Tattoo Artist Tom Muron: Straight Out of Cleveland

November & December’s featured artist is none other than Tom Muron AKA Tom Foolery of 252 Tattoo in Cleveland. His unique characters explode with color and truly make for some stunning tattoo work. Like many tattoo artists, Tom started drawing and coloring at a young age. It’s something he enjoys to this day. In fact, tattooing aside, he works with many mediums including prisma colors, oil paints, and just about anything he can get his hands on. Color is his thing and he uses it everywhere. You can find his artwork on his website located here.

Tom has been tattooing for 13-years in the greater Cleveland area. He’s spent the past 5 at the legendary 252 Tattoo. Though stationed in Cleveland, Tom travels pretty regularly for tattoo conventions across the country. He likes to get his name out there, meet new people, and check out new artists. He didn’t get to this level overnight.

When we asked Tom how he got into tattooing, he said, “I came in for a tattoo when I was 15 and never left the place,” he laughed, “they finally offered me an apprenticeship after months of hanging out and I started the next day. I was still in high school at the time and I knew that this is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.”

Tom had a 2-year apprenticeship and got his first tattoo gig at Dino’s State of the Art Tattoos in 1998.

After Dino’s, he worked for two other shops (Tattoo Alley and Define Tattoos) before he made the move to 252 Tattoo. At 252 he really began to excel and specialize. His style of choice is illustrative or new school. Thick lines and color blasts throughout the work. While he is a very versatile artist, he prefers this style because color comes naturally for him and it’s what he really enjoys doing. He does admit that he looks for color inspirations elsewhere, but for the most part once he has an idea in his head and it fits his client’s vision, he’s ready to go.

Tom says, “I’ve always been into newschool cartoony art. That’s what I draw and that’s what comes natural to me. Gunnar was a huge inspiration [as well as] Tony Ciavarro, Jime Litwalk, and Travis Franklin were also. I remember seeing there stuff and being blown away!”

One look at Tom’s work and you’re taken back by the explosion of color. We asked Tom how he knows what color combination to use and if color came naturally to him. Tom responded, “I’m inspired by artists and I know how to use a color wheel. It’s becoming a lot easier for my color choices thanks to better pigments and a large variety of color choices.”

For Tom, his hard work has paid off. He now works full time doing what he loves. The best advice Tom has for tattoo artists:

“Learn, learn, learn, and if you think you know everything about tattooing quit and go master something else. I learn something new everyday in this field.”

While it’s no easy task to become a tattoo artist, Tom wouldn’t trade professions for anything. Sure, it’s been hard, but at the end of the day he says, “I’m doing what I love.” He encourages others to follow that path if it is what they want to do.

Want to see more of Tom’s work? Click Here!