I had a nice conversation with Ducky, a Korean tattoo artist with over six years of experience and a love for traditional and oriental art, during the first week of March 2024. Ducky’s style, which draws inspiration from his sibling, is often characterized by a blend of Eastern and Western culture. Now let’s dive into Ducky’s story.
For the readers who are not familiar with you, how would you introduce yourself?
Hello, I am Kim Taeho, who is getting a tattoo under the name of Ducky in Korea. I mainly work on traditional works, and I like oriental themes, so I work on tattoos by combining East and West.
Where did your fascination for tattoos come from?
I am very interested in fashion. I am interested in and like decorating and expressing myself in a unique way. When I saw a tattoo, I thought it was a way to decorate and express oneself in a unique way, so I thought that tattoos were also fashion, and I found them attractive.
How and when did you start tattooing?
I originally worked as a professional soccer goalkeeper. I started playing soccer in 2001 and continued my life as a soccer player for 18 years until 2018. However, in 2018, he was injured during a game, and that injury forced him to retire. While thinking about what else to do after retirement, my brother Dino (a tattoo artist) recommended that I become a tattoo artist. As a result, I was interested in a job as a tattoo artist, but when I saw the tattoo, I thought it was an attractive job in decorating and expressing myself in a unique way, so I decided to take a job as a tattoo artist.
Where are you based?
I am working in Cheonan, South Korea.
How would you describe the tattoo scene in your country these days?
Tattoos are still illegal in Korea. Times have changed a lot, and many people are getting tattoos and learning about tattoos, but since the history of tattoos is shorter than in other countries, there still seems to be a lot of trial and error.
Also, Korea is a country where trends are consumed faster than in other countries. As trends move quickly, it seems like we always have to improve to satisfy customers. However, the positive thing is that Korean tattoo artists are gradually recognized around the world and are traveling all over the world. In that sense, it is a positive thought.
How would you define your tattoo style?
This is my personal opinion, but I mainly play traditional genres. However, since I’m Korean, I’m also interested in oriental styles, so I seem to be incorporating a lot of orthodox feelings into my style these days. Also, I felt the same charm I felt when I first saw American traditional in Korean folk paintings, so I started with the thought that combining these two paintings would be more attractive.
If I had to name this genre, I would call it Oriental School, a combination of East and West.
You seem to have an extremely well-curated Instagram page. How much does this impact your business?
Thank you for seeing it that way. However, I think it’s still not enough because there are many people who have better pages than me. I plan to develop it further in the future until I am satisfied.
The tattoo culture has changed a lot in the last decade, becoming widely accepted almost anywhere in the world. What do you think about this big cultural shift?
I still don’t know much because it hasn’t been 10 years since I started tattooing. However, it seems that more and more unique tattoo artists are receiving a lot of love. In my opinion, in order to be loved by many people in the future, I need to have tattoos with artistry and personality.
What’s the main source of inspiration for your tattoos?
It depends on the situation, but I think I usually look for it in my daily life. I think I go to temples to see vintage cartoon posters, animations, nature, or get oriental inspiration. Personally, I think I look for a lot of folk paintings, which are Korean traditions, these days.
What’s the most challenging aspect of being a tattoo artist in 2024?
I know the whole world will have a bad economy. If the economy is not good, fewer and fewer people will come to get tattoos. I think it’s a sad situation.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a tattoo artist?
I think it’s rewarding if the customer likes my tattoo and is satisfied. I think it’s happy and rewarding when I see the customer’s satisfied expression. Also, I participated in the 2023 Inspire Tattoo Convention Traditional Contest held in Korea, and when I won first place, I found it rewarding.
What’s your experience at tattoo conventions so far?
I have one tattoo convention experience. I participated in the 2023 Inspire Tattoo Convention in Korea, as I mentioned earlier. I participated in a tattoo contest and was lucky to win first place in the traditional category. It also remains a good experience and a good memory to see work done by multiple workers.
