Nic El: Early Life, Graffiti, tattooing

Nic El’s passion for street art begins with modifying spray nozzles and creating intricate graffiti murals that began to spill onto the city’s abandoned walls. By the age of 13, he already started taking commissions to graffiti friends’ rooms, bars, and shops. In the meantime, he would use a sewing needle and pen ink to tattoo classmates. That was a time that both graffiti and tattooing were considered a criminal disorder and an unacceptable form of rebellion.

London

At the age of 17, he moved to the UK. Soon after he gets his hands on a coil tattoo machine, at a friend’s kitchen during an afterparty. Right off the bat, his raw talent was the reason he became one of the most sought-after tattooers in his London circles. Subsequently, he spends a lot of time hanging around his friends’ tattoo shops, developing his craft from true masters. He eventually starts working in various London shops and traveling the world with his art. Nic developed an obsession with ancient body art culture and history. This led to interviews with various international media asking for his specialized views on tattooing, how it all began, and where body art is at now.