TAM Interview Yoni Zilber-5 Points NYC
• What’s your name, age and where are you originally from?
My name is Yoni Zilber, I’m 49 and I’m originally from Israel.
How long have you been living in the states?
I moved here in 2002 , 23 years now .
• You’ve been tattooing professionally since what year?
I started tattooing in 1997
• When did you actually start?
Psycho tattoo Tel Aviv, Israel
• What sort of artistic background do you have, self taught or did you go to school?
Self thought , although I took some private lessons at times.
What sort of private lessons?
Figure drawings by a private teacher .
• What was the very first tattoo that you ever saw and on who?
In a hardcore music magazine , the issue was on the bands tattoos , I think the lead singer of the pro mags , Harley`s chest was what put the impact on me to want tattoos .
The design on Harley`s chest came from Pinky Yun flash, Norman Demers from Montreal, Canada did the tattoo in 1985. I take it that you like Hardcore music, any favorite bands?
My friend who brought me the magazine , she was into hardcore more , im more all over the place with music ,but I do enjoy mad ball , I also used to work as a guest in 1999 for Vinnie stigma ( agnostic front )and jimmy gestafo ( Murpyh`s law ) at there shop on lower east side , new york hardcore .
• What made you want to become a tattooer?
I met an old sailor on the beach when I was just 15yrs old and he showed me some of his tattoos and tild me few stories from the 50th and 60th , how he was tattooing on marchenc ships around the world , these stories made me want to do tattoos and live like him .
Sailors and tattooing have a long history, tattoos with memories of ports visited, crossing the equator and made for luck. Five favorite nautical designs?
I do enjoy doing nautical images like anchors and octopuses , in Tibetan art the do have some water creatures as well that I enjoy doing .
• Who was it that you apprenticed under and how did that come to be?
My master/ mentor is Avi Vanunu , he started in the late 80`s and was very well known in Tel Aviv and around the world , how it came about will fill about 3 page here .
But long story short , after he refused the first time I asked , I flew to Europe in search to learn , during my travels , I ran in to hi again in Amsterdam just by chance , that led to us becoming friends , and he eventually agreed to teach me , I went through about 7 yrs of apprenticeship with him .
• Have you ever learned how to make your own needles or did you start with pre-made needles?
I started at the time in Israel , that there was no tattoo magazines , no Internet and no way to get tattoo supplies unless you fly to America . So we used to get our needles from the same suppliers that make needles for insectarium ( to pin bugs on displays ) , and we use to make our own jigs and solder all our needles ourselves , on pressed needle bars after we ran the in an autoclave . As an apprentice I made needles to every tattooer at the shop , so about 100 or 150 needles a week . Long nights 🙂 .
It sounds like you did a proper apprenticeship, how long was it until you had a machine in your hand?
I was a hang around for about a year , then I started tracing images from flash for another 6 month and my first tattoo I did on a old school gangster guy from Tel Aviv that in a way my boss didn’t have a choice and agree form me to tattoo him as he asked to be my first costumer 🙂 . We knew each other from before … so I will say about a year and a half after coming in to the shop .
• What studio are you working in now and with who?
I work at Fivepoints tattoo Nyc with Chris Garver , Teddy Ferrer, Lara Scotton , Jason Monroe , Innes and few more. I also have my private studio in New Jersey called Watermark studio .
Five Points crew seems to be fun to work with, lots of talent. Name your favorite thing about each person.
it is a lot of fun working at five points , the shop still feels like a tattoo shop ( it is harder thesis days to keep the authenticity , I get inspired by everyone there , Teddy is very methodical and talented , Lara is all around tattooer that I feel like we are same generation of tattooers and I love her work .
And of course Chris Garver is someone I looked and still looking up too, I say he is the Michael Jordan of tattooing , so I feel like I`m in the NBA 🙂
• You love Tibetan tattoo designs, bold and solid… Why is that when there are so many other styles of tattooing?
Tibetan art style , I find Tibetan art very fitting for tattooing as it is as well comes with black lines and after adjusting it to tattooing it translate perfectly on the skin , there is beautiful meaning behind it as well . I studied Tibetan art under a master painter for 10 yrs .
