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Mat Rule

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INTERVIEW MAT RULE

@pascalbagot

By mixing realism and cartoon, the French tattoo artist Mat Rule, 32, has found a formula that works. Original, it has made him one of the most popular tattoo artists of his generation. It also demonstrates his irreproachable technique, whose precision of details can be admired as well as his ability to translate a wide range of emotions.

Can you tell us a bit about your background?

I wasn't destined to do tattoos. My uncle is a painter and I grew up seeing his work. I also liked classical paintings but in the end I wasn't really into that. At one point in my life I lived in China, right next to a tattoo shop and that's where the idea started to grow.

How long have you been mixing cartoon and realism like this?

It must be a little over five years. I originally started doing traditional, mainly because I was in a street shop where there was everything but trad. Then I started doing a bit of realism. But it was really when I arrived at the Body Staff studio in Vincennes that everything started. They put me in ideal conditions to do what I wanted. But it still didn't work. So I said to myself that I would try to combine the two styles, which I knew more or less how to do, and do something different.

Have you been drawing for long?

More or less, yes. But honestly, I was doing simple things, light years away from what I do now.

Your work takes a lot of inspiration from comics and cartoons, yet I was surprised to learn that you didn't read or watch them when you were young?

Yes, I only watched gangster movies. When I was a kid that was all I was interested in. It was in the context of tattooing that I started to get requests for them and gradually I started to watch them, to understand the spirit of the character I was going to reproduce. It was cool and, in the end, I continued. Finally today, I still like to discover new ones.

Can you explain a bit about the creative process of your tattoos and the research it requires. How do you go about finding the right combination of realistic and cartoon elements?

It's often very different depending on the project demand actually, but the main thing for me is that the result conveys an emotion. It's often humorous but a tattoo can also carry other messages, denounce things for example.

The work on the materials in realism, for example the hair of the animals, is quite amazing. Is it for the technical challenge that you like this style?

No, I like to do realism and I feel in my comfort zone when I do animals.

Your realism is ultra-detailed and on small format, how do you ensure that your pieces age well?

The smaller it is, the less detail I put in. And then I mark my black areas well.

Do your tattoos lend themselves better to small pieces?

Not especially I'm not closed to doing bigger pieces.

You now divide your time between New York and Paris, is it a dream come true?

I've lived in New York City in the past and I've always wanted to go back. But, in the end, I love Paris too much to really leave.

Can you tell us something about yourself? What music do you listen to? Do you have any hobbies outside of work?

I mainly listen to French rap, the kind that all my colleagues hate in general. As for my hobbies, I don't really have any. I spend my life in tattooing. But, when I have time, I play sports and go out, just like everyone else. + IG : @matruletattoo Body Staff Tattoo Shop 45 rue Giraudineau 94300 Vincennes Tél : 01 41 93 14 13