Tattoo trends come and go, but mythological tattoos are one tattoo style that never go out of style. Jacques Alonso will know. He is a New York City-based tattoo artist from Seville, Spain, who has been tattooing for a long time, specializing in both realism and surrealism. Read this award-winning artist's story.
About Jacques Alonso
A lifelong fine artist and tattoo artist, Alonso has been running his own tattoo studio in Malaga since 2010 before moving to New York City in 2023. Known for painting realistic portraits on skin.
Alonso has won more than a dozen awards for his tattoo work at conventions across the United States. He recently won nine awards at the New Jersey Meadowlands Tattoo Festival presented by Villain Arts, including first place for “Best Black and White Ink Portrait” and first place for “Black and Gray Large Tattoo.”
The Spanish artist paints hyper-realistic portraits of various sports stars, including animals, people and mythical creatures. The list includes American football player Jalen Ramsey of the Miami Dolphins and basketball player Dom Thompson from California.
his tattoo style
Over the past 14 years, he has painted classical art and mythological figures for hundreds of clients. “Classical art and mythology are endless sources of inspiration for me, as both contain vast and profound visions and rich symbolic meanings,” Alonso said. “Mythology provides characters and stories imbued with meaning, allowing me to create pieces for clients that have emotional weight and personal connection, rather than just simple design.”
He also played for Álvaro Vadillo, former FC Barcelona player Chumi, Lucas Robertone, Pozo and Mikel Spanish footballers such as Miquel Villanueva have left ink and are scheduled to play for New York Red Bulls footballer Kyle Duncan, New York Giants footballer Andru Phillips and Inter Miami Football player Franco Negri.
He has become an expert at creating smooth marble looks that pay homage to classic art marble sculptures. This is a difficult texture to create with ink.
“To achieve the beauty of marble in the tattoo, I worked extensively on contrast and the way light and shadow are cast,” Alonso said. “I focused on using various shading and gradient techniques to create a smooth, polished textural effect, similar to the luster of marble. I also paid close attention to precise details and contours to give the image the three-dimensional feel unique to Greek sculpture.
He also inked biblical figures, Archangel Michael and angels such as the Last Supper. He also inked mythological figures such as Poseidon, Hermes and Athena. “I believe that in mythology it is one of the most popular tattooed figures because of the symbolism it inspires and the momentum it provides in every piece,” Alonso said.
Awards
Alonso recently won an award at the Papillon Tattoo Convention in Springfield, Massachusetts, where he received three first-place awards in realism and portrait tattoos. He has also had the honor of serving as a judge for the New York Tattoo Convention, the most prestigious tattoo convention in the United States, and most recently served as a judge for the 10th annual Tampa Tattoo Festival organized by Villain Arts in Tampa.
Speaking of Greek mythology, Alonso first used these figures to learn to paint. “At the beginning of my career as a tattoo artist, I became interested in understanding and studying the meaning of Greek mythology,” he said. “I later even bought books and audiobooks to delve deeper into the subject. I discovered a fascinating world filled with characters and stories that convey lessons and values that are still relevant today.
He continued to revisit them throughout his career, and returned to them regularly not only for their symbolism but also for their significance. “Each mythological story offers a profound lesson, which makes the art of tattooing very attractive,” Alonso said. “The beauty of its figures and sculptures is impressive, especially considering that they were created without modern tools. This made Greek mythology a very popular style, not only because of its visual beauty, but also because of its symbolic significance that remains today Makes sense.
Check @jac_Alonso on Instagram.
