Elena Virginia Schmitt July 4,5 2025

Where are you originally from?

I’m from Bologna, Italy.

How did you find your start in tattooing?

I started tattooing in 2009, but I’ve wanted to do this since I was a kid. The first time I saw a tattoo, I was blown away by the idea that you could create permanent art on skin.

An important moment for me was meeting Riccardo Raviola the son of the famous Italian comic artist Magnus. He was a tattooer too, and when we met through a friend of a friend, he handed me a machine. I immediately bought went out to buy pig skin to practice on.

I had no clue what I was doing technically, not even how to set machines but I was beyond happy to finally tattoo real skin. A few weeks later, I did my first tattoo.

Any funny or interesting things unique to your tattooing history?

Too many to count — I’d have to write a book! But that first meeting with Riccardo was a pretty unique start. Also the years in my shop in italy we’re pretty funky🤣

Will you bring your prison machine project here?

Yes! I’ll definitely bring some jail machines with me during my guest spot.

How did that start?

It began with a fascination for the mechanism behind it. I had just completed a coil machine building course and was super excited to try other ways of making machines.

I remembered a video I saw years ago of Scott Campbell: he was walking around, finding parts in the trash, and building a machine on the spot to tattoo a journalist. That stuck with me.

I’ve always loved prison tattoos for their raw, meaningful, and visceral energy. After the lockdown, it felt like the right time to start this project.

At the time people knew what it meant to be confined, and there was a big need for something real and raw.

The first machine I built used a walkman motor. I made an eccentric cam for the needle’s movement, used a Bic pen for a tube, and tattooed myself. It was such a powerful experience that I had to share it with colleagues and clients.

Why should someone get tattooed with a homemade machine?

Because it removes all distance between the person and the tattoo. The technique is raw but strong. Each machine is used only once, which gives the object even more value and binds it deeply to both the client and the tattoo.

What kind of inspiration influences your art the most?

I draw a lot of inspiration from fantasy and engraving. I love fantasy subjects like Magic: The Gathering, Dungeons & Dragons, Frazetta, Bosch Breugel and Dorè but also from the structure and clarity found in engraving and linocut. It helps me keep my compositions trying to keep them balanced and solid.

Who are the most important older-generation tattooers that you are grateful for?

Herbert Hoffmann was the first who really struck me, was lucky enough to meet him.

I read a lot about his ethical approach and the many stories he carried. And as a reference for my work the first who truly blew me away was Valerie Vargas.

I’ve been influenced by both. From Hoffmann, I learned to always respect the ethics and technical quality of a tattoo. I never do tattoos I don’t believe will hold up over time, and I don’t tattoo hands, necks, or faces unless someone is already heavily covered.

From Valerie, I’ve always drawn inspiration from the strength and aesthetic of her work.

Something unique about yourself that has nothing to do with tattooing?

Man i don’t know about this so ill tell you that i really love :

I love reading creepy books ( scifi,Classic horror, classica in general, poetry) Dungeons and Dragons, stay in the nature and listen to music, usually metal or dark ambient. Love to travel, love graveyards, skeletons and creepy things in general.

I live for my family and friends and I truly believe in positivity ( I know that hard to match with the graveyards🤣)

I’m a simple person! 🤣