By MARK FRANCISCO
IN the spacious and clean shop of tattoists Alexander “Onat” Tano and Byron Razalo rack dozens of tattoo awards the duo have garnered in their combined 23 years experience as tattoo artists.
The shop is aptly named 18th Street Tattoo since it stands at the corner of 18th and 1st Streets in Nazareth, this city.
Just like most of the tattoo artists, Onat started as a visual artist and his interest soon delved into tattooing. By 2007 when YouTube was still in its infancy, he started learning the ropes himself but along the way was also keen in observing the craft of more veteran tattoo artists.
By the time he accumulated training and through sheer practice among friends, Onat began establishing himself as a tattoo artist here in CDO. After more than a decade of grabbing championships in tattoo competitions, today he is already a judge in these tilts.
Byron initially followed a different path. He was in the construction industry in Jeddah in 2013 when he caricatured his fellow workers both Filipinos and Indians. His workmates loved his outputs so much that they egged him to try tattooing. Today he is not just a tattoo artist but offers piercing too where most of his clients are women who love to get their navels and nose pierced.
Those are what 18th Street Tattoo are offering. Drop by at GF Helen’s Dormitory, 18th-1st or give them a call from 0955169172 from 10 a.m. onwards for the initial consultation regarding your tattoo design. They are open on Sundays too.
For other budding tattoo artists around, 18th Street Tattoo is likewise selling basic tattoo supplies such as needles and gloves. Indeed, 18th Street Tattoo is a studio for aspiring people who are passionate over tattoos.
