I got a chance to speak with tattoo artist and fellow pinup illustrator Dwayne Lukasik. I have been following his work on facebook for a while so I decided to interview him to learn more about his work. This is what he had to say.
Me- So tell me a little about yourself. Who are you, and where are you from?
Dwayne- My names dwayne lukasik; a mostly self taught artist. I have always used art as an escape from life. Some people run to booze and drugs, but my drug of choice has always been art. Most of my art comes to me when I'm going through some hard times. It's always been there to make my world a better place to live in. I've done the typical route most artist have done. Went to school, learn what I could, earned a degree, hopefully I'd get somewhere in life. But like most artists that went down that route, it never usually works. So through a friend I learned how to tattoo. I have been tattooing for over 20 years, but during those years I have also learned many other art forms. Everythng from silkscreening to blown glass work. But as of recently I have decided to make my own art book, filled with art that I have done over the years. Always been told I should do it, so I think it's about time!
Me- Yeah, people always ask me, "So what art school did you go to?" and I always answer the same; "You dont go to art school to learn art; you go to learn how to make money off artists." However I did learn a lot of useful skills when I was in school, like how to use Photoshop, so I guess it wasn't a total loss.
So what exactly do you do, and when did you start?
Dwayne- I have been working in the tattoo field for over 20 years now. It's not at all glamourous like the tv shows make it out to be. A lot of hard times come with owning or working at a studio, and it tends to burn you out as an artist. So my advice to anyone who wants to be a tattoo artist...... Dont!..... Keep your day job! lol!
Me- I am actually very aware how hard it is to be a tattoo artist. A couple of my friends do it, and it has always been an interest for me, but they always warn me of all the bullshit that comes with the job, so I have been hesitant to even try. I just think its funny that everytime I am out drawing caricatures, I always get that one know-it-all who says, "Why dont you do tattoos?" Like I can just put down my marker and pick up a tattoo machine and be a professional. The reason why I prefer to be a caricature artist is because it's easier.
Are there any artists that you look up to?
Dwayne- I have many influences over the years. One of my biggest idols is the surrealist artist named H.R Giger. He is the orginator of "biomechanical", my advice is to check out his work! Always cool to read about other artists and what makes them tick. I always learn from others, but my list of artists I idolize is long and varies from the world famous to the local artist down the street. Besides i dont want to bore anyone with that long list. Lol!
Me- I am one of the biggest fans of the Alien series ever, I know all about H.R Giger. He has always been one of my favorites, and one of my major inspirations as well. Others I am really into are, Leonardo Da Vinci, and Todd McFarlane... I know, its a weird mix, but thats just how I roll, dog!
What are your future goals?
Dwayne- My future goal is to create my own tattoo flash/art book. I've been told by a zillion people I should make one and I believe it's time to do it. So recently I have gone through my old work, revamped it and been gathering my art to get this book rolling. Bigger process than I thougt, but I'm in full control of it so I'm very happy about that.
Me- I've seen some of your work so far, and I am very impressed. Cant wait to see the finished product.
I am a fan boy, and a lot of the work I do was inspired by many of the comics I've read, movies I've seen, music I've listen to, and video games I've played. Are you ever influenced by stuff like that? If so, can you give us an example?
Dwayne- I am always heavily influenced by other artists, movies, mags, and music. I usually get ideas from them and doodle ideas down. I NEVER THROW OUT ANY OF MY IDEAS! Always can go back and revamp or change them. So as you can figure out, I got a ton of folders, files, and just pretty much all over the place scraps of paper with ideas drawn on them.
Me- I think all of us artists are hoarders or our own work. Its so hard for me to get rid of art I know Im never going to use for anything.
What is your favorite movie and why?
Dwayne- My favorite movies... Lets see .. Fight Club, Alien, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, etc.... Too many to list. I even like bad movies! B movies and shows. Love the walking dead too! Love zombie and horror movies.
Me- One of my favorite movie movie lines of all time came from the film version of Fight Club; "The shit that you own, ends up owning you." What a great line. Aliens, and The Terminator series are my favorites till I die. I really Really enjoy The Walking Dead tv series too, that show is incredible.
Do you have a favorite comic book hero?
