Tattoo Artist of the Week Callum Els

The tattoo masterpieces being produced by Callum Els are absolutely mind blowing, especially when you realise that he has only been tattooing for 3 and a half years. We caught up with Callum, who’s working out of The Black Lodge, to bring him to you as our Tattoo Artist of the Week. See what he had to say while checking out some of his brilliant tattoos.

Full name: Callum Els

Nickname: Moose

Age: 26

Hometown: Johannesburg

Shop: The Black Lodge

Years tattooing: Three and a half years

Tattoo style: Colour realism, black and grey realism

Rate per hour: R850

Give us some background into your career and what the course of events were that led you to becoming a tattoo artist?
I was always interested in art, but never took it seriously. I always wanted to do something creative as a career but never knew what until I got my first tattoo. I knew from then on that this is what I wanted to do. I studied animation for a year and a half and then dropped out to pursue a tattoo apprenticeship. This is when I started to take art seriously and after a lot of perseverance I finally got an apprenticeship.

What attracted you to the profession and where do you draw your inspiration from?
I was attracted to tattoos from an early age and just loved the way it looked on people. Later on it was the type of tattoos that were being done at a fine art level that attracted me to pursue the tattoo profession.
I definitely find a lot of inspiration from looking at paintings and tattoos from artists I look up to and that are pushing the limits of these mediums. I also find inspiration from fellow tattoo artists that I’m around all day.

What was the first tattoo you ever did and how did it turn out?
The first tattoo I ever did was a little tribal thing which I suppose didn’t come out too bad considering I was shaking my balls off.

To date, which tattoo are you most proud of?
There are actually two pieces which I like, both for the same reasons. It’s the space lady with a guy being abducted in her chest and the other is the lady with the red triangle eye. These two pieces both had a surrealistic feel too them but felt classic at the same time. I enjoyed the subject matter and I could feel a progression in my work with these two pieces.

What was the hardest thing about learning the art of tattooing?
The technique as a whole was hard to learn. People think it’s easy, but it’s not. The whole thing of tattooing a living breathing and moving object and then still trying to make your tattoos look clean and precise.

What style off tattooing do you excel at most?
I feel I definitely excel in Colour Realism as I’ve always drawn or painted in that style, and it gives me the greatest satisfaction over any other style.

How do you make sure to keep up to date with trends and various tattoo styles?
I always try and give my clients something unique based on their ideas. So I strictly do custom work and try not to rely on the trends of tattooing.

What do you do to make sure you keep progressing and pushing the boundaries?
For me, I just want to learn and keep on learning. I enjoy having conversations with fellow tattoo artists and friends about the different techniques and tools that we would use for different effects and application. Being open to constructive criticism from other artists also helps me to push to be better. Another thing that helps is having a very talented girlfriend that is in the same profession as me, so I am surrounded by art 24/7 and we push and feed off each other really well. I am always striving to reach the level of the top artists I look up to, and still progress further. I don’t feel I will ever stop learning because I always see things that I can improve on no matter how happy I am with a piece I’ve done.

How much more detailed and intricate do you think tattoos can get in the future?
Tattoos are getting extremely detailed and intricate each day. Tattooing is always progressing and evolving, so we will just have to wait and see.

What has been one of the weirdest request you’ve ever got?
I haven’t had any weird requests that I can think of, boring, I know. [laughs].

Which local and international artist do you look up to?
Internationally I look up to a number of artists but one that really stands out to me at this moment is Potter Seunghyun Jo from Toronto. His skill level is amazing and the amount of detail he puts into his pieces is mind blowing. His approach to Realism is unique and stands out. Locally I would say it’s my good friend Sean Perrins who I work with. His approach and knowledge in tattooing and life itself is inspiring. The amount of love and good energy he puts into the way he runs things as a tattoo artist and shop owner is really contagious and inspiring.

If you could guest appear at any local and international shop, which would they be and why?
Locally I would like to guest spot at Body Architects in Cape Town and Lola Malone in Durban. Both shops put out good quality work, both are really nice studios and feel I could learn a lot from the experience.
Internationally I would love to guest spot at Ship Shape Tattoo in New Zealand, Piranha Tattoo studio in Portugal, just to name a few. The level of work being done by the artists at these studios is amazing and I feel I could learn so much.

How do you think the world sees tattoos and tattoo artists compared to 15 years ago?
People are seeing good tattoo artists as fine artists that are producing art on skin. It’s being taken a lot more seriously buy the public and has become a recognized art form buy many. The negative stigma of tattoos if falling away as so many people from all walks of life are getting them.

What’s the vibe like working out of The Black Lodge?
The vibe at The Black Lodge is amazing. It’s an extremely creative, friendly, welcoming, professional and progressive atmosphere. All of us take our passion and profession very seriously and all feed off and push each other to do better each day. It’s an amazing space to work in. It’s a vibe that makes you just want to stay there 24/7. We all have strengths in specific styles, which allows us to progress a lot more in our chosen styles. I am truly proud to call everyone there my family.

For anyone that wants to book a session with you, what’s the next step?
They can phone the shop at 011 782 8887 or email the shop at bookings@theblacklodge.co.za to setup a consultation booking and we can take it from there.
Address: 98 3rd Avenue, Linden, Gauteng.
For more info visit The Black Lodge’s Facebook Page and Website.