In part two of our interview special with our crew, Noel Boyd interviewed Scott Phillips from our Perth studio. Enjoy the interview people!
Noel: Hey Scott! How did you first start tattooing?
Scott: I have always had a passion for Tattoos and tattooing, as both my father and grandfather had very interesting tattoos. I'm also an artist in other mediums as well, a lot of people were asking me to design and draw their tattoos and felt it was just a natural progression for me to be the one tattooing.
Noel: Awesome! So how many years have you been tattooing?
Scott: I've been an artist at Primitive for nearly two years. But it does feel longer than that when you're tattooing almost everyday of the year.
Noel: Two years?? Looking at the tattoos you're doing, I would never have guessed two years! Who did you learn the art and skill of tattooing from?
Scott: My 10 years of experience with engraving gave me a good head start with working with a hand machine. Marc Pinto gave me an opportunity to further my development at Primitive but I've also learnt a lot from the other artists in the shop as well as continuously learning from every tattoo that I do. It's a constant learning process, no Tattoo or client is the same!
Noel: I totally agree that no tattoo or client is the same. But is there a particular style of tattoos you like?
Scott: I really enjoy tattooing custom pieces where the customer comes to me wanting a very unique and original piece of work, with vibrant colours that just pop! I also enjoy Japanese and scripts would definetly be my forte.
Noel: What are your influences when it comes to tattooing?
Scott: A lot of new school artists such as Uncle Alan, Eckel, Lars and Japanese style artists have a strong influence on where I'd like to take my tattooing. Other art mediums such as grafitti art and painting influence my own tattooing style.
Noel: If you had to describe Australia's tattoo scene in one sentence, what would it be?
Scott: As a relative newcomer to the industry, that is a very difficult question to answer but have definitely felt that it is open to new artists and new styles.
Noel: That sounds welcoming for any new artist. Not every culture is like that. Well Scott, before we wrap up this interview, I've got one last question. What's your favourite part of being a tattoo artist?
Scott: The opportunity to have my art to be seen and experienced for generations. That makes me smile everyday!
A sneak peek at Scott's portfolio...
