Getting bigger is the motto of Leo Favarin, tattoo artist from São Paulo, Brazil, who chose California, San Diego, to put his roots down. While “Being different” has always been in his DNA, first choosing to get tattooed in the early 2000s when it was still a taboo in Brazil.
Then choosing tattooing as his job, pursuing his interpretation of realistic black and grey, using lines and a lot of illustrative influence. He tells us about it himself here in this interview.
Hi Leo welcome to Tattoo Life. You currently live and work in San Diego, California, were you born there or did you move there for your work?
I’m based in San Diego at the moment. I had so many invites to come and tattoo in here so I decided to come. San Diego has so many incredible artistis, and the city is beautiful. Before that I was living in Europe for a little bit, but I was born in São Paulo, Brazil.
How did you get involved in tattoo art?
Ever since I was a kid, I’ve liked the idea of being different, whether it’s with my hair, clothes, piercings or tattoos. Tattooing in the early 2000s was taboo in Brazil, anyone who had a tattoo was extremely radical and unique, so my brother, my friends and I used to hang out at a tattoo parlour in our neighborhood, where I got a tattoo and learned a little about the process.
Anyway, although I loved drawing, I didn’t consider becoming a tattoo artist at the time, because the tattoo artist didn’t do artistic work and my tattoo turned out very badly.
I thought drawings only looked good on paper. But my brother, who also loved drawing, took tattooing very seriously and years later started learning at a well-known tattoo parlour.
I was impressed by the quality of the tattoos he was doing, and I started to get some tattoos with him, and during the sessions I told him how incredible I thought it was, and also how unhappy I was with the life and profession I had followed, and he encouraged me to start tattooing. I started to draw more, with a different eye, and after a few months I dropped everything and started my apprenticeship at Batattoo, in São Caetano do Sul, SP.
Why did you choose black and grey realistic as your style?
I didn’t choose it! It was natural. I used to do a few styles, but my favorites and the ones I had the most fun with were always the realistic black and grey ones, and also clients started looking for just that style, and one day I did a colorful one in a different style, and it was so different and hard to change, and then I realized that I had become a black and grey realism artist. And I loved it. Although, for the last few years I’ve been doing a different kind of realism, using lines and a lot of illustrative influence.
Your creations play on the three-dimensionality of the subjects you create with a skillful use of black and its nuances. What are the distinctive features of your style in your opinion?
The way it fits and flows with the anatomy of the body. The contrast of tones and textures with the skin. The lines, the slight mix with illustration and I try to use as much as possible of what I know of traditional tattoos to create realistic modern tattoos.
Where do you get inspiration for your subjects? They seem to be related to mythology, warrior stories and macabre tales. Would you like to tell us more?
I get my inspiration in nature and photography. However, I really follow the vibe of my clients, sometimes it can be dark and other times it can be really delicate. I like it when customers are excited and open to what I can do when they tell me their ideas.
My main goal at the end of the day is to make a tattoo that looks great now and over the years.
You like doing large-format pieces, don’t you?
Yeah, I love it! And now I’m really focused in going bigger and bigger. Let’s go! Full body suits next!
What are your cultural interests? What do you like to do in your free time?
My wife is a photographer and that inspires me to practice more. We go out to take pictures at least once a week, it’s a lot of fun and it’s helping me a lot with my tattoos. I like exercising, skateboarding, hiking and just going out and exploring. We like to go to concerts, exhibitions, museums and also to be at home and pet my cats.
What technical aspects are you working on to raise your level of quality even higher?
I’m focused on going bigger. Full body tattoos. I want my tattoos to be part of people’s bodies, I want them to fit in naturally, follow the curves and enhance the body even more, not just an added piece, like a sticker. I’m studying anatomy, natural flows and composition, also different styles of tattoos a lot for that.
