ROANNE MENDOZA
My name is Roanne Mendoza, I’m 23 years old and currently based out of Vancouver, BC.
I’m currently working as a Communication Designer for Casca Designs, a Vancouver footwear start-up that’s all about utilizing personalized 3D-technology & quality materials to perfect the all-in-one, everyday shoe.
Outside of work, my downtime is usually spent recipe-testing and developing (I’m forever planning my next dinner party!), building playlists on Spotify, watching films, illustrating/painting, routinely engaging in functional fitness, and tending to my continuous plant collection at home. Pretty normal stuff, honestly.
You can find more of my everyday dispatches over on Instagram! @roanne.mendoza
What motivated you to get tattooed in the first place?
I just grew up always surrounded by it. The shock of tattoos really diminish when people like my mom’s father, my Lolo, has the most bad-ass traditional Jesus crucifixion piece on his chest. Other family members growing up also had an extensive collection, and so I guess I just got desensitized to it. Funny enough, I never saw myself as a “tattoo person”. Between familiarity and growing up studying artists of all form, I really liked the idea of creating a collage of all these moments in time.
How many tattoos do you currently have?
20 in total. Technically 21, if we’re counting DIY stick and pokes.
What was your first tattoo and how did you select the design? Who was the artist? How old were you?
My first tattoo was a few days after I turned 18, and it was a magnolia flower by @caspermugridge that covers the entire back of my upper arm. Haha, like I said, I never saw myself as being a “tattoo” person. That changed when I was finishing a Stats 204 class in Uni one day, and saw he was spontaneously doing a flash day starting at noon. It was 11:00 AM and I didn’t really think about it and just went.
How do you decide on what type of tattoo design(s) to get prior to booking an appointment?
A large majority of it is just seeing what the artists have really been inspired by & taking it from there, and also finding what personally resonates with their style and imagery. Once you have a few pieces, I realized a lot of it is just having fun and letting them do their thing.
Do you think you'll stop getting tattooed at some point?
I ask myself the same thing haha. In a dream world it’s when my leg is complete, but we’ll see.
What were some of the most painful spots to get tattooed for you?
Anything inner arm or elbow.
Do you have any favourite tattoos?
I have a few— it’s a 3-way tie between the moody gal resting on an MF Doom mask, the panther head on my bicep, or my mini eagle/snake battle royale on my shin. Looking back, all were done when I was going through some of the weirdest, yet most rewarding times.
Who are some of the artists that you've gotten tattooed by? Do you have any artists that you go to repeatedly?
The majority of my pieces are done by my pal, @tyler.the.tattooer. He’s done 10/18 of mine over the past years, and it’s been really fun creating this sticker-book together. It’s a ritual of mine to get a new piece done any time I’m home. Other work I have on me are done by @heathsmith and @caspermugridge (Edmonton), @hubert_serrano and @dirtedustin (Calgary), and @anttheelder (London).
What do you like about the particular style(s) of tattoos that you've chosen to get done?
I’ll always love my initial pointillism pieces as a nod to my classic drawing/sketching training from the time I got those done. The amount of attention to detail in those delicate pieces are still really beautiful to me. For the same reasons why I love my pointillism blackwork is the exact opposite reason why I gravitate to trad so much, haha. The drama in bold lines and shadows can really tell a story in a timeless way.
What artist(s) would you like to get tattooed by in the future?
@slowerblack, @fernofthewest, @jaboc, @esther_mulders, @bighenry would all skim the top of my grail list.
Canon AE-1 / Portra 400