When you meet Fabiano for the first time, the immediate impression you get of him is that of your typical military guy: a solid physical build and with a sense of determination in his look. In truth, Fabiano Nogarolli, who is in his early thirties, born and raised in Curitiba, a city in the south of Brazil with almost 2 million inhabitants, has a sensitive side to him, making him the talented and perceptive tattoo artist he is today.
Already as a young boy, equipped with a sense for aesthetics and a fascination for art, Fabiano would consecrate hours immersed in his creative world drawing absolutely anything from people he knew to the anatomy of cars he admired. The boy’s passion didn’t go unnoticed and soon attracted the attention and admiration of family and friends. Everyone who had laid eyes on his sketchbook understood that there was talent waiting to be discovered. However, it would take almost a decade, and many years of arduously climbing the ranks of the Brazilian Air Force, before Fabiano took a leap of faith, closing the door to a military career and instead invested all his energy into becoming a professional artist.
Discovering alternative art forms
Looking back today, the path to becoming a tattoo artist was probably already set in stone when he was 13 years old, when his brother offered him a graffiti art magazine, introducing him to Curitiba’s underground art scene. One thing led to another and a well- known local street artist agreed to take him under his wing and taught him everything there was to know about the art. Later, by the age of 18, like most of Brazil’s youth, Fabiano began his mandatory military service which did not stop him from dabbling in the world of tattooing in addition to earning some money on the side as a freelance graphic designer. He quit the air force eight years later when he understood that his calling was in the art world.
The real hands-on tattooing experience came in 2016 when he proposed to save his brothers’ tattoo which had been messed up after returning home from a bad experience at a studio. From then on, the ball started rolling through word of mouth; friends of his brothers would contact Fabiano to have similar great pieces tattooed on them. In a short space of time, he managed to build up his own small but impressive portfolio. All the years of hard work put into studying the ins and outs of tattooing and learning about different drawing techniques were finally paying off. Before he knew it, one year later, as his client numbers were starting to grow, he set up his own studio inside a friend’s Barbearia Cavallin barbershop.
No margin for errors
Today, Fabiano is recognized for his own particular artistic freehand tattooing style, specializing in grey and black realism which amazingly seem to render life to some of his designs especially, portrait pieces. People have a very deep intrinsic relationship with their tattoos, in many ways defining them as who they are. During these long and intensive sessions, often lasting for hours and seemingly endless, the pressure on Fabiano is massive. The hardest part is getting the balance right between fulfilling the client’s wishes but at the same time keeping certain artistic freedom to reach the best creative results. “Today I listen to my clients but in the end, I impose my rules”, says Fabiano, something he has learned over time after gaining more experience and confidence.
The truth is, the learning process as a tattoo artist never ends; it is perpetually about learning new skills and refining the ones one already has. It helps to have notions of painting on canvas and understanding the basics of photography and lighting. Then when planning his actual compositions, Fabiano pays special attention to carefully adapting his designs to suit every muscle and the part of the body that will be tattooed.
The future of tattooing is looking bright
There’s no denying it, even during the pandemic, with special hygiene measures in place, the tattooing business is booming. Fabiano has reached a point in his tattooing career where besides developing his graphic and technical skills he would like to focus on offering clients an even more enjoyable experience during their sessions. Getting that piece always involves time and planning and with so many emotions running high it is all the more crucial to get the “setting” right. Short term plans include upgrading the current studio, expanding the business to new horizons, travelling and meeting with people from the tattoo community, spending more time doing some photography and why not some guest spots in the near future. If there is one thing Fabiano firmly believes in it’s that everyone is responsible for their own success- believe in yourself and you will achieve higher things!