Siebe Van Oplynes
Tattoo Artist
“I WAS GOING TO GIVE A FRIEND HIS FIRST TATTOO, RIGHT AFTER APPLYING THE STENCIL HE FAINTED.”
Hi Siebe, how are you? How’s life treating you right now?
I’m great! Just came back from the Jera on air punk/metal festival!
It was freeing being out in the crowd again after the long hiatus due to corona!
Ready to tackle new projects with renewed energy!
For the people who don’t know you, tell us a bit more about yourself and your work?
I’m a 28-year-old Belgian tattoo artist located in Antwerp. I’ve been in the tattoo scene for a little over 3 years now. I started working at Inksane Tattoos in Roeselare but now working out of a private studio. I primarily do blackwork tattoos with traditional influences!
I love everything dark and brutal but I’m always up for some floral or softer work.
My work gets a lot of inspiration out of medieval illustrations and objects. It’s hard putting my own style in a box because I don’t like to limit myself.
Tell us a bit more about your background and maybe how this translates into your current work?
People that know me know that tattooing is not my first love by far! I spent my early twenties living and breathing skateboarding. Tattoos are not unfamiliar within the skate scene and it led me into the love of the craft. Most skateboarders are creative by nature, you see the world through different glasses than other people. I always wanted to end up skateboarding. Loved working in a skate shop back then and felt right at home! 5 years ago, I ended up in the hospital with an ankle injury, I have not fully recovered yet and never will. For more than a year I could not even put one foot on the board. This is when I started drawing, I desperately needed a different creative outlet. I was getting tattooed a lot then to deal with the depression my injury got me in. I fell in love with being in the studio and being around the type of people you find in the craft! Skaters and tattoos are related in spirit, always pushing boundaries, and living the ´free life’! Because skateboarding has this I don’t care attitude you will see this in my current style!
Who’s your favorite tattoo artist?
I get asked that a lot, and it’s hard to boil down into one singular person. I fell in love with tattoos and tattooing by seeing the work of Scott move! (@scottmove, @scottmovetattoo) He owns and works at the fantastic studio called Parliament Tattoo in London, UK London!My taste in tattooing changed with the years and so did my favorite artists!
I can try to boil it down to a top 3! In no order:
The first one is yao_atf from Milan, he takes blackwork to another level with amazing textures, contrast and composition. His work is more to the brutal side so not everybody’s cup of tea but most definitely mine!
Then you have the local Dutch legend, with roots in the graffiti scene and crazy illustrative skills! Vincent Lance brings his designs to life with huge contrast, thick lines and heavy blacks. His tattoos WILL stand the test of time. Check him out!
Third is the man that hurt me the most by blasting 2 masterpieces on my neck.Tim Beijsens is in the city of Barcelona, home of the best tattooing has to offer in Europe by far, it’s crazy how much talent is present in one city!
I think Tim and Scott inspired me the most in how I work. The traditional influences and medieval inspired designs always leave me in awe, alongside that Tim has the kindest spirit, just an all-round fun person to get tattooed by!
How do you get started? What inspires you?
I don’t really have ‘one’ way of working. I find the world gives you inspiration on a silver platter. Statues, architecture and museums are one, but I find most i spiration brainstorming with colleagues and friends.
I would be lying if I didn't mention social media, I am not special and spend my fair share of time on Instagram, TikTok and Pinterest. Used in the right way and amount, this can be the greatest source for inspiration.
Sadly, this also means works get stolen and copied by so called tattoos on a daily basis. The first time it happened to me it caught me off guard but right now I have accepted it as there is nothing to be done about.
I’ve always wondered, how is it to tattoo someone for multiple hours? How do you stay focused and precise?
We take breaks man haha! I have the privilege of only tattooing one person a day for a maximum of 5 hours. Other than that, you can point to coffee, monsters and red bull as the sole reason we don’t lose our focus! Tattoo artists living off caffeine is a stereotype for a reason!
It does get hard sometimes though but tattooing still gives me adrenaline rushes to this day. I’m sure that helps, the worst is when the client is visibly in pain. I hate this part of the job; I hate seeing you guys in pain and have to fight myself not to rush it so you get out of it sooner. There is no shame in using numbing cream on sensitive areas! Ask your artist about it!
How many tattoos do you have and what was the most painful one?
This must be my most asked question during a session ;) I don't know how many tattoos I have, once you have more than ten you kind of stop counting, I think. I have both my arms covered from my fingers to my neck, and about half of my legs. And I have my chest and ribs done! Most painful. I considered tapping out during the first hour but endured it for 7 more. It was that bad that I had ‘tattoo fever’ . This is a reaction your body can have after a long hard session, it goes away after a good night’s rest!
What was the funniest experience you had while tattooing someone?
That must be when I was going to give a friend his first tattoo, right after applying the stencil he fainted, I caught him mid fall and was carrying him around like a baby to the chair. Nothing embarrassing about fainting, it’s the nerves and out of your control. But it being a buddy, he got reminded to the situation a lot haha! The most fun I have in tattooing is finishing the tattoo and seeing the person happy with what I’ve done!
The highlight would be the first time I had a client covered by my favorite artists giving me a piece of skin amongst them. It broke my imposter syndrome for about one-minute haha
Tell something to inspire the culture!
Don’t be afraid to start. I started drawing seriously 4 years ago at the age of 25. I am still not where I want to be, but I remember being nowhere near where I am now. You are going to fail and look stupid, everyone who ever got somewhere looked stupid at one time. Take your time and improve at your own rate, this is not a race! Most important, keep it fun!
