Louis Santos

Born and raised in Brasil. I was born in a town called Olinda. Olinda is a historic city located in the northeastern part of Brazil, specifically in the state of Pernambuco. It holds great cultural significance due to its colonial architecture, vibrant arts scene, and rich history. Founded in 1535 by the Portuguese, Olinda played a significant role during the colonial period as a center of sugarcane production and trade.
In the 16th century, Olinda became a target for attacks by various European powers and pirates due to its strategic location. The city’s historic center boasts well-preserved colonial buildings, churches, and cobblestone streets, earning it a UNESCO World Heritage Site designationin 1982.
One of the most notable events in Olinda’s history is the Dutch invasionin the 17th century. The Dutch captured and controlled the city for a period, leaving their architectural influence behind. The conflict eventually led to a decisive battle in 1648, known as the Battle of Guararapes, where Portuguese and Brazilian forces successfully expelled the Dutch.
Throughout the years, Olinda remained an important cultural and economic hub, but much of its political power shifted to the neighboring city of Recife. Today, Olinda is known for its vibrant Carnival celebrations, artistic community, and a mix of colonial and modern influences that make it a unique and captivating destination.

My interest to become an artist, begun at a very young age, my interest on fantsy art, came from yearly 80’s movies like Connan the Barbarian., Terminator, Predator. I believe it was a blessing to be born in the 80’s. The 80’s cartoons and movies, were my school of art.

I started playing video games at the age of 10, my childhood was most spent playing Super Nintendo, and playing football outside. So with that video-game experience, i was able to become more of an art fan. Super Nintendo back in the 90’s, it was just an amazing console, and the graphics sometimes used to be better than what the console was capable of performing. Playing video-games, made me interested in technology and understanding how art works. Nowadays, i still follow artists who make video-games, in order to get inspired, i believe video-games are still the hardest form of art. To make a really good video-game, is really hard.

Fast forward to my teenage years, i started listening to rock music, and that got me interested in tattoos. I wanted to get a tattoo when i was 14, and i’m glad i didnt get it done, so i waited until i was 18.

At the age of 17, i came to England. And that was the first time i saw older generations with tattoos. i saw tattoos from the 60’s and 70’s, which i would never seen in Brazil. I was really blown away how tattoos over here was a culture that have been going on for so long. They looked really tradicional, with their classic bold lines and simple designs, i was really attracted to it. And that was what got me really interested in tattoos.

Coming to England and still learning English, it made me stay in and draw a lot. I started drawing in my friends house, and he was the one who mentioned, why dont you become a tattoo artist? That made me really think, and i thought it made sense as i loved tattoos and drawing anyway.

However, back in the day arround 2002, the Internet wasnt what its now. There was no information like nowadays, and to become a tattoo artist was almost like a hidden secret, very hard to find the keys for it. There were not many tattoo studios arround back then. So imagine a young, brazilian teenager, walking in an old school tattoo studio, not speaking English properly, so you can guess how that went, not very well. Old school tattoo studios back in the day, were not very welcoming like nowadays, not saying all of them, however back in the day, it was different.

Arround 2005, i got offered an apprenticeship in Manchester, Lancashire, and i started tattooing professionally in 2006.

I started tattooing in a street shop, and that was a good lesson for me to learn the A B C of tattooing, learning how to shade, colour and line. i wasnt really drawing back then, so i used to do flash tattoos. In 2009, i went to work with Kevin Johnson “Butch” in Leeds city centre, that was the first time i worked with tattooists who could draw, so that had a big impact in my career, as when i started to learn how to draw, my tattooing improved, and so did my ability to be able to deal with the human body.

Work in “Butchs” studio was a school of art for me, as he had artists coming from all over the world to work in his studio, so just from being there, i had acess to a lot of artistic surroundings, and i picked up a lot, by doing tattoo conventions in Barcelona and London. I think its important to learn as a tattoo artist, and to move arround. If you stay static, your work will not improve.

After working with “Butch” for 4 years, i finally opened my own private tattoo studio in Leeds city centre. I participated seminars with my favourite artists, Carlos Torres, Nikko Hurtado, Boris Vallejo.

I have now been tattiooing for 15 years, and im now coming back to Manchester where i began tattooing 15 years ago. My family lives in Manchester, so i feel like im back home. As when i came to England, i came to live in Manchester.

Im Tattooing at Oddins Eye Tattoo in Bury, Greater Manchester.