Meet Kevin Waltz | Tattoo Artist and illustrator

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

Hi Kevin, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
Consistency to be blunt. Many people ask “how do you get to do your job for a living?” You commit and dedicate yourself to your craft everyday until it becomes muscle memory. Simple answer is you just do it. Meaning, as an artist and tattoo artist, I produce work as often as I can even if it’s not for anything in specific, because it’s been proven if you put it out there on the socials and public someone will see it and inquire for your business. I’ve had art pieces used for band posters, shirts, books, comic, etc etc that were seen by just putting out for public viewing. “Finished but not perfect” is the mindset. By just producing you will get better and get more seen, the perfection will never come but you’ll get closer every time. Have 100 products out there instead of one nearly perfect one.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I am a tattoo artist and illustrator. Just an artist in general. I started way back as a kid and would draw all the time. It became obvious I was better than most so I figured I should give it a try because I loved it as well. If not for my art classes in high school I may have stopped because it wasn’t the most lucrative business. My teacher pushed me to pursue art in college and I realized I had the chance to do something because I loved it, not because I had to. Graduated from Northern Colorado with my BA in Visual Arts with emphasis in drawing and graphic design. Once I graduated I knew nothing would be handed to me so I just took everyday to create and put work out there. Eventually word would spread and I stared getting jobs to make some money. I did album covers for bands, shirt designs and concert posters for bands. That lead to more jobs like doing paintings for the G.O.A..T sports bar in Greeley owned by the Rockies owners. I always loved tattooing and almost did it strait out of high school but figured I should get my degree first to have options. 5 years ago I knew I wanted to try something else and when I have a plan A I don’t have a plan B because I’ll do anything to make plan A work. So I got an apprenticeship and started tattooing! Now I work at Phantom 8 tattoo south of Denver. I still do art projects as well and have been the colorist on comic books and children’s books as well . Plan and simple I never stopped. Too many people in graduated with from art school stopped and never got their craft going again where I just kept producing. The other main factor to success is surrounding yourself with other people in your craft. I would do comic cons and other events to meet other artists to help grow and network for myself. Every day is a challenge but you have to look at yourself in the mirror at the end of each day and ask yourself “did I do my best today” and only you know the answer. So in short it’s very hard and you have to grab it yourself. Nothing is owed to you at all.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Depending on time of year a sporting event is always a good time. Be it at Mile High for the Broncos, Ball Arena for the Nuggets/Avs, or Coors for the Rockies. For drinks or food the Rhino district in general is great. Mission ballroom, Fillmore, and Ogden are my favorite venues for a god concert as well. I’m a Pizza guy so Big Bills New York pizza in Highlands Ranch is one of my favorite. South Broadway is a great stretch of are for cool shops and coffee. First Fridays on Santa Fe are a must as well to take a visitor too!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Definitely my mother. Since day one she has always supported my work, and stressed the idea that as long as I put 100 percent into what I do, the success will come. She helped me get into art school at the University of Northern Colorado and helped with getting me off the ground in buying some expensive graphic design equipment. Also I’d say music in general. The type of music I listen to is known for having extremely well done artwork for their album covers, shirts and merch in general. It was always so inspiring to see the art that represented the music I loved and how it made you feel. I’d lie if comics were not a big influence too as I read a ton growing up.

Website: https://kevinwaltzart.com

Instagram: https://kevin.waltz

Twitter: https://kevin.waltz

Facebook: Art of Kevin Waltz

Other: Phantom 8 Tattoo and Piercing

Image Credits
Just myself