Cacho: One Line at a Time

If you book a session with Ignacio “Cacho” Suarez, you’ll witness something rare: He’s a tattoo artist without any tattoos, but not for lack of interest. The Los Angeles tattoo artist is still deciding, still in that critical period of contemplation, ruminating over exactly what to get and what artist will vibe best with what he’s looking for.

“When I first started pursuing tattooing, I encountered a lot of gatekeeping in the industry. Some shop owners told me I wouldn’t be respected or successful without tattoos, and some even suggested that I let others tattoo me — random things on me, just to ‘earn my place,’” Cacho says. “Instead of following that outdated mindset, I took it as a challenge to prove that skill, dedication, and artistry matter more than fitting into a mold.”

He understands the journey his clients have taken to land in his chair. “Tattooing is an exchange of energy,” Cacho says. “When someone sits in my chair, they’re trusting me with something meaningful. That connection, that moment of creating something permanent is what makes tattooing so powerful.”

Cacho is making a name for himself by specializing in single-needle tattoos rather than traditional tattooing that relies on multiple needles. The challenge with this style of tattooing is the delicate nature of creating vivid artwork without causing harm — applying enough pressure to sufficiently penetrate the ink into the skin without hurting the client.

Once he started playing with fine-line tattooing, Cacho realized he could bring “precision and depth” to tattooing. “I’ve always been drawn to the smallest details,” he says. “I love the challenge. The idea that I can create something incredibly detailed in such a small space — something that looks almost surreal in its precision — drives me to keep pushing my limits.”

Despite his dedication and passion for tattooing, becoming a tattoo artist wasn’t always the plan. Initially, he came to L.A. to be a muralist. In fact, in Mexico City, where Cacho grew up, he spent time painting murals and dabbling in various art forms, including graphic design, editorial illustration, animation, and teaching young artists at a fashion design college.

“Art has always been my obsession, my way of seeing and understanding the world,” he says. This obsession began at a young age. When he was around 5 years old, his father noticed him drawing and encouraged it by bringing young Cacho to his studio, which he covered in construction paper. His father handed him charcoal and let him create. That moment solidified Cacho’s artistic journey, and while his path hasn’t always been linear, he says that each job along the way has allowed him to “explore different forms of storytelling through art,” shaping him into the artist he is today. “My goal has always been to build something bigger than just tattooing, to create work that inspires and leaves a lasting impact,” he says. “Creativity isn’t just what I do. It’s who I am.”

When he’s not tattooing, Cacho is still creating — painting, illustrating, and collaborating with fashion and jewelry brands. He even wrote a children’s book in Spanish that he’s working on translating to English. “I’m constantly pushing myself creatively,” he says.

As far as tattooing, this drive takes the shape of exploring ways to expand his fine-line work into larger pieces, such as sleeves and back pieces. The challenge with large work is maintaining the same intricate level of detail, but it’s a challenge Suarez welcomes.

He believes tattoos are “time capsules of our lives,” and the people sitting in his chair hope to capture a moment, memory, feeling, or experience that they can visibly carry with them.

For clients and celebrity married couple Katee Sackhoff and Robin Gadsby, their bodies are canvases, slowly being filled with art that captures what their daughter is interested in that year, whether it’s an airplane or her favorite book. “What I love most about this project is the anticipation, waiting to see what they’ll bring in next, hearing the stories behind their daughter’s latest obsession, and knowing that, in a few years, these pieces will be a map of her childhood,” Suarez says.

Cacho often has celebrities in his chair, including Tiffani Thiessen, Candace Cameron Bure, Stephen “tWitch” Boss, Teddi Mellencamp, Kyle Richards, Kaley Cuoco, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Sharna Burgess, Daniel Rodriguez, Daniella Monet, and Joel DELEŌN.

Regardless of their celebrity status, Suarez treats all his clients the same: with a strong commitment to being the best fine-line artist he can be and spreading kindness through each session. “Art is my language, my passion, and my way of understanding the world,” he says. “There’s still so much I want to create, and I want people to be part of that journey.”