Tattoo artist Ehyang adores putting her art on people’s bodies. “I think it’s a proud and rewarding thing that someone likes my paintings and keeps them on their body for the rest of their lives,” she enthuses. “There‘s nothing more glorious as an artist than that.”We caught up with her to find out more…
What’s your earliest memory of tattoos? Did you always want to get tattooed? “When I was young, I just liked getting tattoos because they looked cool… then I started to just fall in love more and more, so I thought what could be better than to make them my job?”
How long have you been tattooing for? How did you train to become a tattoo artist? “This year marks my third year. For my sanitation education, I took theoretical classes on machines and needles After that, I practiced with a rubber board.”
How would you describe your style of tattooing? “My style is fine line ornamental. To differentiate myself from other tattooists, I draw animals with an ornamental twist. That’s the characteristic of my tattoos. I love fine lines and decorative tattoos.”
Do you tattoo lots of tourists who’ve travelled for your work? “Half of my guests are foreigners and some of them visit Korea just to get a tattoo from me.”
How long is your wait list? How do customers book in? “I’m taking reservations by e-mail, I used a Korean chat app, but I think e-mail is easier. I usually tattoo one person a day.”
What are the rules for tattooing in South Korea? Is tattooing more underground or becoming more mainstream nowadays? “I think Korea is still a little conservative about tattoos. Most young people get tattoos, and they like to get small tattoos. But I think there are more people getting tattoos than before.”
“I love that a client’s idea can take me somewhere I never thought I would go. “
What’s the best way for customers to come up with an idea for you? Do you offer flash or prefer custom work? “Customised work is more fun. I love that a client’s idea can take me somewhere I never thought I would go. The design that I and the customer made is new and interesting…”
What is the address of your studio? “It’s 61-1, Donggyo-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul. It’s my private studio.”
Any interesting hotels / shops / cafes nearby? “There are many cute and pretty cafes near Mangwon-dong, Korea. There is a famous street called Mangridan-gil, and there are many cute shops there. Mangwon Market is also famous. It’s hard to walk around on weekends because there are so many people.”
Do you ever do guest spots? If so, when / where? “I did in Singapore, Australia, Canada, and the U.S.”
What are your hopes and plans for the future? “Now I want to settle down somewhere. I’d love that to be in America because I think I can do something fun and big with more diverse materials than in Korea. I’d love to create a unique style tattoo that only I can do…”
What do you love most about tattoos? “Tattoos are attractive, there are so many styles and it’s fun to be able to express our individuality. And as an artist, I’m proud to be able to create my own creation with tattoos, and I don’t think there’s anything more interesting and attractive than that.”
Tattooist Inno, who’s based in Seoul in Korea, realised that tattoos can be art when he saw a tattoo of a small, beautiful flower. That tattoo set him on a journey to becoming an artist himself. Here we catch up with him to find out more about tattooing in Korea, guest spots and what motivates and inspires him…
How long have you been tattooing for? How did you train to become a tattoo artist?
“I started learning how to tattoo in 2019. I took classes at STUDIO BY SOL, one of the most famous tattoo academies in Korea at the time. In Korea, tattoos were illegal, so there were few places that taught hygiene education and technology properly, but I chose this place because it was the best place to train.”
How would you describe your style of tattooing?
“I live near the beach, so whenever I was frustrated or couldn’t think of an idea, I used to look out at the sea – it cleared my mind, it gave me room to think. It’s what made me realise I wanted to draw pictures of the waves and the sea. And turn other objects into waves too. Water is flexible and permeates almost anything. I guess that’s how it works with my clients too, their bodies become covered in my wave style.”
Do you tattoo lots of tourists who’ve travelled for your work?
“Most of the guests who visit me in Korea are foreign tourists. They come to visit me during their trip. Customers usually contact me through email before their holiday.”
What are the rules for tattooing in South Korea? Is tattooing more underground or becoming more mainstream nowadays?
“Tattoos are illegal in Korea, you need a special medical license to practice. However, in recent years, many celebrities are getting tattoos, and they are becoming more and more popular. I think Korean tattoos will become more and more famous around the world.”
How should customers contact you? If someone is travelling over from the UK, how much notice would you need?
“Customers come from various countries, as well as England. It is enough if you tell me the picture, location, and size of the tattoo you want. Please contact us via email at inno.waves.tt@gmail.com, with dates that you will be in Seoul.”
