The world-renowned SoCal tattoo artist now owns shops in Yucaipa and Hollywood.
Biomechanical tattooing is far from easy, just ask any artist of another style.
But among those who have mastered the art form, Roman Abrego is one of the biggest names in the industry. Long considered to be one of the top biomechanical tattooers in the world, the owner of Artistic Element Tattoo in Yucaipa, California recently took over his second location in Hollywood.
Myspace caught up with the famous ink-slinger to discuss the finer points of turning people's limbs into machines.
How did you first get into tattooing?
Ever since I was little, I always drew. I would always mess with him, and I'd always draw and paint and such. I'd draw little Ninja Turtles and stuff like that. I just stopped drawing when I got older, but then I went to jail for about three years. I'd just see little things and I'd draw them. Being in there for so long and doing that, I started drawing a lot in jail and then I started tattooing in jail. That was it from there.
You're known as one of the best biomechanical tattooers in the world, how does it feel to have so many other tattoo artists in that style look up to your work?
When people come in and want to get biomechanical stuff, I feel like I always rush it. Like I have my own style with it, but I think I want to do something new with it. I want to start doing realistic biomechanical stuff and slow down.
How did you get interested in biomechanical tattooing?
When I first started, there was this guy named Steve who was always drawing motors and stuff. I got into H.R. Giger and all that stuff, so when I was first getting tattooed, I really wanted my whole body done biomechanical, but there weren't too many biomechanical dudes out there. There was this flash that would come in the mail, and I can't remember his name right now, but he was in jail and it was all this black and gray biomechanical stuff. It was always in these little books, and I would want to try all of it. I just kept on trying and kept on trying, and now it's so weird because there are so many guys who are really really good at biomechanical. I try not to just do biomechancial, and I do a lot of portraits too. I'd get bored if I just did biomechanical, or just did any one style.
You just opened up your second location, what's it like to run both shops?
I finally just took over (the Hollywood location). There's a loft above it where I can stay for a few days when I come out here. I hate the drive. I hate the traffic. I hate sitting in a car for that amount of time. I just stay at this location and then stay at the other location. It's just hard because you have to manage a bunch of personalities at each location and make sure everyone's happy. Also, you have to make sure it's busy. That's one thing, because my Yucaipa shop is super busy, and this one in Hollywood is weird. There's like 20 shops on this street, whereas there's just one shop out there. We have people from all over the world go to Yucaipa, and I love that shop.
When I won the Rockstar Energy contest, I got like $20,000 and I was like "Oh cool, I'll use this money to do the new shop." It ended up costing like $120,000, but everything is brand new. For two months, I worked my ass off tattooing and working on the shop. I aged like 20 years in that two months, but we got it open and it's like a re-opening of a new Artistic Element. I haven't even had a grand opening because we ran out of money.
Compared to most other tattooers, you're pretty active on Instagram beyond just posting tattoos. Was that intentional or just how it ended up?
I try to just put tattoos, but sometimes I get drunk and put stupid shit up there. I was thinking about that too, and I like to party, I like to have fun, but sometimes I have too much fun and get in trouble. I'm getting old, I gotta chill.
You get to travel all over the world to tattoo, what's that like?
It's awesome, man. That's the dream, but at the same time, it's the same thing. I'm getting tired and old, and I'm getting scared too. I hate flying overseas, and I'm always thinking like "Is this going to be the one?" Also, sometimes there's just nothing better than home. I'll be chilling over here in this tropical rainforest, but I'm like "Shit, man, I should've just went to San Diego for this or went to Catalina." Sometimes it beats sitting in that damn line at the airport and packing bags and all that stuff. Just having fun and going somewhere like that can be better.
What do you think people don't realize about your tattooing career?
I think they think "Roman's balling out of control and having a blast," but I put in a lot of work, man. Sometimes I feel like I just wake up and tattoo, wake up and tattoo, over and over again. They see five minutes on Instagram or Facebook, but that shit takes all day. It's on my back and my body, it's a lot of work. They want to get something, but that takes me 10 hours to do. It's a lot of work.