What was the most important aspect of Tibetan art that he taught you?
It taught me that every line is a world by itself , and I trying to think of that when I line tattoos as well , it is where you see the quality of the painting when you just see the lines .
• Any one particular design that you always loved to do?
I like doing all tattoos , but if you will tell me do what ever you want you will end up with skull 🙂
Besides yourself, which other tattoo artists draw crazy ass skulls, name five.
Chris Garver , Jondix , Claus Fuhrmann ,Filip Leu, Shinji .
• Of all the tattooists that you’ve met and befriended during your career, which one left the most lasting impression on you and why?
Oh that will be too many to mention so ill mention the obvius : Filip Leu, Claus Fuhrmann, Bill Salmon , Chris Garver , Avi Vanunu , and Ami James and many more.
Bill Salmon left us much too early, what’s your best memory of Bill, where were you and what was going on?
It was at the NYC tattoo convention maybe 2004. The last day of the show I drove my 1961 Cadillac de Ville up there and as I pulled up front the Rosland ballroom to pack my stuff Bill Salmon was standing outside , he looked at my car and said “ I`m hanging out with you tonight ! We drove all around Manhattan and Brooklyn bar hopping , myself, Bill Salmon and Frank Romano , that was a night for the books. At the end of the night or I think it was already morning, I dropped him off at Shinji`s place on lower east side. Before I left I got out of the car to give him a hug , and Bill pulled down his pants to show me my car tattooed on him all across his thighs by Ed Hardy , it was a 1959 caddy but still my car 🙂 that was awesome 🙂
• Which legend in tattooing comes first to mind when you think of all the great tattooers over the last 100 plus years?
Bob Roberts
Why Bob Roberts?
First, great Tibetan style of tattooing, I think for his generation. He feels like the real tattooer , an amazing artist , creative and execution of everlasting strong tattoos. It my ideal tattooing , almost simple looking but so hard to achieve that look.
• Which famous tattoo machine builder comes first to mind?
Paul Rogers
• First tattoo machine you ever owned?
•Micky Sharpz 1996
Which frame style was it?
Microdial
• What has been your favorite coil tattoo machine, one that has always made the lineup?
Filip Leu by Richard Pinch shader and Mike Wilson liner.
How many machines do you own? Tune them yourself?
I used to own about 3 workman cabinets drawer full of machines in 2022 and broke my shoulder skateboarding and was out of work for 5 months. After 2 month I was worried about paying my bills and sold about 25 machines, so now I have one full drawer. I honestly didn’t count, maybe 20 machines left .
I do tune them myself, during my apprenticeship and hanging with older tattooers I learn how to cut springs and tune my machines .
• Do you use a rotary machine or pen? Which brand and why?
I sometime use rotary ( Jondix) not much of pens …
Using the rotary for shading or lining?
I use it for more the stipple shadings I some time do, sometimes to pack colors
• Which Japanese tattoo artist do you look up to the most?
Horitoshi 1
• You are known for your colorful, bold tattoos, which brand of colors are you using now and why?
I use some of my own mixes , powders from national and Spaulding.I do like Derma Glow and Luna Pigments as well .
You mix your own colors, any secret ingredients?
I do use to mix my own, but I`m not giving away my secrets here 🙂
• You do mostly black work, what inks are you using and why?
Talons ( I`ve used it for my whole career and my teacher used it for his. I have 30 yrs old tattoos on me made from Talons and they stood the test of time ) I also use Japanese Sumi for my shadings and Pelikan as well.
What about numbing products, do you let your customers use them, and what’s your thought about it? Do you like tattooing dead skin? If you use numbing creams what product do you suggest?
I rather my costumers not use it , in my last 20 years I don’t remember me doing touch ups for healed tattoos , but the only one I needed touched up recently was tattoos that they use numbing cream. Sometimes the skin looks red before we even start and I don’t like that skin already irritated before I even start , and drawing on skin feels different with that on too. I feel like the pain should be part of the process.
• What`s your favorite reference book in your collection for tattooing?
Horitoshi 1 book , and many Tibetan art books .
• You`ve traveled a lot as a tattoo artist, which tattoo convention is your favorite and why?
