SKIN DEEP MAGAZINE • 59THE
SPECIALIST
Even though he still looks like a young punk, Shane Tan has gotten wiser over
the years. Before his 20 year anniversary in tattooing, Singapore born tattooer
tells us more about what it takes to pursue the final goal for someone like him
specialised in Japanese tattooing: a collection of body-suits. @shane_tan • feathercloudgallery.comYou started 19 years ago when you were 16, where
do you feel at now, in your career?
It feels like I’m just getting started. I’m uncomfortable
with where I am because I haven’t achieved some per-
sonal goals. I’d like to finish a few more bodysuits, get my
book out, start more body suits, paint more, and then do
another book. Please remind me to take a long holiday
when all that is done.
Haha, yeah, sure. What keeps you motivated after
all these years?
Curiosity and passion. Having a family definitely pushes
me to work harder. There is a lot of competition actually,
and it can be quite overwhelming. But I’m trying to keep
up and learn from the younger generation. I face compe-
tition with positivity. There’s still so much I need to learn
and it’s always fun to see amazing stuff popping up all
over the world. It definitely keeps me on my toes. If there
weren’t constant new talents occupying the tattoo scene,
we’d all be very lazy and bored. We’re constantly getting
our asses kicked by the new generation and I think that’s
a good thing. I respect that.
Talking about body-suits, the new generations get
to do these big works right away now. How do you
feel about that? Word
s^ &Images
:^ Pascal^
Bagot