This is Anna Liashenko, also known as Any Lay. She’s an incredible Fineline tattoo artist whose creativity and adaptability are reflected in her gentle and soft-lined style. 

Her passion for art began in childhood and has been sharpened through her academic training at both art school and Stroganov Academy’s Graphic Designer program. After obtaining her diploma, Anna embarked on a journey of self-discovery, traveling extensively and immersing herself in foreign cultures to expand her artistic vision.

Her signature style is a combination of thin lines and shading techniques, often featuring lotus, moon, sun, stars, and other ornamental symbols. Any Lay adds these elements based on the clients’ requests as well as their character, giving each tattoo a unique and personal touch.

She has been getting more and more popular and has recently surpassed the 15.000 followers on Instagram!

Join us as we delve into Any’s journey as a tattoo artist and the inspiration behind her stunning creations.

So Any, how did you decide you wanted to be a Tattoo Artist? Did you have anyone who inspired you?

Since I was a child I’ve been wanting to be an artist. I drew a lot. My parents even allowed me to draw on walls at our old place. Pretty early I started to create some kind of logos, to design different broadsheets and leaflets. When I was a teen I started making custom-clothes as well. My friends often ordered something made by me because they knew about drawing skills and, I guess, they wanted to support my art.

I always understood the importance of studying, so I graduated art school and then the Stroganov Academy (one of the Russia’s finest and most well-known art academies) with a bachelor’s degree in Graphic Design. Afterwards, my life became pretty ordinary and sometimes even boring, because I used to work in an office for a couple years.

To be honest, the “9 to 5”, and lack of freedom drove me crazy. I just knew that it wouldn’t fit my childhood dreams and my life needed some changes. Then one day I remembered that my friends always recommended me to try making tattoos. So, pretty spontaneously, I found and passed a tattoo-course and realised that their words were so right. I guess it will be pretty obvious that I name my family and my friends as my main inspo-people.

If you had to explain your tattoo work in two sentences, what would you say?

I usually use symbols and ornaments to give life to my clients requests. You can often find lotus, moon, sun, stars and other symbols in my projects. These symbols are filled with their own meanings and reflect the client’s character.

I know you’re very specific about the type of needles you work with. Can you please elaborate on that?

As I always say “The thinner the needle, the more difficult it is to achieve fine, well-healed contours”. And I’ve never been looking for an easy way 🙂 That’s how I came to my favorite needle type.

I work with 3RL cartridges and as I already said — I make really thin lines. Usually it even looks more like 1RL. 

I know you are very careful in the way you place your tattoos on the body, can you explain that a little bit further?

I use humans anatomy for my projects. Each design is symmetrical and should be placed correctly because it should always be a composition of human nature and art. My designs can’t be placed on random body part, it simply won’t look good.

It is important to find the exact middle of the back, correct place on the arm etc., so it will fit perfectly. You also have to carefully monitor if the drawing is not being distorted when transferred to the skin.

Not only your tattoos look lovely, I’ve also heard you have a way with make the process very smooth, can you expand on that please?

My customers always tell me that I have “light hands”, so yes, they don’t feel any pain during the sessions and most of my projects heal well and easy.

What is your favorite type of tattoo to work on? 

As I told before, I like to use a lot of symbolic stuff in my projects. I always try to make my tattoos really personalised, customed and client-oriented. So, a perfect project for me is a reflection of character traits, memories or important life moments from the person getting the ink. I use my symbols as an encryptions, so the tattoo’s meaning is known only by the customer. 

How’s the process of tattooing with you like? Do people bring their own ideas and drawings? Or do they just trust you to do your magic?

I do both, but it fully depends on customer’s preferences and needs. People often ask me to combine their ideas with some of my classic motives, or to recreate an old idea, passing it through the prism of my artistic vision.

Don’t get me wrong, but I really like when people trust me. I mean, when they already checked my previous projects, when they understand the detailings, the meanings etc. It’s always more comfortable for me to deal with such clients. 

What would you say is your biggest challenge at the moment?

I hope it won’t look silly, but in my case — it’s an IG posting. The main problem is the posting frequency. Because the content always has to be different, but kept in the same general direction. People won’t know you if you don’t tell them about yourself. So every artist must do this. Beyond any reasons.

Do you have any current or upcoming projects you’d like to share with the viewers? (in case you’re launching a brand, store or art project)

Yeah, I have a couple of side projects in my mind this time.

The first is non-permanent sticker tattoos. Because, it’s a pretty popular thing among the young people to express themselves. I think, I’ll use the most well-known designs and symbolic motives of mine. I already made some test samples last year. 

The second idea is a tattoo mentor course. I’d like to help young artists finding and creating their own style, share some of my knowledge or contact with them. So, stay in touch 🙂 I always tell about some of my fresh ideas in my Instagram.

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This was our interview with Any Lay, we hope you enjoyed it and make sure you follow her on Instagram @anylay.tattoo and show your love for her art.

Did you enjoy this interview? And who would you like to see next? Request your favorite artists via [email protected]

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