Meet Fil-Am tattoo artist who inked Steph Curry’s arm

AJ PRESS

The Golden State Warriors may have hogged the headlines as this year’s NBA champions, but one person — artist Nino Lapid — also made it to the news. Besides, his art made it to Warriors star player Steph Curry’s arm.

Right after the Warriors’ win, Curry and his whole family celebrated by holding a tattoo party at his home, all done by Nino.

A tattoo artist for Zebra Tattoo and Body Piercing in Walnut Creek, in the Bay Area for seven years now, Nino explained that he enjoys working with his bosses Moe and Siobhan Delfani. He also declared that being able to ink Curry and his family was “destiny.”

“We had that call in the afternoon and the next thing you know it, we were there,” he said in an interview with the Asian Journal.

“[My] initial reaction was I was shocked…jaw dropped, open mouth…eyes wide open. I had butterflies in my stomach on the way to their house,” Nino shared.  “It was mixed emotions — excited and nervous at the same time. But it was an amazing experience.”

Surreal experience

It was indeed a surreal experience for Nino, reporting that the Curry family members were enjoying their win, dancing and just having a great time while he was doing their tattoos.

“[Steph] Curry was trying to play a guitar,” he said, laughing.  “They were very down-to-earth.  Some got lettering, mostly Hebrew letters that are memorable to them.”

Nino has been doing tattoos for 11 years now.   He, however, said that he feels like he’s “always been an artist” all his life.

“When I was a young kid, my grandfather ‘Daddy Pike’ would buy all my drawings for one peso. It made me believe in myself that I am a good artist. Until now I hold on to it and I’m very grateful for that,” he said.

Still, he considers himself a “late bloomer” when it comes to doing art.  Prior to moving to the United States in 2000, he was actually a pre-school and assistant special education teacher in the Philippines.

Turned upside down

Since the media picked up the story of him inking the Curry family, Nino’s once quiet life has turned upside down.

“The attention I got was from all over the world which is very insane,” he said.  “People are hitting me up on Facebook and Instagram.”

Not that he hasn’t known a lot about being with celebrities as he has tattooed some NFL players like the Oakland Raiders in the past, as well as other local Bay Area personalities.  He admits, however, that by far, “Curry is up there.”

Also, his mother is the former Miss World 1973 1st runner up and actress Evangeline Pascual.

However, Nino doesn’t make all that attention go to his head.  What is important to him is to continue honing his craft.

15 minutes of fame

“It was like 15 minutes of fame,” he said.  “Learning the craft, it’s a never-ending process.  You always try to better yourself…stay hungry.”

Happy to have made the Filipinos proud, Nino also believes that we should all stay connected.

“ We all gathered to celebrate the Warriors victory despite our differences. Filipinos are like the Warriors team,” he shared.  “We have a sense of community that drives us to stay connected. We are Filipinos — let’s love one another.