Rosalie Hurr, Author at Things&Ink

October 26, 2015

Sarah Jane Docker: Creepy Kewpies

19-year-old Sarah Jane Docker is an illustration student, blogger and freelance artist from the Lake District. We love Sarah’s dark and gloomy style, inspired by The Horror Issue and our recent Miniature Ink II exhibition, Sarah has created a series of creepy kewpies just for us…

Do you have a background in art? I started drawing from a very early age, usually little things like butterflies and rainbows (I’m all about symmetry) which progressed into making little picture books about the adventures of my toys and writing stories to go with them. I didn’t realise there was a name for what I was doing at the time (illustrating) and carried on drawing and practising into my teens. My parents were never the most artistic of people but they always stood by me and my decision to draw and create, even when I chose to ditch the idea of A-Levels for an Art and Design Diploma 40 miles out of town!

How did you get into blogging? A few of my friends ran blogs that I’d been reading for a while. One day I thought ‘hey, I could do this!’ so I did.

What kinds of things do you blog about? Anything from lifestyle advice and DIYs to make-up and tattoos. My last tattoo orientated post talked about getting your first tattoo and what you should think about before and during. One of my most recent and favourite posts is about dating yourself and why it’s important that you should take time out to be alone, treat and learn about yourself, find out what you’re all about! I’m quite young so don’t expect people to follow my advice but the response to my writing so far has been ace. I love reading all comments and am yet to experience negativity in the blogosphere.

What kinds of things do you draw? This is a tough question! I draw a wide variety of things. Portraits, creepy little kewpies, mandalas (which I love, love, love to draw. The possibilities are endless and I can really get stuck in!) anything inspired by Eastern culture. I dabble in typography for fun now and again. A major project I just completed with my partner was our first comic book, 3 Parts Mad.

What medium do you use? Mainly pen and ink. It can be really controlled or explosive so it always fits my creative mood!

How would you describe your style? Another tricky question! Versatile, dark, floral, intricate. I’m still working on it so hopefully I’ll have developed a little by this time next year.

What inspires you? Sounds terribly elitist but feeling free or empowered. Living in the Lake District gives me the ability to hike up a mountain whenever I like, I feel most free there and take inspiration from the nature and people around me, everything in its raw state. Seeing other artists succeed motivates me to carry on creating and seeing younger people follow what they want to do, even if it is a risky career makes me remember why I’m doing this. Eastern and tattoo culture is also a massive inspiration, crazy colours, symbols and beautiful deep rooted tradition! Of course, books and magazines are an endless source of inspiration too. My creepy kewpies were drawn after reading The Horror Issue for the billionth time!

What was it about The Horror issue that inspired you? The whole atmosphere of the issue is insane, I love it! Dark yet beautiful photo shoots (yo Hannah and Emily), interviews with inspiring artists and the article on eyeball tattooing. Something I really like but could never go through with, eek! Gore gives me the creeps, but anything twisted I love and I tried to show through my creepy kewpies.

Can you tell us about your tattoos? My biggest piece is three peonies on my upper left arm to symbolise the main women in my life and my appreciation for Japanese tattoo, my other is a heart and dagger under my right boob. No meaning for that one, I picked it off a valentines flash sheet but it looks ace and I like how secret it is. I have another heart on my shin with a drawing that my friend did last year, she sadly passed away so this will always be super precious to me! Most people just ask what it is when they see it. I plan on getting lots and lots more, sorry mum.

Can people buy your art?
Yes! I have a Facebook page where you can message me about any piece you like and I’ll give you a price! Or you can find me on my Etsy page which is empty at the mo but keep your eyes peeled for creepy Kewpie prints soon.

October 24, 2015October 24, 2015

The Art of Ivan Alifan

Russian artist Ivan Alifan uses oil to paint works that explore sexuality, desire and intimate gazes. His art seeks to illuminate the latent sexuality that is always present in images. He hopes to break down barriers and de-construct how the body can be seen in art, he wants to viewer to decide for themselves whether they feel sexual attraction or curiosity.

October 23, 2015

Apprentice Love: Lady Bonsai

Lady Bonsai is a 27-year-old Italian apprentice working in Naples, we love her dark, simple and often naughty tattoos. We chatted to her about her classic style and what inspires her…

When did you start tattooing? I started tattooing in 2015 and I am apprenticing at the moment at Napoli Ink in Naples. I sent my portfolio to lots of different studios and the guys at Napoli Ink asked me to work with them.

What did you do before you were a tattooist? Before I started to tattoo I used to work as a manager in a street wear clothes store. I have always been fascinated by art. I changed my whole working life to follow my dream to become a tattoo artist.

What inspires you? I’m inspired by Art Nouveau, 1920s actresses, porn and bsdm (bondage, submission, dominance, sadomasochism) subjects.

What kind of things do you like to tattoo? I love to tattoo women’s silhouettes in a romantic yet sexy way.

How would you describe your style? I would describe my style as a graphic and passionate blackwork.

We have recently released The Horror Issue, what is your favourite horror film? My favourite horror movie is Freaks (Tod Browning, 1932). A black and white movie, it is really amazing and a great inspiration to me.

Can you tell us about your own tattoos? My own tattoos are a mix of various styles, I really love tattoos to suit my body and it’s different parts. I have a lot of different subjects from various artists including a moth by Alessandro Florio on my leg.

