About Toryumon Tattoo

I've actually been drawing since as far as I can remember. On school desks, in school notebooks, pretty much on any piece of paper I could get my hands on: furiously sketching, doodling, scribbling, painting,…

In the third year of secondary school I strong-mindedly switched schools to study art at “Saint-Lucas” in Ghent. By finishing high school I obtained a degree in “visual arts”. My drawing skills were further refined by choosing to study higher education, namely “animated movies” at the KASK (Hogeschool Ghent).

In June of 2002 I finished these studies and became a “Master in audiovisual arts, option animated movies”.

Automatically getting a job in the movie industry was less obvious however. Hence why for the next couple of years I was forced to choose a variety of part-time jobs, in which I (more or less) could still use my creativity. During my years as a student I already co-founded “De Spinnekoppen” with my twin-sister – professional facepainting. For about a decade most week-ends & holidays were spent facepainting all over the country. This was a very interesting & fun experience. Besides all this I also drew illustrations, made wall-paintings,…

Still, I could hardly call these activities the career of an artist. For a few months I tried studying to be a kindergarten teacher, for a semester I tried studying to be a teacher in secondary school and adult education. This was all somewhat interesting and of value but afterwards these didn't turn out to be the right choices about what I wanted to do with the rest of my life.

In about 2005 I came into contact with the tattoo-world through my boyfriend. As a child I'd once seen a woman with a very lovely tattoo in a woman's magazine, and already then I was determined to get a tattoo as well...“later”. Due to several circumstances that plan was still there, but had moved to the background. However, more & more I got impressed by the works of art that people got on their bodies, and slowly but steadily a passion for ink arose. I was still drawing, and I noticed that unintentionally my drawings started to look like tattoo-sketches. My boyfriend had a tattoo-session from time to time, I always accompanied him, and in the end I “succumbed” as well and (as a start) got one little sakura. After that I was fully convinced! I began (be it with mixed feelings) to watch all the then popular – so-called "reality" - tv-shows about tattoos, I looked for (& found) lots of tattoo-related sites online, I bought tons of books, magazines, dvd's, and so on.

That lasted a few years, and gradually my focus shifted. Instead of “just” being a fan of tattoos I desperately wanted to learn how to become a tattooist myself. Not easy – for a big part it is and remains a somewhat closed world. Finding somebody who could teach me the art proved difficult, so I purchased “how to” books & dvd's, bought my first second-hand machine,…

My boyfriend convinced me that, as I could already draw, it was just a matter of switching the pencil or brush for the needle – but also that it was going to be hard work. After all, it's not as easy as it looks – and nor should it be.

In the first months of 2009 I went for it. I left my job so I could concentrate on becoming a tattooist full-time. A big question mark, a leap into the unknown, and – especially financially speaking – a very big risk. But I wanted to go for it 100%. I found a spot in Antwerp where (with some help and a lot of voluntary models) relatively soon I was able to put into practice what I'd learned myself the previous years. A bit hesitant at first, but more confident & committed as the days went by. I kept renting a spot in Antwerp to tattoo people as often as possible until March of 2010.

Once I convinced myself (and others) that I wasn't doing a bad job it was time to take the next step: a tattoo-studio of my own!

A tattoo-studio of my own, because getting a job as an unknown tattooist in an established studio is far from evident, plus I really wanted to do my own thing all the way. By the end of 2009 I found a vacant shop in Ghent, and after a few months of hard work I officially opened my own studio in March of 2010.

For now I still accept (almost) all styles of ink, although I must confess I have a slight preference for japanese inspired tattoos, for fauna and flora, and of course preferably for sketches I drew myself. Nearly all suggestions are & remain welcome of course!

The name “toryumon” was suggested to me by Mario De Mol, Jissen Kobudo Jinenkan Dojocho (my instructor in traditional japanese martial arts).

Literally it means “climbing the dragon's gate”. According to a chinese legend a koi was the only fish capable of swimming up the waterfalls of the yellow river – as soon as this koi reached the “dragon's gate” at the top it transformed into a dragon itself. This expression is also used if someone starts a new challenge, as the gate to success, as quickly rising to the top of a chosen profession.

A tattoo studio these days is no longer the same as those from the previous century. Only being able to pick an example from “the books”; open in the evening and even at night; to be found in the red light district; not too hygienic; only for sailors, bikers, & other badasses...that's for the most parts a thing of the past. I don't have any books with examples from which you have to choose – I design a sketch according to your individual wishes. Do bring your own sketches, ideas, examples. Numerous pictures can be found online, these don't even have to be pics of tattoos. These days a tattoo artist can draw and helps you create the ink you want.

Next to the conscious choice for an inviting & big studio, I've also tried to make everything as ecological & vegan as possible. The walls have been painted with nature-friendly paints. All paper that I use is recycled paper. The seats are not from leather. Some furniture is secondhand. The (free) cola you can ask for during your session is organic. The electricity is green. All lights consume a low amount of electricity. My “plastic” cups are actually vegan & compostable. The towels are made from organic cotton. All inks & aftercare products are vegan and weren't tested on animals. Same for all cleaning products. There's a small eco-garden in the back, where I've only planted flowers which attract bumblebees, bees, and butterflies. The back room is being used for meditation, martial arts, yoga. And so on.

Maybe also worthwhile to mention: no need to bring cash, you can pay with your bank-card.