T.U.K. x Janine Ramos

Janine Ramos customized the Black & White TUKskin™ Saddle Oxfords in her style. She specializes in full-color & illustrative tattoos. To see more of her work head to her Instagram.

Tell me about yourself:
I’m an illustrator and tattooer based out of Columbus, OH but I’m originally from Northern California. I have two Bachelor’s Degrees in Fine Art & Visual Communication Design from SFSU and formerly worked as a graphic designer. I tattoo at White Raven Tattoo with a really awesome team of talented artists and I specialize in custom, full-color, illustrative tattoos.
(IG: @whtraventattoo)

How long have you been an artist for?
I’ve been drawing and making things for as long as I can remember!

What made you want to become a tattoo artist?
Getting my first tattoo sparked my interest in tattooing—I found the entire process fascinating!

How long have you been tattooing for?
Professionally, it will be 4 years in June. Technically, it'll be 5 years in October (plus I apprenticed for almost 2 years before that).

What’s your favorite tattoo that you have & why?
I would have to say my FIRST tattoo because it was the catalyst for my apprenticeship! It is a custom design by my friend Yellena, adapted into a ¾ sleeve by Jessica Zed (who later became my mentor.)
(IG: @yellenajames @jessicazedtattoo)

How were you keeping busy during quarantine?
I did a few art commissions, made some merch and launched a webstore.

Why did you decide to customize the shoes the way you did?
I wanted the design to be a freestyle “pattern” that reflects my love of color, glitter and magical/nature-y things—but also something I could deliver in a short amount of time without overthinking!

How was working on this project for you?
It was challenging but fun! I’ve never painted shoes before and I haven’t used acrylic paint in at least 10 years so there was a lot of creative problem-solving involved—it became a “mixed media” effort! I had to simplify my illustration style a bit because I wasn’t able to blend the color like I’m used to but I think they still turned out okay!

Are you currently working on any other projects?
Only the constant queue of tattoo drawings at the moment!