Mission Tattoo Parlour

Pablo Puentes, the owner of Mission Tattoo Parlour, was forced to choose between two appealing career paths: join the film industry, or become a tattoo artist. For him the answer was simple, and it didn’t involve long hours in front of a computer making special effects any longer.

“I got a degree in illustration from the Alberta College of Art and Design, and I’ve been getting tattoos myself since [the] late '90s,” he says. “I was doing freelance illustration projects when it dawned on me that I could marry my art education with a career in tattooing.”

Pablo spent a few years juggling tattoos and working as a special effects artist in Vancouver's film industry. Afterwards, “I opened this place and dedicated myself entirely to tattooing,” he says. His passion for this booming craft is clear. “I get to draw all day,” Pablo smiles.