I traveled all over the wold for tattooing , London ( now Frankfurt by Miki Vialleto ) was my favorite , Paris by Tintin as well , and back in the day Stockholm convention I did loved to go.
This is the last year of the Paris convention, are you going?
Yes I am ! Sad its the last one and excited to go as it always so much fun .
• You have also done a lot of guest spots all over, which studios have you been to and why did you go there?
Wow too many 🙂 all the shops I worked at I was invited by friends and enjoyed all of them. I learn a lot from working in so many shops, a few off the top of my head : Danny Boy`s shop Rose Tattoo ( Sawyer family before ) Amsterdam , Dragon tattoo ( Eindhoven ) , Inksmith and Rogers ( Jacksonville Fl) ,Diamond Club ( San Fransisco ) , Spotlight tattoo ( LA) , Seven Doors ( London ) , Love Hate ( London ) , Holy city tattoo ( Charleston SC) .
5 Favorite Cities to visit?
Amsterdam , Tel Aviv , Tokyo , Stockholm and San Francisco
• The new generation of tattoo artists are not doing apprenticeships today. Do you think learning from online courses, tattoo schools or from YouTube videos can be a replacement for a real apprenticeship?
No , I think learning to tattoo needs to be hands on , you actually need to be in a tattoo shop to learn , and one of the important part is to get a lot of tattoos on yourself , best teaching !
What are the best designs for covering up a tattoo?
Any thing with leafs , scales , hair … I do like to use Tibetan wrathful images as they are usually dark black and blue .
• We all have the one special story about tattooing a customer during our career that is told and told time after time, which is yours?
I had a costumer who flew me around the world to tattoo him, where ever he end up vacationing , it was a fun trips.
Sounds like the guy was loaded, where did he take you?
British virgin island , Bahamas , St Kitts , and a private island in the Caribbeans
• What’s a tattoo you secretly judge people for getting?
• -not sure honestly , everyone who put a tattoo under his skin have his reasons , and I don’t judge 🙂
• Besides tattooing, what other types of art are you interested in?
I paint a lot
Whats your favorite subject when you paint?
I like when people commission me and giving me the subject , but if I just paint I think skulls and dragons , anything with eyes 🙂
• What’s the hardest part about working with other tattoo artists in a studio?
If you have the right artists around you there is no problems , I`m good with any kind of music and used to craziness 🙂
Your ideal tattooing environment is; Music playing, Conversation or quiet with no distractions?
Music , and conversations , I do like my private studio , but working at five points is fun as it is a big open space and when we are all tattooing and having fun talking between our selves and with our clients .
• Worse type of customer?
The one that should not get tattooed in the first place.
Who are those people you think shouldn`t get tattooed and why?
I think some people over think it to the point that it feels forced , like they come in to the shop and make the leap to sit in the chair but still kicking tires , and trying to prolong the actual getting it .
• Best type of customer?
The one who research and find the best fit for what they want .
• Ever regret picking this as a profession, was there something else you wanted to do?
The first time I walked into a tattoo shop I felt that thats where I belong , I love tattooing and I love to tattoo , not sure what I would do other then that , I just feel lucky to be doing what I love.
Tattoos are a luxury and as I am writing this the American economy sucks, government shutdown, food prices soaring, etc. Do you feel this at work?
Yes for sure , I feel like it hit my area about 8 month ago I started having zero days , and I thought it maybe I do something wrong like not playing the social media game right or something like that , but then I realized everyone around me is slow as well. Now I tattoo much less , but I paint a lot and work on a book project, to be productive , and I make it with the tattoos I do , but I`m ready for more, I love tattooing and I rather do that more then anything .
• Anything else we should know about you?
I care for the tattoos I do , and I strive to do my best.
• You are familiar with Tattoo Artist Magazine, what did you like best about it?
I am familiar , and I like that they show some great tattoos in it , and keep the quality up .
• In one sentence describe TAM
Not sure, still involves in real tattooing ?
• TAM is only online now, If TAM was to publish a hard copy magazine with the same content that is available on the website, would you buy it?
Yes I do like physical magazines , I’m not online much.