What’s the best way for customers to come up with an idea for you? Do you offer flash or prefer custom work?
“I don’t like doing Flash because the number of copycats has been increasing recently. I don’t like my paintings to be done by anyone other than myself. Now I prefer custom work because I want to draw a special picture for only one person.”
What is the address of your studio?
“It is located in Seoul, Korea. Please contact us via email for detailed addresses.”
Any interestinghotels / shops / cafes nearby?
“The place where my studio is located is one of the most famous tourist attractions in Korea. Therefore, there are so many foreigners and it is a place where anyone can enjoy. Perhaps that’s why I think the tattoo scene has developed a lot here.”
Do you ever do guest spots? If so, when / where?
“I have been to Australia, Canada, and the United States – so far. My drawing style is unique and rare all over the world, so I want to visit lots of different countries.”
What are your hopes and plans for the future?
“I believe my paintings will develop further. I haven’t done a lot of large-scale work yet, but I want to draw bigger pieces.”
“When asked if a tattooist is an artist or a job, I would say artist.”
Inno
What do you think about the tattoo world itself?
“Tattoos are one of the most basic acts of expressing oneself. Also, I think it is very noble work that expresses and communicates each person’s life. Therefore, I hope that all artists will be more careful and work passionately in their work. This is because many people now think of it as just a job to make money. When asked if a tattooist is an artist or a job, I would say artist.”
Flash days are our absolute fave. We love the excitement of heading to a tattoo studio to see the flash (tattoo designs, FYI, read more about that here) on offer. Picking a small design which is a set price so there’s no drama or anxiety about what you have to pay. It’s one of the most fun ways to get tattooed. But you know what we love more than that? Flash events that offer FREEEEE tattoos. Yep. Tattoos that will cost you absolutely nothing.
We couldn’t believe it when the invite landed in our inbox. Tattoo app Tattoodo is hosting a weekend-long event in Shoreditch, London, on Saturday 22 April and Sunday 23 April. Not only is there free tattoos but there’s also drinks, merch, music and competitions.
We’re lucky enough to be attending the VIP night on Friday 21 April, with FREE tattoos from our from Horror Issue cover Star, tattooist Emily Malice (you can see her flash sheet over on her Instagram) and tattooist Teide. Look out for stories over on our Instagram!
There will be another ten – INCREDIBLE – tattooists tattooing over the two-day event – which is open to anyone…
Sophie’s flash that will be available for FREE on Saturday
“This is a compilation of my favourite tattoo imagery, inspired by American traditional and Chicano designs through the years,” says Sophie Rose Hunter, who’s tattooing at the event on Saturday.
Flash by Alex Rufio, available on Sunday
“I’m super excited to be joining the team at Tattoodo for their London launch! The platform they have created makes connecting with clients and managing their bookings massively easier. This event will show that it’s easier to access quality tattooing. I drew a range of classic tattoo ideas in a contemporary design so that clients new and old can get timeless tattoos to be proud of. I’m really looking forward to meeting new tattoo fans and tattoo veterans!” says Alex Rufio who’s tattooing on the Sunday.
Matty Magee will be tattooing from this flash sheet on Saturday
“These are classic designs to be applied with love and consideration. I’m excited about the event: meeting new people and tattooing are two of my favourite things to do, the perfect recipe for a lovely day,” says Matty Magee who’s tattooing on Saturday.
The event will be open to the public on a ‘walk-in’ basis throughout Saturday 22 April (12pm-7pm) and Sunday 23 April (12pm-6pm). The Tattoodo Flash Weekender is partnering with drinks sponsor Sailor Jerry. To grab a free ticket for Saturday or Sunday, head over to Eventbrite.
Location: 149 Shoreditch High Street London E1 6JQ
We sat down to have a chat with tattoo artist Paula Castle, who owns Black Sheep Tattoo in Bristol. Paula is one of the most passionate and creative people in the tattoo world. And our chat covered everything from her fave subjects to tattoo to the deep-rooted misogyny in the tattoo world and the importance of safe spaces. Make yourself a cuppa and settle in for the ride…
We absolutely adore your tattoos, tell us more about them, your style and any themes that people love coming to you for…
I did my version of a crying heart as a sticker in 2017. Then in 2020, one of my clients said to me, I want your sticker tattooed on me. I loved doing it. And if I really enjoy doing a tattoo, my favourite thing to do is come up with different themes for that design. It’s just a really fun and interesting way to work. When people give me challenging themes, it’s fun working out how to do it or how to represent something. The crying hearts are especially fun to theme.
