I’m Alex Oprea — a Romanian tattoo artist building a life, a craft, and an identity here in Liverpool, one tattoo at a time.

I was only 14 when I got my first tattoo, and from that moment everything changed. I kept going back—not just for the ink, but to watch, to learn, and to understand the craft unfolding in front of me. Seeing the process up close sparked something deeper in me.
That was the moment I knew this was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.

Tattooing truly found me in 2016, when I was a 16-year-old kid who loved drawing and desperately wanted to turn that passion into something real. I had no mentor, no professional tools, and no one cheering me on. If anything, I heard the opposite—doubts, dismissals, and people telling me it was “just a phase.”

But every comment only pushed me harder.
So I learned alone. I failed, corrected, improved, and built myself slowly through persistence and a genuine obsession with the craft.

At 18, after finishing college, I felt a pull I couldn’t ignore. I packed up my life and left everything behind - friends, family, comfort, everything familiar—and moved alone to the northwest of England in 2018. I landed at Liverpool Airport with £500, a suitcase, and a heart full of stubborn belief.
No plan. No guarantees. Just hope.

The beginning was humbling. House shares with strangers. Long shifts in factories, kitchens, warehouses to pay the bills and save up for professional tattoo equipment. Tattooing whenever I could—fitting passion between exhaustion and night shifts. It felt like living two lives: the one I had, and the one I was fighting to create.

And then everything changed.
I met the person who would become my wife—the one who saw my potential long before I could see it clearly myself. With her support, I quit the jobs that drained me and committed fully to tattooing in July 2020.
Was it terrifying? Absolutely.
Was it worth it? Without question.
Would I walk the same path again? Every step.

At 24, my hard work paid off in a way I’ll never forget—I earned 2nd Place in Large Black & Grey at Blackpool 2024, a milestone that marked my arrival as an award-winning artist and reminded me how far determination can carry you.

Today, I’m living the dream that the younger version of me held onto through every obstacle. I’m proud to work at Stag & Bones Tattoo Studio, one of Liverpool’s leading studios, surrounded by artists who inspire me and clients who trust me with their stories. Every tattoo I create still feels meaningful—a moment of connection, a new challenge, and a reminder of the journey that brought me here.

If you have an idea you’d like to bring to life, I’d be honoured to hear it.
Let’s create something meaningful together—something that will stay with you forever.