I remember meeting Quin back in 2016 at the Golden State Expo in Pasadena, CA.
I had seen his work before but wasn’t all too familiar.
That weekend, I checked his Instagram page and saw that he decided to cancel all of his appointments for the convention that weekend due to having a lot of back pain after multiple sessions on his back piece done by the legendary Boris from Hungary.
I ran into him while I was on a break from my Saturday session, and asked him how he was doing and if I could see his back piece (which was unbelievable to say the least). He showed me his back, and also pulled up his slim jeans as far as they could go revealing some insane calf pieces by the legendary Daniel Rocha and Ivano Natale.
Quin’s ego-free, down to earth, and like the type of friend who’s presence just makes it real hard for you to stay upset about whatever it may be. He is a solid family man who has been pushing his own limits for years now, and I can absolutely classify him as an elite tattoo artist amongst this incredibly competitive realism industry.
I got the chance to ask him some questions and get to know him a little more in the interview below.
I’ve been watching your social media for awhile and you were good when I first started following of course, but these days you are truly elite in my and many others eyes. First of all, how old are you now, how many years have you been tattooing, and what was most beneficial to your insane amount of growth as a tattooist over the past few years?
Thank you! I am 29 years old! I did my very first tattoo when I was 23 years old, so around 6 years! That first year I would honestly say I was a “scratcher.” I didn’t have the proper environment, equipment, teacher, nothing really. After the first year there and once I had decided that tattooing was what I wanted to devote my life to, I decided to leave that shop. I was given an opportunity at a much better place and that’s where I had the proper education to begin my career.
Who were/are your tattoo heros?
I love this question!! Because of “having heroes” is the reason why I became so inspired and determined to make this a career. Actually it was when Instagram first came out, I made my profile, within days I found a few artists actually, whom to this day are still some of my favorite artists! Rember Orellana, Josh Duffy, Daniel Rocha, Boris, literally these were some of the first artists I found on IG that I had NEVER heard about, I’m proud to say I’ve now been tattooed by them too 🙂
I actually had no idea that what they were tattooing was possible ( I thought tattoos were what I was doing that first year of my career, walk in shitty tattoos lol- I thought that was the extent of it). So I find these artists, I see their work, I am absolutely blown away by these artists and these tattoos, and I just said man if this is what tattooing is and what is possible then I want all in, a few weeks later I left that shop I started at.
Having someone you look up to and admire goes A LONG WAY, it’s everything.
Are you one of those highly talented artists who will complete an insane piece then critique it/pick it apart immediately after? Why do so many of the top tier artists tend to do this? Is it healthy?
Hmmm. I am, but I’m not all at the same time. I guess it is because of the fact that perfection will NEVER be attained in art. Who’s to say it’s perfect, it’s the best it could possibly be, or that there is no room for improvement on a piece? It’s impossible. So obviously after spending hours and hours and hours on a project, when finished, we will see the errors that nobody else will probably ever see, but we see them. And it’s so silly honestly because it could be something like, this shadow is a shade too dark, or I put one too many eyelashes in haha.
So yes I believe every artists will see these imperfections and think man I could’ve done better. I do think its positive because it allows for growth, it allows us to say well next portrait I do I’m going to pay more attention to this shadow, or these eyelashes, and that’s how we get better. What is unhealthy (and annoying) I would say is the artist that believes he or she made a perfect tattoo, the ones that compliment themselves and the ones that just don’t see how a better tattoo could be made, and believe me there are plenty of those.
What are a few of the biggest changes that have happened in the tattoo world since you first remember entering it up until this point right now? Has social media helped or hurt the tattoo culture?
Man I’m very reserved when it comes to questions like these. Gotta respect the ones who are the true pioneers and the ones who really have seen the industry change. For me to say damn 6 years ago this was like this and like that would be kind of silly. I haven’t been in it that long, but I do think I came in right about the time where the BIGGEST changes have happened. I didn’t get to experience very long what tattooing was before it became what it is now, but it was enough to see a few changes such as the popularity of rotary machines, the amount of brands there is now for needles or ink or ointments etc, and of course social media.
I think Social media is a double edge sword. We wouldn’t be where we are today, the demand for what we do is through the roof, the connections that exist between artists all over the world is so awesome. At the same time it has became such a big “fad” to have tattoos because social media glorifies having them in a way so the respect towards the artist, or their prices, or the time it takes to complete a project, kinda diminishes, everyone wants that instant reward, that instant gratification, of having a sleeve, or a backpiece, just so they can post about it.
Top three biggest pet peeves in the tattoo world right now?
Foam reveals for sure. Stencil artists ( artists who are getting huge because they found a cool way to take a video placing and removing a stencil for example on a hot girl, but the actual tattoo work they produce sucks. ) Annddd tattoo models with nothing but ugly tattoos haha (way to represent the industry and art form!)
