At just 36, tattoo artist Victor Chil is one of Spain's top working professionals. At the Family Art Tattoo studio in his home town of Barcelona, he is honing his impressive creative talent. Buoyed by an impeccable technique, he expresses it in a variety of styles. Realism, Japanese, but it's in the new-school that he really comes into his own.
Can you tell us about the graphic world you grew up in?
Ever since I was a child, I've been very interested in video games and cartoons from the 80s and 90s, as well as action figures like G.I. Joes. I also had a particular interest in Legos, because I loved building and creating with them.
Have you always drawn?
I started exploring drawing when I was at secondary school. Honestly, I didn't like studying, so to avoid getting bored I used to draw in class with my friend Kike. Soon after, we got interested in graffiti and that's how I got into the world of drawing.
What was graffiti culture like?
I lived in a very, very small town, where graffiti as such didn't exist, let alone the culture that went with it. So we built it ourselves. We didn't have a crew as such, but we were a group of friends who did graffiti together and shared the experience.
How did you go from walls to bodies?
As soon as I tried, I hooked the tattoo. At first I used sewing needles and more rudimentary things, then I asked my tattooist (Rafa from Ronin tattoo) more questions. He guided me towards the materials I needed and everything followed on from there. I went to see him in his studio to watch him work, and then I tattooed my friends in my village and in Barcelona.
How does graffiti inspire your tattoos?
It inspires me a lot in terms of lighting and creating more personal and dynamic shapes. It gives me more freedom to distort the drawings and give them more fluidity, by adding colours, volumes and planes. This allows me to create more graphic styles.
Conversely, what have you taken from tattoo culture and transposed it to graffiti?
I've added a lot of tattoo motifs to my pieces, like Japanese ideas and concepts, or traditional tattoos. I can play with elements, shapes, compositions and so on. This has helped me to develop a very personal style of graffiti.
Your tattoos are characterised by their very bright colours: do you see this as a legacy of graffiti or as a development of your own approach to tattooing?
Yes, the graffiti influence encouraged me to experiment with my own colour palette. But once you get used to using colour as a tool, it's hard to let go.
How did you create your palette?
As I painted, I used resources I'd taken from other illustrations I'd kept in the past and used as a reference. I also rely a lot on the colour wheel and complementary colours. But, at the end of the day, I always consider the feeling and what I want to express with the illustration. The colours I choose depend on that choice.
I have the impression that tattooing has allowed you to work in greater detail.
Tattooing gives you more freedom than graffiti, but there are always certain limits that you can't cross, because you have to consider the durability of the work. It's when I do drawings and boards that aren't intended to be tattooed that I have the most freedom. I can express myself without limits.
What points do you pay particular attention to when you start a new piece?
Composition and appropriateness in terms of anatomy. Then the narrative of the work and what I want to convey with the character, the background, the elements, etc...
A lot of graffiti artists who approach tattooing like lettering, is that something you've tried?
Yes, I love and appreciate lettering, but on the other hand I don't have as much time as I'd like to try out different styles.
Some new-school tattooists are a bit disappointed by the lack of recognition of the commitment the style requires. Do you share their opinion?
Yes, it's not a style that usually gets the full spotlight, or one that's as commercial/popular as others, because it's a very particular niche. So it's harder to get that recognition or appreciation.
You recently finished a fantastic back with a representation of the Buddhist deity Fudō Myōō. You recently told me you have a lot of respect for Japanese style, can you tell us about that?
What I love most is the history and culture. In particular, there are a lot of resources and mythology. I've travelled a lot in Japan and I collect works of art. I have a lot of respect for this country and its contribution to tattooing throughout its history.
You released a T-shirt with a design depicting a guy who's a bit of a drug addict and takes all sorts of drugs. Is it a self-portrait?
Well haha, if I said it wasn't I'd be lying, but I'm not saying it's me either, it's an allegory of what it means to be a kid, to always be happy, move on and have fun. Always enjoying everything! + IG : @victor_chil www.familyarttattoo.com
