Interview With Head Designer Of Rats Get Fat
Rats Get Fat is one of our most unique brands at Culture Kings. Artists who contribute designs to Rats Get Fat represent a collection of hardworking individuals drunk on good times, refusing to fall in line and conform. Ever wanted to know what goes on behind the scenes of Australia's most iconic tattoo-inspired brand? Then this exclusive interview with the head designer will give you all the answers you're after!
Rats Get Fat was created to share and spread the art of tattooing and make it more available to all. It is a brand that does the simple things right and puts the art at the forefront. No bullshit, no gimmicks, just amazing custom artwork on high-quality garments. Why over-complicate things...work hard, party harder!
Being a former Tattoo Artist myself, I find inspiration for design in many areas of life. Designing for a brand that specializes in the Traditional Tattoo Style, inspiration comes from the past and current artists who continue on this iconic style. From America, through Europe and Australia, Traditional Tattoo Design is ever evolving and Rats Get Fat is at the forefront.
From bold power-lining, vibrant colours and cool subject matter, it isn't hard to find inspiration and want to continue to create and evolve in the world of tattoo design. I think the overall process of tattooing, the history and the continual evolution inspires me constantly.
I use a mixture of different software and drawing techniques when creating for Rats Get Fat. A lot of my sketch work is done on the iPad Pro in the Procreate Application. I also use the Wacom Cintaq 22HD Creative Pen Display heavily for sketch purposes. When it comes to making adjustments to designs and building them digitally I use Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator and when completing the final designs I use Adobe Illustrator exclusively.
That is a varying process depending on what type of range I am developing. If it is a personal design that is not part of a range it will take a few short hours from sketch concept through to the final design, then once it has been sent off to print it will usually take a week to arrive depending on how backed up the printer is and how many other pieces the brand has on the go. An Artist Series is a longer process as I am working directly with each artist to ensure each design is represented digitally as they would like, then once the whole range has been approved it will go to print and be back usually within a week again. Many factors contribute to timeframes for each range and design but overall the process is a fairly quick one.
The recent Artist Series I did with Ami James was personally a huge deal as his show Miami Ink was one of the reasons I fell in love with the art of tattooing and eventually became a tattoo artist myself. Another favourite range is the Bad Vibes Collection from last year where I stepped away from the traditional tattoo style a little and in the end, it was a huge success.
