Tattoo Creeper \\ Kayla Fritz AKA Stray Dog Tattoos

Our Tattoo Creeper project is a way to collaborate with talented artists to add their spin on our creepers. We love working with creatives in any capacity & we want to see the world from their lens. To check out more of Kayla's work head to her Instagram

Tell us about yourself and the shoes you designed:

My name is Kayla Fritz a.k.a Stray Dog Tattoos or "straydoggiestyle" and these are my "Tattoo Shoes"! As a tattooer, I often find myself with lots of extra stencils from my flash tattoos, and I'm always looking for ways to repurpose them in my personal artwork to give them additional life beyond hanging out in a drawer. I'm a sensitive little goofy guy, so these particular stencils I chose to paint are particularly Pisces-coded like the true cry baby I am! 

How would you describe your art style?

I think my bold and vibrant illustration style really reflects my lifetime love of tattoo culture. You can definitely see elements of that in my work, and back again as a tattooer. I've lived many lifetimes, so I still try to include sign painting in my practice whenever I can; I busted out the 'ol lettering enamels for these! I have a pretty dark sense of humor so you'll definitely see a joke in there from time to time. I love a visual pun!

Do you have a favorite piece you’ve done?

I think it changes constantly, but lately I've been having lots of fun creating tattoos and illustrations with opaque greys and monochromatic hues.

What’s your main source of inspiration when coming up with a new design?

It's really just vibes. As much as I love creating digital work, I think it's really important to grab a sketch book and pencil whenever I can and get a little messy. I'm always inspired by pop culture and current events. 

What inspired you to pursue a career in the arts?

Since I was young enough to hold a marker, I've always loved to draw. Growing up, my family had a small town hair salon, and right next door was a little tattoo shop. I think having positive associations with tattooing at a very young age was super formative to me as an artist, and my more recent journey into tattooing. My grandmother was also an artist all her life and I was inspired early in my career to follow in her footsteps to pursue graphic design (and later sign painting), so I've got a little bit of everything in my creative tool belt!