Do you remember the first tattoo convention you have ever been to?
I still remember that. Before I started learning tattooing, Dino (my brother) said that if I wanted to learn tattooing, I should go to a convention. I was lucky to go to a convention in London. It was my first time to go to a convention, so I had a lot of fun watching it and got a tattoo from a tattoo artist that I like. I have happy memories of it.
What’s your primary reason to attend a tattoo convention?
Personally, there is a reason to let others know about my tattoo, but it is a good stimulus for me. Maybe because I was an athlete, I have a personality that I don’t want to lose. I respect others for their tattoos, but I feel that I am not good enough and think that I should work harder.
How do you think tattoo conventions could make events better for artists and the public?
Although I have little experience participating in and seeing many conventions, my personal opinion is that I can promote my tattoos to others, interact with other tattoo artists, and, from the perspective of a spectator, there are many things to see and performances at Contas, so I have good memories. I haven’t had much experience yet, so I think I need to have more experience to know.
What’s your favorite tattoo convention so far? And why?
The first thing that comes to mind is the London Tattoo Convention. It was my first time going to a convention, and everything was amazing and fresh. There were many tattoo artists, so there was a lot to see, and it was fun.
The most memorable scene was when I saw a white-haired old man with a traditional tattoo drinking beer on a bench at a convention center. I thought he looked so cool, and I wanted to grow old like him. I think I remember it the most because it was the convention that gave me dreams and goals.
What advice would you offer to someone considering a career as a tattoo artist?
I don’t think I’m in a position to teach anyone yet. So, speaking from my experience rather than advice, I would like to tell you to build your basic skills steadily. It seems like there is no end to tattoos. We must always evolve and always try to satisfy our customers. I think all of this comes from design basics and tattoo basics.
Also, I hope you don’t get caught up in stereotypes. I hope there is no stereotype that old school should be like this or traditional should be like that. I think individuality is important these days. I think that while pursuing the old-fashioned style, you should add trendiness and uniqueness to yourself. I think that only then can we always improve.
Who are the people you admire the most within the tattoo community?
First of all, the artist that comes to mind is my older brother Dino (a tattoo artist), who recommended tattoos to me and has always been a guide in life. He is a person who always says good things when I have a hard time and leads me back to a good path when I am on a bad path. He is an artist that I am always grateful for and respect. And I think of King Kong, who taught me tattoos.
He is my teacher who taught me tattoo skills and design, as well as how to live and think as a tattoo artist. Both are people my tattoo life can’t miss.
What’s your biggest accomplishment as a tattoo artist?
The first thing that comes to mind is that I worked on the entire upper body of one customer. Due to the nature of the genre called traditional, I think the more various pictures are gathered, the more cool they are, and they seem to have shown the tattoo style that I am pursuing.
With those tattoos, I participated in the 2023 Inspire Tattoo Convention and won first place in the traditional category. Also, I met my wife now. Of course, I won first place in the convention and ran a tattoo shop, but I met my wife, a tattoo artist, because I got a tattoo.
Do you do other forms of art besides tattooing?
I am having a personal exhibition of drawings based on tattoo designs.
What are your goals or dreams for the near future?
First of all, I want to become a world-class tattoo artist. I want everyone to see my tattoo and think that it’s Ducky‘s tattoo. I also want to open a tattoo shop overseas. I want to gain experience by traveling to various countries and using that experience to open a cool tattoo shop overseas.
Is there anything else you would like to tell our readers?
First of all, I would like to say thank you for reading this long article. I hope you get the idea that a tattoo artist named Ducky is active in Korea and has cool tattoos like this. And I hope that I can have some people who read this line show their support to my work. I always try to live life cheerfully and positively. I hope to share the same feelings to the readers too. Lastly, thank you again for reading this long article, and I hope that the name Ducky will always be in the readers’ memories. Thank you.
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