Dwayne- Wolverine, Spiderman and the Incredible Hulk were my top 3 comics as a kid. loved them! They really fueled my imagination.
Me- My favorites were always Spawn, Wolverine, and Batman.
What type of music inspires you the most, and what's your favorite band.
Dwayne- Nine Inch Nails and Clutch are my 2 top favorite bands. Both have been there through the tough times and have inspired a lot of my work.
Me- The bands that got me through my hard times were, The Insane Clown Posse, Korn, and Staind. Once again, another strange mix. I am also really into a lot of metal bands like Disturbed and Otep.
What was your greatest accomplishment as an artist?
Dwayne- My greatest acomplishment as an artist; Thats easy.... When I give people a tattoo and they see themselves for the first time in the mirror, it's like I gave them some kind of imaginary body armor againist the world. They feel like I have transformed them into something they always wanted to be, and the smile you get from ear to ear helps too. Truly a priceless moment.
Me- That is an awesome hypothesis.
Can you give us any information on your next big project?
Dwayne- Just the flash art book I mentioned, for now.
Me- Do you have any pet peeves as a tattoo artist? What are they and why?
Dwayne- Tattoo pet peeves... I got a zillion of them..... Everything from the scene itself. How you dont make money sometimes then other times you never get sleep cause they're blowing your phone up to get inked. Most people dont know that tattoo artists dont have a steady flow of money coming in. Usually the peak is tax season, When people get there cash. So they come in all at once. But just before that its dead. So you must know how to manage money. Not to mention other scum of the industry; the losers who work among you, they wear "im a tattoo artist" like they're shit dont stink. Most in the industry are "scratchers" people who think their artists, but in reality they're not. Or they are drug addicts or drunks. You name it. There's a ton of downfalls of being in the industry. Believe me... I Seen them all. But i guess every job is like that. For a while I pulled away from being an artist. People took my "escape" and turned it into work. Then I had nothing to run away from to help me. So for a while I was burnt out, lost, artist block. Whatever the fuck you want to call it. But I took a few steps back in my life, found my artistic roots again, and now i actually appreciate art more than ever before.
Me- Being a professional artist gets hard at times. There's all the bullshit that comes with the job that nobody understands, cause most of the fucking people trying to figure it out are just too damn stupid to put the pieces together... That, and then of course there are the hipster douchebag artists who always want to throw politics in the mix and say that if you are making money off art, you are no longer an artist. And then there are the goddamned customers. Dont get me wrong, I love'em, but there are a few idiots out there that you just want to drop kick some knowledge into. But hey, if everybody could do it, then everybody would, and artists wouldn't be successful.
How can people find you, and learn more about your work?
Dwayne- Mostly for right now people can get ahold of me through my facebook. I'm very accessible. Through the years of dealing with the public I have become a very good listener.
Me- Who do you think would win in a royal rumble match between Lucifer, Thukulu, (from the Necronomicon series) Megatron, The Terminator, The Queen Alien, and the red head vampire chick from that Twilight series. And how do you think the match would play out?
Dwayne- Lol! I think lucifer would win, since he is the peak of all thats evil. But it would be a great fight to watch none the less.
Me- And in a surprise turn of events, that vampire chick won. :(
What do you think about the whole mayan 2012 calendar thing?
Dwayne- I believe there is a lot going on that us everyday people dont know that is going to happen for dec 21 2012. I do believe that there is a shit load of bad stuff coming our way. Half of it is my gut instinct telling me there is something going to happen, the other is I have been digging into things myself and learning alot about stuff most people dont know about. So mostly what I can say is DONT TRUST YOUR GOVERNMENT, THEY DO NOT HAVE YOUR BEST INTERESTS AT HEART. INVEST IN A TON OF BOTTLED WATER, CANNED GOODS, NON PARISHABLES AND GET OUT OF THE CITIES...... just my opinion.
Me- If you were to survive a zombie apocalypse, what would you do to stay alive, and what would be your five items of choice to carry on you at all times?
Dwayne- To survive a zombie attack, stay away from other humans. Things you need to survive, water, food, guns and lots of ammo, and a plan.
Me- I really enjoyed talking to Dwayne and learning more about his work, and I hope you did to. Please follow Dwayne Lukasik on facebook and check out his art.
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