From a young age, Juan Rojas knew he wanted to be some kind of artist, but he never thought of becoming a tattoo artist. Tattoos were rare in Antofagasta, the small town in Chile where Rojas grew up, so Rojas didn’t discover them until later in life. But once he did, his mind was blown and his future unfolded before him. We spoke to Rojas about his tattoo journey, why he loves black and gray realism, and more.
How long have you been interested in art? It has always interested me. Since childhood I was very fond of drawings and graffiti, and from that moment I started to get involved in art until today.
Were tattoos part of the culture growing up in Chile? Were they generally visible? It wasn’t common in Chile. Very few people had tattoos, there were only two in my town around 2011.
When did you know you wanted to be a tattoo artist and how did you do it? Did you have an education? I realized that I wanted to get a tattoo when I was 16 and I saw a tattoo on a person in the street. I was impressed because it was freshly made, the colors looked amazing and that motivated me to build my first tattoo machine. I learned it myself. The drawings I made started [tattoo] on the skin of my friends and family.
What was the first thing that attracted you to black and grey? The first thing that attracted me was how the works looked after they had healed and how the ink blended with the person’s skin to create a harmony between contrasts and different shades of grey.
How did you know that black and gray realism would be the style you would specialize in? It was the most convenient thing I could do since the drawings I made were always in shades of white and gray. Also, people’s skin in the town I live in is a bit dark and black and gray worked better on them
Can you walk us through your design process? Yes, it’s quite simple, before you apply it to your skin, there [my references] are mostly photos. On the skin the creative process begins and I apply what I’ve learned and manage to create a story, taking care to distribute the contrasts well and using appropriate elements for each area.
Much of your work consists of portraits. What is the key to a great portrait tattoo? I focus on interpreting human and animal facial expressions. Then I achieve a tone that brings it to life, is pleasing to the eye, and looks good in the area my client intends to wear it.
Have you ever thought about working in color? Why or why not? Yes, I’ve tried, but I’m obsessed with black-and-grey. I’m not comfortable working with color and I can’t flow like I can with black-grey.
What are your favorite subjects to tattoo? What would you like to tattoo that you haven’t had a chance to do yet? I like old pictures, gothic style and high contrast. I’m in the process of creating compositions with faces and/or landscapes and other elements. I’m waiting for big canvases to make my dream projects concrete.
You tend to do a lot of horror tattoos. Who is your favorite killer to tattoo? jason I have made Jason several times and will continue to do so.
Where do you see your art in the future? I feel like I’m still defining what to focus on in my style. I want to take the time and decide on something that I will enjoy in the future.