Proudly presenting Vladimir Vishar on the cover of Ink Legends Magazine — an artist with a truly unique style and powerful creative vision.
His dedication to pushing artistic boundaries makes him one of the standout creators in today’s tattoo scene.
Get inspired by his work and read the full interview with him in our latest issue
Can you please start by introducing yourself and telling us about your journey as a tattoo artist?
My name is Vladimir, I’m a tattoo artist from Russia, now living and working in Manchester, UK.
I’m self-taught in drawing. I started with black and white sketches on paper and gradually moved into tattooing, and completely fell in love with the process.
At first I worked in small studios in Russia and mostly learned on my own, studying photos, anatomy, light and shadow. Over time I moved more and more into realism and larger projects. A bit over a year ago I moved to the UK and joined No Regrets studio. Before that, for several years, I travelled and worked in different countries as a guest artist.
Now I mainly do realistic black and grey and colour pieces, often sleeves or large narrative tattoos, and I try to treat each project as a separate artwork, not just a service.
You specialise mainly in black and grey realism. What drew you to this style, and why did you choose it?
Black and grey realism feels natural to me because that’s where I started, and there’s always strong demand for it. I love how much emotion you can show using only light, shadow and texture, without colour. It’s very close to classical drawing and old photography, which I’ve always loved.
At the same time, I mainly specialise in colour tattooing — that’s where I feel more confident technically.
I still have a huge interest and desire to grow in black and grey and to feel more confident in it. And I get bored very quickly if I work in just one direction for too long.
There’s another nuance: I often do cover-ups, and they are usually black and grey (monochrome), but technically I build them like a colour tattoo, using silvers.
Both your black and grey pieces and your colour work look amazing. Do you have a preference between the two, and what challenges does each style bring for you?
Thank you. As I said before, colour is still my home base. But it starts to wear me out quite quickly, so I really love black and grey realism as well.
Black and grey:
• The main challenge is to control contrast and softness so the piece looks realistic but not muddy, and stays readable from a distance.
• You can’t hide mistakes behind colour — if the anatomy, perspective or light is wrong, it shows immediately.
Colour:
• The main challenge here is harmony. Colours have to work well together, suit the skin tone and still look good after healing.
• You have to think more about warm/cool balance, saturation and how the tattoo will look under different lighting and in 5–10 years. So I don’t see them as either/or. They’re different tools for different kinds of stories.
How do you approach the design process to ensure the best possible results for each tattoo?
First I try to have a proper conversation with the client and understand what they actually want, where exactly the tattoo will be and why. Along the way we discuss possible misconceptions and unrealistic expectations.
Then:
I study the area of the body — muscles, movement, how the composition will flow.
I build the composition in relation to the body, not as a flat picture.
I create a detailed digital mock-up from several references. I set up the light, depth and focal points.
I think about how the piece will heal: I don’t overload the whole area with details, I highlight the main focus and try to leave enough space and mid-tones so the tattoo ages nicely.
When I’m working on cover-ups, I often have to sacrifice some of these rules, depending on the size, saturation and placement of the old tattoo.
I show the client a design that’s as close to final as possible, but I keep some freedom for adjustments on the day, when I see everything on the skin. That mix of planning and flexibility usually gives the best result.
Was there any turning point in your career that significantly improved your work — whether through equipment, education, or experience — that you would recommend to other artists?
I wouldn’t say there was one big turning point. Mostly it has happened gradually, through constant self-education: studying drawing and painting, seminars, online courses, workshops. Also working in a strong team — when you have powerful artists around you, that’s a huge boost for your development.
In terms of equipment, good needles, stable machines and high-quality inks are important, but they’re not a magic button. The biggest leap happens when you develop your eye and your way of thinking, not when you just buy a new machine.
You’ve won awards at tattoo conventions — well deserved. How has this influenced your career, and what do conventions bring to you as an artist?
Awards are always nice, of course. Recently I got Runner Up Best Portrait at the Big London Tattoo Show, and that definitely brought more attention from both clients and colleagues. People tend to trust you more when they see independent recognition of your work.
But for me the main value of conventions isn’t the trophy. It’s:
• Working under heavy pressure and still keeping the quality.
• Seeing strong artists work live, not just on Instagram.
• Networking with studios, magazines, future colleagues and clients.
Conventions keep you sharp and stop you from getting too comfortable. Every time I come back with new ideas and a clearer understanding of what I need to improve next.
Do you have any special upcoming projects or plans you’re excited about?
Yes, I’m planning to create educational materials for beginner artists — a printed publication and video content. Some of it is already in progress.
I get quite a lot of requests for teaching, but I have almost no time for it. Good artists don’t teach very often, so beginners usually end up going to weaker artists, who have few tattoo clients and plenty of time to teach. I’d like to fix this situation at least a little bit.
I also really want to finally start working in a new style for me — a style I’ve always wanted to do but that requires dedicating a lot of time to drawing.
How do you like to spend your free time to recharge and gain inspiration?
I try to balance work with simple things: spending time with my wife and our dog, walking around the city, travelling when possible. I love photography, films and good series — they give me a lot of ideas for light, mood and visual storytelling.
Sometimes I switch to other mediums — drawing, experiments with 3D and textured canvases. When you change the medium, your brain rests from the usual tasks, and then you come back to tattooing with a fresher view and new visual solutions.
