MISS ANNLAUG
TATTOO ARTIST AND ILLUSTRATOR
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Tattoo Artist &
Illustrator
Annlaug Maria Tolo
A little introduction to my life as a tattoo artist so far:
.1. I apprenticed to learn to tattoo in Spain
. It was 2004 to 2006from learning curves as a professional and as a human being where both very steep. An educational time in my life.
2. I moved to Germany in 2006 and worked as a freelance artist at a shop in Mannheim for a few years. I developed and learned a lot. It was a difficult time though; poor shop management and lots of shop drama going on around me. I was not happy at the shop and finally, I broke out to do my own thing.
3. I had my own shop in Germany for a few years.
I met great people and learned a lot. I still have contact with my very dear and supportive friends and fellow tattooers from that time!
4. And then, in 2010/2011,I started my own shop under the working name Fjord Tattoo in Øystese, Hardanger. It was a great experience working with some truly great clients there, but it ended up becoming very lonely work with no other fellow tattooers around to share and discuss things with. It was time to make a move!
5. January 2012. I got the wonderful opportunity to be a guest artist at Lets Buzz Tattoo in Bergen, Norway. After a few visits as a guest, I came to work for Tomas Brudvik full time starting January 2012. It was the best choice I could have made at the time and my life started changing for the better overnight because of the people I met at Lets Buzz!
6. My employment at Lets Buzz ended in February 2016. I will miss the daily interaction with all the lovely people there, but it was time for the next step in my life and time for turning a new page in the book of life. I now run Nidhogg tattoo studio at Bryggen in Bergen with my dear friend and extremely talented, experienced co-worker Jannicke Wiese Hansen. She is my rock and my biggest inspiration as she is an example of everything I hope to become in my tattooing career.
How did I get into tattooing you ask?
I was born and raised in Norway. In a small village called Øystese in Hardanger with the view of the mountains and the glacier as my backdrop, I was raised to love art, music and all things wonderful. My parents would read to us, teach us to use our imagination and to dream big. We spent hours and hours drawing and telling stories around the table. From a very young age, I was sure I would do creative work. I was 19 years old when I got my first tattoo and that's when I found my path to become a tattooer.
After learning to tattoo in Spain, having lived in Germany after that and then traveling to many different places I have now started Nidhogg Tattoo with my friend and coworker Jannicke Wiese Hansen. After leaving the Lets Buzz team in February 2016 we opened our new shop Nidhogg on the 4th of March 2016!
The artist who inspire me
I'm very inspired by classic art such as sculpture, realistic figurative painting, and drawing. It impresses me and makes me want to work harder on my own projects.
I am very much inspired by Art Noveau: both the 2D side of it and the architectural side of that style.
I get a lot of creative inspiration by looking at other tattoo artists work online or in real life. My fellow tattooers inspire me and online I always follow Bob Tyrell and Nikko Hurtado in particular. There are too many good artists to mention here: thank you to everyone sharing their amazing work!
One of my favorite artists, Otte Timar, came to do a guest spot at the shop (my former workplace Lets Buzz). We became instant buddies and I have learned a lot from Otte and get a lot of inspiration from his tattooing. Visit his site if you would like to see some of his amazing work!
Friendship and work
Through my time as a tattoo artist Iv had many highs and lows. But through it all some very special people always believed in me and backed me up when I felt like giving up or lost faith in myself or what I was trying to accomplish. My mother and father have been so supportive and their efforts to back me up are impressive and moving. My whole life they have had nothing but faith in me.
Also, my dear friend Caterina Carranza helped me through some tough times. I don't know where I would be as a person or as a tattoo artist today without her. Her love and support have been nothing short of crucial through important life changes and choices in my life and career.
Also, my dear friend of ten years, Ela Nicolai, tattoo artist and owner of Nadelsucht Tattoo in Mannheim, has taught me a lot about following dreams no matter what people do to you or say about you. She is so strong, has amazing work ethics and is a huge source of inspiration to me. She is very honest, supportive and makes me want to be a better person. To visit her site click the button below! She is amazing.
My time at Lets Buzz
During my time at Lets Buzz, I evolved a lot and I am very grateful for the clients I have had the pleasure of tattooing there, all the good times with my fellow tattooers so far and all the amazing stuff I have learned! It has been great to find a group of the great artist willing to share their knowledge and their love of tattooing with me.
These lovely people are the current crew at Lets Buzz! Old and new friends that we visit when we can and hope to see a lot of in the years to come even if we do not work under the same roof anymore.