Nic Smith / Soyboy x Vault Editions: Artist Interview
Nic Smith, also known as Soyboy, is a tattoo artist and illustrator based in Melbourne, Australia. His creative practice draws from a rich blend of visual references, including Biblical iconography, Greco-Roman mythology and sculpture, the natural world, and classical art movements. Working somewhere between illustrative fineline, blackwork, and stippled realism, his tattoos balance technical precision with expressive detail and symbolic depth.
Vault Editions spoke to Nic about his creative practice, influences, and where he finds his inspiration.
Illustration by Nic Smith / Soyboy
Hi Nic, can you tell us a bit about how you first got into tattooing, and how your illustration work contributed to that journey? Have you always seen the two as connected, or did they start out separately?
Initially, tattooing wasn’t something I was specifically aiming towards. I was just drawing quite obsessively for a few years, and I became aware that a huge portion of my artistic inspiration had suddenly shifted to illustrative tattooists and their work. In a way, it felt like it spontaneously presented itself to me as this perfect career path, something creative and individually expressive that allowed you to draw every day as your job.
Up until that realisation, I had felt plagued by this incapacity to find a goal or direction to focus my creative attention on; it was something I hoped to pursue as more than a hobby, but I had no idea where or how that could happen. Tattooing really felt like it gave me something that was a far more tangible pathway to focus on and work towards.
So, illustration definitely preceded my journey into creating a tattoo portfolio or focusing more heavily on more tattoo-related motifs and imagery. But it was something I was very insistent on maintaining throughout my tattoo career so far. I think tattooing and art go hand in hand; they complement each other and function as different creative outlets for me. So many tattooists never pick up a pencil again once they pick up a tattoo machine, as if it were only ever a means to an end, and that thought really saddens me.
Tattoo by Nic Smith / Soyboy
You have recently shared some stunning Archangel St Michael tattoos. It's such an iconic image, and you mentioned it's one of your favourite references. How do you approach a subject like that, staying faithful to the original concept, while still bringing in your own style?
I think stipple shading (as a style of application in tattooing) in particular lends itself to the aesthetic of etchings and classical illustration really nicely. I think with imagery that’s biblical, baroque or neoclassical, it’s always best to follow it as closely to the original as you’re able to. Some master has always done it far better than you’ll ever be able to emulate so there’s not much need to take much creative licence. Sometimes, over-embellishing some contrast and the amount of black, or putting an outline around things for solidity, can help translate an artwork to a tattoo which has more readability on the body, but for the most part, not changing too much is the best option.
Tattoo by Nic Smith / Soyboy
What's a tattoo you'd love to do that no one has asked you for yet?
I’d love to do a decent-sized Mary or Jesus on the top of the head. Or the classic pharaoh's horses. It would just be a crazy, powerful placement for something like those, I think.
Illustration by Nic Smith / Soyboy
Alongside your tattooing, you create merchandise and prints, available through your online store. Your piece, 'David vs Goliath,' places Gustave Doré's 19th-century engraving alongside your own contemporary typographic treatment. What inspired you to bring these two visual worlds together?
I think I just like the dark theme of a lot of the old biblical etchings, particularly that image of David triumphantly holding the giant severed head of Goliath. It feels like it pairs well with the sharp, graphic and aggressive shapes of typographic fonts (inspired from band logos in the metal scene). I like the contrast of an old artwork paired with something more modern and graphic, like a logo or typeface.
Tattoo by Nic Smith / Soyboy
You've built a significant following on Instagram and TikTok. What advice would you offer to tattoo artists or illustrators seeking to expand their social media audience?
Honestly, I feel like a huge part of social media can be a bit of a stroke of luck, but I think that if you endeavour to create some type of content (regardless of industry) that showcases something of undeniably high quality, it should be rewarded in the long run. I think focusing on producing the best quality art or tattoos should be the most important goal; everything else should flow on from there.
Tattoo by Nic Smith / Soyboy
Looking through your flash sheets, I noticed that many of your illustrations are drawn using a Biro. What is it about this tool that appeals to you?
Probably the range of contrast. I really like that biro can go so dark and saturated, but can still do subtle tonal shading. It can be nice and light, but also go incredibly dark navy, absorbing light instead of reflecting it like graphite does.
Illustration by Nic Smith / Soyboy
Your visual references are rich and varied, from classical mythology to the natural world. Where do you find your inspiration?
I feel like a lot of inspiration comes from the art world, looking at classical forms of art like Greco-Roman sculpture, Catholic art and biblical symbology, etchings or baroque and neoclassical figurative paintings. There’s something incredibly timeless about these sorts of works, and they translate very well to tattooing, and I hope they can be categorised as sitting somewhat outside of the ever-shifting trends in tattooing.
Over the past year or so, I feel like I’ve become far more heavily inspired by traditional tattooing and trying to delve more into paying homage to earlier tattooists and exploring traditional motifs and imagery. It makes you realise how little you’ve scratched the surface of tattooing.
Illustration by Nic Smith / Soyboy
Is there a book (art-related or otherwise!) that's had a lasting impact on you or your creative process?
Probably James Jean’s ‘Pareidolia’. It’s pretty much a book showcasing his artwork, but it shows how undeniably prolific an artist he is on a completely different level. There’s all these pages from a Moleskine sketchbook that are absolutely crazy, you can tell everything is just coming straight from his head, probably no references at all. He’s just so good in a way that you can’t fake; it’s only from thousands and thousands of hours that you can draw like that.
And I think it inspired me the most, long before I had even considered tattooing, to just sit and draw every day and make it a discipline and a part of who I was. For drawing to become something that you craved to do rather than something that felt like a chore.
Tattoo by Nic Smith / Soyboy
Who are three artists or creatives everyone should check out?
James Jean - as previously mentioned, a huge inspiration early on for me. Crazy colours and visually flowing compositions, unique figurative work, and narratives in his pieces. There’s almost a visionary/otherworldly element to his work.
Alfred Liu - an Australian painter/illustrator who makes these intricately detailed coloured works of these little worlds and scenes involving cute animals and characters. There’s a really nice whimsical narrative about his pieces that makes you want to get lost in them and invokes a real childlike nostalgia which makes me very happy.
Roberto Ferri - a modern-day Italian painter whose work is strongly inspired by Baroque painting and the style of old masters like Caravaggio. His figurative work blends heavily erotic, symbolic and surrealist imagery and themes. Often dark yet undeniably beautiful, his work is always awe-inspiring.
Illustration by Nic Smith / Soyboy
What's next for you creatively? Are there any new projects, themes, or ideas you're looking forward to exploring this year?
I would love to learn how to paint. I think it would be my biggest wish to start learning how to use oils and start exploring colour. And seeing as I never use either of those, it’s a pretty daunting rabbit hole to consider, but that’s definitely the main creative goal for some point in the future.
Tattoo by Nic Smith / Soyboy
