A talented illustrator from Poland, Emilia is seemingly able to draw any kind of tattoo, whether it be of a superhero, a family pet, or a demonic creature (though, you may have thought the last two were the same thing if you had met my old cat when he was hungry). Though, to develop the imagination and artistic skills necessary to accurately depict such imagery, Emilia has taken a rather unconventional route. At various points throughout her life for instance, she has continued to refine her practice by experimenting with her photographic memory, studying Photography and by taking inspiration from her nightmares.
Aside from the need for a keen eye and a vibrant imagination however, there are many non-artistic factors that need to be considered when it comes to tattooing. After all, a tattooist is required to draw upon a canvas which not only varies in both its size and texture but is alive. Indeed, as Emilia humorously tells me, she can often feel ‘more like a surgeon than an artist’. Though, as ominous as all this may sound, we begin our story here not with needles or human drawing boards, but instead with Winnie the Pooh.
‘When I was a child, I used to love things like puzzles and colouring books... anywhere where I could escape into my own imagination... Most of the children around me would draw their parents, dogs, and houses but I would always try and go beyond that... I would try and freeze a moment, like a scene from the television, in my mind and try to redraw it. I remember sketching out a scene from a Winnie the Pooh episode that I watched when I was about 3 or 4 years old, and my dad being absolutely shocked that I was able to replicate it in so much detail’ Emilia tells me. ‘This was when I started to realise that I had a photographic memory, particularly when it came to faces, colours, lights and contrasts, which has always stayed with me’ she adds.
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