MARK NAZAL
Hello! My name is Mark Nazal, I’m 30, and I cook food for a living out of a wonderful restaurant called Uccellino.
What was your very first tattoo and what motivated you to get it done?
My first tattoo was a rose and dagger on my right bicep. I have always loved that design and the meaning behind it — the duality of life.
A few months before I decided to get my tattoo, I received bad news about one of my cousins from the States passing away. And then a few weeks later, one of my aunts in the Philippines got into a car accident and didn’t survive. I was in a dark place for a bit, heartbroken and feeling mundane about life. I needed to fill that void by replacing the sadness with pain (I’m not a masochist...I think). So I booked the tattoo and asked 2 of my best mates to be there because it was an important thing for me.
How many tattoos do you currently have? Which one was the most recent?
I currently have 6 tattoos. I know it isn’t much, but they’re rather big. The most recent tattoo I got was a basic script with the number “1502”.
What have been some of the inspirations behind the other tattoos that you have? Do you typically have an idea in mind before reaching out to a tattoo artist to get work done?
My friends and family have been my biggest inspirations, but now I just want to get a lot more tattoos that interest me.
When I book, I do know what I want to get and the artists I have gotten tattoos from do a killer job with designs.
What type of tattoo styles have you gotten done and what do you like about those particular styles?
So far, I have gotten American traditional and basic font. I love the look of bold lines and simplistic colors that are around American traditional tattoos.
Do any of your tattoos hold any personal meaning to you that you’d like to share?
I have “1502” above my elbow on my right arm, which is a friend group tattoo. It represents this apartment we lived in for a few years that got passed down from friend to friend.
I also have a bear tattoo on my left bicep. I met a lot of my friends in middle school and the bear was the school mascot, so I decided to get it done.
What were some of the most painful spots to get tattooed for you?
The ditch, the elbow, or the inner elbow! Those are some spicy places.
Has having tattoos had any impact on your personal life?
I would say 70% maybe more people that work in the industry have tattoos. It's super common to have one now.
Who are some of the tattoo artists that you've been tattooed by?
Kirk Shandro (@kirkshandrotattoo), Heath Smith (@heathsmith), Tyler (@tyler.the.tattooer), Spencer Evans (@spencerevanstattoos) and Brandon (@_morrish).
What tattoo artists would you like to get work done by in the future?
I would love to get a tattoo from @liprattattoo, Jake (@jakeltattoos), another from Brandon (@_morrish), Hubert Serrano (@hubert_serrano) from Calgary, Jacob from Demark (@jacob_tbc), and Heeno from Korea (@heeno_tattooer).
Do you have an idea in mind for your next tattoo?
I currently have 3 ideas in mind. I want a tattoo of a boxer that is covered in smaller tattoos, a mom tattoo in a heart, and an oni or hyottoko tattoo.