Tattoo Artist Jacques Schoeman

Introducing Jacques Schoeman of Dark Side Tattoo Collective as our featured Tattoo Artist. Get to know him and his work below.
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Full name: Jacques Schoeman

Shop: Dark Side Tattoo Collective

Tattooing experience: 7 years

Tattoo style: various styles

Hourly rate: R1000

What first attracted you to the tattoo industry?
I’ve always loved drawing and being creative. As a teenager, I remember watching shows like Miami Ink and Ink Master, which introduced me to the art of tattooing. I got my first tattoo at the age of 15, and since then, my love for the tattoo industry just grew.

What was your process of becoming a full-time tattoo artist?
I started my tattoo career as an apprentice, which normally consists of cleaning the shop daily, setting up and breaking down tattoo stations, learning and drawing a lot. I later started practicing on friends and family that were willing to be guinea pigs for me to practice my new found skill. I did the best I could at the time with every single tattoo I did, so people would be proud to wear my art on them and for me to build a good name for myself.
Fast forward roughly seven years and I am very lucky to be where I am today. With the support of loved ones and all my clients, I couldn’t ask for anything more.

What were some of the hardest skills to learn when first starting out?
As a pretty shy person, learning how to work with so many different personalities, sitting with my clients and working with them to give them the best tattoo that I can possibly do, was definitely a challenge in the beginning. I had to learn and study all there was to know about the hygienic side of tattooing, which made me feel like I was back in school, and I wasn’t very fond of school in all honesty. When it came to tattooing, I would say the thing that I struggled with most was getting crisp, straight lines whilst learning, and it was something that I had to work hard at to get it where I wanted it to be.

How would you best explain the feeling and outcome of the first tattoo you created on a client?
I remember sitting down in my tattoo chair, ready to start my first tattoo on a client. I remember being so excited but so nervous that my hands were literally shaking. I had to take a second to calm myself before I could start the tattoo. At the time, looking at my first tattoo that I did, I was so proud of what I had made. Looking back at those first couple of tattoos I did, I can definitely see just how far I’ve come over the years.

If you could tattoo any famous person, who would it be and why?
I would say Elon Musk, as he is a fellow South African who has made a huge success of himself. I wouldn’t mind picking his brain a little bit.

Which one single piece are you most proud of and why?
I actually get asked this question often, and I still don’t have an answer to it. Over the years that I’ve been tattooing, I’ve done so many different tattoos in various styles, shapes, and sizes, and yet whatever meaning they have to my clients, they make them all so unique in their own way, and for that reason, it would be impossible for me to only pick one.

What style of tattoo do you enjoy creating the most and why?
I really enjoy doing black and grey realism stuff, especially portraits. They are normally really challenging, and I think that’s why I like doing them so much.

How do you like to make sure you keep progressing as an artist?
I have a lot of artists that I look up to and try and learn from. I like to try out new things all the time and learn from them. I think that’s the most important thing, to never stop learning.

What is the vibe of working out of Dark Side Tattoo Collective?
I think I’m very lucky that I can not only do what I love for a living but do it with a group of people that I can be inspired by.

What’s the next step for anyone wanting to book an appointment with you, what’s the next step?
The best way to make an appointment is to get in contact with Dark Side Tattoo Collective on 0829668985, or alternatively, to come through to the studio and book an appointment with me.

Dark Side Tattoo Collective
Contact: 082 966 8985
Address: 3 Andre Street, Glenanda, Johannesburg
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