Meet Danielle Daynos | Fineline/Anime Tattoo Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Danielle Daynos and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Danielle, what role has risk played in your life or career?
I took a lot of risks when it came to tattooing. I was actually an Elementary School Art Teacher (K-5) before I came into this career. For a long time, going to college and getting a job with that degree has always been the goal. It was not until I actually started my job, that I realized I wanted something different for myself.

That was a really scary conclusion to come to, especially with immigrant parents who moved here from the Philippines to give me a better quality of life. Doing something out of the norm was unheard of to them. Tattooing is such an unknown industry in a way, in terms of how to get into it and to be successful as well. Everyone knows about the concept of a “starving-artist”, and that’s what my parents thought I would be. When I first told them about it, they were so mad (rightfully so) and mostly fearful for me. I would be risking the stability of my career and everything I knew for something they thought to be “bad”, affiliated with gangs, drugs, etc. But I doubled down and wanted to prove to them that I could do it. So over the summer, I started apprenticing in Texas (Dallas is my hometown), and I fell in love with tattooing. I worked another job icing cupcakes at Sprinkles from 5-11 am and then tattoo from 12-7 pm to make the money I needed to show my parents that I would be self-sufficient and that it was not a bad choice. The other risk I took, was knowing I had 6 months to lock down all the skills needed for this job before me and my husband moved to Colorado for the military. It was such a whirlwind of events, but so crucial to my journey.

Fast forward to today, I have grown so much in terms of skill and I have never regretted my choices. I am so so grateful to everyone who took a chance on me when I moved here. And to the studio who took me in (as typically you need 3 years of experience to get hired). I hope everyone gets to follow their passions someday too. It’s never too late!

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
What sets me apart is the fact that I do Fineline/Anime tattoos. Both are styles that have come up in popularity recently and mostly can only be found in Denver. When I first moved here to the Springs I was surprised by the amount of Traditional Tattoo shops that I found. Another thing is that I work at a woman owned and run shop, meaning everyone there is a woman and it is such a relaxing place to be in and get tattooed at compared to other places in the area.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If my friend was visiting, I would take them hiking in the morning up in Ute Park with my dogs. Afterward we’d go Downtown to grab a bite to eat. Maybe at Zocalo for some birria tacos, then get some dessert at Josh & John’s to end the night.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would love to shoutout all the small business in Old Colorado City. Great people with awesome businesses everyone should check out! It has been such a great places to work and connect with others.

Instagram: @danielledtattoos

Other: Email is danielledtattoos@gmail.com