Adrian Guardiola

In 1988, I started working as an airbrush artist. My work was displayed on T-Shirts, Canvas, and even automobiles. Throughout my 14 year career in airbrushing, I owned several shops including one down in Champaign, IL. Little did I know, airbrushing was a great developmental stage into tattooing. It wasn’t until 1998 that I started to get involved in the art of tattooing. For the first 2 years, it was very sporadic. I worked from home with homemade machines and no formal apprenticeship.

Back then, it was much harder to get an apprenticeship than it is now. In 2000, I started doing house parties for friends and family. These experiences helped to further my skills in tattooing as well as built a solid clientele. Seeing my artwork live day to day on human skin sparked my interests to continue to progress. Not only was I an accomplished airbrush artist, an up and coming tattoo artist, but I also did murals for the City of Chicago. During this time, I attended the Academy of Art to sharpen my art skills.

In 2006, after years of planning and great sacrifice, I opened the doors to Fifth Sun Graphix. It was always a dream of mine to work in a tattoo shop, whether it be my own or another shop. Opening my own shop was a huge investment and is well worth all the struggles that I endured to bring my dream to life. Now, I have a solid 10 years of tattoo experience. I try to offer the best customer service possible before the needle touches the skin. Each client of mine receives a unique take to their designs and ideas. My strong points include freehand, black & grey and new school color. I also offer a unique style of lettering and script that is freehanded. Another specialty of mine is the ability to look at a tattoo and design a very unique and personalized cover up for those who need previous work covered. If a client is unsure of a tattoo, I offer personal sketches that can later be applied as a tattoo. I also do non-reference work when requested.

When I work with a client, I’m very open to direction which helps the customer feel more at ease with an equal balance. Throughout the years, many artists have worked at Fifth Sun Graphix but my current staff takes pride in the shop and we all look forward to future endeavors and our upcoming expansion.

Contact me at: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)