Today we’d like to introduce you to Rebecca Rapp.
Hi Rebecca, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Growing up I always loved art. I was always drawing, painting, and doing other projects like pottery, screen printing, and graphic design. I had a huge focus on portraits, animals, and cars in my drawings.
I grew up in North Jersey, but after I graduated high school my family and I moved to Delaware. I went to Moore College of Art and Design in Philadelphia with a focus on graphic design, and also picked up photography, welding, and woodworking. One of my favorite things was when we would sit around the city and do landscape drawing. It really lets you see how beautiful a city can actually be!
After college, I had to put art to the side for a few years. However, when I was about to be 24, I walked into a tattoo shop one day and walked out with an apprenticeship. November of this year will be 10 years in the industry!
I tattooed in Delaware in Kent and Sussex counties for 8 years. A little over a year and a half ago I relocated from Delaware to the Baltimore area. Crossing state lines, I still have a lot of my Delaware clientele who have followed me, but there’s work I’ve had to put in to establish a name and client base in a new state. I’m still putting in that work, but I’m thankful to have a partner in my life who has encouraged me through the process.
It was scary at first…you’re permanently marking someone’s body forever and it’s totally different than drawing on paper. No erasers here! But after a few years I started getting more confidence. Even 10 years in, I’m still learning you growing. You never stop learning as an artist as long as you keep an open mind! There’s always new techniques and skills to learn if you’re willing to be humble.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Being a tattoo artist is definitely not always a smooth road. It can be very inconsistent. It’s an industry that is more of a luxury, so when the economy waivers, tattoos are one of the first things people stop getting. There’s slow seasons and busy seasons. During the holidays people are focused on gift shopping. During the summer people are going on vacation so it slows down since sun, water, and sand are more harmful to the tattoo healing process. So you definitely need to prepare for the slow season.
There’s also an influx of new artists so the industry is saturated in a lot of areas. Clients have so many options of which artist they want to collect art from so you really need to make yourself stand out.
Social media has also become super important. If you don’t have a social media prescience it’s hard to get noticed so you tattoo during the day and you have a second job at night to not only do your drawings for the next tattoo, but also be a content creator. It can be exhausting, but it’s rewarding to have your art walking around and being appreciated by so many people.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I specialize in both black and gray and color tattoos. I love doing portraits and realism. I also enjoy Neotraditional work with the bold colors and ability to create depth with contrasting line weights.
Doing coverups are one of my favorite things to do. When I first starting tattooing I didn’t do a single coverup for 3 years. They seemed scary and I didn’t think I had the knowledge to do them. But, after I did my first one, I realized it’s about looking at it differently. It’s looking at shadows, lines, and color of the new tattoo, instead of looking at the old tattoo. I love the challenge and I love seeing the joy that covering up a regrettable tattoo brings to the client.
A tattoo is art, but it’s like getting a commissioned piece of art. We can have our own opinions, but in the end it comes down to what the client wants. As artists we need to try to find a place where we give the client what they asked for but in a realistic way. Not everyone knows what can and can’t be done in a tattoo. And now, with AI, some clients can come to us with more unrealistic expectations. And that’s what I am most proud of. I don’t belittle the client for not knowing. I respectfully educate them and I keep in mind that the tattoo is an experience for them, not me. It can bring a lot of emotions for the client and as artists we need to be respectful of that.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
It’s funny – everyone used to tell me I should be a tattoo artist and I always shut down the idea. I didn’t want to make mistakes and ruin someone’s body. I always said I’d NEVER tattoo. But now I’ve been in the industry for almost a decade and can’t imagine doing anything else. We’re human. We all make mistakes. They’re bound to happen. As artists, we need to remember that and not let them hold us back or discourage us. We shouldn’t fear mistakes but rather learn from them. That’s the important part.
Pricing:
- I do piecework pricing or my hourly rate is $150
- $100 minimum
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @tattoosby_becca
