Fred Raph, born to a Brazilian Father and a Japanese Mother, always posessed unique flair when it came to drawing.As a teen in his homeland of Brazil he studied cartoon illustration and gave classes to kids who wanted to learn how to express their feelings using paper and pencil.
When he was 15 years old he moved to Japan and spent 10 years of his life studying Japanese Art and Culture, learning from some of the top Japanese masters along the way. Eventually he opened his very own an Art Studio in Nagano where he developed realism in Paper, Airbrushing, Graffiti and Tattoo.
Tattoo was the hardest part... to be a Tattooist in Japan you need to ask permission from the Yakuza, (Japanese Mafia), He faced several dangers in order to go deeper into the art. The good thing is, it was well worth it. Now his specialities are Black & Grey and Traditional Japanese Tattoo.
} Tattoo Conventions (Japan):
- Suwa Tattoo Convention 2005
- Nagano Tattoo Convention 2006
- Hakuba Tattoo Live 2007
- Vatos Tattoo Convention 2008
- Houdy Live Show 2008
- Horigane Tattoo Convention 2008
} Magazines (Japan):
- Tattoo Tribal
- Tattoo The Life
- Tattoo Burst
- Lowrider
