It is an honor to have with us today Dan Starr, the brilliant artist who has conquered the international competition of DGN Tattoo Magazine in its 20th edition. Originally from Russia, Dan Starr has emerged as the grand winner among over 100 talented artists from around the world. His distinctive style of black and grey realism, enriched with astonishing skill in calligraphy and play of light, has captured the imagination of the distinguished jury composed of Mashkov, Heng Yue, Yomico Moreno, and Silvano Fiato.
Today, we have the privilege to delve into the creative mind of Dan Starr and uncover the secrets behind his award-winning art. Join us as we explore his inspiration, his creative process, and his vision for the future of tattoo art. Welcome, Dan Starr!
1. Hello Dan Starr, first we want to congratulate you on this achievement. Now, we'd like to know, why did you choose to become a tattoo artist?
Hello guys, thank you very much! All my life drawing was my passion. Since my childhood, drawing, music, and composition have been my steadfast companions. I quickly realized that the mold of a conventional office didn't fits me. One day I was sitting at work in the office and thinking about where my life was going. I was thinking about what I could do so that it would bring me not only money, but also, first of all, pleasure, and I did not come up with anything better than tattooing. This day I decided to fuck it all and try to make tattoos so I’m here now ;)
2. How was the beginning like?
I started tattooing about 6 years ago. From the very beginning, it was quite easy for me to figure out how everything works in the tattoo industry and what i need to do, since I had quite a good experience in drawing. The difficulty was that I had absolutely empty social networks and for the first two years I sat without clients at all, and worked a lot for free, gaining experience. The industry at that time was already quite full of artists who did all sorts of shit for pennies, so it was very hard to find and get my audience. It was very difficult, both financially and mentally. And as soon as I started to get on my feet, the customers gradually began to come to me, the covid began and everything went back to zero. I've been sitting without a single client for about 8 months, and I had to get another job and sell some of my tattoo stuff to pay the bills. I worked at the factory for 5 days a week, and continued to tattoo on weekends. Six months later, everything gradually started to return to normal, so I bought back what I had sold, quit the factory and continued to tattoo. Now, looking back, everything seems like an interesting adventure, but at that moment it was very hard to find the strength to move on when everything around you puts a spoke in your wheels.
3. How would you describe your current artistic style?
From the very beginning, I came across the Thomas Carli Jarlier page and I was so inspired by what he was doing that I decided I wanted to develop in this style. I watched all his live broadcasts and asked him all about how and what is he working with, to my surprise he turned out to be a very responsive and kind person, despite the fact that by that time he was already a very high-level world-famous artist. Gradually, I found other artists on social media who I was inspired by and learned something new in design from all of them. And I'm still experimenting. I can't say that I have any particular style of my own, because it is constantly changing and evolving. All artists dream of finding this "their own style", and I'm probably partly one of them, but I'm more interested in the path to it. Probably "my style" can be attributed to the usual black-and-gray realism, but there are certain elements that I like to add to every design: portraits, calligraphy, neon lighting. I like the process of combining such a different shapes in one unite composition.
4. How do you stay motivated and creative in such a demanding field like tattooing?
I like that in this profession I can always get inspiration from any little things, such as music, nature, other interesting people, artists, architecture, I always try to stay motivated by everything that surrounds me in order to move on. In the last year I have been traveling a lot, participating in festivals, conventions, winning prizes, getting to know other artists, always on the move, which also strongly motivates me to move on, try something new, be better than yesterday. I know that there is a huge problem for many artists to stay motivated for a long period, but for me everything that happens on my professional and creative path gives me the energy to go down this path further. It’s like an eternal engine that never stops. I also have a strong competitive spirit, including with myself, which is also a strong motivator. I like to challenge myself. I often set goals for myself. When I reach them, I clearly feel that I am not standing still. When I feel that burnout is close, I stop and look back. I see what I have achieved over a period of time and then I feel better.
5. What was the moment like when you found out you had been chosen by the jury of excellence as the winner of the international competition, surpassing over 100 participating artists from around the world with excellent levels?
I saw that I became a DGN winner when I was on the long way home after a long guest spot, I was very tired and at first did not understand what had happened at all. When the realization came to me, of course I was glad. It is an honor for me to compete with such good artists all over the world. And of course I'm proud to be the winner. I am grateful to everyone for the recognition they have given to me.
6. What does your year ahead look like? Do you already have plans?
I have a lot of plans for the coming year, I'm going to participate in 6 conventions in Russia and around the world, make several guest spots, hold several lectures and seminars, and launch a video master class. The year will be very busy, but interesting
7. If someone wants to contact you, where can they do so?
If you wish to witness how my journey unfolds in the future, I invite you to follow my Instagram page:
@dan___starr. I am also always open to suggestions and you can also write to me on WhatsApp +79612777961 or by email danielstarr@bk.ru
8. Is there anything you would like to say or anyone you would like to thank?
I hope you find my story interesting, I had a lot of fun to share it with you) Thanks to DGN tattoo magazine for this opportunity, thanks to the audience and the jury for their high appreciation, thanks to all tattoo artists for participating and thank you so much to everyone who supported me, see you soon
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