mentoring and helping me with the basics and culture of tattoos, as well as helping me find my style and path within this industry and opening my eyes for the many arts disciplines I can get into.”
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Velco spoke about his inspiration and said he was inspired by the “feelings, thoughts, and experiences I am currently experiencing.” He also shared that he has enjoyed the conversation with clients. Everybody who has come to me for a tattoo has shared photos of their lives and realities that have influenced my perception of my life.
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The artist elaborated that the ambiance I draw is crucial to me. This includes the sounds, lighting, and smells. These elements allow me to get lost in my inner universe and will enable me to express what I need with the world and myself.
“The window frames I have been creating, and tattooing are a product that allows you to see another reality. Amazingly, there are multiple global portals, providing us with glimpses into other universes,” he said.
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Velco stated, “My main project in the coming years is to work in other cities and countries to explore the many cultures and foodways, as well as 2D modeling and animation, to supplement the universe I have been creating with my art.”
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