Lokesh Verma is an Indian tattoo artist, who is one of the first Indians to create soundwave tattoos. He is known for starting the international tattoo festival ‘Heartwork Tattoo Festival’, which is considered to be the only international tattoo festival in India. He owns several tattoo studios in India and abroad under the name Devil’s Tattoos.
Contents
Wiki/Biography
Lokesh Verma was born on Thursday, 12 May 1983 (age 40 years; as in 2023) in Delhi, India. His zodiac sign is Taurus. He did his schooling in Delhi and some other states of India. He studied B.Com from Sri Aurobindo College, New Delhi. When he was in college, he would rarely attend any lectures and would often ask his friends to mark his proxy attendance. After this he did MBA. From 2001 to 2007, he studied Associate of Arts and Sciences (AAS), Design and Applied Arts at Bengaluru University, Bengaluru. Later, he did post-graduation in Marketing from Wigan and Leigh College, Bengaluru.
Physical Appearance
Height (Approx): 5′ 6″
Hair Color: Black
Eye colour: brown
Family
Lokesh belongs to a Hindu family.
parents and siblings
His father served in the Indian Army and also worked in the security department. His mother was a teacher. He has a sister.
wife and children
In 2003, when he was studying MBA, he met a girl named Sanobar Ahmed. Initially they became friends and soon started dating each other. After dating for about six years, the couple got married in 2010. He has a son.
Lokesh Verma with his wife
Lokesh Verma with his son
Religion
According to his social media profile, he is an atheist.
Address
Home
- M-37, 2nd Floor (Above CCD), GK-1, New Delhi 110048
tattoo studio
- Shop# 77, 1st Floor, Galleria, DLF-IV, Gurgaon 122002, Haryana
- Shop#168, 1st Floor, Block B High Street, Vegas Mall, Dwarka, New Delhi 110075
- 142, Boulevard de la Pétrus, 2330, Luxembourg
livelihood
rough day
When Lokesh was a teenager, his parents worked hard to provide basic amenities for the family. He faced various financial difficulties and had to live in a small one-room flat for several years. His father, who served in the army, took up odd jobs to support the family after he retired. Lokesh’s mother, a teacher, also contributed to make ends meet. Talking about this in an interview he said,
Despite their low earnings, my parents ensured that I and my sister got proper schooling so that we could have a better future. I was an average student but was absolutely obsessed with art and drew everywhere including my school bag and school bench.”
Despite the challenges, Lokesh was determined to build a better future for himself. Since the financial condition of his family was not good, he started working immediately after finishing his board examinations. His first job involved distributing pamphlets and Internet CDs on the streets and doing door-to-door sales in the city. Surprisingly, Lokesh excelled in selling the highest number of CDs in his group, due to which he was promoted as team leader. Although he achieved some success, Lokesh soon became bored with the routine of the job and decided to pursue his passion for music. Eventually, he became a DJ. After completing his graduation, Lokesh enrolled in an MBA course. He used to attend MBA classes from 8 am to 12 noon, work at his job from 12 noon to 7 pm and work as a DJ from 9 pm to 12 midnight. To save money to buy his first tattoo machine, Lokesh took a second job at the local McDonald’s. During the day, he would cook burgers and perform various tasks including mopping floors and cleaning toilets. At night, he continued his work as a DJ. With his hard-earned money from small jobs, he bought a tattoo machine. Talking about this in an interview he said,
I bought the machine and started tattooing my body, determined to learn it all. My father was very supportive and offered me his skin to practice on. I became so fascinated by the art that I was tattooing my friends for free, sometimes even willing to pay them money to get a tattoo from me in the beginning.
tattoo artist
After purchasing a tattoo machine, he tried his first tattoo on his father. In an interview he talked about his father’s tattoo. He said,
I always loved drawing skulls and crossbones. Using a needle, I made a big monster on his arms… It turned out great and is still going strong.”
After this he started designing tattoos of his friends without charging them. Sometimes, he was even willing to pay them to allow him to design tattoos on their bodies. However, he began to run out of supplies and began charging people to cover the cost of obtaining new supplies. In 2005, his hobby of tattooing started turning into a profession. As more and more people heard about his talent, his friends and acquaintances began lining up to get tattoos from Lokesh between 2003 and 2005. During that time, there were very few professional tattoo studios in Delhi, so Lokesh used to do his best. friends house. Later, he moved to a small salon in Vasant Vihar. In 2008, Lokesh opened his first tattoo studio named Devil’s Tattoos in GK1.
