I got the chance to interview a friend of mine named Keith Hernandez who is doing incredible black and grey work while tattooing out of one of the most well known studios of all time – Bang Bang NYC.
He’s also got a pretty interesting clientele, having tattooed celebs like professional driver superstar Lewis Hamilton, Asian pop star Kris Wu, plenty of New York Jets and Giants players, and more.
Hope you enjoy the read.
- Where did your journey in the tattooing industry first begin? When did you decide that tattooing was what you wanted to pursue and how did you emerge into this profession
My journey began about 8 years ago. I started as a self taught tattooist working out of my crib with no experience what so ever besides some YouTube videos and two years later I landed at the first tattoo shop in the Bronx where I started building my following and knowledge for tattooing.
Describe your experience so far working at the world famous Bang Bang NYC.
It’s like dying and going to tattoo heaven! All the artist are amazing – it’s like going to a convention everyday! Working with the best gives you a boost of energy every single time I walk in though those doors.
Funniest or most bizarre experience with any client thus far?
I’ve honestly never had any funny or crazy experiences, most of my clients know my style and stick to it but sharing shops with other artists you’ll end up seeing some bizarre ones.
Ideal client? Nightmare client? Three things you wish they all knew without having to tell them?
Man the worst clients are the ones who don’t have a clue of what they want expect you to know but when you try to help they shut it down and don’t take any of your professional experience.
Most fun you’ve ever had on a single tattoo? Favorite subject matter to work on lately? Anything you’re burned out on?
- I have a lot of fun with what I do I guess that’s the best thing of being a tattoo artist but I do love and enjoy working on portraits. Portraits of someone famous or even if it’s personal such as a family member or something, just the fact that someone trusts you with something so important is amazing and you wanna prove to them that they chose you for the right reason.
If you were to fly anywhere next week to swap tattoo for tattoo over a few days with any artist on the planet, where are you flying to and who are you headed to see?
See the great thing about working at Bang Bang is that all the great artists come here! Lol Either they are a part of the team already or they guest spot but it also all depends on what you want done. Great artists all specialize on different styles of work so it would depend on the style of work I’m looking to get done. Me personally I got a hand full of artist in mind lol.
Name some of your biggest influences as you first came into the industry.
Oh man theirs a lot of them from Fred Flores and Fred Tattoo from Spain to artists at the shop that I love to watch like Oscar Akermo, Anatole and Bang Bang. I’ve only been tattooing for about 8 years now so I still get inspired by them on an everyday basis.
Toughest part of being a tattooer? Favorite part?
LMAO do you really want me to answer this! Lol toughest part is being around people who know you tattoo and wanna talk about an idea for a tattoo they are looking to get everytime they see you or what not but besides that this is like the ultimate dream job. People trust you , you meet great people, and the respect you get for doing something you enjoy is priceless
I know you’re already making a killer living as it is, but what if you had a large amount of clients willing to pay $30,000 per full day session in your chair… How many days are you tattooing per month and why?
Man 30k per session does sound great but I think I would keep my schedule the same I wouldn’t want to over work myself for the money and I honestly do it because I love the art behind it the trust from one person to another is more important then the money
Three biggest changes you’ve seen from the time you first came into the tattoo world up until now?
One is the fact that it’s more accepted now then when I first started. The second is I’ve notice more people educating themselves and searching for the right artist to get the perfect job done which I respect a lot. The third is I’m seeing a lot crazy ass face tats that are meaningless which I don’t judge but I wish some people would think a little more before doing it to themselves
Top three milestones/goals you strive to reach as a tattooist
I don’t think I have three milestones I just wanna be successful enough to support my family for the rest of my life with my career choice I love and I just want to continue getting better and doing my best to give someone the best experience and work they can get from me until the day i can’t do it any longer
Top three best pieces of advice for the thousands and thousands of tattooists out there aspiring to become as established as you are in this ultra competitive industry?
Enjoy it! Never think you’re too good to learn more and get better and third trust the process don’t rush anything let it all come to you when the times right