Rosalie Hurr, Author at Things&Ink

December 14, 2020December 11, 2020

Interview with Kelly Needles

Kelly creates beautifully nature-inspired handpoke tattoos at Easy Tiger Tattoo in Leeds. We chatted to the artist about handpoke tattoos, planting trees and love of tattooing ears…

My experience as a handpoke artist was a bit tough at first but I could not be happier with where I am now. Handpoke tattooing had a bit of a bad reputation (and sometimes still does) with people buying easily accessible handpoke kits and doing it at home.

When looking for a studio to work from, I found that even though I learnt in a professional environment, handpoking still had a stigma attached to it. Now though I have the pleasure of working alongside awesome and inspiring artists (machine and handpoke), and it’s more widely known and accepted professionally.

I was drawn to handpoke tattooing mainly because it’s a lot gentler than the machine and I find it very therapeutic. Most of my clients agree with me on this.

I have been handpoked by quite a few different artists and found they each have different techniques and ways of setting up. I tend to research the artist first, I’m quite fussy when it comes to getting tattooed. It has to be the right style for me, and I’d want the artist to be into my idea.

When it comes to my own tattooing process I always book in plenty of time for each client so we can go over the design, size and placement together. Whether it be a flash design, a custom piece or something I’ve drawn onto the skin, we have to make sure it’s perfect – I don’t like to rush! My set-up and supplies used are fully vegan and where possible, biodegradable. I also plant six trees for every appointment made to help fight climate change.

I usually book at least one hour for a tattoo, even if it’s three finger dots! I like to have the time to get settled and for my client to feel settled with me, and with the design. Most of my tattoos like the small leaves, words, animals, ears, and single flowers take between one to two hours.

Most of my inspiration comes from nature; leaves, flowers, animals. I have a silly amount of photographs of plants on my phone that I’ll draw from. I also have a nice collection of reference books that include botanics, patterns and floral art. Sometimes inspiration comes from a leaf on the floor, art exhibitions, or the pattern on an old lady’s skirt!

I love tattooing anything that I would design myself – so any flowers or leaves, yes please. Animals I love too. Handwriting I could happily do everyday. Basically as long as I can have a bit of freedom with the design and it’s my usual style, then I’m a very happy bunny.

I’d love to tattoo more ears and fingers. Every ear is a different shape and size so it’s fun to see what design works best. I usually freehand the design on these places but elsewhere on the body, if we’re doing a flower or leaves, it’s always super enjoyable to draw straight on the skin , especially if it’s an area that’s not flat or easy to put a stencil on to. Also – I’m always, always up for black leaves.

I can’t see myself going back to machine tattooing. I love everything about handpoke, it suits me perfectly. How it’s gentler and calmer. When it comes to tattooing what I do (ears, fingers, tiny animals etc.) I personally can’t imagine doing these with a machine – handpoke makes sense for me.

December 11, 2020December 11, 2020

Be kind & be wild: Lola Blackheart

East-London based illustrator and artist Lola Blackheart chats tattoos, her journey to self acceptance and the inspiration behind her body positive art…

I grew up with an adoration for very old-school, traditional tattoo work, classic pin-up imagery of the 1940s and 50s, and in my teens I discovered the world of burlesque. The confidence and energy of these professional female performers of all different sizes and shapes, plus the empowerment they bring to their audiences, really resonated with me.

It was the first step in what I guess you would call my ‘journey’ of self-acceptance. I also discovered how using these women as inspiration in my artwork felt like a small way to not only feel part of this movement of strong, confident females, but also could work to bring others in to that world.

I went to the Brit School of Performing Arts, and (not many people know this) actually started out as a dancer. After a severe ankle injury as I was going into my third year there, I realised that my passion for the art department had also began to naturally outgrow that of dance, and I spent my final two years studying art & design. I suddenly felt like I actually belonged somewhere. The dance world can be quite cruel and demanding, especially when it comes to appearance.

I went on to study Visual Communications at Leeds College of Art, where I did my own thing and specialised in casting and sculpture, with some illustration too. I was making installations made up of things, such as big hand-painted skulls for high-end store’s windows by my final year, and had my own studio.

Moving back to London made this a lot more expensive and illustration became more practical (and a lot less physically challenging!) It allowed me to turn my ideas into a reality much quicker. Instagram definitely changed my life, and being able to share my work so easily and to such a broad audience really pushed me to keep going and to keep engaging.

