Blaze Ben Brooks

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For Blaze Ben Brooks, creativity started at home.

Growing up in Las Vegas, Brooks was introduced to drawing at an early age when his father would bring home “How to Draw” books. The two would sit together, sketching and comparing their finished work, unknowingly laying the foundation for what would become a lifelong creative pursuit.

His parents owned Diva Studio, a local salon, it was an environment rooted in counterculture, self-expression, and individuality

Brooks artistic education continued through Art Camp for Kids, a local program. Each summer, Brooks and other young artists were introduced to influential artists and famous works before being challenged to recreate them in their own way.

His style began to take shape around the things that fascinated him most. Traditional graphic illustration, historic tattoo designs, stylized typography, vintage advertising, all became part of his visual worldbuilding.

Brooks illustrations often feel aged, physcial and analog despite being created digitally.

This is all a part of his creative process, typically sketching out the initial design or concept on paper before taking them to his digital workspace.

In 2016, Brooks made a major decision: he left Las Vegas for Brooklyn.

The move was motivated by a desire for a new creative environment, and New York delivered. Brooklyn exposed him to a wider spectrum of businesses, artists, underground culture, and visual identities. More importantly, it challenged him to think differently about his own work.

“New York set the standard,” Brooks explained, particularly in terms of quality, ideas, depth, personality, and self-expression.

The city pushed him to question his decisions and think further about what he was creating. His relationship with tattoo culture became particularly influential. After getting tattooed in Brooklyn, Brooks found himself studying the artists behind the work, not just admiring their tattoos, but paying attention to how each artist developed a recognizable signature style. That influence became increasingly visible in his own approach to illustration and branding.

After the passing of his father in June 2021, Brooks relocated back to his hometown. The return carried a deeper meaning.

Vegas was where his story began, with his father’s drawing books, his parents’ salon, his early mentors, and the environment that first pushed him to create.

Ten years after leaving for Brooklyn and five years since returning home, Blaze has cemented himself as one of Las Vegas’s most influential creatives. A true trailblazer, he has helped push the city’s visual identity to new heights through his growing portfolio.

With each new project, Blaze continues to deepen his roots in the city that shaped him, leaving his mark while helping define where Las Vegas’s creative scene is headed next.

We had the honor of touring Blaze’s 4th Street Studio located in the heart of downtown in the Arts District.

Sources: Blaze Ben Brooks, Las Vegas Weekly