Rosalie Hurr, Author at Things&Ink

July 19, 2022December 11, 2022

Magic dimensions: Interview with Adriaan

Adriaan (@adriaan.machete) creates tattoo rituals in Berlin, Amsterdam and Hamburg. We chatted to the spiritual tattoo artist about his divine art and how tattooing allows him to tap into his higher self…

How long have you been a tattoo artist? I’ve been tattooing for around 15 years.

How have you seen the industry evolve since you began? It’s been such an incredible journey to witness. I love the way everything has evolved; from tattoo machines, to diverse color palettes, to the way tattooing has become an incredible art of expression and uniqueness.

Tattooing has evolved into a way of connecting all kinds of people with very different backgrounds.

How would you describe your work? I can describe it as my own expression of art, magick and energy on skin and canvas. It combines the aesthetics and exaltation of beauty, spirit and esotericism. I love tattooing contrasts and ornamental designs which decorate the anatomy of the human body.

Has your style changed? Yeah definitely. I feel that I have the same techniques and foundation of bold lines, strong colours and contrasted palettes. But what has definitely changed are the meanings and designs I create.

My style changed as my view of the world changed – I’m much more focused on the meaning of the designs now.

It feels as if the designs themselves want to be expressed into this world.

Sometimes I feel amazed at just what is wanting to be created and manifested. My works are similar to the beautiful mandalas Hindu and Buddhist monks create in the Himalayas by channeling these symbols directly from higher consciousness. I too can tap into and channel that energy to create beautiful art in this reality.

What inspires your tattoos and what do you like to create? I’m inspired by the beauty of this world. Beautiful paintings, beings, objects and nature are my favourite.

I’m also inspired by my personal journey and life story. I’m telling stories through my emotions, my learnings, my life, my personal growth and constant transformation. I feel that my tattoos also reflect exactly what I’m experiencing in that time of my life.

You introduced yourself to us as a spiritual tattooer, can you tell us more about this? In an intense part of my life I had a spiritual awakening triggered by a body and soul breakdown. In this hard time I had to go deeper into my inner world to find out what was happening to me. It was a beautiful transformation of my heart and soul.

I went in deep to find my conditionings, blockages and shadows and the more I found the more I changed my art.

At some point I questioned if tattooing was the right tool for me, but the answer from my heart and soul was yes. That it was always a tool for creating, healing and transformation. That I already choose this path at a soul level to help and expand consciousness in me and others.

Was there a turning point or experience that made you seek a more spiritual path? Yes, a series of very intense experiences in my life meant I reached the point where my personality came to its limit and broke. When it broke it felt like the whole world collapsed and I suddenly awakened to something completely new.

It was indeed painful in body and spirit, but something beautiful started to emerge. I started to feel more real; I explored who I really was without a personality and I started to learn and reparent myself with what I really wanted to know and be.

I changed my art and pushed my tattoos in a different direction. I started expressing my inner worlds in my art.

It was a full transformation which is still an ongoing process, it’s an eternal evolving of the soul.

How does your spirituality translate to your tattoos? It translates in form of shapes, symbols and energy. When I transformed, my art transformed as well, as I started drawing more elaborate designs.

I added new symbols and I used different colour palettes. When I did guest spots around the world my customers changed as well, they were more aware of themselves as if they were also mirroring how I felt inside.

Now when I’m tattooing I’m feeling the energy of the person and what needs to be open or changed. Tattooing helps open the energy system and the symbols used instantly transform consciousness.

It’s a beautiful thing to witness and how all of us, as human beings, are emotional, energetically and spiritual connected.

Do you see the act of tattooing and receiving a tattoo as a healing experience? Yes. At some point I started to reflect about tattooing itself and where it came from. It seems that ancient cultures used it as a form of ritual and they used symbolism in it. It was made by shamans or higher priests and priestesses, who had the purpose of healing and creating mágick.

I learned that when you’re getting new symbols of magick and power the physical pain and enduring this pain are part of the process to release energy. It’s also a tool to release karma and recycle ancestral energy.

