Honey Trap

Why Mike Dargas left tattooing behind to become a full-time painter.

- Devon Preston

Many tattoo artists never dream of leaving their careers behind. However, after 14 years working to become a world-renowned realism artist, Mike Dargas said goodbye to the tattoo world. Dargas’ decision was not made in vain. Instead, he channeled his energy toward large-scale hyperrealism paintings and his collections have been shown in prestigious galleries around the world. We sat down with Dargas to find out what led him to make such a drastic career change and what his process is for creating paintings with a sticky-yet-sweet twist.

PRIOR TO BECOMING A WORLD-RENOWNED PAINTER, YOU WERE A TATTOO ARTIST. TAKE US THROUGH YOUR EXPERIENCE IN THE TATTOO INDUSTRY AND WHY YOU LEFT THAT CAREER BEHIND.

I was always an artist. Since childhood, I recognized my passion and others recognized my talent. Tattooing was a beautiful medium in which I could express my art, but I left tattooing because I felt I could express myself more with painting.

HOW DID WORKING AS A TATTOOER FOR 14 YEARS HELP YOU TO BECOME A SUCCESSFUL REALISM PAINTER?

The experience of creating realistic portrait tattoos helped me with honing my skills. Being creative, practicing and giving 100% everyday helped me to perfect my skills and become successful in realism.