Jose Baena Columbian Tattoos Interview

Any tips for tattoo collectors about how to get the best tattoos possible?

for me it is very important that the client knows your work in advance so that he knows what he can get about me and my graphic line, because can you find a lot of artists but is really important to get a good feeling and connection to make in collaboration a good art piece, be patient and try to create a good concept and idea, because create a special design with all elements that represent your idea is the most important, but to get it we need work together on it and let work to the artist too in your proposal, for it you chose his work, another good tip is what can you do before of your tattoo day, things like to keep hydrating your skin and body one week or two weeks before, eating good and try to sleep well the night before can be a really good different to get the best result, and during the process, the hydrating well be good too and if you like the music or something that can you help with the concentration gonna be perfect. about the aftercare, every artist has his best indications for the healing process just follow his indications and enjoy your art piece.

Do you feel tattoos "project energy" into the world? How so? Examples?

Yes of course, it is really an expression of emotions and feelings that become art like any work except that the canvas is the skin, and also is a beautiful process because the collector works a lot with the patience and the pain of the process and the artist put all your love on the piece to get the best result, and sometimes the concept of the design represents a strong history and emotional feelings .and another people can feel it when seeing the piece. For it is really good to take the time to think about what you wanna do. and is the reason I make good piece art tattoos.

Do you travel often?

Yes I do, I love to travel, to me is one of the most effective ways to learn, you can find yourself traveling, also the idea of bringing your art to all the world is a really good experience. I was traveling in South America and Central America but now I am just traveling to Europe, I wish to go to some places in South America and Central America that I don't know but for the time has been very difficult. Trying to learn a lot about many artists from all world is a great experience Sharing all the passion of other artists that make the same. Then it is amazing experiencing new cultures, it is always gonna open your mind to new ideas. If any artist or person is thinking about travel, I can say is the best way they can choose, and they won’t regret it.

Advice for artists hoping to become an attractive apprentice candidates?

I think that now self-study is the most nearby option before to say I wanna be an apprentice of any artist, now can you find a lot of information on the internet, books that can be a very good solid foundation, everything is about how much do you want it, in the art and a lot of things in the life is about the practice and the passion. don’t can be a good artist in one day, artists from the past like JAN VAN EYCK, LEONARDO, DALI, DA VINCI, RAFAEL, they worked a lot of time in their art pieces and now we live in a time where everything is fast and if you want something good you need time to get it, I never had an apprentice and I wasn’t apprentice of any artist, early years of my career was self-study and some years after I knew some friends that help me a lot to learn about the art of the tattoo because don’t is just learn a technic you need learn about the art that you wanna do, how to be with your collector, the volition to make good. I know that everyone makes different ways, but enjoying it is the key.

Mistakes that could have been avoided?

study and study and practice and mistake was the one way to go, I would have liked to go to an art university at the beginning of my career but it’s is like it, now I enjoy the process of keep learning all the time, I think that you never end to learn and the mistakes will continue but it is about solving them in the best way and that they do not happen again.