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THE SUNNYSIDE SOUND PROJECT
Eric Alcantara, a tattoo artist at the Sunnyside Tattoo Studio
Eric, reinterpreting a child's drawing to be turned into a tattoo
Two of Eric's Sunnyside tattoos (courtesy Eric Alcantara)
ERIC ALCANTARA:
“It’s one of those things where you can draw all day and not get in trouble for it.”
Born in the Philippines, Eric Alcantara loved to draw since he was a small child. In his 20s he tried out graphic design and advertisement but wasn’t fully satisfied with what the profession had to offer.
“It is more gratifying to do something that’s meaningful to [an individual] than to advertise a product,” the 30-year-old says. Eric has been the tattoo industry, which he describes as “intimate and family-oriented,” for the past five years.
After a stint in Hoboken, he began adorning the bodies of Sunnyside residents at the Sunnyside Tattoo Studio on Queens Boulevard and 39th Street three months ago. He much prefers Sunnyside to Hoboken where his clients were mainly “eccentric college kids.” Many of his Sunnyside clients are “down-to-earth,” working-class Hispanics who gravitate toward religious emblems and images that celebrate their home country.
One of Eric’s “craziest” tattoos in Sunnyside was a string of rosary beads around someone’s neck meant to cover up a previous tattoo. “It is not necessarily about the design, but the placement can be crazy,” he says. “At one point I thought I’m going to make him cry.” The neck is a particularly painful area because of the skin’s proximity to the collarbone.
While Eric tries to price his work based on a time estimate—one hour is priced up to $150—he acknowledges that many of clients don’t have much money. His artwork is negotiable and its quality far more important than his income.
“Where do you see yourself in 20 years?” I ask Eric.
“I think I found my calling in life,” he says without hesitation. “I can’t imagine myself retiring from the industry. It’s one of those things where you can draw all day and not get in trouble for it.”
In the podcast Eric talks about the long road to becoming a tattoo artist, his very first tattoo job and his Sunnyside clientele.
