Derek Fontanilla stumbled across the airbrush tattoo industry over three years ago when he bought a couple tats for his daughters. Intrigued by the process, he went home and did his research. Six months later, with his wife’s support, he bought a kit and started tatting. Fontanilla’s first gig with his new business was a birthday party for $50. After seeing how excited the girls were, he said, “I was hooked.”

Fontanilla economically added to his kit through used equipment, and now he owns a full-blown business. Sneakyz TATz from Portage, Michigan can be found at any event where there’s money to be made. Rather than sticking to just a few designs, Fontanilla enjoys using creativity when applying tats. Some of his work is featured below.

One of Fontanilla’s favorite shows was The World Expo of Beer in Frankenmuth, Michigan. Sneakyz TATz was the only non-beer vendor at the Expo, which was full of fun-having adults sipping beer out of little mugs. The other favorite, while perhaps not as exciting, was a little more valuable. Fontanilla was hired for a bachelorette party with 20 young women—a little daunting, to say the least. However, “It made me realize how important it was to be professional and that I could still make it an enjoyable experience for all of us without crossing any boundaries.”

Always remaining professional is great advice for everyone, but Fontanilla has another fantastic piece to share: “Work to learn, not to earn. America is the land of dreams; it’s up to you to make them come true.”

To learn more about Fontanilla, visit his website at www.SneakyzTATz.net.

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