October 20, 2015

Jessica Sharville Illustrations

Jessica Sharville is a 30-year-old freelance illustrator who also manages Tattoo Workshop in Brighton. Jess uses a pastel palette to transform what she sees around her into eye catching illustrations and tattoo covered characters. Inspired by The Horror Issue she has created two drawings, titled ‘Maneater’ and ‘The Pact’ especially for Things&Ink. We chatted to Jess to find out more about her tattoo inspired drawings and her ever expanding tattoo collection…

How would you describe your style? I think its realistic with a kind of exaggerated stylized feel, it has moments of fashion illustration and traditional tattoo art but with stories behind the illustrations. Romantic and sometimes quite sad.

What inspires you? I get told that people see me in a lot in my illustrations so I think I am inspired by people or events in my life possibly more than I realised! But apart from things in my life I would say that what inspires me the most is just people and moments I see in day to day life, perhaps a couple walking down the street laughing or someone crying on the phone and me wondering if they are going to be ok. (I am a bit of a people watcher). I work five days a week at Tattoo Workshop, and when I’m there I’m surrounded by so many incredible artists who all happen to be bloody ruddy good eggs too.

Maneater

What medium do you use? I use heavy weight paper as I draw very heavy handed, and I only use Pentel 0.9mm mechanical pencils. I then scan my work and sit on photoshop using my Wacom bamboo graphic pad and do a bit of colouring in! It allows me to keep my original illustration and work with colours and effects and not spoil the drawing.

What do you like to draw? It’s probably obvious I love drawing people and tattooed people but I also love drawing patterns and text too. I have painted a few murals and large pieces in the last few years and found a new love for that. I think I just love little details and it has been great doing large scale things to push myself. But if I sat down with a blank piece of paper, I am nearly always going to draw a couple in bed.

The Pact

Do you have a background in art? I have a degree in Illustration from Plymouth University and a family full of illustrators and graphic designers. I have worked lots of different jobs to support my illustrations throughout the years and luckily most of them have been creative which has helped push me with my art.

Are there any artists you admire? I am a huge Norman Rockwell fan and Charles Keeping who are my two favourite artists when it comes to capturing moments between people and creating illustrations which just silently tell stories. I also admire so many different tattoo artists and the amazing creative bubble inspires me, just being around these amazing artists (who all work substantially quicker than me!)

Can you tell us about your tattoos? If you don’t have any are you planning to? What do you think of them? I have possibly too many to explain but I have a few favourites, I have a couple of Kate Mackay Gill pieces, my feet are my favourites which are a mouse on a powder puff on my left foot and a perfume bottle on my right. Then I have a Kola Hari (from The Circle) Buddhist temple on my leg, a very new Peony on my knee by Jack Thomas Newton at Into You Brighton, lots of music related ones such as ‘Well I Wonder’ my favourite Smiths song, a few sneaky Arctic Monkeys related ones and many more.

I love my tattoos but I actually can be quite private about them. I enjoy having the choice of having them on show or not and sometimes people might not even realise I am tattooed at first. I also just love wearing black and layers!

Wolves in my Bed

October 19, 2015

Fashion Pearls of Wisdom: Ink on the beach

Our guest blogger is Natalie McCreesh aka Pearl, a fashion lecturer, freelance writer and creator of Fashion Pearls of Wisdom. In this post she talks about the reactions she received from people while sunning herself on a beach…

This was to be my first beach holiday in years, I’d packed some vintage style bikinis and not much else envisioning long days spent in the sunshine. What I hadn’t foreseen was that with the bikinis would come the stares. I’m used to getting funny looks back home for my tattoos but I guess this was a lot closer to naked than I was used to being in public. I live in Sheffield which I’d say is a fairly tattooed city, seeing tattooed people isn’t all that unusual. On this two mile stretch of Spanish beach not so much. Sure there was the odd little tattoo but in the five days we spent there I only spotted two other heavily tattooed people. In a sea of exposed flesh mine stood out, together with my boyfriend we stood out even more.

It really made me stop and think, just seeing all that ink free skin how few of us actually choose to be tattooed. When you have tattooed friends, follow tattoo related Instagram accounts and so on it becomes the norm, you get used to seeing tattooed people. The beach line up was a bit of a reality check I guess. The stark realisation at how different you have decided to become. There is sexism in the stigma too, I could watch my boyfriend walk around with the odd glance but nothing compared to the reaction I got. Is it more acceptable, more normal to see tattooed men?

One day after some holiday cocktails we found a stack of business cards for a local artist and took them to hand out to the gawkers – what can I say we find ourselves hilarious after a few piña coladas. A bonus is that parents with screaming kids would take one look at us, decide we were likely criminals and move further down the beach, win! Away from the beach at a restaurant (not wearing the bikini just to clarify) we were asked to move to a table furthest away from the crowd, the waiters plea that it was reserved didn’t wash as we promptly left for the place opposite and watched said table sit empty for over an hour. I caused quite a stir at the hotel for breakfast too in a backless dress- tattoos not ok, stealing the entire platter of chocolate croissants totally acceptable apparently.

All I can summarise is that the behaviour of people is strange, Things&Ink’s Rosie wrote about her tattooed holiday experience in Vietnam and had various reactions. In some cultures staring isn’t considered rude and I don’t mind at all people looking at my tattoos, I just wish they could give a little smile to show its in a friendly way every now and again. That said it won’t stop me wearing a bikini on the beach!