I was first tattooed at 16, and kept going from there! There was nothing quite like the excitement of going for my next tattoo, especially in my late teens and early twenties. I had friends that were starting out as tattoo artists, so I have quite a few that I don’t reveal as much as others, but they all hold funny or interesting memories.

Some of my all-time favourites are my coffin on my arm by Matty Darienzo, my panther on my hand and ‘Lola’ cat girl on my upper arm by Dani Quepo, and my hand-poked bible with upside-down cross and saw on my forearm by Kirk Budden.

The meaning and purpose of my work and brand has definitely continued to evolve over time, and I’m at a point now where I really want to push these messages of self-love and self-acceptance. I wish this had existed at the level it does now when I was growing up and that I had been given access to beautiful imagery of women that didn’t all look a certain way (tall, thin, whit etc.)

I ensure that everything I see on my Instagram is either educational, inspiring or body positive, and I hope that the work I’m putting out there and the content I share falls under these categories in some way or another. I also love that the basic aesthetic of the 50s pinups is still so embedded in my work, as it brings that element of classic glamour, and the celebration of the female body – although we should all support vintage aesthetic over vintage values!

I’ll continue to create work that explores the beauty of bodies and how different we all are. I have some exciting hand-painted projects coming up, as well as expanding on what I offer in terms of products on my Etsy store. My prints will always be central, but releasing small runs of organic, vegan, high quality products is something I’m going to be pushing. It’s amazing to see the interest and reaction from people when I do release something like a limited edition t-shirt. I also continue to work a lot with brands, so as soon as I’m given the go-ahead to share this work I will!

I’m open to all kinds of commissions, both for individuals and brands, but my most popular is the ones where I draw customers as one of my pin up girls! You can read more about this, purchase and get added to my waiting list here .

Be sure to follow Lola on Instagram for more tattoo and pin up inspired art.

November 16, 2020February 11, 2021

Interview with tattoo artist Filip Fabian

A tattooist for 12 years, Filip Fabian creates beautiful watercolour tattoos at Black & Blue Tattoo in San Francisco. We chatted to Filip about the inspiration behind his abstract pieces...

I grew up inspired by artists such as Rothko or Pollock. I studied art and drawing but I also got inspired by all of the great people I’ve met along the way. I also find a lot of inspiration in nature, every walk through the Golden Gate Park brings me a ton of inspiration. I often come home with ideas for new designs of the birds or flowers that grow there.

I love to tattoo nature and animals. My clients inspire me the most. I love to use geometry, brushes and textures in my work. And of course a wild palette of colours.

My cousin had his own tattoo studio in my hometown. I saw him working, and got immediately attracted to the whole process. Tattooing seemed magical to me. Then I ordered my first machine for $20 from eBay, did my first piece on my own knee, and never put the tattoo machine away since (I now have different ones, the eBay one actually fell apart when I was doing that first piece!)

I sometimes freehand my pieces, but I mostly spend a lot of time with each design prior to the tattoo day. After I meet a client for a consultation I take all of the references I have, all the thoughts and memories they express. These inspire me, and I combine that with my own touch.

I always try to include the personality of the person who I am tattooing into the piece, and the mood the piece is supposed to have. That’s why I don’t like realism that much. I find abstract designs more capable of expressing the mood and the fluctuate nature of life.

I hope that I get to see my tattoos and art on all of my clients’ bodies all over the world. That is my favourite gallery. You do not need an entrance, you just see it it while you casually go through your day.

Be sure to follow Filip on Instagram for more nature inspired tattoos.

November 15, 2020

Apprentice love: Alina Benson

When we first saw Alina Benson‘s tattoos on Instagram we couldn’t believe she was an apprentice! We caught up with Alina to chat all things tattooing…

How long have you been apprenticing and how did you get your apprenticeship? I started my apprenticeship at the end of 2019, but I’ve only been tattooing full-time since June at Tätowieratelier Sieben Raben, a private studio in Schwerte, Germany. I owe the apprenticeship to my friend Benne Clarus, who is training me.

What drew you to the tattoo world? My mother and grandmother have always been very creative, drawing and tinkering. I knew very early that I would like to tattoo one day. Even before I got tattooed myself. I got into the scene through my friend Benne Clarus, who has been in the tattoo business for more than 10 years. Since June 2020 I am now self-employed and for me there is nothing better.

