Aviles tattoos as form of expression
Emma Aviles 12 practices tattooing on a tattoo practice skin. “It’s pretty much drawing and it’s cool to be able to say my art is permanently on people.” Aviles said.
September 21, 2021
Emma Aviles 12 has been an artist her whole life and recently took up tattooing when her brother bought her a tattoo machine last June. However, she’s been designing tattoos for about two years.
Aviles has tattooed siblings, friends, and peers, having done a little over 20 tattoos. She is also involved in drawing, painting, woodburning, and ceramics. Art is a big part of the Aviles family.
“My sister and my dad are also very good at art. So I guess I kind of just learned how to draw from them. Drawing is where it all started,” Aviles said, “We used to live in California and my sister entered into our State Fair art competition and she got second place, which is huge. The more she did art, she would do it with me. I just started liking it.”
Although Aviles taught herself to tattoo through Youtube videos and using knowledge from her siblings, she plans to further improve her skills and learn shade work under a professional.
“I’m going to do a tattoo apprenticeship. However, I am not sure where yet. I might go to California to do that just because my sister knows a couple tattoo artists who said that they would let me learn under them.” Aviles said.
Aviles aspires to be a doctor but is thinking about tattooing on the side to help with tuition. She wants to major in biomedical engineering and specialize in prosthetics.
“I’ve wanted to be a doctor ever since I was little, that’s been my dream since I was really young.” Aviles said, “I don’t want to go into tattooing as a profession, just because that’s our everyday and art isn’t something that should be a profession for me.”
To Aviles, art is a form of expression. She uses themes and symbolism in her artwork.
“For me, it’s like my outlet of emotion,” Aviles said. “So, I put more emotion into a lot of art pieces or tattoo drawings that people ask me to do for them. My theme is my past experiences. There’s definitely a pattern of what I draw, for example skeletons. It’s like comic book art mixed with realism. I put all of everything I’ve been through and all my emotions into my artwork.”
