The Alphabet Addict

 David is a tattoo artist, letter enthusiast, graffiti writer and the owner of Black Letter Tattoo in Saint Louis, Missouri. Letters came natural to David as he is from a family that showed him from a young age the importance and beauty in lettering. His inspiration for lettering ranges from graveyard headstones to graffiti; a colorful repertoire. 

Instagram: @TheAlphabetAddict

Shop: @BlackLetterTattooSTL

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We asked him a few questions to get an idea of how he has created this success:

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◼️1. How do you stay motivated on your bad days? Are there books, movies, sports, places or other artists that motivate you?◼️

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Tattooing, painting, drawing…just creating is a necessity for me. Sometimes It can be hard to keep a constant flow of creativity, so I definitely look around for inspiration. You can find lettering specifically in a lot of places you wouldn’t really think about. For example, I spend a lot of time in graveyards studying the engraved letters. You can learn a lot about shadows, composition and letter structure that way. My hometown of St. Louis is a pretty gritty town, we have a couple of mile long flood walls along the Mississippi that hosts the “Paint Louis” jam. It gets grilled by hundreds of artists every year and runs right alongside a big train yard. Usually rolling up something nice and a good drive down the wall can get my creativity flowing. 

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◼️2. Any advice for those just starting out?◼️

Do your homework! I think there has become a huge saturation of tattoo (and graffiti) artists, a lot of the history and respect for the craft gets lost. I think it’s important to learn who paved the way for us and how it came to be. 

Draw your ass off and never stop learning. Can’t get better without practice! 

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◼️3.Is there something you wish someone might have told you when you first started?◼️

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Keep it simple! Everyone wants to be able to rock a crazy wild style, jaw dropping piece. Gotta learn to crawl before you can walk, and learning the basics is essential. 

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◼️4. What got you into doing letters?◼️

My father is a well-rounded artist with a huge knowledge of graphic design and typography. My earliest memories of paying attention to lettering is when my Dad would pull the car over to take photos of hand painted signs. I think I was probably 6 or 7 when I started paying attention with him. 

I also started painting graffiti around age 14. Guys from the LD crew (Horse, Durag, Obces, etc..) were crushing it in my city and gave me plenty to look at and be inspired by early on. Lettering became a straight up addiction and hasn’t slowed down a bit since.

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Below David and Edgy letters ( @Edgy_Letters_4Death ) collaborate with some solid teamwork to create this piece for the 2022 Golden State Tattoo Expo

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◼️5. Are you self-taught or did you apprentice?◼️

I got an apprenticeship pretty early on. I scoped shops for a while for my first tattoo and ended up painting some letters for a shop in exchange for my first tattoo. I was an 18-year-old kid diving into a crazy new world of tattooing. It was a wild ride completing my apprenticeship but after 3 or so years of figuring it out and staying persistent, I got it done. I learned the basics during my apprenticeship, but l mostly taught myself how to draw letters. Lots of studying, learning and trial and error. Still learning every day! 

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◼️5. Was there art in your life before tattoo?◼️

Yeah absolutely. My dad is an artist by trade, my mom is creative too. Luckily I was encouraged from an early age. I always loved to draw. My older brother was tattooing underground before I got my apprenticeship so I got my eyes opened to that world at like 15. I’d be doing sketches and making stencils for the homies well before I picked up a machine.

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◼️7. Do you have a favorite tool or brand you use for your tattoos?◼️

I freehand my lettering so I love to use Towbow Brush Pens and chisel tip markers to draw it on. I’ve consistently used Bishop Rotary machines and before that, Norm’s Coil machines. Hardline Ink and Empire ink are recent favorites. (Thanks big meas and angel Bustos ! ) I keep a pretty open mind and like to try new things as they become available too.

Address: 

6650 Gravois Ave. St. Louis, MO 63116

Instagram: @TheAlphabetAddict

Shop: @BlackLetterTattooSTL

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