Building a path towards tattoo artistry
“Keep an open mind. Sometimes you just have to put the work into it for it to be good.”
Claudia Nowak chose to study Art and Design Level 3 at Leicester College as a step towards her ambition of becoming a tattoo artist, while continuing to develop her wider creative practice.
“I plan to become a tattoo artist, and I also really want my artwork to be in galleries,” says Claudia. “I thought this course would really help me.”
When researching her options, Claudia was drawn to Leicester College after looking at the course online and seeing that it brought together the creative areas she wanted to explore.
“There was everything I wanted there,” she explains. “It wasn’t just that you had to do lots of separate courses. It felt like the course had everything in one place.”
A welcoming and creative environment
Since starting at Leicester College, Claudia has enjoyed the different atmosphere compared with school, particularly the more relaxed and supportive relationship with staff.
“It’s been good so far. Every teacher I’ve come across has been accepting,” says Claudia. “It feels more mutual, like you can speak to people properly. Everyone is very nice.”
One of Claudia’s highlights has been meeting new people. Starting college without anyone from her secondary school could have felt daunting, but she found it easy to make friends.
“I was put into a class full of new people, but it was very easy to make friends because everyone was very nice,” she says.
Developing creative freedom
Claudia has also enjoyed the practical structure of the course, which gives students the opportunity to work independently and move between projects.
“There are lots of practicals,” she explains. “We do academic practice and research as well, but overall, it’s quite freeing. If you’re done with one lesson, you can go to a different lesson and do something else.”
She has already recommended the course to a friend, who is now planning to come to Leicester College to study the same subject.
“My best friend is coming here next year to do the same course,” says Claudia. “They saw some of the work I posted and said, ‘I want to do that too.’”
Next steps and creative ambitions
Claudia’s next step is to complete the course and continue developing her skills in tattooing. She is also keen to keep working on her own artwork, particularly semi-realistic portraiture with deeper meaning and symbolism.
“I want to practise more with tattooing, try to get my work into actual galleries, and hopefully get an apprenticeship as a tattoo artist,” she says.