These rituals were created not only to transform the energy of the person getting tattooed, but also for the person giving the tattoo. So, the shamans and higher priestesses were healing and expanding their consciousness as divinity channeled through them. When I understood this, my love for tattooing increased.

What’s been your proudest and happiest moment in your career so far? I remember when I started tattooing it was a very unknown and mysterious road. I felt that I needed to create my own art and truly believe in myself.

When I did I was surprised, that in a short time, I started tattooing at big conventions, winning awards and getting articles in magazines. This made me so proud and happy, I was grateful that I believed in myself and trusted my heart from the beginning.

Later in my career I felt I needed to change my art and I was nervous to show my spiritual side. As before I believed in myself and knew I needed to follow this path. Again I was surprised to feel so content and be successful.

I was travelling the world meeting amazing people, guesting in amazing shops and helping myself and others to heal and evolve our consciousness – this makes me feel so proud and happy.

How does tattooing align with yourself and the life you want to live? Years ago I went to India for a yoga teacher training and I started teaching yoga in Europe – it opened a new path for me and how I can manage energy.

I felt then that yoga and tattooing aligned in me and that they both complement each other. Tattooing ignites my creativity, outer expression, intuition and magick. Yoga ignites my concentration, balances my system, expands my breathing and my inner reflection.

It’s amazing to see how tattooing has been a powerful and healing path in my life. It has given me so much that I’m eternally grateful for.

Tattooing is a divine art which has shown me a beautiful way to some of the most magic dimensions.

Follow @adriaan.machete for more tattoos, travel dates and yoga.

July 4, 2022July 4, 2022

Natural lines: tattoo artist JOOJOO

Tattooist JOOJOO (Jinju Kim) creates delicate floral and linework tattoos at her studio in Hapjeong, Seoul, South Korea. We chatted to JOOJOO about tattooing as a form of self expression and spreading happiness through her art…

How long have you been tattooing and what made you want to become a tattooer? I started tattooing in 2018. My art and tattoos are the best way I can express myself. I’m a naturally timid person and can come across as shy, because I find talking about myself or talking directly to someone new difficult.

Tattooing was so attractive to me as it allows me to express myself exactly as I want to without feeling like I’m acting. I prefer other indirect forms of expression as well, such as fashion or sharing the music I listen to. Once I discovered tattooing I started to learn how to do it, there was no hesitation at all.

What’s been your proudest moment in your career so far? There was a customer with a lot of painful memories, their arm was full of scars and she wanted to get a tattoo over them. So we covered her scars with some of my floral tattoos and she was so thankful afterwards. I’ll never forget how happy she looked, it was my happiest and proudest moment.

I think tattooing is the best way I can express who I am, I’m very proud to have this job.

What do you like to tattoo? I like drawing objects that are found in nature, these are the subjects I enjoy the most. I really like all aspects of nature, from the warmth in the green of the plants around us to the blue of the ocean that speaks to me of freedom.

To me, nature is the place that I get so much energy from and the colours are so inspiring. I enjoy drawing these aspects in my own style to transform them into a tattoo design that will work on the skin.

Why are tattoos so special? Tattoos act as a way for me to keep doing what I love, what I want to pursue in my life and how I express myself and my feelings. My clients keep these things on their skin and the act of giving them a tattoo is really special.

How would you describe your style? I redraw the topics and objects my clients want in my own style with my unique viewpoint. When I’m drawing these things I also think about how they’ll be placed on the body. Whether it’s a plant, animal or flower each natural painting needs to complement the final placement.

After drawing the initial shape with clean, thin and simple lines I add colour. The colour is layered to mimic crayons or brushstrokes. In my art I pursue a picture that appears ordinary but in the end it’s not.

What inspires your work? I feel inspired by plants, animals and music amongst many things. I also really like the work of Picasso, his paintings are my favourite. They’re abstract, detailed yet also simple and in every one his identity can be clearly seen.

I also don’t wish to draw things exactly as they appear in real life. For me, art is a way I can express in my drawings what I see and feel. Picasso is one of the best painters of this expression, he’s the painter who inspires me the most.

