Painting by Thamy Natasha Holub Oyakawa

Tattoo turned into Fine Arts

I am a 30 years old tattoo artist from Finland, who always had interest in fine arts, but no financial means to pay a proper art academy, so everything I do, I learnt myself by attempts, trials and mistakes, figuring out how it’s done, or at least my understanding of how it should be. I remember as a kid I would always get fascinated by art books, painters and illustrator, old masters such as Alma Tadema, William Adolphe Bouguereau or John William Waterhouse especially, wondering if one day I could ever get to be as good as one of them.

As I grew up, I found an “easier” alternative to get to pay the bills with art, what took me to tattooing, as we know, nowadays most people have at least one tattoo on their skin, but a few own an original painting on their walls. It worked for me for a while, I tattoo since my early 20’s, now at 30, my drive for fine arts came back and “cheating” my main interest in arts with tattoo, is not making me happy anymore, and that’s why I am searching for alternatives to learn, while still being able to have free time to work, and maybe, save enough money to in the future pay a trip to Italy, learn from one of those famous academies where old techniques are still taught, as here in Finland art is more focused on concept, not techniques, the schools teach you all kinds of nonsense, but not what the old masters did, how to approach their results, not in words, but in visual impact.

Online courses fit perfectly in my possibilities, time, expenses, space, etc, that’s why winning this prize on the Drawing Academy would be great, also knowing that the mentors in this course do know the kind of knowledge I am looking for, as I have already seen it on the first course I could afford, the Web Art Academy, which gave me a lot of know-how that I didn’t have before.

I do feel that focusing on drawing properly would improve my work as a painter a lot, as it is the bone structure for any artwork, being it made in graphite, charcoal, ink or oils, having a mentor who guides you would be amazing.

Now saying why people should vote for me, well, I have not much to say but, it would help a girl to be closer to her dreams.

https://www.facebook.com/a.holvb