I know you lowkey have one of the best tattoo collections in the world.. .Who have you been worked on by? Include some photos of your collection if convenient.
It’s getting there! As of now I have been tattooed by 12 artists, over the span of 3.5 years, totaling 240 hours. Rember Orellana, Ivano Natale, Daniel Rocha, Deanna Smith, Tye Harris, Andres Acosta/Zack Singer collaboration, Francisco Sanchez, Hector Carmolinga, Josh Duffy, Miguel Camarillo, Boris.
Let’s say you’re swapping tattoos with any artist on the planet over the next two days…Who’s tattooing you?
It would definitely be someone overseas lol. Right now I think I would pick Eliot Kohek from France and David Jorquera from Chile
Three things you wish every client understood without yourself or someone else having to communicate it to them?
How long it takes to finish a large project. But I don’t think it’ll ever happen and I mean it’s ok it doesn’t bother me it’s not like its common knowledge, its just a part of our process and work that people have no clue about. Just sucks seeing the disappointment when you tell them how long it will take lol.
As a tattoo collector, I have mixed feelings on mimicking custom/original pieces, and I feel like there can be so many ways to look at it. What are your thoughts on the subject?
I agree some stuff is super cool but I wouldn’t want it on me even if I really like the idea or concept, I’d rather just see what each artist excels in and kinda tell them an idea and let them create something for me. I imagine like an artist going to work excited to do something cool and unique, then the client asks for something that’s been done before and the artsits has more than likely seen, I would be like, well damn… can’t we do something else? Lol. Like your hands, the concept of the fingers being the candles and stuff, that should only be done once, ever, so awesome and unique, why anyone would wanna copy it is beyond me.
What fuels your creativity? What suffocates it and what do you avoid in life to make sure your mind stays sharp?
I don’t have an awesome answer, I wish I had something cool that I did where I entered another world in my mind and started whipping up badass shit but I don’t lol. Honestly the times that I’ve felt the most inspired and creative have been when I have been out in nature. I hike quite often and when I have been near a river, or in the mountains, in a forest, in a canyon, I haven’t felt anything like it from any other source to this day. Working too much suffocates it, we’re not an assembly line. And to refresh and stay sharp I would say a break, a week break, or two weeks, or even a month. It is the best thing to do – I do it often.
Social media seems to be a touchy subject for many these days…How are you feeling about it right now? What are you loving on it and what are you hating about it?
I honestly love it, it’s a lot of fun. I love the interaction, I love seeing other people’s lives. I do care what you’re eating lol or if you’re working out, whatever, it’s fun. I love sharing my work! I guess what I don’t like is that it somehow feels like your talent or your abilities can be judged by the amount of followers you have. I know some artists with hundreds of thousands of followers that I would NEVER let touch me with a tattoo machine. And I know incredibly talented and creative people who dont have a large following at all. I wish the general public could see this and understand this.
You have gained the respect and admiration from I’m sure tens and tens of thousands of artists across the globe… Many trying to accomplish what you have in this crazy competitive industry. I think it’s safe to say that you are in a comfortable enough position to share some secrets and shed some light on the artists trying to feed their family from this game. Top three pieces of advice for making it as a tattoo artist?
- Draw, then draw some more
- Listen
- Get tattooed by the artists you are trying to be like. Short but to the point. You’ve gotta draw, you have to draw on an arm, draw on a leg, or print a photo of an arm and draw on an arm. Understanding the structure and flow of the body will set your tattoos apart than those who just print and eyeball and stick it wherever it lands. Listen, listen to the ones who obviously know more than you, or are better than you, not because they say they are but because you know they are and you respect their work, I promise you’ll learn a thing or two. And honestly the most important thing for real is to get tattooed by the artists who you want to be like. If you have a dream of being an amazing color realism artist then it doesn’t make sense to not have work like that on you. If you are wanting to be booked for a year, you are wanting the charge $300 per hour, you are wanting to create amazing and incredible art, then I don’t see why you wouldn’t be booking with an artist whom you have to wait a year for, and pay $300 per hour for. That’s when youre going to learn the most. I remember one of the first things I heard when I started getting tattooed was, you’re not paying for that tattoo, you’re paying for a one on one private seminar with that artist. I honestly credit everything I know and have learned and where I am to the artists that have tattooed me.
You seem to me like a strong-willed hustler who represents what my brand stands for…what is your interpretation of the words “Lead The Followers”?
Thats easy! Lead by example! I love that. Lead by example, lead by lending a hand, lead by showing respect, lead by teaching. Don’t lead without looking back, don’t lead by bragging, don’t lead by feeling and acting superior to others. T hat’s not leading. T hat’s letting your ego do the walking for you and you’re just dragging the “followers” behind.
Thanks so much for your time Quin! Check out more of his awesome work and give him a follow at @quinhernandez