Bio

Angel Reynosa hails from El Paso, Texas and specializes in black and grey realism. He is constantly honing his craft and his favorite projects are large-scale photorealism, portraits of any size and elaborate lettering.

Tattooing has been part of his life for as long as he can remember. He can easily recall watching his mother get tattooed by her boyfriend in their living room— the steady hum of the machine, the smell of the Speed Stick that Boxer used to lay a stencil. Angel watched carefully, asked many questions and even made his first tattoo, a small cross on Boxer’s leg. He was only eight years old at the time but that curiosity laid the groundwork for humble beginnings. When Angel’s mother noticed his interest showed no signs of fading, she purchased him his first tattoo kit from a pawn shop.

He began his work from a garage in 2010. When his uncle— a tattooer and a mentor— was killed, Angel’s hobby shifted into something more: a way to carry his legacy and take a shot at tattooing as a career. He moved from the garage to cut his teeth at GHT, an El Paso shop in 2012. Not long after, he set his sights on Southern California. Visits to friends and family turned into more frequent guest spots for tattooing and he was drawn to the area as a sort of mecca for the black and grey style he always loved. By 2016, he had settled in full-time at Full Circle Tattoo in San Diego, California.

With no formal apprenticeship, he says that learning is a lifelong process and comes from all directions at every moment. There are skills and industry etiquette that come only with time, grind and an open mind. Over the last decade, he has built a substantial volume of work and traveled the world to participate at tattoo conventions. His favorite conventions are Mondial du Tatouage in Paris, FR, The London Tattoo Convention in London, Uk, the New Mexico Tattoo Fiesta in Albuquerque, and the Star City Tattoo Convention in his hometown of El Paso.

Some of the tattooers he respects most and calls upon for continual inspiration are Paul Booth, Carlos Torres, Fernie Andrade and of course, Bill Canales, owner of Full Circle Tattoo. But his constant supporter and the reason for everything? His mother, Bernice, always.