you’re summing up a design for a person
who’s come in with an idea; I take that idea
and visually transform it into a layout that suits
a tattoo, the placement of where they want it,
and their budget,” Serpanchy explained.
Yet, while conceptualizing the idea of a
tattoo design with a client involves practical
decision making, the art of tattooing moves
beyond a business exchange and aesthetic
function to include integrity and intimacy. For
Serpanchy, tattooing a design onto a person’s
skin isn’t the only facet of the art. “You need
to care about each client and each client’s
piece...this is going to be on this person for
the rest of their life.” If he believes a design
won’t transfer properly to skin, Serpanchy has
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no issue denying implementation. “At the end
of the day, regardless of what the design is,
my name is attached to it, my livelihood and
workmanship are attached to it.”
Lately, Serpanchy has been drawn to
geometric patterns and styles inspired by
Tibetan and eastern Buddhist art. “Being
able to make things look like they have
depth and density with textures and varying
line weights is something that definitely
speaks to me and is something I strive for
in my work,” Serpanchy said, mentioning
blackwork tattoo artist Thomas Hooper as
one of his inspirations. “I like stark black with
a 50/50 contrast, dots and lines, and minimal
shading techniques.”