Shawn, Tattoo Artist at Soul Survivors Winnipeg

I started my journey in North Bay, Ontario, back in 2002. Like a lot of tattooers in those days, I was fascinated by the craft and wanted to figure it out for myself. I bought some gear, even built a tattoo machine from scratch, and started experimenting—but pretty quickly realized that teaching yourself has limits.

That’s when I approached my friend Polly, who owned Mad Hatter Tattoo—the shop that would later become Deluxe Tattoo. Polly gave me the chance to learn properly and start working in a real studio environment. That’s where everything really began to click. It was the first time I got to see the professional side of tattooing up close—the rhythm of the shop, the client interactions, the respect for the craft. From there, I was hooked for life.

 There are a lot of people who’ve influenced me over the years. Early on, one of the biggest was Pierre Champlain from Tattoo Mania in Montreal—his work and professionalism really stood out to me.

I was also lucky to connect with a few artists who shaped my early steps in the industry, like Lucas Ford from GoodGuy, who was running Classic Tattoo in Red Deer at the time, and other  artists like Matt Ellis, Chris Hall, from Toronto. They were all really generous with their knowledge and definitely helped me evolve as an artist.

And then there’s Scott McEwen and Andreas from TCB in Toronto, who I’ve always admired, and Jenn Liles, who I actually knew back when she was still an apprentice at Lucky Devil. We kind of came up in the same era, so seeing how everyone’s paths have grown over time has been pretty amazing.

I’ve always been drawn to illustrative tattooing—I’m a bit of a comic book nerd at heart, and that influence definitely shows up in my work. I love storytelling through imagery, using line and composition to bring something to life.

Over time, my style has evolved toward abstract realism and dot work, because I really enjoy exploring texture, contrast, and value. There’s something incredibly satisfying about creating depth and feeling using just shades and tones. It’s a more meditative process for me.

I think my illustrative side also sneaks into other styles, like Japanese-inspired work or realism, but with my own twist. I love doing pieces like skulls or birds, where you can play with both realism and imagination—capturing not just what something looks like, but what it feels like. My goal is always to bring a bit of personality and life to whatever I’m tattooing.

I wish more clients understood how much we can bring to their ideas if they give us the room to explore. I’m always happy to work within a specific concept or direction, but when an artist is given creative space to bring their heart and soul into a piece, that’s when the work really shines.

It’s not that we don’t love doing the smaller or simpler tattoos—we absolutely do—but the pieces that resonate the most are the ones where trust and collaboration come into play. The best results happen when clients let us be ourselves and bring our full creativity to the table.

And sometimes, that process just takes time. Not everything can—or should—happen at walk-in speed. I wish more people knew that patience and trust in the process are what make great tattoos truly timeless.

What’s really cool about the Winnipeg tattoo community is how much talent we have here. For a smaller city, we’ve got some of the best tattoo artists in Canada.

Over the years, the scene has grown so much. The Winnipeg Tattoo Show and the Winnipeg Tattoo Convention have brought people together in a way that didn’t exist before. There used to be more competition between Winnipeg tattoo shops, but now there’s a real sense of connection and mutual respect.

It’s amazing to see how far the community has come and how much we’ve evolved. It feels good to be part of a scene that keeps pushing itself creatively, but also supports one another.

I’ve had a lot of memorable projects, but one that really stands out is my client Pat and the armor sleeve I did for him. The design was full chain mail and plating—it was a huge, detailed piece that took an incredible amount of time and patience.

When we first met for the consultation, Pat was really cautious about trust—he wanted to know if it could even be done. Watching him take that leap of faith, and then seeing how the project evolved over time, was amazing. Since then, we’ve done both of his sleeves and his entire back. It’s been a long journey together.

That armour sleeve alone was about 55 hours of tattooing, done over many sessions. If someone asked me to do another one today, I’d probably say no—it was that intense! But seeing it now, almost eight years later, and how great it still looks—it’s a reminder of why I love what I do. The process, the trust, and the lasting result all make it worth it.

Absolutely. I do a lot of cover-ups — probably more than most artists in a year. I actually enjoy them because they’re challenging and force you to think differently about composition, color, and flow.

That said, cover-ups are always a compromise. It’s about finding the sweet spot between what you want and what will actually work. Every old tattoo has its own personality — depth, saturation, shape — and those factors dictate what can be built on top.

If you’re open-minded and trust the process, we can usually find a creative solution that turns something you’ve outgrown into something you’re proud of again.

 Not always. Simple tattoos or straightforward designs can usually be sorted out through email or messages ahead of time.

That said, I do prefer consultations whenever possible. Meeting in person lets me learn more about who you are, what you want, and how open you are to letting me bring my own artistic voice into the piece. The best tattoos usually come from collaboration — when we have a chance to talk through your ideas, explore placement, and make sure it’s something that truly feels like you.

We don’t just photocopy other people’s artwork here — everything is drawn with intention and care. So while consultations aren’t always required (especially for clients traveling from out of town), they’re a great way to make sure we’re on the same page creatively before we start.

All tattoos are going to hurt to some degree — it’s part of the process. But understanding why it hurts and how it works can take a lot of the fear out of it. Once you know what’s happening with your body and why, it becomes a lot easier to move through it.

There’s also something kind of special about it — it’s a journey. For many people, that bit of discomfort is part of what makes it meaningful. It’s transformation in real time — a physical and emotional process that asks you to be present, breathe through it, and come out the other side with something beautiful that’s now a part of you.