We recently came in touch with Carlos Otavio Gama, popularly known as “South Gama”, who is from Brazil and specializes in realistic pet tattoo techniques. He has around 60,000 followers on Instagram. We asked him various questions related to his tattoos, his work, and his future plans. Let’s look at his reponses.
1. What inspired you to become a tattoo artist and when did you started it as a career?
Before I was a tattoo artist I was an illustrator for magazines and newspapers and also worked as a 2D animator. I saw in tattooing the possibility of expanding my artistic repertoire and developing my own language. And I soon realized that tattooing provided an artistic freedom that I had never known before, which inspired me a lot at the beginning of my career.
I followed great artists of that time and what inspired me the most was the great artist “Anil Gupta” who brought a diverse and bold repertoire for the time.
2. What led you to become a Pet-tattoo artist?
Once, when I was doing a tattoo of a dog that had already passed away, in the middle of the process the client was looking at the tattoo and crying with emotion seeing his faithful friend, soon after his wife arrived and started crying when she saw the dog and then I was the one crying! I realized that these tributes were very powerful and as an artist I could bring emotional memories in the form of tattoos to people and help them go through the process of loss. So I decided to follow this path.
For me it is a mission!
3. Why do you think people get a tattoo, even though it’s a painful process?
People have identified themselves in certain belonging groups since ancient times, where they would do body paintings, tattoos, or even scarifications, and this continues to this day. People understood that the pain of a tattoo is a process and is part of the ritual. “The ends justify the means.” I think today, more than ever, tattoos are globally embedded in society. So, the strange thing is not being tattooed.
4. Which is your favourite client tattoo, what was the story behind it and how much time it took?
I have a problem! Every tattoo I get, in the end, I look at it and think, “I could improve this or that.” But if I had to choose one tattoo, I believe it would be the one by Rogério Amadeu and his pug named Charlie, who was rescued from abuse at an illegal kennel and had a disability in his front paws.
As soon as Charlie was rescued, he underwent several surgeries to correct his paws. But one of the consequences of these surgeries was the constant daily pain. For that, he had weekly treatments with a device called Magneto, which relieved his pain and reduced inflammation, as he suffered from osteoporosis.
After 6 years, Charlie passed away, leaving behind a great life lesson! I believe these little angels are enlightened beings with a mission here with us! For them, there’s no bad time, and they have unconditional love. Maybe one day we can learn from them!
This tattoo has been shared in several countries and has brought me clients from all over the world, such as Finland, Australia, and Switzerland. It took me 7 hours to complete this tattoo.
5. What do you do in your free time when you’re not tattooing people?
I love movies and enjoy going to the cinema. I like to travel with friends and family. I practice martial arts and always try to keep studying and staying updated on various things, such as spirituality, science, philosophy, and of course, a lot about the tattoo world.
6. Who is your favorite tattoo artist?
With artists from other fields of art entering the world of tattooing, there has been a significant gain in creativity and technique. I can list a few that I follow and admire:
Jeff Gogue, Dmitriy Samohin, Igor Mitrenga, Niki23gtr, Fernando Tampa, Matias Noble, Alex Legaza, Miguel Bohigues, Steven Bugeja, Nacho Frias, among others.
7. What are the different tattoo styles you do?
At the beginning of my career, I did a lot of commercial tattoos, and over time, I ended up exploring many different styles until I found my true passion. My main style is realism, but I always find a way to blend other styles, like Trash Polka, Watercolor, and even the graphics of Pop Art. I also do a lot of black and gray tattoos.
8. Where do you see the future of tattoos?
In the last two decades, we’ve seen a huge leap in the tattoo world, with a tremendous demand for artists to step out of their comfort zones and learn new skills. I see many artists getting lost in this process. I believe the sooner we learn to delegate tasks to qualified people, the more time we will have for the artistic side.
I don’t believe the future of tattoos lies in a giant printer or a robot doing the tattoos… far from it. Art needs to have the human touch. I believe tattoo materials will evolve to a point where the artist’s life will be a bit more comfortable, just like what happened with the wireless tattoo machine.
9. Where do you see yourself in the next 5 years?
Good question! In the next 5 years, I see myself tattooing a lot, traveling the world, and sharing my knowledge. I also see myself contributing to the tattoo world with some essential products for tattoo artists.
10. If you could choose, which celebrity would you like to tattoo and any specific design?
Definitely Scarlett Johansson. Even a small dot would make me happy!
11. Please share your social media and how to contact you for a tattoo?
To get in touch with me, you can message me on Instagram @southgama_artist or on WhatsApp at +55 11 94372-0997 or Facebook: South Gama Art.