Paris Tattoo Convention
He has become a pioneer, mastering black and
grey realism and surrealism styles, pushing the
boundaries of both technique and artistry. Many
clients fly from around the world just to be tattooed
by Carlos - or in the case of 50 Cent, Carlos was
flown out to his client.
Tattooing aside, Carlos enjoys his drawing
(charcoals and pencil in particular) and is a devoted
painter - his talent crosses over seamlessly
in his fine art oil paintings. He is also a keen
photographer, capturing inspiration on his travels.
Carlos really goes the extra mile in creativity and
hires his own models to photograph for references.
That way he says has allowed him complete
creative control and to create a really unique and
custom tattoo.
£ Carlos Torres
preparing my stencil,
assisted by the
wonderful Juliette.
As I entered the convention, I made my way straight
to Carlos’ booth and was quick to introduce myself.
To say I was eager to see the design of the tattoo
would be an extreme understatement. Not knowing
what to expect (apart from pure awesomeness) I
was happily astounded when I saw it. As he lay the
design over my arm and began measuring it up,
he described how he would freehand (drawing the
design straight on my skin to be tattooed over) the
filigree so that it would flow over my elbow and look
natural, whatever position my arm was in.
I went for a wander around the convention as
Carlos started to prepare for the tattoo. What I love
about conventions is seeing artists from around
the world and being introduced to all kinds of
new work. Seeing Japanese full body suits on the
internet is one thing, but up close and personal is
something else!
To those that have never been to a convention, I
highly recommend you do so. Even if you’re just
there to browse, it’s a melting pot of creativity
and inspiration. Many of the artists there will
have their own merchandise (prints, canvases,
stickers, clothing) on sale. Each artist will have
their portfolio and some business cards on show
at their booth. This is why conventions are the
best place to discover new tattoo artists and for
inspiration. There were hundreds of tattooists at the
convention, I could’ve spent hours doing circuits
and watching their progression.
I have been tattooed once before at a convention,
at The London Tattoo Convention by Riccardo
Cassese (Instagram: @riccardo_cassese_tattoo).
That was quite an amusing/awkward experience.
As the tattoo was on my calf I was lying down on a
masseuse table for over six hours, with thousands
of people watching and going by. However, due to
me lying down my natural line of sight was at crotch
level... u
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