With the dark cold nights drawing in and frosty mornings suddenly appearing. We thought we would share some of our favourite tattoos inspired by all things winter…
Film Review: Blue Ruin
Our guest blogger is hobbyist film and TV series reviewer and writer Harry Casey-Woodward. On th-ink.co.uk Harry will be writing a series of posts in which he will be sharing his opinions on things he has watched.
Blue Ruin, 2013, Cert 15, Director Jeremy Saulnier
There’s a film I saw years ago called Shotgun Stories about a war between two American families. The prospect of some rural blood feud excited me, but by the end the message of the film was clearly peace. The surviving members talked it out and mourned their losses. As much as I admired this anti-revenge film masquerading as a revenge film, I felt let down by the anti-climax. I’m not saying I wanted violence over resolution. The plot just felt resolved far too easily.
Blue Ruin is a revenge film that does keep the violence but also its brutality and emotional impact, and nothing is easily solved. Although the creators were influenced by pulp splatter films, they have crafted a stylish, haunting thriller that’s a world away from the superficial gore fests currently dominating the B-movie scene. Although the violence is graphic, it’s not designed to entertain but rather make us clench our seats.
Our vagrant protagonist Dwight, played by Macon Blair, is informed that his parents’ murderer has been released from prison. He sets off a chain of violence that charges beyond his control.
Dwight is no action hero. He is played brilliantly by wide-eyed Blair as a nervous wreck who stumbles through the drastic situations he creates, surviving mostly by luck and his wits. This makes him a compelling and relatable character.
The style of the film is suspenseful and minimalist, with little action and dialogue, relying mostly on atmosphere and the actors’ expressions to build up sudden blasts of brutality. It’s refreshing compared to the constant barrage of noise and rapid editing most action films offer.
Blue Ruin is a gem of independent cinema that both upholds and smashes the conventions of a traditional genre. I dare you to find a better revenge movie this year.
Wonderful Christmas Time
This interview called Wonderful Christmas Time was originally published in issue 5 The Celebration Issue of Things&Ink magazine (December 2013).
Samanatha Sorci, 38, works in social media and lives in Caerphilly with her husband, Brim (of Nu Rose Tattoos), and their little boy Loki. Here she tells us about her festive sleeve…
‘My Christmas sleeve is a celebration of one of my favourite times of the year. Christmas has always been magical for me. When I was little, I’d go to bed on Christmas Eve after putting out a tray of ginger biscuits and a glass of milk for Santa and our house would look the same as always.
‘Then I’d wake up in the morning and there’d be a stocking at the end of my bed, a little white tree on my chest of drawers and the rest of the house had been decorated. The biscuits and milk would be gone, so the only logical answer is that Santa had brought Christmas with him, and that kinda magic definitely needs celebrating!
‘When I had decided on the theme for my tattoo, I took my time to find the ideal artist and settled on Gary Weidenhof of Inkredible Kreations, Perth, Scotland. We started the sleeve around eight years ago at the Peterlee convention. That was a flippin’ awesome day. It was March 25th (my birthday!) and I turned up to find Gary’s booth all decorated with a Christmas tree, tinsel, and presents, and everyone was wearing Christmas hats. It was the best start to a sleeve ever.
‘Over the following months, I had sessions at other conventions as well as two consecutive days at Gary’s studio. I’m still not quite finished, I need a gingerbread man popped in at some point, but I’ll get there.
‘I still totally love my sleeve and I think that’s because I chose a theme that’s so special to me– as well as an artist who is so good. Now I just need to make sure that all of my future Christmases are magical for my little man, Loki Ramone.’
Merpola Clothing
25-year-old Toby King is creator of streetwear label Merpola a mixture of maritime whimsy and urban sensibilities. We chat to him about what inspired his debut collection, how The Prince’s Trust helped him set up his business, and his aquarium of oceanic tattoos…
How did you start your company? What inspired you? The ocean is the main inspiration for the pieces I make. Merpola worships at the alter of the world Ariel left behind, that inspired Cher for Halloween, that Rose survived and Jack froze in, that swallowed Pinocchio, that produces up to 70% of the oxygen we depend on for survival… it’s an endless source of inspiration. I’m really proud to be the founder of a company that I always wanted to exist, no one else was doing it so I decided to do it myself.
I started Merpola with the help of Prince Charles’ charity; The Prince’s Trust. They have a scheme called Enterprise for young people who want to be trained in entrepreneurship, they are honestly Jedi Masters at what they do (and to be their Padawan was a huge honour) they taught me a lot and helped get Merpola up and running.