Drag queen, Divine themed crying heart tattoo
I’ve also done a few tickets, too. I’ve done a couple of those as memorial tattoos. It’s a nice design to incorporate dates into, without it being overtly memorial. I did one recently that was a ticket for a festival that my client had been to with her dad, and she lost her dad during Covid. I put a few important dates into the ticket. The problem with things that are obviously in memory of somebody is they lead to people asking questions. Sometimes that might be welcome, but for some people, they never feel comfortable sharing that stuff. Some people want something that doesn’t scream RIP.
Another fun design I’ve done recently is a rear view mirror tattoo – another design that’s good to add themes to.
Do you have a favourite tattoo that you’ve done? Or a favourite by someone else that you can’t stop thinking about?
There’s a tattooer called Josh Todaro who does traditional pieces. He did a portrait of Adam Sandler from The Wedding Singer – and Oh My God. “Somebody kill me please”. And it’s my most favourite tattoo I’ve ever seen. I just love it so much. One of those tattoos I wish was on me. I still look at it all the time.
As for me, it’s such a hard question to answer. But I just did my first ever Muppet tattoo – Miss Piggy from Treasure Island. I just kept giggling the whole way through tattooing it, because I absolutely love The Muppets.
One of the reasons I love tattooing so much is because my favourite tattoo is always the most recent one I’ve done. It just feels like that’s constantly continuing forever – it doesn’t get old.
Do you have lots of regular clients that always come back to you?
I love, love, love building relationships with clients. I enjoy time with people that I’ve tattooed before, because it’s like catching up with an old friend. I’ve got some people that I’ve been working with now for the best part of my career. I’ve seen people move through life in such positive ways – going through beautiful moments like marriages and buying houses and having children. Then likewise, I’ve had long-term clients who sadly lost parents or gone through other stuff and I’ve been able to offer them support.
It’s been interesting, I was diagnosed with ADHD last year, and so many of my clients are also neurodivergent. I’d love to understand if there’s a correlation, whether neurodivergent people gravitate towards other neurodivergent people without really knowing that they’re doing it, you know.
Tell us about your shop, Black Sheep Tattoo in Bristol. We know tattoo shops can sometimes feel like intimidating places if you’ve never been in one before.
I try my best to make the studio safe and welcoming for everybody, but also I’ve taken as many steps as possible to make it really clear who we don’t want here. I think that’s just as important. We’re trans friendly, queer-owned, female-owned – it says female-owned on my sign outside – like I’m very upfront about it. I don’t want people in my studio who are going to make not only my artists, but any other clients feel uncomfortable. And that’s always been of the utmost importance to me. The clients that we have here really reflect that.
We have eight artists and a studio manager and tattooers who do regular guest spots. Then we also have The Tooth Pixie, who does a couple of days a month offering tooth gems. And Amanda who comes one Saturday every month and does brow lamination and eyelash tinting. When it comes to body modification, it it isn’t just about permanence. I love integrating to offer more than one service. Which brings people into a tattoo studio who’ve never thought about tattooing before, and might have a preconceived notion of what a tattoo shop is like.
‘Even now, you open a tattoo magazine and every advert has got a half naked woman in it’
Breaking down those kinds of social barriers is still something that’s really important. We have a responsibility to tattooing – and especially tattooing for women. It’s still an extremely male-dominated industry and it’s misogynistic, from a systemic point of view. Even now, you open a tattoo magazine and every supplier advert has got a half naked woman in it – it needs to stop.
We’re ready for change, why isn’t it happening quicker?
It’s those little micro aggressions of misogyny in advertising and in, you know, the percentage of sponsorships and things that go to men over women in the industry, that leads to inappropriate behaviour with clients in studios, and sexual assault and sexual violence against female clients and artists.
These things can’t be fixed by me opening a studio and not standing for that behaviour in my studio, the only way to fix the problem is to address the people doing the things in the first place. It’s not on us to fix it. But it is the responsibility of the suppliers and the media that work within tattooing to fix the systemic misogyny within tattooing, because it’s not acceptable anymore. And it needs to stop.
It’s been gorgeous to chat, and we loved you getting on your soapbox about the change that’s so needed. Anything else you want to share?
