He works in the Dutch studio founded by his father (the curious ‘Dogstar Tattoos’ in Aalsmeer), comes from street experiences in Graffiti, and now is ready to amaze us with his New School works with bright colors inspired by cartoons.
Hi Jamie, did you struggle to become a tattoo artist, or was your path fairly straightforward?
Coming from a tattoo family my path was very straight forward. I did my first tattoo when I was 10 years old and never stopped since that moment. I combined the tattooing with graffiti as a teenager and that’s how my style evolved.
Your work is clearly New School. How would you define it?
I would describe it as Graffiti/Cartoon characters. At first it was more “childish” and “funny,” but I slowly gave it more meaning and tried to create a more mature look for my work, even though it’s still New School. I guess it comes with the age. Your tattoo style changes, just like your mentality and vision.
How do you create a tattoo?
Most people give me a rough idea, for example: “I would like a tiger who is spray-painting, with a background of street buildings,” etc. But others are more specific, and some just give me total freedom. For me, the first example is the best way to work.
There is an idea, but there is lots of room for my own creativity.
Do you have a favorite color palette or can any color and shade become part of your artistic world?
The best thing for me about New School is the fact that everything is possible. Of course there are some rules but colors and shapes have no limits. So all options are open, it keeps the brain cracking everyday!
Have you ever wondered why the Dutch studio in Aalsmeer – where you work with five other colleagues – has the curious name ‘Dogstar Tattoos’? What kind of studio are we talking about?
I understand your question! (laughs) If that doesn’t get explained your mind can go in weird directions. But the name is found by my father, the owner of the ‘Dogstar Tattoos’ studio (IG: @dogstartattoos). During his younger years he was very fascinated by the universe and “dogstar” is a name they gave to the 10th planet, also known as planet X.
Do you have a project for 2026 that you hope to turn from an idea into reality by the end of the year?
Every New Year’s Eve I talk to myself and have a main goal for the year. This time, besides being a good father and husband – that is my main goal in life – I want to try and fix my web-shop. Get it back in the air again because I love to create prints, clothing, paintings with total freedom.
Just free expressions of the mind… and our clients love to buy that! As much as we love to make them.
And your last famous words are… ?
Stay healthy not wealthy and be kind to the world. Try to draw everyday instead of asking Chat GPT to do it for you! (laughs)