Can you tell us about tattoo culture in Korea? A lot of Koreans and Korean celebrities get tattoos even though it’s illegal to be a tattooist here. Despite this Korean tattoo artists are famous around the world and receive invitations to work in a lot of different countries.

Tattooing is recognised as an artform across the globe and I think Korean laws should be changed to reflect this. Young people in Korea are really interested in tattoos and the majority of my clients are young.

When are you happiest? I am truly happy when I tattoo my drawings. I like the idea that a person will be going about their daily life and look at the tattoo I’ve made for them and feel happy. This thought drives my tattooing and inspires my work.

Make sure to follow @tattoo_joojoo for more amazing tattoos.

June 24, 2022

The little cottage: tattoo artist Ovenlee

Ovenlee creates cottage-style tattoos at Ovl Studio in Seoul, South Korea. We chatted to Ovenlee about her journey into the tattoo world, what inspires her colourful tattoos and what it’s like to tattoo in South Korea…

How long have you been tattooing? Around four years, I started in the summer of 2018.

How did you become a tattooist? What made you want to be one? I was a student at art college majoring in ceramic crafts and design when I got my first tattoo.

The day I got my tattoo I fell in love with it and tattooing. I was charmed by the craft and I loved the idea that someon else could have one of my paintings on them for the rest of their life.

After that I became interested in tattoos and my friend, who was a tattooist at the time, said I should become one too. He told me that my drawings would make very special tattoos.

It was then that I knew I wanted to learn how to tattoo. Luckily I came across Soltattoo who was advertising for a student, so I contacted him and he became my teacher.

What does tattooing mean to you? It is a medium that allows me to bring together the memories of myself and the people I tattoo. When I paint a picture using my own memories and experiences my customers can also attach a meaning to the image that’s unique to them.

We meet through my paintings and that’s how we share each other’s stories.

What inspires your work? I get inspired by objects in my daily life and things I remember. I enjoy taking photographs in my free time and sometimes I bring motifs from them into my work. I can also get inspired by verses from my favorite songs.

What do you like to tattoo? I love cute animals and flowers!

How would you describe your style? I think my paintings and tattoos are in a fairytale and cottage core style. The objects I depict evoke memories and I draw them in warm colours. In terms of the practical side of tattooing I mainly use colour ink.

The thing that makes my tattoos different is that I don’t add contrast with black ink. The design is done with just colour ink.

So after the tattoo heals the colours don’t look dark, but instead appear transparent and clear. I think they heal more naturally without black ink being added.

The tattoo becomes a part of the body more like skin; this is what I like the most about my work.

Can you tell us about your proudest moment in your career? I always feel super proud when I can offer comfort to my clients with one of my tattoos.

I had a client who wanted a tattoo of her cat who had died a few years ago. Through her tattoo and the appointment we shared many stories and she found comfort. When I can share stories like this through my paintings I feel very proud of my job.

Why are tattoos so special? Tattoos are the best way I can describe and express myself. I have several tattoos and these explain my life, the person I am and my life’s motto.

Can you tell us about tattoo culture in Korea? In the past, Korea was a very conservative society where tattoos were considered to belong to gang members and men. Because of this people with tattoos were not given as many job opportunities and celebrities on TV had to hide their tattoos.

Recently a lot of young people have seen tattoos as a way to express themselves and so various tattoo styles have appeared and a tattoo trend is rising. Unlike in the past, colour and mini tattoos are becoming more common and now young women are getting them (more than 98% of my customers are female).

As tattoos become more common more artists are flowing into the tattoo world and more genres are emerging. This makes me really happy. Older people still have a bad perception of tattoos, but now tattoos don’t seem to have much of an impact on finding a job and celebrities on TV shows don’t feel obligated to cover up.

However, in Korea, tattooing is considered a medical practice. A group of tattooists called the ‘Tattoo Union’ is working hard to fix this. As people around the world pay attention to Korea’s tattoo technology and styles, I hope they will pay attention to this issue as well.