Devil’s Tattoos
Then, in 2013, they opened another studio branch in Gurgaon, and in 2021, they opened a branch in Dwarka. He also expanded his tattoo studio to Luxembourg. People started noticing his amazing work and he started getting requests from friends, acquaintances and eventually customers from all walks of life. Each tattoo allowed Lokesh to showcase his talents and make a lasting impression on his clients.
A collage of tattoos created by Lokesh Verma
He actively participated in tattoo conventions, workshops and seminars, where he learned from other renowned artists and stayed updated with the latest trends and techniques.
Lokesh Verma in seminar
Over the years, Lokesh has taught the art of tattoo making to many people. He always emphasizes on the importance of maintaining cleanliness and hygiene while teaching others. Lokesh has worked in around 15 different countries, and he ensures that his studios follow the strict European standards. In 2010, Lokesh traveled to America and Europe to further hone his skills. He had the privilege of honing his art at renowned studios such as Paul Booth’s Last Rites Tattoo Gallery in New York City, Nico Hurtado’s Black Anchor Tattoo in Hollywood, California, Off the Map in Massachusetts, Tommy Lee’s Monsters, Tattoo Cologne in Germany, Heaven . of Colors in Switzerland, and of Alex De Passe Tattoo in Italy. Among his notable clients, Lokesh’s first tattoo on a celebrity was choreographer Remo D’Souza, for whom he created a portrait of Jesus.
Lokesh Verma getting tattooed on Remo D’Souza’s arm
Some of his celebrity clients include Bollywood actors Taapsee Pannu and Swara Bhaskar as well as cricketers Shikhar Dhawan, Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav. Additionally, Lokesh is also the co-founder of the Heartwork Tattoo Festival, one of the largest tattoo conventions in India.
A photo of the Heartwork Tattoo Festival
Awards and Achievements
- 2008: Black and Gray (Grand Prize) at Goa Tattoo Festival.
- 2014: Best Male Tattoo Artist Award by Indian Tattoo Awards
Award to Lokesh Verma
- 2017: Best Black and Gray (Small) at Goa Tattoo Festival.
Lokesh Verma Awards
- 2021: Guinness World Record for most number of flags imprinted on a human being
Lokesh Verma’s Guinness World Record
bike collection
- Harley Davidson
Lokesh Verma’s Instagram post about his motorcycle
car collection
- BMW
Lokesh Verma driving his BMW
tattoo
He has some tattoos on his arms and chest. One of them is a tattoo of chasing dreams on his right arm and the other is a portrait of his wife on his left bicep.
Lokesh Verma getting tattooed
Lokesh Verma’s tattoos
Favorite
- Tattoo Artists: Paul Booth, Robert Hernandez, Dmitry Smohin
Facts/General Knowledge
- He loved drawing cartoons in his childhood. At the age of 14, Lokesh emerged as the winner of a painting competition organized by Mitsubishi in Japan. In an interview, he shared that he developed an interest in tattoos at a very young age. He said,
I was always attracted to body art or tattoos but no one knew much about it back then. So, while singing and dancing were still considered a hobby, being interested in tattooing or even considering it a profession was completely bizarre in those days. But my parents never stopped me from experimenting and always supported me and boosted my morale for whatever I decided to do.
- He is one of the first Asians to be invited as a guest at the Academy Tie Polo, the world’s first university of tattooing and fine arts.
- Lokesh has shared his knowledge and expertise with over 100 aspiring tattoo artists, many of whom now work with him in his studio.
- In 2018, Lokesh collaborated with renowned tattoo artist Paul Booth, who has always been a source of inspiration for him.
- In 2019, Lokesh achieved a remarkable feat by becoming the first artist in Asia to receive an invitation to lecture at the Academia Tierra Polo, a prestigious tattooing and fine arts university located in Italy.
- According to his social media profile, he is a humanitarian and inspiring person.
- He is often seen drinking alcohol and smoking cigarettes.
Lokesh Verma’s Instagram post about drinking and smoking
- He started his own YouTube channel Devil’s Tattoos on which he uploads his tattoo videos.
- In 2022, he appeared on TEDx Talks to share his journey of becoming one of the top tattoo artists in India.
Categories: Biography
Source: vcmp.edu.vn