David Peyote is a born and bred Montrealer. Graphic design studies led him years ago to discover the art of tattooing, which became a real passion. He has now been tattooing for 9 years, and today works at Velours Studio, the creative and multifaceted shop he created to combine music and streetwear with tattooing.Over the years, David Peyote has developed his own unmistakable style: flashy and psychedelic colors, no black lines typical of the traditional style and an overflowing and cosmic imagination. It is a shimmering graphic universe that takes you for a somewhat hallucinatory interstellar trip.
When and how did you learn to tattoo?
I started tattooing in 2011 with a tattoo machine bought by a friend on eBay. I was 19 years old at the time and I was still a student in a graphic design college.
Have you always wanted to become a tattoo artist?
My passion for graphic art started when I was a graphic designer. This passion came to me suddenly when I discovered the work of MXME (Sang Bleu) on Tumblr. I could spend hours online just studying his lines and compositions.
Are you self-taught or did you pursue an apprenticeship?
A mixture of both. I never really had a formal apprenticeship when I started, but I learned from a lot of friends who were working in shops at that time. I spent all my free time watching tattoo artists working to learn more about technique.
Where do you work now and why?
I work at Velours Studio that I opened last year with my partner Saska. We always had this idea to create an unusual tattoo shop.
Can you tell us more about Velours Studio?
Velours is a hybrid studio and a creative space for artists with a focus on tattooing, music and streetwear. Our main goal is to create an environment where artists and clients feel welcome to be themselves. At Velours Studio, passionate projects are born and realized through collaborative and experimental efforts.
Have you already trained other tattoo artists?
Yes, I am currently training two very promising artists: Pvur and Carlos Velasquez.
How did you develop your style? How do you define it?
I came up with this style starting with traditional tattoo with a psychedelic twist. I later migrated to more graphic and geometric compositions including surrealist elements.
You do impressive color gradients, why is this important to you?
I take a lot of inspiration from Montreal, the city where I live. It's a very colorful city, full of light and emblems in both winter and summer. I find the use of some colors brings a feeling to the composition that words are not always able to describe perfectly. It's a bit like a universal language. My inspiration for my color palettes come mainly from great artists like Felipe Pantone.
What are your main inspirations?
It changes over time. Previously, I was very inspired by Polish posters from the 30’s to 80’s. There was a period when I was attracted by abstract bio-organic/mechanical compositions. Now I am very much inspired by the Brutalist movement in modern graphic design.
Most of your tattoos feature astronomical elements such as stars, planets or alien life. Is this a fascination to you?
Especially the concept of an infinite universe. The fact that a human being is carbon dust in the face of this great and almost empty space fascinates me. I am passionate about science in general.
What do you prefer in your job?
Freedom. Whether it's choosing projects I want to work on or the time I can start. We are very lucky as artists to have such freedom.
What do you prefer to tattoo?
It changes every 3 months. These days I'm having a lot of fun doing architectural pieces. Whether it's an abstract monument or an isometric city, I always have a good time conceptualizing and tattooing each piece.
What do you get asked to do most often?
I think it's landscapes. There are weeks when I can do 2-3 mountain landscapes. I always enjoy trying to reinvent them in terms of color and composition.
What's the craziest project you've been asked for?
A complete bodysuit with a friend. We are now working on covering his whole body with subjects related to surrealism, the cosmos, and fractal and transdimensional aspects.
How do you see yourself evolving in tattooing?
I have been in constant evolution since I started tattooing. I explore new things every day in order to reinvent myself. It's not uncommon for me to try to incorporate new elements into my compositions. I think the comfort zone is destructive for artists. @thedavidcote
