Artist Spotlight: Tony Vilella

If you’re in the market for a vivid and hyper-realistic tattoo, your search ends with Tony Vilella—a phenomenal tattooer of over 15 years who specializes in eye-popping color realism. One glance at Vilella’s Instagram will blow you away with its plethora of strikingly colorful pieces, which are both vibrant in tone and immaculate in detail. Vilella has done it all, from endearing family portraits to scenes from iconic media franchises like Batman or Captain America, as well as courageous animals and ethereal depictions of Greek gods. With every piece, Vilella hones his style of realism to create multi-dimensional pieces that pop right off the skin.

Having begun his career in Brazil, Vilella is able to compare the differences between his early days in a country where resources to tattooing were less accessible, to how widely embraced it is in New York City. Here, he was opened up to a thriving culture in which he could truly find himself and his artistic path. Vilella took a moment to tell us about his journey of tattooing and how he came to find his captivating style.

How long have you been tattooing and what first drew you to the art form?

I started tattooing in 2006. It will be 17 years this year. I’ve always liked art in general and drawing has been my favorite hobby since childhood. I discovered the tattoo world through friends and acquaintances and I started falling in love more and more because I saw that I could have a future working with what I loved to do.

Did you always think tattooing was going to become your career?

No, because in those days everything was difficult to access in Brazil. The materials for tattooing were restricted, as was the internet access. I was not able to follow what was happening worldwide so I wasn’t absolutely sure my passion would be my career.

How did your family react to you becoming a tattoo artist?

I was raised by my mother alone and she always supported and encouraged me. Today she is very proud of everything I’ve achieved.

What are the differences between tattoo culture in Brazil and in New York?

New York differs greatly in culture, diversity and customs because having passed through here, great artists are not only in the field of tattooing but every artistic area. This is what makes the city breathe art, what makes New York different from not only Brazil, but from other countries. It’s very hard to compare.

What made you want to focus on colorful realism?

I like the colorful realism because it refers to the more complex stage of the study of painting, the most difficult part of the process. I like black-and-grey, many of my works are done in this style, but for me, the procedure of the black-and-grey poses fewer challenges. The colorful realism brings me to the limit of my knowledge and practice. It challenges me to go forward.

You have shown a lot of your paintings on Instagram. What are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced when transferring your painting skills to tattooing?

I didn’t face any challenges because with art in general, first you create in your mind and then you choose the medium you will use to display your art. Transferring to the skin is a process of pigmentation. Introducing the pigment into the skin with minimum aggression to the skin for good and fast healing is sometimes difficult and limited.

Do you have specific characters or movie franchises that you like to tattoo the most?

I would like to tattoo almost any character because they are fun. Often my only concern is to make the exact replica and have fun with the process. I also have fun with creations, too, but mine take longer to develop, when with movie characters I just need a copy. My favorites are movies of the ‘80s, ancient classics like horror and superheroes.

What is your favorite thing about being part of the tattoo community?

Because I love tattooing, I love our community. We appreciate and value this world of tattooing. We learn from each other, and being able to learn and teach is something I like very much. For me, it’s a privilege to be a part of this community.

What do you think you’d be doing if you weren’t a tattoo artist?

I can’t imagine myself doing anything different than tattooing, because I’ve never experienced anything other than that.

Where do you hope tattooing will take you in the future?

I hope it takes me much higher. I know for many artists to be where I am, it would be their goal. Imagine a child like me who came from the favelas of Brazil, my mother had to sell candy and flowers in the streets to bring me and my brothers food. A child who didn’t even have the proper clothes or shoes to go to school, and now I am here in New York City. I’ve won various awards nationally and internationally, among them “Best of Show” at the 2018 Empire State Tattoo convention.

Looking at my trajectory and seeing where I came from is very rewarding, but I know I can go higher. I don’t know how high yet, but I feel that my journey is long and I am ambitious and attentive with my work. I want to conquer and perfect the art of tattooing, and also be inspirational and an example to those who are from where I came from.

Soon I will be launching my set of inks, they’re my creations with different tones that will help other tattoo artists to work with colorful realism. Also soon in the media, my online classes of colorful realism will reach various countries around the world. It’s emotional and I’m very grateful for everything and everyone who helped me to get here, where I am today at Inked in New York City.