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Nicole Zywiec, Studio Other Industrial Design Lead, has always been sketching on whatever surface she can find, but recently, that surface has been skin. With industrial design as her inspiration, she taught herself the art of tattooing.
How did you get into tattooing?
I love to draw and I have always been interested in the craft of tattooing. Many people have said that my drawing style would translate well to tattooing.
What's the inspiration behind your tattoo style?
Industrial design sketching
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How do you incorporate industrial design sketches into your tattoos?
While in school for industrial design, I learned how to draw 3D objects in a certain style and I have applied this type of drawing style to my tattoo designs in a couple of different ways. The first is very literal, I have created a few tattoo designs that utilize a perspective grid, intentionally keeping perspective lines in the drawing to show the construction of the drawing. Another way I have applied my industrial design style to my tattoos is by incorporating shade with various line styles such as cross-hatching, stippling, and line weight. The subject of these designs are less literal and typically more organic but still have that underlying industrial design style applied to them.
What's your process?
I ideate on the concept, draw it out, revise my drawing, trace the drawing onto tattoo stencil paper, place the stencil on my human canvas, and then use the tattoo pen to go over my stencil with ink.
What's your favorite tattoo you've done so far?
A fishing lure I did on my friend
Who's your favorite tattoo artist?
What's the story behind the first tattoo you got?
The first tattoo I ever got was the equality sign in paint strokes on an art history trip to NYC.
What about the first tattoo you've done on yourself?
It's a cube, a nod to design school sketching when you are taught drawing by having to draw many, many cubes before moving on to other subjects.
What kind of drawings do you like doing outside of industrial designs or tattooing?
I love drawing interior spaces and building exteriors. My biggest inspiration is light and shadows (the more dramatic, the better).
What was your greatest obstacle in the process and how did you overcome it?
Teaching myself instead of going to a class to learn has definitely made the process harder. But practice, practice, practice is always the answer.
Are you planning on joining a shop?
Not yet, I currently only tattoo myself and my friends.
