Embracing female tattoo culture
‘The rose of no man’s land’ was used to describe tattoo imagery of a nurse typically with a rose motif next to her. This became a popular tattoo for soldiers to get as a memory of either the nurse who saved them or for a nurse they may have been dating. Below is our pick of the most recent nurse tattoos circulating on social media…
Bailey
Hugh Sheldon
Jamie Greaves
Civ
Bert Krak
We are loving the view whilst checking out these beautiful ‘scenery’ tattoos. The nautical style encompasses the view from either a boat or on shore with the landscape traditionally of the sea and sky, sometimes with a bit of a tropical feel to it. We also love the more ‘urban’ take on this with views of skyscrapers and city landscapes…
David Cote
Aaron Ashworth
Enrico Grosso
Edekqwerty
Hannah Louise Clark
Blind Tiger tattoo studio in Newcastle burst onto the scene in early July 2014 as a solo project by owner and artist, Gabriela Lastra. “Blind Tiger”, was a “speakeasy” during the 1920s prohibition, which promoted mystery and hedonism, inspiring the studio’s unique spirit. This hidden, intimate gem, which differs from its surroundings is a place where friends can come to feel comfortable and share their stories. Its private status gives it the feel of a personal art studio rather than a walk-in shop, placing the quality of work at its heart. Little Si joined Blind Tiger Tattoo in October 2014 as Gabriela’s co-pilot and the studio’s reputation and body of work has continued to evolve and adapt.
Gabriela Lastra’s niche style is influenced by Neo-Traditional veins of tattooing, favouring a dark colour palette and unusual subject matter, along with producing technically flawless black and grey work.
Little Si is fluid, dynamic and personal across the spectrum. He specialises in Neo-Japanese, his bright colours bursting through traditional Japanese mythology.
The studio’s strong resident duo, the industry greats that form its guest artist repertoire, and the homely and relaxed vibe at the studio, along with its support system of loyal clients and friends, mean Blind Tiger Tattoo is becoming an unstoppable force that shows no signs of slowing…
CHECK OUR INTERVIEW WITH GABRIELA AND LITTLE SI
Gabriela Lastra (owner): Ever since I was a child, I wanted to grow up to be some kind of artist, not the generic astronaut or fairy fantasy job kids normally have! I was the weird foreign looking kid at school who spent all her time hidden away in the art class drawing at lunch.
I went to college and studied a B-Tech in Art and Design. This was when I started to notice tattoos a lot more and they started to influence my art, but with such little knowledge of the industry, I didn’t think it was something I could do. After college I ran as far away from Sheffield as I could do to Bournemouth, where I studied illustration at university. After three years I came back to Sheffield with a degree and still had the desire to tattoo.
I did my time in a couple of tattoo studios as “shop bitch”, which I think is really important, but torture! In the end, I was lucky to get an apprenticeship at Couley’s Tattoo Studio in Newcastle. I’ve also been lucky enough to have been helped by some good friends and fellow artists along the way, as well as masses and masses of help from my bearded beauty, Greg Scott!
Little Simon Gunn (resident artist): I was given an apprenticeship in South Shields, alongside one of my best friends, who is also still a tattooist! We learned the craft for around three years on handmade rotary machines and used a single needle for everything. It’s crazy to see how it has all changed!
How would you describe your style?
Gabriela: This is possibly the hardest question as I never know how to describe my work. I would probably lean more towards “Neo-Traditional” tattooing but I do my own thing with it! I love strange pieces of work, bold lines, the technical aspects of traditional tattooing and having studied illustration… I love incorporating that into my work. Doing my apprenticeship with a bunch of Realism and New-School artists has had a massive influence on me as I can use techniques related to those styles and it’s brilliant to have a completely different set of eyes analysing my work. There are so many styles out there that don’t fit in a category, but I think that’s cool because who wants to follow trends and fit in little labelled boxes? I think it’s important to be artists and not just tattooists trying to fit in a style.
Little Si: I think if I had to put myself into a category it would be Neo-Traditional Japanese. I love tattooing in every style. My roots are in New-School and Traditional veins of tattooing, so I constantly take influence from those in terms of my technique and colour palette.
How long have you been tattooing for?
Gabriela: I have been tattooing for three years, including my apprenticeship which really isn’t long. Everything is moving so fast for me with Simon and the studio and I didn’t expect it to at all. I’m very thankful to have Simon working alongside me.
