Tucson native and tattoo artist Lisa Cardenas, selected by Tucson Weekly readers as Best of Tucson 2014 Best Tattoo Artist, learned to tattoo in 2008 at Red Sky Studio, where she worked three years before going out on her own to open her own studio, Haunted Hands. Her studio name is a name she's used as an artist since graduating from the UA's illustration program. Cardenas told the Weekly that she wanted to work in animation since age 14, so after college she moved to Los Angeles and stayed for three years, where she worked as a storyboard artist for American Dad at Fox animation. "I moved back to Tucson because I hated Los Angeles, missed my home, and wanted to learn to tattoo," she says.
—Mari Herreras, mherreras@tucsonweekly.com
What was the first concert you attended?
Third Eye Blind at the Pima County Fair. What are you listening to these days?
Lots of random folky stuff and bluegrass ... William Elliot Whitmore, Steeldrivers, Trampled by Turtles, Devil Makes Three. And of course a ton of '90s stuff. What was the first album you owned?
"Jagged Little Pill" by Alanis Morissette. My dad brought it home for me one day. What artist, genre or musical trend does everyone seem to love, but you just don't get?
Jazz. I really hate jazz. It makes me want to flip tables. What musical act, current or defunct, would you most like to see perform live?
Everything in 1998.
What is your favorite guilty pleasure?
Lady Gaga, and not a drop of guilt in sight.
What song would you like to have played at your funeral?
"Loser," by Beck. Wow, that looks awful in writing. What artist changed your life and how?
Beck, circa 1997. He made me feel like being a giant weirdo was not only OK, but kinda cool. Figurative gun to your head, what is your favorite album of all time?
"Siamese Dream," Smashing Pumpkins.
