NIC EL
Owner & Tattoo Artist
Roots in street art and tattooing
Nic El’s creative path began with street art and graffiti at a young age. He was drawn to walls, surfaces, and symbols, experimenting with spray cans outside traditional spaces.
Even as a child, tattooing felt inevitable. Curiosity pushed him beyond drawing and painting. Experimenting with a sewing needle and pen ink during school years earned him more trouble than praise, and at home tattooing quickly became a forbidden topic.
The interest never faded. It only grew stronger, shaping his path long before tattooing became his profession.
London and international experience
At 17, Nic El moved to London, where his introduction to tattooing came in an unexpected and very real way. He first got his hands on a coil tattoo machine in a friend’s kitchen during an afterparty, an unpolished moment that sparked a serious commitment to the craft.
What started informally quickly turned into discipline. Surrounded by active tattoo scenes and experienced artists, he spent years learning inside and around studios, refining his technique and understanding the responsibility that comes with tattooing. During this time, he worked across different environments and travelled, gaining insight into how tattooing is approached across cultures. This period of growth and exposure also led to features in international tattoo publications and recognition through awards for his work.
His work merges raw emotion with meticulous artistry. He approaches each piece with care, curiosity, and attention to detail. For him, it’s not just about tattoos; it’s about the power of art to connect and heal […]
365Art Manazine
Tattooing as culture and tradition
Alongside his practical training, Nic developed a deep interest in ancient body art, symbolism, and tattoo history. This research-driven approach shaped how he views tattooing, not just as decoration, but as a cultural practice. Over the years, this perspective led to interviews and features in several major media outlets, interested in his views on tattooing as both art and tradition.
Opening a tattoo shop in Paphos, Cyprus
After years of working in different cities, Nic chose to slow things down and refocus on the parts of tattooing that mattered most to him. Moving to Paphos was not about expanding or scaling, but about building a sustainable way of working that allowed space for focus, craft, and genuine connection with people.
Opening his own studio, Gorilla Tattoo Paphos, gave him full control over how tattooing was approached, from the pace of work to the level of attention given to each client and each piece.
