Today we’d like to introduce you to Tonya Martines
Hi Tonya, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I’m Tonya, 24 y.o. digital illustrator and a tattoo artist from Kyiv, Ukraine. I moved to Florida almost 2 years ago. I’m currently based at “Lucky You Tattoo” in Seminole (St.Petersburg), FL.
My journey as a tattoo artist is long, complicated and a little funny at some points. I’ve always been an artistic person and i was drawing since childhood. Im self-taught and i never attended a drawing school. They always seemed boring to me. In 2014 when everyone was reposting aesthetic photos with tattoos from Tumblr, i fell in love with it and started dreaming about getting one. I just loved how tattoos look on the body.
I got my first tattoo when i was 15, secretly from my parents. Later i started drawing temporary tattoos on my classmates and everyone kept telling me i should become a tattoo artist. My classmates literally lined up to get a temporary tattoo from me 😁
In 2017 i got my first tattoo equipment. It was a cheap chinese tattoo machine (a copy of a Cheyenne Pen). I was just a student and couldn’t afford a better one. I must say tattoo equipment back then was much different. Cordless tattoo machines didn’t even exist yet.
I started practicing on my classmates and random people who were interested in getting free tattoos. In Ukraine you don’t necessarily need to have a license to start in this Industry so i was giving free tattoos at home.
My first equipment didn’t last long for obvious reasons and broke in just a few months. I found a job in retail to save for a new one. During this time i kept learning about tattooing by watching youtube videos and visiting local tattoo artists (and at this time i started actively getting tattoos). I couldn’t afford a paid apprenticeship so i tried to study on my own by watching other tattoo artists working.
I wasn’t very good at saving money and i also didn’t know what equipment to pick so i only got my next machine 2 years later. I practiced on fake skin for a couple months and gave a couple of free tattoos but i quit tattooing again bc i couldn’t combine it with my regular work schedule. I worked nearly every day including weekends. I literally had no time for art. At one point i even thought maybe it’s just not my destiny to be in the tattoo industry but i still always stayed somewhere around tattooing.
For a couple years i gave up on becoming a tattoo artist. Then, in 2021 i had a bad romance with a tattoo artist who told me i should never tattoo and never even think of becoming a tattoo artist. As you see, later i did everything backwards to prove he was wrong and nothing can stop me. This is my favorite story that i always tell my clients when they ask how i started tattooing. Nothing motivates as much as the negative opinion of somebody who doesn’t believe in me. My biggest revenge is the fact that i now have more followers and more clients than he does. Oh, and i drive a better car.
Back to my story: in 2022 i started drawing digital illustrations on my iPad and selling them as NFTs. Within 4 months i gained 13k followers on Twitter and sold around 200 digital artworks worth $30,000. It was pretty big money for Ukraine so i felt i was very successful. Unexpectedly Russia started a war in my country and a lot of people left Ukraine because it was too dangerous to stay there. I also left and found temporary shelter in the US.
Since i started a new life in the US i decided to come back to tattooing and finally make it my full time job. I quickly found a tattoo studio close to my home and started working. In less than one year i gained 18k followers on Instagram and a lot of absolutely amazing clients who appreciate my style and creativity. And this is where i am now, enjoying my dream job every moment.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Starting tattooing back in 2017 was pretty rough because you had to learn a lot about equipment: such as rotor and induction tattoo machines, clip cords, etc and how to set them all up together. Fake skin also wasn’t that good so i practiced on bananas, oranges, and raw pig skin. Having no mentor and learning everything on your own is also a very difficult start. I might have much more progress now if somebody taught me these things in the very beginning.
The biggest struggle was starting everything from zero in a foreign country. The US is a completely different world to me and im still getting used to local people and their mentality. My English isn’t fluent enough and sometimes its hard to explain some things to clients but im trying my best and im happy we understand each other so far.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
As a tattoo artist, i specialize in animal portraits, black & grey realism and cartoons. I also do some coverups! My favorite things to tattoo are animals, pet portraits and mythical characters. I love when there’s a story behind a tattoo. I always help with ideas & placement and create a personalized, unique design for my clients with the highest level of service.
I’m known for my cute and sexy cartoon dragons that my female clients often get on their hips. I draw a custom dragon for every client in my unique style. I think it’s very symbolic that they are so popular in the Year of the Dragon.
Besides tattooing, i also draw digital illustrations, paint some canvases and sculptures, and customize clothing. At the moment im also learning gothic calligraphy.
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
Self-criticizing, perfectionism, stubbornness and total obsession with reaching a goal.
I’m a very hard worker. As a Ukrainian im a very productive person because in my home country we work 12 hours a day.
I don’t give up until im satisfied with the result. Im still learning every day.
Pricing:
- Minimum charge: $150
- Black&grey tattoos: 2×2 inch: $150-250; 3×3-4×4 inch: $300-450; letter size and bigger: $500+
- Color tattoos: price varies according to the difficulty of the design
- Sleeves/multiple session projects: $600 per session
- I mostly charge by piece instead of hourly. When booking with me, please send some inspo pics + approximate size & placement to get a quote.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/inkedwolfie
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/inkedwolfie
