dorian Lafferre (He/Him)
I was born here in Columbus and have been drawing my entire life. Since recreating Goosebumps book cover art when I was in kindergarten, I graduated from Columbus College of Art and Design with a degree in illustration and hit the ground running with jobs in freelance design, corporate branding/marketing, and hand-painted signage.
Longing for an opportunity to devote myself to a more personal form of creative work (and collecting a number of tattoos along the way), I was given the opportunity to apprentice under Iggy Sweeney at Aion Tattoo in the Spring of 2020 - right when the COVID-19 pandemic hit the States. With a mandated shutdown of tattoo shops, my apprenticeship began with a focus on researching tattoo history, creating artwork for tattoos, and meeting weekly with Iggy over Zoom (all while working part-time in a grocery store to cover the bills). As shops were allowed to open again, I continued art assignments and began working as Aion Tattoo’s shop manager, keeping inventory and maintaining the cleanliness and friendly atmosphere that put the shop on the map. Over time, my apprenticeship grew to include shadowing Iggy's tattoo sessions, practicing with traditional coil tattoo machines on synthetic skin, then tattooing the real skin of my volunteering friends and family.
I’ve been tattooing clients at Aion since February 2022, and it has renewed my passion for working hard to create beautiful & unique artwork for others. Wouldn’t trade this career for any other in the world. I would be thrilled to bring my skills to your next tattoo project!
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