Can you tell us about your own tattoos, and your first tattoo? I mainly have tattoos in the neo-traditional style from Benne Clarus, Mike Ldz, Konstantin Schmidt and also from myself. I had to start practising somewhere so now I have three tattoos on my legs. My favourite tattoo is my left hand of Mike, a moon. On the other hand I have a sun. I got my first tattoo when I was 18 years old and it is a Rammstein quote. It is not the most beautiful one I have to admit, but the only one with a meaning.

Can you tell us about the process behind your tattoos, what inspires you, how would you describe your style? I describe my style as neo-traditional. But I especially like to tattoo animals or things from nature. I like to use muted colours or pastel colours. Of course, sometimes I also do a more gaudy tattoo, but I prefer natural tones.

What do you like to draw/tattoo and what would you like to do more of? I always like to tattoo animals, especially I want to do more dinosaurs, they have always fascinated me!

What’s been the best part of your apprenticeship so far and what have you found the hardest? The best part of my apprenticeship is to see how I’m developing myself and to feel that my tattoos please people. I love that I can live from doing what I enjoy.

November 6, 2020July 1, 2022

We need to talk about tattoos and periods

Our contributor Lucy wonders if you should ever get tattooed while you’re on your period… would you?

Let me set the scene a little. It’s the very early hours of the morning before my first ever tattoo and I suddenly wake up feeling that oh so familiar cramping sensation in my abdomen, and as an individual who experiences severe dysmenorrhea (also known as debilitating period pain), I knew this was potentially very bad news. A wave of complete panic overcomes me, and I go straight to Google, trying to find every piece of advice available on ‘tattoos and periods’ while worrying I would have to cancel my booking at the last minute…

I came across a variety of advice telling me things like I shouldn’t take medication (like ibuprofen) before a tattoo, that periods make tattoo pain worse and that the general rule of thumb is ‘avoid getting tattooed on your period’. After all my stressed-out research, I decided to do the sensible thing and wait until the morning to contact my tattoo artist and ask if I could take painkillers before my tattoo. I felt too embarrassed to be honest and say that I needed the medication for menstrual cramps, so I found myself lying and blaming it on ‘back pain’.

Luckily, my artist was happy for me to take some ibuprofen and while this stopped the period cramps it didn’t stop the fear I now had that my period would cause my first tattoo to be more painful than normal.

Looking back on the experience now, I can say with certainty that, personally, my period did not affect my tattoo pain and that overall, my experience getting a tattoo while on my period was entirely normal.

But this might not be the same for everyone, the ‘taboo’ nature of period discussion makes it so we fear talking about this normal part of life. Instead we retreat to Google which inevitably leads to us finding unsettling period and tattoo related horror stories and myths, causing stress and anxiety. We need to open the narrative on tattoos and periods to help make those who menstruate feel more comfortable and confident when in the tattoo chair on their period.

To help start dispelling myths and opening up discussion, I’ve compiled a short list of some important things to know when getting a tattoo during your period:

Be aware that some individuals who menstruate do experience heightened skin sensitivity. If you feel particularly worried about this, if possible, it may be best to book larger tattoos or tattoos in sensitive areas on days when you are not on your period, but smaller ones should be fine. Sensitive areas are more prone to period related inflammation, so they hold more potential to cause worse pain during your tattoo.

Always check with your artist when taking any kind of medication or herbal supplements before your tattoo. Ibuprofen and paracetamol have blood thinning properties that can cause your tattoo to bleed more and herbal supplements can sometimes affect the clotting process. A small amount of medication is usually fine, but always check with your artist.

Make sure to bring extra sanitary products to your appointment and don’t be afraid to ask to use the toilet during your tattoo. Some people like to double-up on their protection before an appointment (e.g. using period underwear and a sanitary pad or tampon or using a heavier flow sanitary item for extra protection against leaks).

Finally, don’t let your period control your life! If you are experiencing painful cramps, extremely heavy flow, or other symptoms you feel are abnormal for you, it’s always best to seek medical advice, you don’t have to suffer in silence. Menstruating is normal and we shouldn’t have to feel ashamed of it.

Overall, always remember that it’s your body and your rules. While some people might entirely avoid getting tattooed during their period, others might not mind it at all, but by talking about it and being vocal we actively help to break the harmful stigma that surrounds periods.

Words: Lucy Edwards, a 20-year-old tattooed university student, cat mum and trying-new-things enthusiast. You’ll most likely find Lucy posting about mental health awareness and self-acceptance on her Instagram.