RAY DAK LAM
I'm Ray, a freelance graphic designer and illustrator. I started out as a graphic designer working at various agencies and studios, eventually transitioning into full-time freelancing. Most of the work I do nowadays is more illustration focused.
What was your very first tattoo and what motivated you to get it done?
My very first tattoo was a tiger half sleeve tattoo I got when I was 20 years old. The tattoo was in memory of one of my best friends who suddenly passed away—he also had a tiger tattoo and his nickname was Tiger.
How many tattoos do you currently have? Which one was the most recent?
I currently have 15 tattoos and the most recent one was a skull and book tattoo I got done by Carlo Pavía during my trip to Barcelona.
What have been some of the inspirations behind the other tattoos that you have? Do you typically have an idea in mind before reaching out to a tattoo artist to get work done?
It depends, sometimes the subject of the tattoo is influenced by what a tattoo artist tattoos particularly well or uniquely. I also love collecting and looking through tattoo books to get inspiration for new tattoos.
What type of tattoo styles have you gotten done and what do you like about those particular styles?
Most of my tattoos are done in American traditional style. I'm really drawn to the simplicity of the linework and boldness of the shading.
Do any of your tattoos hold any personal meaning to you that you’d like to share?
Other than the tiger half sleeve and a couple others, my other tattoos don't have any particularly significant meaning attached to them and it's more of an appreciation of a form of art that I really enjoy.
What were some of the most painful spots to get tattooed for you?
The most painful spot so far for me was the chest area, it surprisingly hurt a lot more than my outer and inner elbows.
Has having tattoos had any impact in your personal life?
Unsurprisingly, my parents disapproved at first, but came to accept it years later. Typically I wear long sleeves when seeing extended family, but other than that, it hasn't really affected my personal and work life too much, especially now that I'm working from home.
Do you have any favorite tattoos?
My favorite tattoo is a Cambodian Hanuman by Philippe Fernandez, which I got many years ago during a trip to Berlin. It's the only tattoo that my mom initially liked because it reminded her of the ancient temples in her home country of Cambodia.
Who are some of the tattoo artists that you've been tattooed by?
Heath Smith has done a few of my tattoos, including a larger dragon piece on my chest. Other artists I've been tattooed by are Spencer Evans, Ryan Buttar, Justin McGee, Cambria Snell, Victor Vaclav from Montreal, Wyatt Vandergeest from LA, Kevin Shuttleworth from Calgary, and Gab Lavoie from Montreal.
What tattoo artists would you like to get work done by in the future?
Luke Jinks from London has an incredible style and I especially love the way he depicts frogs, so I'm hoping to get a frog tattoo from him one day. Han Shinko from LA does some amazing blackwork tattoos. Other artists whose work I really admire are @sunhan.tattoo from Korea, Franceso Ferrara from Italy, and Aaron Murphy from Australia.
Do you have an idea in mind for your next tattoo?
I'm planning to get a tattoo from Truong Nguyen later this year when I'm in Vietnam with my family and visiting Saigon, where my dad was born. Truong tattoos all sorts of animals wearing a Vietnamese rice hat, so I'll probably get something along those lines. Maybe a cat wearing a rice hat haha.