Edit Paints: Mastering Miniature Tattoos in Tel Aviv
When it comes to impressive tattoos, it’s easy for our minds to immediately think about large-scale works of art. We freak out over arm and leg sleeves, gawk at complicated back pieces, and stand in awe of full bodysuits.
But sometimes it’s the smallest tattoos that make us marvel.
Artist Edit Paints specializes in hyper-realistic, black-and-grey, micro tattoos and works out of Gida Tattoo and Gallery in Tel Aviv, Israel. Her work, which covers everything from pop-culture icons and celebrities to adorable pets and family portraits, is instantly recognizable.
The 27-year-old tattoo artist loves the difficulty of trying to create something small and detailed.
Prior to her career as a celebrated tattoo artist, Edit was a fulltime painter. She studied art and art history in school and says that she never had any interest in tattooing until she met her husband, Avihoo Ben Gida.
“Trying to capture something real, I believe, is harder than doing monsters from your imagination,” says Edit. “The size is an extra challenge. I love that it’s small and personal. The challenge makes me passionate.”
“He inspired me to get into tattooing and taught me everything about it,” she says. “It was an amazing way to start—learning from one of the best tattoo artists who was also my lover. I was in good hands.”
Now the pair works side-by-side at Gida Tattoo and travels all over the world to do guest spots together at various tattoo studios.
Pop-Culture Portraits
A lot of Edit’s work is inspired by celebrity and pop culture. She’s done mini, small-scale portraits of musicians including Nicki Minaj, Bruce Springsteen, Tupac, and the late Chester Bennington. She’s also completed tiny movie-scene tattoos that look like they’ve jumped off the screen and onto someone’s skin. Scrolling through her Instagram feed, you’ll find movie stills ranging from Beauty and the Beast and Titanic to Top Gun and Pulp Fiction.
“I love doing culture icons. They just symbolize a point in time—right here and now,” says Edit. “This is the client’s muse, and a lot of people are inspired by that. We are capturing the society, the culture, and the religion of a new media.”
But whether she’s doing a celebrity portrait tattoo or recreating a family photograph that a client brings in, Edit says that she enjoys working within a confined amount of space. “Since I have a space limit, I can decide what to leave out and how to make it interesting but not too busy,” she says. “I love taking the time on every small detail. God is in those.”
Tattooing in Israel
The art of tattooing continues to grow in Tel Aviv and there are celebrated tattoo studios and a variety of talented female tattoo artistsmaking names for themselves in the city. But Edit’s finely detailed miniatures stand out as something different.
“The culture is alive and more people than ever are lining up to get a tattoo,” she says. “I’ve been blessed with amazing clients that allow me to have this crazy style that is pretty new in Tel Aviv.”
Edit’s successful rise as a female tattoo artist in the Middle East hasn’t been without it’s challenges. “I had a couple of men say they would never get a tattoo from a woman, without even seeing my art,” she says. “Israeli people can get really religious. Our Bible says women are the underdog.”
But Edit quickly learned to push any negativity out of her life. Instead, she focuses on her art and makes the best out of every opportunity she has in front of her. “I’m sure I’ll always come across primitive clients who think women don’t belong in places besides the kitchen and raising kids,” she says. “I’m happy to show them otherwise—right to their faces.”
Photos courtesy Edit Paints. Please visit her Instagram account to see more of her work.
