Meet Ivan

Ivan Carmona Was Born May 30th 1983 In Grand Island Nebraska. Shortly After, His Parents Moved Them To Iowa To Be Closer To Extended Family. Here In The Wholesome Midwest Of The United States He Could Play And Explore Freely With The Security Of The Family Village. He Attributes His Love Of Arts To This Environment And The Rich Cultural Influences From Chile And Mexico Provided By His First Generation Immigrant Parents.

From An Early Age He Proved To Have An Innate Ability For Drawing And Painting. His Parents Always Encouraged His Endeavors Without Stipulations And Restrictions. Allowing His Enthusiasm For Creativity To Transpire.

His Young Adult Life Was Challenging. He Lost Some Of His Authenticity For Social Status. He Found Himself In Troublesome Situations And Ultimately His Troubles Caught Up To Him.

With Much Time On His Hands He Could Again Focus On Art. He Found Purpose And Solace In Drawing. 2003 He Was Introduced To The Art Of Chicano Style Tattooing. He Was A Novice With Badly Fabricated Equipment And Limited Supplies. Unconventionally This Accelerated His Craft In Greyscale Tattoo Work. Here He Learned A Lot About Himself And The Kind Of Person He Wanted And Didn't Want To Be. For That He Is Grateful.

In 2011 He Was Ready To Turn His Life Around. He Paved A New Path Of Sobriety And Started Making Health And Physical Fitness A Priority. He Met The Love Of His Life And Started A Family. With A Busy Family Lifestyle Art Again Proved To Be Therapeutic. Eventually With Much Encouragement And Support From Friends And Family He Was Ready To Give The Art Of Tattooing Another Go.

In 2018 He Was Approached By A Good Friend To Join Him As An Apprentice At A Shop. He Was Eager To Start This New Chapter In Life. The Atmosphere Is Warm And Friendly The Cliental Appreciative And Fun. Here He Gained A New Found Love For The Lifestyle Of A Tattoo Artist.

For Now Its Been A Very Part Time Hobby But He Cannot Get Enough. To Keep Improving His Craft He Uses His Free Time For Studying To Learn New Techniques And Drawing Up Customs. With Each New Tattoo He Gains More Confidence And Aspires To Tattoo Illustrative Works And Realism Full Time.