Art on a living canvass

Windhoek Gordon Joseph Cape Town-born Fabian Michael Nell moved to Namibia many years ago and by the age of 16, a friend who realised his love and talent for drawing, encouraged him to try tattooing. Although his first tattoo back in 1992 was nowhere near his best, it certainly stirred a deep and unrelenting passion. Fabian immediately fell in love with the art of tattooing and has continued to be a devoted disciple until this day, practicing and honing his expertise on living canvass. By early 2009 Fabian had opened his own tattoo parlour in Windhoek's Town Square. There was a lot of hype surrounding tattooing at the time, as the idea of body art was relatively new to Namibia. It was also during this time that Fabian became known as Fabio. That was the time many Angolans started coming to Windhoek and they absolutely loved tattoos. Many of them at the time couldn't pronounce Fabian and would instead call me Fabio, and that's how I got my artist name as Fabio, now everyone just calls me Fabio, he jokes. Asked about what he loves most about his job, Fabio tells us he feels like a psychologist. Many of my clients don't cry out from pain, because while I'm tattooing them, they get a chance to have someone quietly listen while they let out about all their problems and challenges, he says. He tells us that he is starting to think that getting a tattoo is generally therapeutic, as his clients don't leave just happy to have a tattoo, but relieved in some or the other way. Asked about what he hates most about the job, he tells, he tells us that he often has to shave ladies down there. Some ladies know they want a tattoo down there but don't shave at home already, so I have to shave it before I can start with the tattoo, he says. Fabio also shared some advice for young tattoo artists. Work a lot; if possible don't charge money at first. Just get lots of experience until your work is worthy of money. Once you charge money and the work isn't amazing, people will lose respect for you, he says.