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Nunu Balazos, the Latino Skin Picasso |
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Written by Jade Smith
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Jade: When did you get your first tat, what was it, and where was it?
Ruben: I got a tattoo when I was 12 and I did it myself but it was really sh*tty and it faded away. It was on my stomach and it was initials. My first real tattoo was when I was 18 and I got these two R’s standing for my initials, one for each shoulder.
Jade: What is your inspiration for your tattoo art?
Ruben: The shape of the body part that I'm putting it on, I always work around the arm and stuff like that. It all depends on the body part.
Jade: What does a tattoo represent to you?
Ruben: Tattoos represent my portfolio on my skin because I drew all the tattoos that I have on my body. Ruben jokingly adds: They make me look pretty.
Jade: Does your Mexican heritage influence the style of your art?
Ruben: Yes, I do a lot of day of the dead artwork and I try to incorporate the similar style with everything that I draw in tattoos and in my paintings.
Jade: How does your family feel about your occupation as a tattoo artist?
Ruben: They hate it because they feel like I do it because I hate my body and they think that tattoos are for scum.
Jade: Have you designed any tats for your family?
Ruben: I've tattooed my three older brothers... one was his daughter's name and other was a tribal design on one of my brother's arms, and my other brother I gave a tattoo with Aztec designing.
Jade: Would you consider tattoo art a subculture of Latino culture?
Ruben: Yes because in tracing back to Mayan history they all have tattoos and it serves as a rite of passage.
Jade: How was your experience in art school? Did you find it too traditional for your taste? Was there room for personal expression? Did it interfere with your tattoo art?
Ruben: It interfered with my tattoo art and all my other forms of art because it gave you so much sh*t to do that you didn’t have time to do your own thing. There was space for individual expression and the teachers wanted you to do their style of art.
Jade: Do your tats change the way people look at you? How so?
I'll go into a mall or a restaurant and people will stare with disgust or get weirded out. Hella people will get uncomfortable, people freak because I have tattoos up to my neck and on my fingers, there's no hiding my tattoos.
Jade: What name do people know you by in the tattoo world?
Ruben: Nunu Balazos. Nunu comes from my little brother. When he was a baby he called me Nunu because he couldn't pronounce Ruben and balazos [gunshots] is really Latin sounding and is slang for gun, and in my case it represents a tattoo gun.
Jade: What are the challenges and joys of being a tattoo artist?
Ruben: The challenges are definitely when you first start you don't get to do any big and crazy looking stuff, you have to do the real simple stuff like hearts and butterflies but then eventually you can do sleeves and body suits and stuff. The privileges are getting free tattoos and meeting a bunch of people, getting hella hookups, and when people really like your work they send you more customers!
Jade: What should someone look for in a tattoo artist?
Ruben: Check out their portfolio and make sure they have really clean lines in their drawing. Make sure you see their tattoos on a person after they've healed to see that there is no scarring and that it blends in nicely. 
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