Meet Arlo DiCristina, a master surrealist tattoo artist
It’s absolutely incredible what artists can do with tattoos these days. However, Arlo DiCristina takes things to a whole new level.
When Arlo was just 17 years old, he had to have an older friend buy him his first tattoo gun. He wasn’t old enough to legally purchase one on his own. He was that guy who would tattoo his willing friends, but never actually thought he’d get paid for it.
Because of this, once he started to see some progress in a career, he went all-in. Today international experts and tattoo enthusiasts recognize him as one of the leading surrealist tattoo artists in the world.
History of Arlo Tattoos
DiCristina, also known as @ArloTattoos on Instagram, has been practicing his skills since he was a teenager. His tattoo shop is called Elysium Studios, and is located in Grand Junction, Colorado.
He got really popular a few years ago when one of his projects went viral on social media. He created a portrait of the Batman villain, Joker, and his face was interwoven into a skyline of Gotham city. Because of this, tattoo enthusiasts, as well as fellow artists, praised his work. People all over the world shared it as a result.
There are two categories of tattooing where Arlo is most prominent:
- Surrealist tattoos
- Face morph tattoos
Arlo says: “All of my artistic training has come from hours and hours of practice and simply trial and error. I’m learning constantly, whether it’s from artists that I work with at Elysium, or scrolling through Instagram. I am always trying to acquire new knowledge and techniques.”
DiCristina has had a goal of taking his tattoo designs to a whole new level. He has spent so much of his free time and energy learning 3D sculpting techniques. Arlo has alsoHe’s also gotten into image editing software Because of this both methods offer their own takeaways that he can apply to his tattoos.
He creates his own references by playing around with 3D sculpting programs. Once he learned how to digitally sculpt, Arlo DiCristina brought his models into various programs for editing. It’s a process however that he’s excited to refine as his skills get better and better.
How And Where To Get An Arlo Tattoo
Believe it or not, you can get an Arlo tattoo yourself!
DiCristina and his wife Ryan Ashley Malarkey have teamed up and are working at Elysium together. They have an incredible talent pool that’s renowned in the tattoo community.
If you’d like to get an Arlo tattoo, book in with this incredible artist, and get some of his ink permanently graced upon your body, you can go here to book an appointment.
But please be patient! There is a long wait list, and it will be well worth your time to give them space to get back to you!