It’s my tenth year tattooing this year. It feels like such a milestone. It’s definitely been a roller coaster. But it’s so hard having your own studio. If I had been able to find a space to work in that was like mine, I would absolutely not choose to be a studio owner. If anybody’s really unhappy where they are, don’t think that the solution is to have your own place. It isn’t always the answer. But yeah, all I ever wanted was to have somewhere that I could truly be myself – like, you know, somewhere not to feel embarrassed all the time. That’s all I ever wanted was to not have that feeling anymore.
We absolutely love independent tattoo skincare brand Stories & Inkand everything they stand for aligns with our vibe over here at Things & Ink.The Stories & Ink range has been specially created for people with tattoos, the products nourish, define and protect tattooed skin – from aftercare cream and gentle foam cleanser for freshly inked skin to vibrancy serums and exfoliating wash to inject some life back into older tattoos.
We caught up with Stories & Ink Creative Content Manager, Barbara Crane – who’s 26 years old and lives in Latvia – to find out her top tips for dealing with that dreaded new tattoo itch and her fave S&I products for new tattoo healing.Barbara’s a tattoo collector, too, of course, and her collection of blackwork tattoos is out of this world…
Barbara is the creative content manager for Stories & Ink skincare
What made you fall in love with tattoos? Do you remember when it was? I was about six or seven years old, I think. The idea of having permanent art that’s all over your skin – and goes everywhere with you – fascinated me. When I was a child, I also loved art and drawing. I thought the idea of having drawings on your skin was amaaazzzing and I couldn’t wait to cover myself in art.
Do you enjoy the process of getting tattooed? I would say 50/50. I do love going to the tattoo studio, talking to tattoo artists, and going through the whole process – except the pain of actually getting tattooed, of course. Yes, it is a part of the process and, to some degree, I do like it, but I don’t know what it is – age or something else – but it does feel like every next tattoo is more painful than the last. My tolerance is a lot lower than it used to be. Or maybe it just means that I keep moving to more and more painful places on my body.
The top half of Barbara’s body has been tattooed by Emīls Salmiņš
What’s your top tips for the healing process? Hmm, I’d say leaving the healing tattoo alone as much as possible. Of course, cleaning it and applying aftercare cream when needed. But don’t go into the sun, don’t do any crazy activities, don’t pick at it and drink a lot of water. Treat it almost like a wound and just let it heal. Then the healing process happens a lot faster.
Do you have a fave Stories & Ink product? Why? Oof, always hard to pick one. I am totally a fan of the Daily Moisturiser and the Vibrancy Serum, for sure! They both smell so amazing and nothing makes my tattoos come back to life and glow like these two products do!
How do you cope with the new tattoo itch? Ha! Good question. I didn’t experience it that much in the past, but the last few tattoos I got, it came to bite me in the butt. I don’t scratch it – of course. Maybe give it a light tap with my palm, if it is unbearable. But if I do feel an itchy sensation, it just means that the spot is dry and I apply a little of the Stories & Ink Aftercare Cream and that usually does the trick.
Any new tattoo plans? I have a bunch, but first I’d love to finish my massive back piece. Later I’d like to get my fingers tattooed and the insides of my ears.
What’s your coping tactics to deal with long sessions? Honestly, numbing cream. I know people debate about it, but I don’t understand why. Some say “you should earn the tattoo” but I say that is just toxic masculinity at it’s finest. A bit of a hot take, I know. But it’s true. If it will be a long session and in a spot that’s very sensitive and painful, make it easier for you and for the artist. If the area is numb or has less sensations than normal then you are having a breeze and the artist can focus on doing their work without you whining and twitching and moving around from the pain. Other coping tactics would be music or watching videos on my phone. Really distracts my brain well.
What do you love most about working at Stories & Ink?
I’ve been a freelancer for a long time and everything always felt so hectic, working at S&I has brought so much structure in to my work life and I love it as I am a big planner myself. Also being a huge tattoo enthusiast, I feel like I have found my place – finally. I used to think I would be a tattoo artist as I thought that was the only job I could have in the tattoo industry, but I am glad I was wrong. I love how welcoming, passionate and understanding the team is. I feel so lucky to be a part of such an amazing, growing and future-thinking company that aims to share the right messages about tattoos, tattooed people and tattoo care – and so much more.
