Niko Vargas is a professional Tattoo Technician based out of the East Coast, he’s been tattoing for 6 years from various studios and recently in his own private studio. His work is a dream come true. He gets to draw for a living! Niko creates beautiful fine art drawings and specialises in black and gray realism, micro realism and fine-line tattoos.  He creates beautiful Tattoos that are much loved by his customers and fans alike. Unique personalized images that mean something very special to each person are permanently etched into the skin of the people who trust Niko with this amazing skill and ability.

His creative journey began with my art course way back in 2015 (before my course was even put into video.) At that time my course was only taught online in a series of ebooks with hi-res images. Niko did an incredible job all the way through. He was dedicated, methodical, persistent and consistent. He trusted me to guide him one step at a time and was a dream student to mentor. In his interview below you’ll discover more about him and his journey to become a professional Tattoo artist with his own highly successful business.

Interview with Niko Vargas by Cindy Wider

 

Q: Hi  Niko, please tell us, where were you born and where do you live now?

A: My name is Niko Vargas. I reside in Connecticut, which is located on the northeastern corner of the United States. My ethnic descent is Puerto Rican, so I grew up with a lot of tradition & beautiful cultural foundation. Despite hardships growing up, family always showed the light at the end of the tunnel & we are blessed to have that special touch on one another.

 

Q: Can you tell our audience about how you first got started with art and drawing?

A: Art was always something that was intriguing to me, especially because most of my family are from Brooklyn, NY so a lot of frequent visits there inspired me because of all of the street artwork I’d see when visiting. So it’s safe to say graffiti sparked my love for art.

 

Q: Tell us what is happening with your drawing journey right now?

A: My journey with drawing right now, is that I’m consistently developing my skill by working off still life &|or photo realistic photographs. I feel it’s the most challenging for me & a challenge for me is what keeps the journey with drawing fresh & enjoyable.

 

Q: How did you find us here at DrawPj?

A: I found DrawPj.com by simply just researching online ‘drawing programs’ & when I came across it; it just felt like it hit everything I needed to learn to get me to the next level in my artistry journey.

 

Q:What do you think of your progress now, when you look at the pre-instruction drawing you created way back then?

A: When I look back at my pre-instruction drawing, it leaves me in awe & with a huge sense of satisfaction that sometimes feels surreal at times. It also reminds me of what hard work and consistency looks like after years of practice and showing up.

 

Q: What was it like studying with mentored support?

A: Studying with a mentor was absolutely amazing. It gave me a sense of security when I didn’t quite fully understand something or just couldn’t quite execute something well. It allowed me to sit back and listen to instruction from my mentor and fully see and understand what I needed to do better.

 

Q: What kind of drawings are you doing right now?

A: The kind of drawings I do now are from still life. So I will sit down, scan the environment that I’m in and whatever seems to stick out to me I will draw it.

Q: Do you have any favourite drawings that you’ve created since studying at DrawPj?

A: I actually do have some favorite drawings that I’ve done since studying at DrawPJ. The one that sticks out the most to me is of a close friend of mines who passed away. His name was Jaime and he loved the movie “V for Vendetta”. So I drew his face but half of his face was the mask from the movie.

 

Q: What are your favourite art materials and why?

A: My favorite art material would be pretty much anything I can create with. I have a lot of love for my graphite so pencils will be on top of my list. Reason being is because that’s where it really started for me and will forever be my first choice when it comes to creating on paper. I also love drawing with pen because it also gives me a sense of flow and being free while drawing. I work with tattoo machines and so the pen is something that feels just as permanent on paper as a tattoo does on skin so It’s great practice for me and for what I do for a living.

 

Q: Do you have any words of helpful advice for beginner artists?

A: The best advice I could offer to a beginner is to have patience with yourself throughout the process of learning and growing. Have consistency with your approach and learn to accept what may look like a mistake as a simple learning curve for yourself. Things like drawing well, don’t come over night and sometimes it takes years to achieve the level you seek. But If you stay patient, consistent and driven to be even just a tad bit better than you were the day before it will all come to fruition and you will look back and feel very accomplished and proud with yourself for embracing the ups and downs along the journey and getting to where you knew you could always be as an artist.

 

 

Q: What are your plans for the future?

A: My plans for the future is to own a couple tattoo studios, have some artwork hung up in prestigious places, make sure I create on a daily basis and to teach the next generation of artist as much as I can by aspiring to inspire them to be the best versions of themselves as a person and artist.

 

For more information about Niko Vargas

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/inkbyniko/

Website: https://www.nvinkstudio.com/about

Email: nv.inkstudio@gmail.com