Interview: Accomplished Tattoo Artist Nikki Harris Comes to Studio Incamminati to Follow Her Art School Dreams
1. Why did you choose to come to Studio Incamminati?
I had gone to a live figure drawing class one night at a studio in Pittsburgh. I noticed one of the guys next to me was really good, so I asked him where he learned. He said he had gone to SI for a painting workshop in the past. That encouraged me to sign up for a painting workshop. I fell in love with it during that week and ever since then it has been on mind to come back in any capacity I could. During the coronavirus shutdown this year, I had some down time to really consider my plans for the future. At this time I was also actively doing “The Artist Way” workbook. I think it was a culmination of these two major life shifts that led me to finally register.
2. What are you hoping to get out of your experience?
I am looking to get better at art, particularly realism, which I will apply to tattooing. I’m also hoping one day I could make a living doing art in other forms. This would be several years from now as I still love tattooing and don’t plan on stopping or minimizing any time soon. However, I sometimes have a hard time envisioning myself as an older woman still working as a tattoo artist, and see myself working in other mediums more.
3. Tell us about your history as a tattoo artist, and about your particular style of work.
I was in love with tattoos when I was younger. I thought people with tattoos looked so cool and were a part of a culture I wanted to be part of and know more about. As I got older, I completely lost interest in art. I had all kinds of odd jobs and never pursued anything art related. Then I started getting tattoos and a light bulb went off that this might be a way to use art to make a living AND do something I was interested in and found exciting. I sought out an apprenticeship in Illinois where I’m from and it went from there. I did little to no research as far as who was going to teach me, I just knew I wanted it so bad I would have been willing to learn from anyone who was willing to teach me. Luckily, I landed in the honey pot and ended up with a wonderful teacher in a very reputable and busy shop in the area. I was able to learn SO much while there. From there, it has brought me all kinds of places. I travel all over and on one of my excursions, ended up in Pennsylvania and ended up staying.
Over the past couple of years, I’ve learned I enjoy doing color realism the most…but slightly illustrative rather than hyperrealistic. It’s very hard for me, which is why I enjoy it the most. Every tattoo requires me to “figure it out” and troubleshoot. I have to be present and ready to learn from it through each experience, but the challenge keeps me very excited.
4. How do you think a realist art education will help your work as a tattoo artist?
Being a tattoo artist for a few years now, my only regret is that I never cultivated that art education I could have pursued when I was younger, when I was distracted by other things or found art to be boring and uninteresting. I wish I would have gotten a formal education in art. So this year I finally decided it was time to learn. Because I don’t KNOW what I don’t know, I feel like I need to be around other learning artists and have someone teach me, telling me when I’m messing up and pointing out what I’m doing wrong and what’s missing.
I can already tell that the information I am gathering as a student is being brought into my tattoos. I am now learning how to see things I didn’t see before, to pay attention to particular shadows and sharpen my eye for details. I would say most of all, I will soon have an entire toolbox to use at work. I think I would struggle for years in tattooing, putting things in certain places, colors, shadows, shapes, etc….but not knowing WHY. I want to know WHY it goes there, in addition to knowing how to put it there. That is what I came to learn!
Follow Nikki on Instagram to see more of her tattoo work!