Today we’d like to introduce you to Nina Klaser.
Hi Nina, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
After graduating with my degree in Painting and Drawing, I went into the field of art restoration and conservation. It was during this time that I really honed in my skills for detail and color matching. However, as much as I was enjoying this field, my artistic drive wasn’t being satisfied and I found myself growing more and more discontent with everyday life. It was at this moment that I sat down and thought about what could I do that employed art, creativity, and collaboration all while still making a living. Tattooing is the only idea I kept coming back to and I decided to go out and find an apprenticeship. It took about a year of building my portfolio and applying to shops but I finally landed a spot at Dark Age Tattoo in Denton, Texas. I worked there for two years as an apprentice and as a bartender. I worked my ass off basically working 80 hours a week for two years, but it was all worth it. I worked at Dark Age for about 6 months after I graduated from the apprenticeship and after that my husband and I moved up to Denver, Colorado. We wanted a new start and a new experience and felt Texas was no longer a place for us. Since our move up here, I have been working a little over a year at Tribe Tattoo Studio in the Arts District, we bought a house, and we had our first son on Christmas morning of 2023. This journey has definitely been a struggle but I have never been happier with my career, my home, and my family.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The road here has not been smooth by any means. Once I got my apprenticeship, the hours and work was very demanding. The social political situations in the shop weren’t easy to manage either, there was a lot of tension between apprentices that at the time seemed important but now just seem childish. I also struggled with my relationship with my mentors, they were not the easiest to get along with and at times it seemed out to get me. Again though, these struggles now seem remedial and silly, but when things are in your face and you’re over worked and underpaid, a lot of things carry more weight than they are worth. Ultimately, now that I find myself in a position where I can provide some guidance to the apprentices at my current shop, I tell them it will all be worth it. All the bullshit, all the nonsense rules, all the expectations, exhaustion, and under appreciation will be worth it in the end because at the end they will have this remarkable skill that can take them literally anywhere they want to go. Just get through the bullshit.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
My style centers around color and black and grey realism with neotradtional elements. I particularly enjoy tattooing animals, florals, and nature themes. I think what sets me apart of other artists is that I like to combine different styles of tattooing to create one cohesive design. I recently have been getting more into doing portraits and I was really proud of how my most recent one turned out. Portraits, especially in tattooing, have always intimated me so to finally have some under my belt that I’m proud of really makes me feel accomplished.
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
There has been a trend of over saturation with tattoo artists in the last few years and I really don’t see that stopping any time soon. That just tells me that I need to just keep pushing my craft to be better and better if I want to stay relevant in this field.
Pricing:
- I charge an hourly rate of $200/hr
- I charge an hourly rate of $250/hr for cover ups
- I charge a $100 non-refundable deposit
Contact Info:
- Website: https://sleepy-poppy-tattoos.square.site/
- Instagram: Instagram.com/sleepy_poppy_tattoos
