Copito announced her arrival with a Hi Brighton video after moving over from Spain to tattoo in the city for the summer. Credit: Copito
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Brighton ink
Copito, the Spanish artist tattooing Brighton for a summer
A tattoo artist from the Costa Blanca has set up in Brighton for the season, drawn here by the city's art on every corner and a plan to give her own work a place to wake back up.
She goes by Copito, and this August marks five years since she first picked up a machine at home in Spain. She is in Brighton until the end of September, taking custom bookings, and she wants to spend it making pieces that are never just another tattoo.
Meet Copito, the Spanish Tattoo Artist Inking Brighton for a Summer | Hi Brighton
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The name
A little snowflake, hidden in her real name
The artist name has her real one folded inside it. She was born Nieves, which means snow in English. A snowflake in Spanish is a copo de nieve, and from copo came Copito, a soft little diminutive she started using on social media that quietly became her working name.
"Me encanta porque es único, pero de alguna forma sigue guardando mi nombre real en su esencia." "I love it because it is unique, but it still keeps my real name at its core in a way."
Copito during her Brighton summer season, speaking about her journey from Spain to Brighton and her work as a tattoo artist
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The road here
From Denia to the Lanes, by way of a guest spot
Copito is from Denia, a small summery town on one of the tips of the Costa Blanca in Alicante, all beaches and mountains and tourists. Brighton was not a grand plan. A local studio reached out about a guest spot, a few days tattooing in the city, and that was enough.
"I loved the idea, loved the studio, and I saw that the city was really artistic with a great tattoo culture. Anything that involves travelling and tattooing, I am all over it." Copito
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Five years in
A starter kit from her family, and a bedroom studio
The seventh of August marks five years of tattooing. She began the way many artists do, at home and full of excitement, tattooing a couple of friends on her desk or her bed. When she finished high school and turned eighteen, her family clubbed together to buy her a starter kit with everything she needed to begin.
"It was an incredible moment. I felt so supported and backed, and it gave me the strength to keep pushing forward. I will always be grateful to them for that." Copito
Welcome to the studio, Copito during her Brighton season
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The work
Detail, meaning, and never just another tattoo
Ask her to describe her style and she talks about detail and dedication before she talks about any particular look. The care starts at the first message, understanding the why behind an idea, the story and the meaning, so the finished piece belongs to the person wearing it.
"I love understanding the why, so I can bring it to life and make sure it is never just another tattoo." Copito
The cherub design as a stencil, transferred to the skin before the work begins
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Her proudest piece
A Marilyn Monroe portrait, half icon and half skull
She works custom, and the piece she is proudest of since arriving is a Marilyn Monroe portrait she tattooed just days ago. She loves it both for the level of detail she managed to capture and for the chance to ink such an icon, one half the star's face, the other half a skull.
"I'm really proud of the level of detail I managed to capture, and of having had the chance to tattoo such an icon." Copito
Cutting out the Marilyn stencil before the tattoo begins
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From the hand-cut stencil to the skin.
The finished Marilyn shows the level of fine detail Copito brings to every custom piece, one half the star's face, the other half a skull.
The Marilyn design stencil, cut to shape before it goes on the skin
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The finished piece
From stencil to skin
And here is the result. The same portrait once it was tattooed, half of Marilyn's face rendered in soft detail, the other half a skull.
The Marilyn Monroe piece Copito is most proud of from her Brighton season
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The work
Detail, meaning, and never just another tattoo
Ask her to describe her style and she talks about detail and dedication before she talks about any particular look. The care starts at the first message, understanding the why behind an idea, the story and the meaning, so the finished piece belongs to the person wearing it. She works custom, and she is proud of a Marilyn Monroe portrait she tattooed just days ago, both for the detail she caught and for the chance to ink an icon.
"I love understanding the why, so I can bring it to life and make sure it is never just another tattoo." Copito
A detailed black and grey cherub piece by Copito
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Why it matters
The city that woke her art back up
This is the part that means the most to her. For a long time she felt her art had fallen asleep under the monotony of day to day life. Brighton, with its tattoo artists and its street art on every corner, is the kind of place that pulls creativity back out of you however dormant it feels.
"You can see art around every single corner. Brighton is the kind of city that fuels your creativity, no matter how dormant it might feel." Copito
A detailed eagle piece, part of Copito's black and grey work
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Where to find her
Guesting at Unit Two Tattoo Studio in Hove
For her Brighton season Copito is working as a guest artist at Unit Two Tattoo Studio, a deluxe studio in Hove just a few minutes from Hove station, with a team of resident and guest artists across styles from fine line and realism to neotraditional and bold traditional. She is taking custom bookings until the end of September, so the best way to get in is to reach out while she is still in the city. You can see her work and get in touch through the studio's website or Instagram.
Unit Two Tattoo Studio, Unit 2, Albert Works, Conway Street, Hove, BN3 3LW. Open daily, from 9am to 5pm on Sunday and Monday and 9.30am into the evening Tuesday to Saturday.
Copito at the studio during her Brighton guest season
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Book her
Here until the end of September, taking custom bookings
Copito is in Brighton for the summer and heads home at the end of September to plan her next move, with the aim of carrying on travelling the world with her machine. If you want a piece from her, now is the window. She takes most bookings through Instagram, by DM or the link in her bio, where you can share your idea and request an appointment.
