A B O U T
How It All Began
Hi. This is the story of how I became an artist.
When I was twelve, I was intrigued by body art and wanted to be a tattoo artist. I constantly drew on myself and everyday I would tattoo my friends. But then I realized that the actual tattoo process isn’t what I wanted to do. I wanted to design the tattoos, not tattoo people.
Tattoos
In 9th grade I was “the tattoo kid.” However, art class made me explore medium including oil paint, pen & ink, sculpture, water color, and so much more. I realized that whatever I had done with a sharpie on someone’s skin, I could save if I did on paper. Real shocker. So I began doing a lot of pen & ink drawings.
Pen and Ink
At this point, I realized that pen & ink is completely limitless. There were so many new textures, styles, tones, and atmospheres for me to explore with pen & ink and the best part about it, was that I never had to find someone’s skin to use. I was also amazed that I could start something, pick it back up the next day, and it wouldn’t be gone. This led me to try unique and intricate designs most people call doodles. Not your stereotypical mandala or something, but in-your-face, intense, busy, intricate, and unique doodles.
Exploring Pen and Ink
As I started to play with pen and ink and doodle styles, I slowly transitioned from doodle to more detailed work. I began using more hatching, messy lines, and pointillism in my work- which provided a door to more possibilities. I started doing a lot of mash-ups with hatching and other styles to merge multiple ideas into one.
Prints and Shirts
My style had drastically changed and with that, I started getting commissions and more publicity. Throughout that time, people were asking if I had shirts, a website, prints, and stuff like that. So I began to look into prints and t-shirts.
The Apparel Shack
At that time I was 15 and met The Apparel Shack. After long hours of discussing clothes, ink, and prints with The Apparel Shack, we made my first shirt: Texas Doodle. It was inspired by many people and reflected my style at that time. It sold so well that I made a new collection, the XPLOR collection.
The Next Big Thing
I’ve now created many collections and items with the Apparel Shack and each one has been bigger and better than the last. I’m excited to produce more art and see where Lucky Stipe goes, thanks for all the love.
