Tattoo Artist: Todo Brennan

Todo has always been drawn to art but didn't dive deep into it until his teens, when he took a fancy to drawing Playboy models that sold for $5.00 at school. He always wanted to do something fun as a career and could enjoy his every day,so art became his quest.
In his twenties while hiking the mountains in California he was in an accident that cracked his head open. with blood on the brain and close to death he realized that" cliffs and Jack Daniels don't mix". After his long recovery he was able to see formulas in his art that he couldn't see before, which made creating his artistic visions easier. : He trained professionally at Skin Deep tattoo in Hawaii in the early 90's while learning from artists like Taunee Beekman, Dennis and Gina Dwyer, Wes Grimm, and many other artists that visited the islands to guest spot.
The day and the connection to life’s energies is what inspires Todo, as well as painters like Boris Vallejo, Tim White, Rowena, Christen Reese Lassen. Tattooists like Jack Rudy, Kari Barba, Joe Satterwhite, Philip Leu, Nick Baxter, Guy Aitchison, Dmitriy Samohin, Bez, Oleg Turyanskiy, Jeff Gogue and everyone at Off the Map/ Tattoo keep him motivated to excel. Todo’s strong points seem to be realistic portraits, underwater, black and gray, and Steam punk bio- organic. Formulas and layer planning run through his mind while he works, so he usually doesn't talk much during a session. His current favorite machines are the Dragonfly rotary by Inkmachines.com and Fusion pigments.
People often say while viewing his portfolio they can't tell the difference between his tattoos and paintings. Achieving this type of realism has always been a goal of his, and the compliments prove it to be true. As far as “strange” pieces, he says that”strangeness” is in the eye of the beholder. “The last time I answered that, the client read it and was offended.” Todo also makes sure to give back through his work. ABT Tattoo does a toy drive for the Children’s Brain Tumor Foundation every year and large scale Tattoo giveawys in the winter months.
Advice from Todo:
“These days you have to be a well trained artist to make it, so go to school and learn your formulas first then build a great portfolio. The more original your art the best chances you'll have getting into a professional business that can help you achieve your artistic goals.”

See more of Todo's work here
Written by: Addie Erwin