Russian tattoo artist Denis Bedrinsky talks to Inkers about his gothic-romantic approach to neo-traditional style developed in his home town of St Petersburg.
Tattoo or drawing, which comes first in your career Denis?
Drawing, of course. Especially if, like me, you're a tattoo artist who draws his own designs. Drawing should be the basis of a tattoo, and it has no limits, unlike a tattoo.
Can you tell us about the graphic worlds you grew up with?
To be honest, my inspiration comes from where I live: the city of St Petersburg. It's very grey, a bit gloomy and has a lot of Gothic architecture. I think that aesthetic inspires me.
How did you get into tattooing?
When I was younger - I wasn't living in Saint Petersburg yet - I wanted to get a tattoo but I didn't have any money and there were no tattoo artist in my town. So I decided to learn and do the tattoo I wanted myself. Then I made friends in the business and finally moved to St Petersburg.
Is that when you decided you were going to make a career out of it?
Yes, I found a job in a studio, but that wasn't enough. As I had to pay the bills, I had a choice: find an extra job or invest myself completely in my career. I chose the second option and I haven't regretted it, despite the difficulties.
How did you get into neo-traditional tattooing?
I've been doing graphic tattooing, Japanese tattooing and old school tattooing for many years. I also do graffiti, but I got into neo-trad by accident, because everyone was doing it in the studio where I started. I saw this style and immediately fell in love with it.
Why did you specialise in black and grey?
I've always been attracted to shades of black and grey in drawing and tattooing. Sometimes I think I see the world in black and white (just kidding). I've done a lot of graphic art (and black tattoos). When I decided to do neo-trad, I immediately wanted to do it in black. Not like everyone else.
Flowers, women, snakes... You take the traditional iconography of the old-school style and modernise it, giving it a darker, more dangerous edge. Is that what trad gothic is all about?
Actually, I like portraits, flowers, animals and reapers. I also like a wide variety of bladed weapons, swords and daggers. I'm madly in love with the Gothic culture of the period, the architecture. Royal balls with beautiful women in the finest clothes of the time are a dream for me. I love all that and I add it to my style. That's the atmosphere I put into my work.
What references and dark works do you like to feed your imagination with?
I love the Dark Souls video game series. I don't redraw the characters, I'm simply inspired by the concepts and general atmosphere of the Dark Souls universe.
I also see an Asian influence and a taste for manga. Can you tell us about that?
I sometimes watch anime, Death Note and Naruto are among my favourites. They inspire me in their own way. But above all I like stylising anime characters in my own style. I don't do it often, but I like it.
You're also trying your hand at lettering at the moment, with more pronounced work on textures. Is this a desire to experiment?
Calligraphy and lettering give me a break. With this style, there's no need to prepare a sketch in advance. The person comes to the session, shows where they want to be tattooed and I draw on their body. I imagine, I create shapes, then I sit down and do a tattoo. It's easy for me and I like to do this kind of tattoo from time to time. + IG : @denis.bedrinsky
