Conventions Archives - Page 12 of 14

January 30, 2012February 5, 2012

Behind the Needle 3 – part 4 of the London Tattoo Convention series with Papercut Pictures and Zeitgeist

This is part of the exclusive Tattoo film series I filmed with Papercut Pictures for Zeitgeist magazine.

“Tattooing has become a victim of its own popularity” Zele

[vimeo http://www.vimeo.com/35528885 w=500&h=281]

Behind the Needle 3 features three more notable tattoo artists. Ninoslav Zelenovic aka Zele from Zagreb Tattoo, Jason Donahue from Idle Hand and Alex Binnie from IntoYou London/Brighton talk about the past, present and future of the tattoo world. Has it really become a victim of its own popularity in this Facebook-obsessed world?

Zele used to be a military man, and this is reflected in his love of historical, ethnic and traditional styles of tattooing. His tattoos reflect his value system and past. In this film he also talks about the negative impact of the growing popularity of tattoos and how this affects those who have been in the business for a long time.

Jason Donahue has always been into art, and as soon as he got his first tattoo he realised he’d found something he really wanted to do. His influences come from the past, his strongest being American traditional and Japanese. He also talks about the explosive nature of the tattoo industry now and the fact the he is his own biggest critic, constantly seeking tattoo perfection.

Tattooing was a very ‘closed’ world when Alex Binnie started out, and not at all fashionable. He tells us about his varied style and how the industry has changed since he has been a part of it. He talks about tattooing as a beautiful contract between the tattooer and the person being tattooed that avoids the constraints of the gallery system.

Watch the other films in the series: the London Tattoo Convention 2011, Behind the Needle and Behind the Needle 2.

Word by Alice Th’ink as featured on Zeitgeist
Behind the Needle 3 from Papercut Pictures on Vimeo.

January 29, 2012

Get your tat out – Brighton Tattoo Convention 2012 special

Convention Special – I spotted these beautiful tattoos yesterday at the Brighton Tattoo Convention.

This lovely lady was at the Forever True Tattoo stand.

Forever true tattoo lady — Forever true - tattood lady

Sewing tattoo — Because she used to be a dressmaker

I saw this girl and her intricate and delicate tattoo a couple of times in the crowds at the convention. I finally tracked her down at the Tattoo Workshop stand and managed to get this gorgeous picture. The tattoo is by Saira Hunjan.

Saira Hunjan chest piece — Delicate and beautiful - just the outline now, but some colour will be added in the next sitting.

Photos: Papercut Pictures

January 25, 2012

Getting excited about the Brighton Tattoo Convention

I attended the Brighton Tattoo Convention in 2010 and I absolutely loved it – I was supposed to attend last year too, but due to unforeseen circumstances I was unable to (see the day of the phantom tweet).

The 2010 Brighton Convention was my first ever tattoo convention – I was a little younger and a little less tattooed, so I attended with apprehension. In fact, it doesn’t matter if you’re covered head to toe in ink or never intend to get tattooed, the Brighton Tattoo Convention welcomes all who are there to appreciate the art form. Although, this year I can’t wait to show off the ink I have collected throughout 2011…

See the beautiful photos from the 2010 Convention. This year I will be attending the convention with a little more experience and the help of Papercut Pictures, so I will be able to show you lots more photos and maybe a little film, too…

Maybe see some of you there?

Alice Th’ink

November 23, 2011

Behind the Needle 2: Part three of the London Tattoo Convention series

“I don’t know if I really felt inspired, in as much as I kind of fell into it” Ryan Mason, Scapegoat Tattoo, Portland

This is part of the London Tattoo Convention series I filmed with Papercut Pictures for Zeitgeist magazine

[vimeo http://www.vimeo.com/32497637 w=530&h=299]

Behind the Needle 1 explored the motivations and inspirations behind four renowned artists’ work, Behind the Needle 2 features four more of my favourites. Ryan Mason (Scapegoat Tattoo, Portland), Jo Harrison (Modern Body Art, Birmingham), Steve Vinall (The Family Business, London) and Brian Thomas Wilson (Scapegoat Tattoo, Portland).

Ryan tells me how he needed to find something to do with his life, that wasn’t a shitty job after dropping out of art school, and what’s it’s like tattooing in Portland.

Jo talks about punks, rockers and what it’s like being in the tattoo world as a woman. She was actually pregnant at the time of filming and has since given birth to a beautiful baby girl called Marley.

Since Steve has been able to hold a pencil all he has really done is draw, he sees tattooing as one of the strongest and most permanent ways to put your imagery into the world.

Brian tells me how he got lucky by being offered an apprenticeship and was ‘pretty bad’ for a long time. Now he loves the symbolism of fairy tales in his tattoos. (I think in this part of the film you may be able to hear my stupid laugh in the background!)

He works with Ryan at Scapegoat, and as you can see from the film, they really love each other, ahh. (I LOVE you guys)

Words by Alice Th’ink as seen on Zeitgeist.
Photos by Papercut Pictures

October 25, 2011February 7, 2012

Behind the Needle – Part 2 of London Tattoo Convention film series

“When I was a kid I saw a guy in McDonalds that was covered in tattoos and I thought it looked tough” Chad Koeplinger.

This film (exclusively for Zeitgeist magazine, with Papercut Pictures) moves on from the convention, as each of the artists delves deeper into their personal motivations for becoming a tattoo artist, their distinctive style of tattooing, their heroes, inspiration and who they like to get tattooed by.

This film features Chad Koeplinger of Paradise Tattoo, Washington DC; Michelle Myles of Daredevil Tattoo, New York City; Uncle Allan of Conspiracy Inc., Copenhagen and Claudia De Sabe of Jolie Rouge, London.

Chad always wanted to travel and tattooing definitely seemed like a more viable way to do this than the merchant marines. His style is strongly rooted in Western traditional, but his experimentation in a variety of styles has allowed him to thrive as an artist.

From her underground origins in New York City, Michelle began her career when tattooing was illegal. She talks about her journey and the changes in her style and technique since its legalisation in 1997.

Uncle Allan’s love for tattooing derived from his passion for music and this is illustrated in his distinctive artistic style. His theme for the convention was ‘metal and satanic stuff’, see the first film in the series for his burning bible tattoo.

Claudia was encouraged to get into tattooing by her friends who hung out in tattoos shops, they could see her raw talent as an artist. She has two very distinctive styles of tattooing and in this film she talks about her love of both styles and how she can’t let either of them go.

Behind the Needle 1 from Papercut Pictures on Vimeo.

Watch the London Tattoo Convention film.