Seppe Lights – Engraved Vision

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH GINALUCA FRANCIONE

SEPPE LIGHTS

"ENGRAVED VISION"

Cover designed by Marco Michetti @mvrcmatter

Gianluca, professionally known as Seppe Lights, is a Rome-based tattoo artist renowned for his mastery of the engraving style, intricate detail and bold contrasts.

In this exclusive interview with Tattoodemy, we explore his journey, his vision and the studio he built from the ground up.

PERSONAL

Rome is your home, the city where you chose to open your studio. How much has this city, with its history, classical art and architecture, shaped the way you look at the human body as a canvas to work on?

«

Rome has deeply influenced my way of seeing art and working. Living here means being constantly surrounded by history: art, architecture, classical proportions are part of everyday life, from the moment you leave the house to when you’re just taking a walk.
All of this enters almost unconsciously into the way you observe and design.

Growing up in a context so rich in beauty and artistic layering, it’s natural to develop a particular sensitivity for aesthetics, the balance of forms, and the relationship between art and space. This also influences a lot the way I look at the human body as a surface to work on.

I don’t see it just as a support for an image, but as a structure to have a dialogue with, just like in architecture or classical sculpture. I always try to make sure the tattoo has an aesthetic sense, that it enhances the body and adds something harmonious and beautiful to the person who will carry it.

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Your style has deep roots.
Was it a passion you were born with or something you discovered along the way?

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I actually discovered this passion along the way.
At nineteen I joined the army and, during that period, drawing and everything related to art became a kind of way out for me. It was my way of feeling free, of finding a personal space where I could truly express myself.

In my free time I started studying, drawing more and more, designing. At first it was something very spontaneous, almost instinctive, but over time it became something much deeper. It became a real obsession, a daily necessity, something I couldn’t detach myself from anymore. At some point I realized it was no longer just a passion, but the path I truly wanted to follow.

So I made the decision to leave the army and dedicate myself completely to this work, turning what was born as a personal search for freedom into what is today my profession and my life.

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LEARN

Etching and engraving is one of the most technical and specific styles in tattooing: every subject needs space, careful shadow work and a strong control of the line.
What’s the first advice you’d give to someone who wants to get into this technique?

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The engraving style is one of the most complex and rigorous approaches you can take in tattooing. My advice to anyone who wants to approach this language is, first of all, to study.

 Through seminars, private courses, workshops or even online programs, but above all dedicating a lot of time to personal study. It’s essential to go deep on anatomy, the construction of forms, the handling of light and shadow, and to carefully observe the work of the great engravers throughout history.

You need to spend hours analyzing the interplay of lines, the crossing of hatching, the way shadows are built through repetition and variation of the mark. Every line has a weight, a direction, a precise function. Ultimately, anyone who wants to master this style must accept one very simple thing: it’s a language that requires time, patience and dedication. There are no shortcuts.

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CREATE

Your work is full of microscopic details that require an almost obsessive planning process. How does your creative process change when a client gives you full freedom compared to when they come in with a very specific idea?

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When a client gives me full freedom the process becomes much more natural. It allows me to choose the reference that best suits the placement they want to tattoo and, above all, to work with greater freedom on proportions and sizing, so I can design a tattoo that is truly harmonious with the person’s anatomy.

For me it’s key that the drawing is right for that space: not necessarily bigger, but correct in its proportions and placement, without limitations that could compromise its quality or readability over time. The engraving language is extremely rich in detail and it needs the right space, the right visual weight and a correct placement on the body. 

For this reason I believe that the client who chooses this type of tattoo already knows, in some way, that they will need to trust and make some compromises.

It’s part of the necessary process to achieve a result that is truly worthy of the style and destined to hold up well over time.

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LEAD

You’ve built a studio in Rome with over 40 resident artists, a reference point in the international tattoo scene. Looking back, what was the choice, or the sacrifice, that really made the difference in your journey?

«

When I opened Ave Lights I was coming from a very particular period of my life.
For about a year I had been traveling continuously, visiting what, in my eyes, were the best tattoo studios out there.

Every time I walked into one of those places I observed everything carefully: the atmosphere, the organization, the aesthetics of the spaces, the way people worked. When I decided to open my studio, I jumped in without really knowing what to expect. At first it was a very instinctive choice, made from the gut, from enthusiasm and vision. Only later did I understand how complex it is to build and sustain something like this.

A tattoo studio is not a normal shop: it absorbs you completely, seven days a week, even when everyone else stops. At some point I understood that tattooing well wasn’t enough. So I started studying from an entrepreneurial perspective too, because I felt a strong responsibility toward the people who work with me.

I’ve always tried to be a point of reference for them, almost a family figure: someone who could guide them, support them, share everything I had learned. But this also means one simple thing: if you want to teach, you have to keep studying. It’s a continuous process.

Leading a studio like this means playing many roles at once: sometimes you’re a leader, other times a trainer, other times almost a psychologist or a father figure to the people who work with you. All of this requires an enormous amount of energy and time, often taking them away from both your personal life and your work as a tattoo artist. So, if I’m being honest, there is no real secret.

There is only a combination of sacrifice, total dedication and a very clear vision of what you want to build. When you have that goal in front of you, you have to be willing to chase it all the way, with all the determination you have. Because it’s that mindset, day after day, that ends up building everything else.

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Thank you for joining us on this journey

Marco Michetti

Marco Michetti

Founder & Art Director of Tattoodemy

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