When are you happiest? I am very happy when I spend time with my cat and listen to my favourite songs. A lot of ideas for my tattoos comes to mind at times like this!

Also, I am happy when those who have received my work send me a thank you message. There were customers who said they found hope and courage when they looked at their tattoos and others who were grateful that they have memories they could remember for the rest of their lives. My heart bursts when I think about it and I’m at my happiest at times like this.

Make sure to follow @ovenlee.tattoo for more colourful tattoos.

June 2, 2022August 4, 2022

Interview with tattoo artist Zee

Zee (@zeetattoo) creates fineline floral tattoos in South Korea. We chat to the tattooer about his first tattoo, love of black ink and the flowers that inspire his work…

Why did you want to become a tattoo artist? I wanted to become an artist becaue I like to meet people. Tattooers can meet new people all the time and at almost every appointment.

So, I thought I would become a tattooist as I also liked the idea of engraving a person’s memories, resolutions or their favourite things onto their skin.

How did you become a tattooer? Before I was an artist I worked as a noncommissioned officer of the Republic of Korea Navy for four years. While working I had the opportunity to get a tattoo.

When I got my first tattoo I was really attracted to the tattooists as they had a completely different life to the one I had back then. I started learning about tattoos and how to tattoo from the person who gave me my first tattoo.

What do you like to tattoo? I like to tattoo big colourful flowers in black ink.

What inspires your designs? I buy a lot of fresh flowers and use these as references for my drawings. I also refer to the work of other tattooists a lot of the time.

However, I think the best thing for me to use is the flowers, because even the same kind of flower has differences when compared to others in the bunch. Each type of flower has things that only they have and this inspires me.

How would you describe your style? There are various curves on the human body and I use their flow to make big and small flowers and leaves. I place these on the body and use very thin lines to create each piece.

Your tattoos are mainly in black, do you prefer this over colour? I personally think that black ink is better than other colours, but I don’t think it’s as fashionable. It’s not that I don’t like colours but my favourite colour is black.

Can you tell us about the process behind linework tattoos? I collect a huge amount of information to help me prepare just one design. I bring all this together into my drawing and when I’m happy with it I start painting. When preparing the design I tend to pay a lot of attention to the overall arrangement.

What do you love the most about being a tattoo artist? My favourite thing is meeting new people and tattooing lets me do that. I also love visiting new countries and experiencing their cultures and food.

When in your career have you felt the happiest? Now that I think about it, I think it was when I first started tattooing flowers. At the time I wasn’t sure if I was happy but now I think I definitely was, especially as I got to learn something new too. Of course, even now I am studying constantly.

Do you have any guestspots or travel planned? I don’t have a definite plan yet, but I want to meet new clients and experience new cultures. It’s always an interest of mine.

What about your own tattoos are you a tattoo collector? I have a lot of tattoos that I’ve done on myself. I tend to try new things on my own body before I do them on anyone else. Also if I like the work of a tattooer I try and get a tattoo by them.

Follow @zeetattoo for more of his amazing floral tattoos.

May 31, 2022August 4, 2022

Interview with tattoo artist Sambee

We chat to North London tattooer Sambee about her journey into the tattoo world and her experiences as a woman of colour in the tattoo industry…

What inspired you to become a tattoo artist? To be honest it was never an ambition of mine, even though I had always drawn, been creative and did art at school. I also used to go home after school and watch LA Ink and NY Ink. I thought they were pretty cool shows but I never saw them as a future career.

Saying that, the idea of making things with my hands was attractive to me. It meant I would always have a way of being able to provide for myself without relying on someone to hire me.

How did you become an artist? A friend took a design of mine to a local tattooist and asked if I would go with him to get the tattoo done. Whilst I was there the tattooist talked to me about my designs, he was opening a studio soon and asked if I’d like to be the apprentice.

At the time I was looking to go to university but my parents were surprisingly supportive of me becoming a tattoo apprentice.

Can you tell us about your experiences in the tattoo industry? My apprenticeship started two months before my nineteenth birthday. I’m at the end of my twenties now, so it has been quite an education. It’s been a strange world to navigate through especially when you come into it quite young.

