Artists: Nathan Allan Gift
What year did you start tattooing: 2012
Do you have any special training: I have a bachelor's in Emergency Health Services, paramedic training from that and pre-med knowledge.
Tell us about the style of your work: I love detail so the more detail the better. Also, I teeter more towards realism and prefer black and grey to color but love doing both.
Conventions usually worked: I have only worked the Morgantown, WV Tattoo Expo the first 3 years they were established but would like to work more after getting more established in Wilmington.
Where did you apprentice?: I apprenticed in Gettysburg, PA in 2013 under Andy Locke of Locke Studios. I completed my apprenticeship 10 months after I started it.
What tattoo artist do you most admire: I aspire to tattoo like Carlos Torres and Nikko Hurtado. Both have immaculate black and grey skills and do that realistic style that I love. Nikko's color work is also incredible and would love to be on the caliber of these guys one day.
Before someone gets a tattoo what advice do you give them?: Make sure it's exactly what you want, it'll be there for a while. I never mind making changes to a design to fit a client's needs exactly. If they are a first-timer, I will walk them through every step so there's no surprises.
How did you get into tattooing: In High School, I aspired to become a doctor one day. My sister aspired to be a tattoo artist. After completing my bachelor's, I was not ready for medical school and decided to work as a paramedic until I was ready. I found it difficult even to find a paramedic job, was bartending at the time, and took an opportunity with a local tattoo artist that my sister was also looking into. I've always enjoyed art and fell in love with the whole process of tattooing.
What inspires you to be an artist: I am inspired by people, I love tattooing faces. I've always been drawn to imagery of people. There can be quite a mystery with different facial expressions. I find that expression and eyes tend to tell a story in a piece of art.
What kind of tattoos do you look forward to doing: I would love to do more portraits and capture the essence of a loved one on skin. I've always been drawn to faces in art and it's what I love the most.
Is there a tattoo that you haven't done yet that you are dying to do: I would love to do a full backpiece. I've done the top half of a back before but I think it would be awesome to design a whole back piece and put my skills into something larger.