THE ORIGIN STORY

AI IMAGERY NOTE: Abstract brushstroke or paint-texture imagery in brand palette (black, grey, signal orange accents) is safe to use as a background or decorative element here. DO NOT use AI-generated portraits of Alexi or athletes. Video stills from any provided studio footage are strongly preferred over AI-generated images throughout this post.]

From Skin to Canvas: What a Decade of Tattooing Taught Me About Art

I didn't start with a paintbrush. I started with a needle, a machine, and the understanding that there was no fixing what I was about to do. Alexi Stankowski, Wisconsin-based sports artist and creator of hand-painted jerseys and athlete portraits, built the Precision First standard on a decade of permanent art before a single stroke ever touched canvas.

For the next ten years, that was the job. Not just drawing on people — mastering the variables that nobody tells you about until you're already committed. Skin behaves differently depending on the person, the placement, the temperature of the room. Black and grey portraiture, which is what I built my reputation on, leaves nowhere to hide. No color to redirect the eye. The likeness is either there or it isn't.

What tattooing gave me wasn't just technique. It gave me a framework. Every piece of work is a decision tree. Every mark is permanent. You learn to think three steps ahead of every stroke, and you learn to commit once you decide. That kind of discipline either breaks you or becomes the way you operate.

It became the way I operate.

In 2018, I brought that framework to the Wausau Museum of Contemporary Art. Studying under masters including David Hummer and Victor Wang, I refined the same mark-making instincts I'd built on skin. What struck me in those rooms was that the fundamentals didn't change depending on the surface. Light, form, likeness — the same everywhere. What changes is the material and what you can get away with.

I didn't let myself lean on the ability to overpaint. The permanent discipline was already built in.

erseys came next, and they made immediate sense. A jersey carries identity before you touch it. It already means something. Your job is to add to that meaning, not replace it. The fabric, the texture, the existing weight of the garment — that becomes part of the piece.

And the sports connection was never a stretch. Athletes are the closest thing most of us had to superheroes growing up. The years of commitment, the sacrifice that doesn't make the highlight reel — that's what I want to document. Not just the win. The cost of it.

In 2023, that work was recognized at Villain Arts Milwaukee. First place. I'm not one to lead with awards, but that one mattered because it came from a community I respect.

I still think like a tattooist. Precision first. Every layer of acrylic, oil, marker, and spray paint is a decision I'm willing to stand behind permanently, even when the canvas technically allows me to go back.

That's what the decade on skin gave me. Not just a skill set. A standard.

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Follow the work on Instagram: @alexistankowski — https://www.instagram.com/alexistankowski/

• Who is Alexi Stankowski?

  Alexi Stankowski is a Wisconsin-based sports artist specializing in hand-painted jerseys and athlete portraits. He spent a decade as a professional tattoo artist at SevenOneFive Tattoo Collective before bringing that precision-first discipline to fine art and custom sports commissions. His work has been recognized with first place at Villain Arts Milwaukee (2023) and trained under master artists including David Hummer and Victor Wang at the Wausau Museum of Contemporary Art.

• What is "Expressive Realism" in sports art?

  Expressive Realism is the style Alexi Stankowski uses for his custom sports paintings and hand-painted jerseys. It combines the technical precision of fine portraiture — developed through a decade of professional tattooing — with raw, emotionally driven composition. The result is athletic subjects that capture not just likeness but the psychological weight behind the moment.

• How did Alexi Stankowski get into painting jerseys?

  Alexi Stankowski transitioned from professional tattooing to sports art in 2018 after training at the Wausau Museum of Contemporary Art. He began applying the precision and layering techniques from permanent body art to jerseys and canvas, finding that the discipline translated directly. Custom jersey commissions became his signature work, with pieces going to collectors and athletes including NBA champion Thanasis Antetokounmpo.