Today we’d like to introduce you to Frank LaNatra.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
As a young kid, I was heavily into art and music. I had studied music for most of my early years and well into my twenties. I always had a knack for drawing cartoons, though and eventually decided to go to school for animation. Just before I turned 21, I got offered to apprentice in a tattoo studio. It had just been legalized in NY at the time. I started tattooing in November of ’97 and though I enjoyed it, I didn’t feel I would ever truly be able to survive doing it.
In December of 2006, Just after my 30th birthday, I realized I need to pursue a real career in the arts. I decided to try my hand at 3D animation and took a course at the NY Film Academy. I thoroughly enjoyed it and decided to pursue a degree in animation. March of ’07 I moved to Ft. Lauderdale and started my journey at the Art Institute of Ft. Lauderdale. This is also where I met my wife who went to school with me and I started teaching her how to tattoo. What started out as a Bachelor in Animation eventually became a degree in illustration. There I found my true passion for character and environmental design. While going to school full time, I was also working full time as a tattoo artist to make money and support myself. Little did I know, while finishing up my last year or so of school, my tattoo career would begin to take off. I had begun applying what I was studying at school to my style of tattooing.
By time my wife and I graduated, my tattoo career had grown pretty big and we decided to open a shop together with our employer at the time. This was the birth of Into the Woods Gallery. This was the start of my true journey into the tattoo industry and what would lead me to where I am today. It was a long road and a lot of hard work but was worth every second of it. It has been over eight years since that day and my career has been everything I could have ever hoped for. I got to travel all over working conventions, teaching seminars and winning endless amounts of awards. I never pictured myself taking this path, but sometimes life has a way of taking you exactly where you’re supposed to go. Four years ago, I opened a second shop up in Stuart with a fellow artist and friend. My focus now is to help other artists around me grow and hopefully experience the same wonderful journey I got to experience as an artist. I also spend my time on my art, running my shops and tattooing very specific projects.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Nothing good in life comes easy. “Has it been a smooth road?” is really a matter of perspective. While on my journey to get to where I am today, it always seemed like there was endless challenges and hurdles to overcome. While going through them, it sometimes seemed like there was no end in sight. But I was raised with a good work ethic and I’m as stubborn and hardheaded as they come, so quit was never in my vocabulary. To be completely honest though when I look back now, it really was a smooth road. There was nothing I couldn’t do or achieve if I just worked hard at it. I can only say that I am grateful for everything the universe put in my path and to where it led me. So, at the time, what I might have considered struggles, I realize today were just little challenges that made life exciting and were there to help me become who I am today.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your art?
As an artist, I would categorize myself as an illustrator, my main mediums are Tattooing and Digital Painting. I specialize in character and environment design and have a very animated style which is heavily inspired by Pixar, Disney and other artists who work in that industry. I focus on telling my clients stories through illustration. What I am most proud of, is being able to take a moment in time from my client’s stories and create a scene that tells it. What I’ve become known for is my large-scale, full-color illustrations. It almost looks like a still from a 3D animated film. I think that’s also what sets me apart from others. I feel like my ability to set a mood and focus on strong color palettes and lighting really helps bring my life to my work. I try to utilize movement and expression in my characters as well as tension in my scenes. For me it’s not a tattoo but a look into a world I created based on my client’s story. This is not something often seen in illustrative or New School tattooing.
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
My best advice to anyone starting out would be to focus on your fundamentals. It always seems like everyone wants to rush through and just be an amazing artist, then struggles and can’t figure out why their work isn’t as good as they would like. What I wish I knew then and is now part of my regular routine is always studying my fundamentals. Understanding the basic principles of art, like color theory, values, perspective, lighting, anatomy and so many others. Learning to draw from life is the most important foundation in order to later exaggerate and create your own art. No one want’s to do the boring basics, but the reality is what most consider boring basics are the foundation for truly reaching the pinnacle of one’s imagination. Otherwise, it has nothing to stand on.
Contact Info:
- Email: intothewoodsgallery@gmail.com
- Website: http://intothewoodstattoo.com/
- Instagram: franklanatra
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/InkbyLaNatra