Little Si: I was 17 when I started my apprenticeship and didn’t start tattooing until I was nearly 20, so I’ve been tattooing around 4 years now.
Where do you get your inspiration from?
Gabriela: I’m in love with so many amazing artists! It’s so hard to specify where I get my inspiration from. I’ve recently been tattooed by an amazing artist in Berlin called Daniel Gensch, so he’s my current favourite. Apart from the many artists I admire, I also love going to see fine art in galleries and I absolutely adore statues!
Little Si: I’ve always been a huge fan of cartoon, which comes across in my work a lot and feeds into my Neo-Traditional Japanese style. I’m obsessed with Japanese art and folklore, where a lot of my inspiration comes from! I think I’m probably single-handedly funding Amazon with my book addiction. Everything inspires me really, my family is a huge inspiration and support system for me and seeing other artists killing it pushes me to work harder too.
If you weren’t a tattoo artist, what would you be?
Gabriela: I would hope that I would be doing something related to art, probably an illustrator or maybe just a bum.
Little Si: Just happy in whatever I did, I hope. I have a long list of things I would do if I wasn’t a tattoo artist, but as long as I was happy, jobs a good’un!
All enquires can be made to info@blindtigertattoo.co.uk and any studio updates are available on their Instagram and Website
Meet Kerry-Anne, tattooer and owner of Cock A Snook tattoo parlour in Newcastle… for years she suffered with mental health problems, but she suffered in silence, she felt unable to tell anyone due to the stigma… read her story and find out how you can help below. She has now organised a charity tattoo day to raise awareness of mental health issues and also has a support group called Tattoo The Taboo on Facebook.
“Even though I have suffered with long-term mental health issues, I didn’t ask for help until I was 31. Because of this I lost friends, let customers, colleagues and peers down, which over time made my illness worse. This also greatly impacted my ability to make tattoos. When I decided to ask for support and treatment, I wondered what I had been so afraid of? Why didn’t I seek help before?
“I was terrified of other people finding out, I felt like it was showing weakness. I had subjected myself to a self-inflicted stigma that had festered to the point that I had no idea how poorly I was. I thought it was completely normal to hate myself, be riddled with doubt and see the world through negative eyes. I believed that I would never be happy and that I was just really shit at life. In hindsight, and after starting treatment, I can look at things more objectively. I’m not worthless, I’m kind, caring and compassionate and I have just as much right as anybody, to live a happy and normal life. I wasn’t shit at life, I was just struggling with a crippling illness.
“I decided I couldn’t bare the weight of keeping secrets and lying about my illness, so I took the step to gradually let people know. Even though I was scared, I was surprised at how supportive everybody was. This encouraged me to tell everybody else without being apologetic, as I realised the stigma surrounding mental health was the biggest factor as to why so many people go untreated and unsupported through their illness.
“I also wanted to do something about tackling the stigma, as the more people I told, the more I realised that it was so much more common than I had expected. Some of my favourite people, who I knew inside and out (or so I thought) then shared their own struggles with me. I decided to share my story and made a support group on Facebook called “TATTOO THE TABOO” to raise awareness of mental health issues and also to do some fundraising to boot. This group is inclusive and for anybody who has, or is suffering with any mental health problems and also for people who have been affected in some way, whether it be caring for somebody who is suffering, or if these issues have impacted on you in some way.
“The group is a platform for people to share their stories and to do some fundraising. The the stigma needs to stop and understanding needs to start. I already have over 100 artists keen to take part in some “TATTOO THE TABOO” events. The first being on 4 July 2015. Tattooers will be making flash, etc to tattoo on customers who support the cause, the money raised will go to a mental health charity. Lots of the artists are donating paintings, prints, and merch, or whatever they can, to be exhibited, photographed for a book and then auctioned, with all the proceeds donated to the same charity.”
Kerry-Anne is still looking for other tattooers who wish to participate or donate to the event. For more info email cockasnook@hotmail.com. Hopefully as a tattoo community we can all pull together and make this worthwhile.
Check out the following links for more info: Facebook event, Cock a Snook, and the Instagram accounts: @cockasnook @littlekezz
Friday 13th tattoos are a tradition in the tattoo world, so we headed up to Scratchline in Kentish Town, North London, last week to see their £13 Friday 13th tattoo treats. Did you get a Friday 13th tattoo?
Mister Paterson.
Susanna Widmann
Malwina