Can you tell us a little about your brand? Merpola is my own clothing and accessories brand that launched in Winter 2015. The first collection is on sale now and is made up of t-shirt prints, beanie hats and tote bags. The brand is independent, unisex and forward-thinking. I didn’t want to gender any of the items because the concept of giving a sex to threads of cotton or a design element is ridiculous. If you like it, put it on. A focus on high quality within affordable limits is a number one priority, it’s important to me that I offer something that isn’t set at an elitist high fashion price but that still feels unique and special, like a lot of passion has gone into the creation of it. I source components as ethically and ecologically-friendly as I can given the budget and sell worldwide.
Do you have a background in fashion? I don’t have any background in fashion, no! I studied Media & Communications at university and went into television and PR after graduating. I love all forms of expression though, from tattoos to clothing, and the idea for Merpola has always been in the back of my mind. I had been working for a company that I didn’t respect – the way they did business was without any moral compass. I had to get out of there, and that’s when I went to The Prince’s Trust with my idea for a streetwear label. They provided classes to teach me all about being an entrepreneur and helped fund the equipment and fabrics I needed to get going, it’s an amazing organisation.
Can you tell us a bit about your new collection? With the debut collection, I wanted to create a solid baseline and incorporate certain staples that would help define Merpola moving forward. I think there’s a very playful and rebellious attitude to all the things I’ve created so far, I’m really proud of everything. There wasn’t much money to get started with so I chose to focus on creating a small run of a select pieces that build the foundation of what I want to achieve whilst still having opportunities to expand upon on and adapt as the business (hopefully) grows. Some sizes are already selling out, and because there’s only a few dozen of each item I think the first batch will be quite special one day. RuPaul has already given Merpola his stamp of approval, which was a massive confidence boost when I needed it most. Starting a business is scary!
The brand is a reflection of maritime whimsy and kitshy elements mixed with some urban sensibilities picked up from my current surroundings in London.
What do you want your collection to say? I want Merpola to inspire rebellious spirits and invoke a sense of adventure. If you want to feel empowered like a menacing sea witch, cover yourself in our tentacle print. If you want to tell the world “watch out, I will drown you” then represent that with the Sea Tee. You haven’t escaped the Matrix so you don’t need to dress in plain black every day of the week. Break the rules, have fun with your style.
What is your favourite piece from the collection? I’m proud of the little details in all of my first collection. I don’t have a background in fashion or design, and it was a long process to teach myself how to do it properly – nothing is worth doing unless you throw yourself into it 100%. I actually feel like my DIY approach has benefited the clothing, there’s no fashion rules to follow when you don’t know them! But it’s little details mixed with a sense of humour and rebelliousness that give my label its identity. I really appreciate and strive for humour in what I do and hope it comes across. And I’m getting better at what I do every day, I’m starting the process of creating Collection II now so there’s a lot to be excited about going into 2016.
Where can people buy them? I set up Merpola.com as a platform to sell the collection, that’s where you’ll find my garments. There’s also a blog there with updates on the business and more creative writing planned for the future, swing by and have a poke around.
Can you tell us about your tattoos? I’ve always been awestruck by tattoos. I craved having my own when I was younger because I viewed them as a sign of a free mind, a rebellious statement. Now finally having my own, I understand that they’re much more than that. They’re art, stories, history and emotion sitting under your skin. Unsurprisingly, most of my own tattoos are rooted in oceanic imagery, I’m my own aquarium and I love it.
What was your first one do you still love it? My first tattoo is terrible, but yes, I still love it. A lot of people I meet have a ‘first pancake’, that first tattoo that didn’t turn out right. I saw the movie Hedwig and the Angry Inch when I was around 14 and it blew my mind open. There’s a tattoo in that film which I wanted to replicate so I had a fake I.D. made, skipped school and went to a really crummy place in Exeter that tattooed it onto me for just £20. It’s sloppy and gross, but it’s been with me for over a decade now and reminds me of the fearlessness I had that day, it’s quite empowering.
Transformation tattoo for Transgender son
Steve Peace a Canadian tattooist has updated his wife’s tattoo of their children to reflect the new gender of her eldest son Ace. The original tattoo was done over 10 years ago, and showed a portrait of their children, Elliot, Hamish and Ace- when Ace was living as a girl.
Steve has now changed the tattoo of a young girl wearing a pink dress and pigtails into a boy wearing a blue shirt and shorts to reflect Ace who is a transgender teen. The tattoo transformation was kept as a surprise for Ace and shows how much they support his decision to be who he really is.
In an interview with Global News Steve said:
I think it really reaffirmed, for him, that we believed him […] Parents often sit in the closet themselves. This was putting it out there. Parents need to really support their kids in these situations. I thought he was happy before, but no — he’s happier now. It’s crazy. He smiles all the time.
Tattoo by Steve
Watch the video below to hear Ace’s story: