If awards are anything to go by, then Venezuelan-born tattoo artist Jose Contreras is doing very well for himself. 

At just 33 years old, Jose has over a dozen coveted tattooing awards from significant expo events throughout the States. 

Throughout his 15-year career, Jose has traversed the globe, worked in some of the biggest studios on both sides of the Atlantic and learned from many influential artists. But ever since he began working with the Dark Age Tattoo studio in Dallas, Jose found that he could genuinely perfect his craft and enjoy the excellent weather, southern hospitality, lively culture, and significant professional relationships he’d made in the Texan city.

The payoff is that Jose has begun to receive widespread recognition for his brilliantly imaginative and artistically precise realism style. He brands himself as an ‘Animal Realism Tattoo Artist’ - and his portfolio includes some of the most evocative animal tattoos you’re likely ever to see… 

‍What is ‘Tattoo Realism,’ and why is it so popular?

Tattoo realism is a loosely defined term for the growing trend of artists producing incredibly true-to-life tattoos. These tattoos aim to be so realistic that they’re similar to a photograph or a 3D image. 

As a style, tattoo realism has grown popular thanks to the fact that tattooing is finally being taken seriously as an art form, and, thus, there’s now greater demand for complex, intricate tattoos. Due to this, tattoo artists have been able to hone their craft correctly, work with state-of-the-art tattooing equipment, and gain a profound respect for their work. 

For Jose Contreras, this has all given him the space to thrive as an artist truly. 

His signature style involves bringing his tattoos to life by paying particular attention to the small details. His versatility as an artist has meant that he works on significant and much smaller pieces - often just a few inches wide - where he brings his skills in ‘micro realistic tattooing’ to the fore. 

So, what does the future hold for Jose? Well - not sitting on his hands, if that’s what you’re thinking. Beyond his work in Dallas, Jose has also become a celebrity artist in the last few years, providing ink for Post Malone, Ozuna, and Odell Beckham Jr. 

In the coming months, he plans to continue growing his reputation by working throughout the States as a guest artist in various studios, where he’ll get to hone his craft further. 

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