Today we’d like to introduce you to Dustin Pacheco.
Hi Dustin, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself
I got started on my tattoo journey in 2006 my grandmother bought me my first tattoo kit and I actually did my first tattoo on her as well, I bought huck Spalding’s a-z tattooing and pretty much learned the basics from that and began tattooing myself and close friends I grew up drawing and painting so the drawing aspect of it came easy to me I picked up a few pointers from other artists I meet along the way and eventually quit my construction job and just tattooed, 9 mo. later I got lucky and was walking by a tattoo shop when the artist hanging out front asked me where I got my work done I had just done a huge pirate ship on my outer left leg earlier that week, I told them I did it myself I guess they were impressed because they invited me back the next day to do a practice piece since they were looking for another artist, I came back the next day did a portrait of the leprechaun from the movie leprechaun and somehow pulled it off and was hired on the spot as a full time artist, the head artist there at the time took me under his wing and showed me everything else I needed to learn to be a good tattoo artist I worked at that shop for 7 years eventually running the shop as a head artist/manager I ended up moving shops and bouncing around the San Diego area for the next few years working with many well-respected artists in big shops till I found a private shop I’m at now in El Cajon called Amara Tattoo Studio.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
I got addicted to drugs early on in my tattoo career the second day as a professional tattoo artist I got introduced to heroin and I struggled with it for the next 7 years I eventually made the choice to get clean three months after that I meet my wife and three months after that I found out I was going to be a father it’s been almost nine years now I’m married with three children and still going strong
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’m a custom tattoo artist that specializes in black and grey realism but I do every style from custom lettering to color work, traditional and neo-traditional tattoos, cover ups and fine line tattoos, my favorite things to tattoo are portraits of people and animals and I love doing custom lettering script and old English styles, I get asked to do a lot of cover ups which are very rewarding when someone has something they don’t like on them and I can change that and give them something they’re proud of to wear forever
Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
I have hard luck tattooed across my knuckles and I believe I’ve had that to the fullest I’ve been very lucky my whole life to the opportunities that have come my way to second chances at life, I’ve been given several times, it was luck that I walked by that tattoo shop almost 16 years ago and got noticed now I’ve built a successful career that I can provide for my family and even gave my brother the same opportunity has now been tattooing almost 15 years.
Contact Info:
- Email: dpacheco3571@gmail.com
- Instagram: Www.Instagram.com/dustinjeffreytattoos
