Today we’d like to introduce you to Kseniia Oliinyk.
Hi Kseniia, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Hello! My passion for art really began in my early childhood. The walls in my room were always covered with my drawings. I attended art school even before I started regular school. Then, at the age of 14, when I saw the show “Miami Ink” — especially Kat Von D — I realized that tattooing combined two things I was passionate about: art and medicine. At that time, I had just enrolled in a medical academy to study nursing. That’s when I decided that tattooing would become my life’s work.
My initial learning phase was with a tattoo artist from a nearby town. I went to his lessons only two or three times. He showed me the basic fundamentals, after which I continued learning on my own. I also took a short course in a local studio where I was living at the time. However, I didn’t gain much practical skill from it — it was mostly focused on tattoo design. My second teacher didn’t believe in me. He said I would never become a real tattoo artist because, in his eyes, I was still a kid. So I kept learning independently. Later, when I began earning from tattooing, I started attending various masterclasses and conferences. And to this day, I continue learning.
I began tattooing clients at 14. My first tattoo was a blackwork sleeve for my first teacher. During the first lesson, he gave me a machine, ink, and paper towels, and told me to start tattooing. I was a bit shocked, but I managed. After that, I immediately fell in love with color tattoos and began focusing on them. Initially, I explored the New School style, and later I grew fond of Neo-Traditional. I continued developing within it. Now I create illustrative tattoos, mixing different styles — watercolor, abstraction, thick black lines. I combine whip shading, realism, cartoon elements. I’m still searching for my own style. It took me about 5–6 years to feel truly confident, because learning from online videos and tattooing once a month is quite challenging. I tattooed real skin from the start, because at that time there weren’t many options for fake skin. My friends volunteered and I practiced on them. We later improved those tattoos, and I’m very glad I could fix my early work.
In 2016, I joined a truly professional tattoo studio for the first time. It wasn’t completely new to me, because I had already set up a home studio — couch, lights, tables, everything. So I didn’t feel a major difference. Even in my home studio, I approached it professionally, like a medical professional. I already had good communication skills with clients, so the transition was smooth.
After the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, I was forced to leave my home, but I kept returning and leaving again. I received job offers in Finland, Canada, Germany, France, and Moldova. For three years, I traveled around the world, and for a little over a year now I have been living in the United States. I arrived in Los Angeles in June 2024, and this city truly captivated me. Since my husband works in San Francisco, I spend most of my time there, but I regularly come to Los Angeles for work, to see friends, and to enjoy the warmth. In the future, I would love to open an art space( tattoo shop) for tattoo artists — a place that would bring people together and inspire them, where we can raise our skills and our industry together.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
The biggest challenge was that no one believed in me. The only support I had to rely on was my own strong determination. My teacher even told me that tattooing was just a childish hobby for me and that I would never become a professional tattoo artist.
And of course, there was also the lack of proper training, master classes, or courses for tattoo artists. I had to learn everything on my own, gathering information from videos and forums. I learned through my own mistakes.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Right now, I work in an illustrative style, specializing in covering up old, low-quality tattoos and scars. This is a very important and sensitive subject, and I call it tattoo therapy. By covering an old tattoo, a person can capture new positive moments of life instead of constantly seeing a reminder of something unpleasant, mistakes of youth, or symbols that are no longer relevant. It’s the same with scars — when a tattoo is placed over a scar, the person no longer associates that part of their body with a traumatic event, and this helps improve their quality of life.
I have participated in many tattoo conventions and won 2nd place at the All-Ukrainian Tattoo Convention in Kharkiv in 2021, was judging several tattoo conventions in the US. I also conduct seminars for experienced artists, train the younger generation, and am a member of several tattoo associations. I am an ambassador and pro team member for tattoo equipment brands (Pepax, Inky Paws Tattoo Supply), tattoo cosmetics (Dr. Gritz), and skincare (Ebanel Skincare). At the moment, I am writing few scientific articles on tattoo cover-ups and skin resilience and scar covering.
What I am most proud of – are my students, who nowadays work in different countries across Europe and in Canada. It is a great joy to share knowledge with those who truly crave it. I do this because, at the beginning of my own journey, I also wished there had been someone I could always turn to for advice and support.
I believe every artist is unique in their own way. I have developed my own teaching methodology for tattoo and piercing artists. My course also includes social media promotion, which I now consider essential for every artist. For now, my main strength is my ability to work with scars and cover-ups.
What matters most to you?
What matters most to me is that people feel happy — whether it’s from gaining new knowledge, a new piece of art on their body, or the chance to finally stop remembering the nightmares that haunted them for years. This is life — and it’s far too short to waste on despair.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://stormtattoo.art/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/storm_tattooart/
Image Credits
All images by Kseniia Oliinyk ( Ksu Storm)
