His real name is Illia Tereshchenko, he comes from the world of graffiti, would like to work in Germany, be happy and amaze you with his unique Cartoon-style tattoos.
Hi Ilya, can you describe yourself to my readers?
Yes, I am definitely one of your army of readers! I got my first tattoo on a person in 2015. So this year 2025 is my anniversary – 10 years since I’ve been in business. By the way my passion for tattoos has been with me since my teenage years.
“Frame” is your stage name, right? Perhaps it comes from a background in street art, was it your tag or did you choose it for another reason?
Yeah, “Frame” is my graffiti nickname. I was a little kid when I chose it, didn’t even know what it meant, I just liked these letters. I was only 10 years old and I was already into graffiti, and that’s when I chose this nickname. That was over 22 years ago…
I suppose the alternation between color and black-and-grey is your unique way of interpreting tattoo art, balancing the age-old debate of whether tattoos look better in color or not. What do you think?
Yes, I definitely enjoy creating compositions using both monochrome and colored elements. Especially a bold and dense contrast between Realism and Cartoon-style art.
I absolutely love that kind of stuff! But what looks better?
Color, of course! (laughs) My perspective is simple: there are so many colors and shades around us, so why limit yourself to just black and white? Ultimately, it’s up to each person to choose.
I think ‘Comic style’ is too limiting when describing your work. For example, how would you describe what you tattoo?
Yeah, pretty hard to describe in a few words. I guess it’s a stylized Realism/Surealism with graffiti and cartoon elements.
Can you tell me your three main influences?
If you ask about tattoo artists I would say my friend, the one and only Dmitriy Samohin (IG: @dmitriysamohin), my biggest inspiration since day one. Then my friend Igor Mitrenga (IG: @im_tattoo), one of the greatests, and my good friend Denis Broshovian (IG: @denbrotattoo).
If we talk about traditional artists I would say Salvador Dalì. Graffiti artists? Probably Joos van Barneveld aka “Does”.
Do you have a message you’d like to send to the tattoo community? Anything you would like to say related to your profession at the dawn of 2025?
Do what you love. Don’t expect or demand anything from your passion. If you truly love what you do, everything will be great. Just be happy – that’s the most important thing in life.
Where do you currently tattoo? Do you prefer to travel and be “on the road” or do you have a place where you welcome your clients?
Of course I prefer to travel more and more. Now I’m busy with my documents in Germany where I want to invite all my clients. Let’s see how it goes… (smiles) All around Europe is probably the easiest way to catch each other.
Last question – You’re also a painter, right? Will you ever exhibit your paintings one day?
I hope I will, someday! To be honest, the last few years have been pretty complicated for me, and I haven’t spent enough time painting (which is obviously not ideal). Now I have a plan for a series of canvases that I’ll probably try to exhibit.
