SKIN DEEP MAGAZINE • 83you have to wonder if this has evolved from the same at-
tention to the body that learning dance would require.
“Facial expressions and gestures are my biggest inspira-
tions. That’s why I like my portraiture works more than
the other pieces I do.”
The journey towards tattoo art was not without obsta-
cles. Jefree’s been tattooing for about seven years, work-
ing out of Tattoom Gallery Studio in Istanbul now for five
of those years. He started off as a shop manager but tells
me that when he saw how talented the artists were, he
was inspired to have a go himself. “First I practiced on my
own body but eventually worked up to being the head art-
ist of the studio. Of course, it wasn’t an overnight success.
I worked for years to get where I am now and I’m still
working hard to be better every day - like every passion-
ate tattoo artist, I suppose. So I really believe that success
isn’t a coincidence, it comes with hard work.”
One of the things that strikes me most about Jefree’s
work is how vibrant and colourful it can be and, again, re-
flecting on our theme, I’d suggest there’s a musical qual-
ity at play here, a rhythm and a flow. I ask him what he
considers to be the most important factors in creating
a tattoo, whether inks and machines come into play in a
big way or whether it’s something else. “It’s all about the
depth, the light and the details in the main image—that’s
what I focus on most to get what I want in the work,” he
says. And while the gear you use is a factor to some de-
gree, for Jefree it’s mostly about the guy or gal working it.
“That’s what is always the most important and that’s whyI worked for years to
get where I am now
and I’m still working
hard to be better
every day