Tattooing is a great expressive art form and there’s always something to learn or a way to challenge yourself. The more you put in the more you’ll get out.

You meet all types of people, some sweet and some more savoury, but that’s like all industries. It’s nice to see more women and women of colour coming up in the industry.

Can you tell us more about the experiences you have had as a woman and a woman of colour in the industry? I’ve had some awkward moments. I think the frustrating thing about being a woman in a male dominated industry is that you can feel obliged to not create what’s sometimes perceived as ‘trouble’, or perhaps what used to be perceived that way.

Even now, I initially felt like I had to answer this question by downplaying or lightly glossing over experiences.

If I were to mention every little moment where race or gender felt to me like a disadvantage or something I’ve had to speak out to defend against, it would be a long list.

Toward the end of my apprenticeship, I was being tattooed by someone (who my mentor invited to the studio). I can’t remember how the subject of race was brought up, but somehow we got talking about it and mid tattoo session, with my limb in the tattooists’ hand, he says the words “ya know, I don’t actually believe in ‘mix raced’.”

My ears perked up, my heart rate rose and I had to control my facial expression. I just thought, let me make it to the end of the tattoo session and then I won’t have to listen to any more ignorance.

I’ve also heard clients say they don’t believe in racism, casually, while I’m tattooing them. I’ve also seen someone point out the window at a person in a wheelchair and say the words “look, that’s a n*gger in a wheeelchair”. I was in that room.

Are there any female artists and women of colour artists you’d like our readers to know about? Hell yeah there is! There’s lots of women that I know and follow on social media that make me proud to be in this job, at this time, because it has come such a long way since I started.

My colleagues Trang and Chanelle are so talented, focused, driven and kind hearted. I used to work with Jade and we both had the ambition to get into tattooing. She’s got a beautiful heart and does beautiful tattoos.

People should also follow:

The list goes on!

What attracted you to black and grey tattooing? I’m not sure why I was more interested in black and grey. I appreciate all styles, but when it came to doing them I found that black and grey made more sense. It feels more straightforward.

Have you always tattooed like you do now? I started out doing anything and everything and then slowly just narrowed it down to black and grey realism.

I’m sure in another 10 years my style will change, but I can’t see it changing too drastically. That’s the thing within any creative industry the only limits are what you put on yourself. It’s sometimes scary to change because it’s new to you and you obviously lack experience. Also you’re beginning the process all over again and that creates more self doubt.

Can you tell us about the process behind your tattoos? Sure! There’s not too much to it, my client would have given me images or a description through an email enquiry. With that information I search and source photos relevant to the idea and begin putting that into a composition to suit whichever area the tattoo is going. I tend to do image sourcing the night before and then put together designs in the morning showing a few options.

What inspires you? Other artists, not just artists who do black and grey. Or seeing people who have older tattoos and wondering how can I do my work to a standard that will hold and look sick as it ages.

It would be cool when my clients are in nursing homes and still feel excited about their tattoos or getting compliments.

What do you like to tattoo and what would you like to do more of? I really enjoy tattooing animals. Anything fluffy! I’d love to do more iconic portraits too. I’ve done a few civil rights projects and I loved those! Also any Marvel/DC characters would be a dream!

Are you a tattoo collector? I’ve got a few cats! I wouldn’t say I’m a collector maybe just an enthusiast, I’m definitely not at that level by any means.

I’ve enjoyed getting pieces so far from my talented colleague Matt Lunn and the awesome Anrijs, Ash Higham and Edgar Ivanov.

What moment in your career are you most proud of? Working my first convention felt quite pivotal. There’s a lot of anticipation for that moment, so much preparation and it can feel like a big hurdle when you build it up in your head. But it was a lot of fun!

I’m currently at a big transitional moment in my career. I’m joining my friends in making our own artist led studio. I cannot wait for it to be finished! This will definitely be the proudest moment in my career once it’s up and running.

Make sure to follow Sambee for more amazing realism tattoos and updates on her new studio.