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.

Sun and a moon tattooed by Mike Ldz

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.

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?

Tattoo by @hexenwerk_tattoos

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. 

Tattoo by @_hand_job_tattoo

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.

Tattoo by @carlabianchitattoos

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:

  1. 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. 
  1. 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.
  1. 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). 
  1. 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. 
Tattoo by @lolweib_ink

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.

Get involved in the movement with Sarah Louise

Nottingham tattooist Sarah Louise is encouraging the tattooing world to speak up and stand up. We chatted to Sarah about her tattooing and what everyone can do to fight racism…

How long have you been tattooing?

I’ve been tattooing for officially four years and I’m currently at Black Antlers Tattoo, but I have been in the industry for a total of six years. Through all my childhood years I have always been drawing, it quickly transcended into a passion that never left me. I did a creative art and graphics design degree at Nottingham college then a illustration degree at Lincoln University. Once I graduated I did freelance illustration, but it never really paid the bills.

How did you become a tattoo artist?

One of my childhood friends asked me to design a tattoo for him. Which he then fell in love with the design and decided to take it to a studio to get tattooed. The artist asked me about my work and offered me an apprenticeship. I began working there at weekends as well as taking on full time job allowing time for me to slowly progress and transition into picking up a machine. 

How would you describe your work?

I try to keep all my work evolving. I don’t think I have a direction I’d like my work to go in or a set style as such. I take a lot of inspiration from music, films, plants, scenery, and wildlife. At the moment I really enjoy doing colour realism mixed with elements of watercolour, as I’ve always been fond of using colour within my tattoos and painting. I will always try my best to complete each tattoo with high contrast if I’m using colour in particular. I used to focus on doing neotraditional, which will creep back into my work from time to time, but I always want to try something new.

What advice would you have for anyone wanting to become a tattooist?

I love this question! As all I want to do is to champion passionate people! I think the only solid and best thing to do is to work on a portfolio. The only advice I can really stress is spending as much time drawing and showing how enthusiastic you are willing to learn through your art.

Finding a place that will apprentice you is so hard now, I think because the social media algorithm manages what is most aesthetically pleasing to its viewers. If you  spend a large amount of time drawing and promoting your artwork it’ll be easier to find a place that will take anyone seriously. 

You often speak out about social justice issues, can you tell us about your experiences in the tattoo industry.

Expressing and sharing information about social justice; means so much to me.  I was first inspired by female tattooist Heleena who spoke so openly about culture appropriation within the tattoo industry. She posted her video on a IGTV and it inspired me to do the same – to talk about problems and my experience on the movement. It inspired me so much, because I think one of the main problems is a lot of us are guilty for not talking openly about how we feel about the inequalities within the tattooing industry.

I have thankfully not been affected by the problems within the industry regarding gender and racial inequities that would inhibit my work with clients recently. Saying that, I still regularly experience micoraggressions from clients assuming I wasn’t born in the UK. Or receiving the classic comment of “I am trendy for a black girl”  with the assumptions that this wouldn’t be my scene, as it’s still a predominantly marginalised white industry. But I am very grateful that this hasn’t deferred me from speaking up about my experiences. And won’t continue stay silent on these issues, because re-affirmed education is key. 

I have seen the somewhat egotistical sides of the industry taking a lot ‘ownership’ of what women and POC have brought to the table. There still is a long way for black people and POC to experience recognition for their talents amongst their white peers.

I  do think that sadly my skin colour has become more of a highlight to the inequalities within the industry, but it has made me more determined to inspire others to stand up against racism.

Do you think we can make a change to the industry?

I believe how we make the change is to continue to come together and expose a lot of the issues regarding race by educating each other. Whether that be by sharing knowledge and achievements, by reading books and openly asking questions about tattooing. We can make change with every piece we do. One of the biggest ways I found is by actively asking questions but being consistent with what knowledge we gain and what we want. I think the more knowledge we share then the more exposure we can get. I feel we need to be very consistent on how we share this information on social media with other black people and POC.

I recently followed Shades Tattoo Initiative created by tattoo artist  Rizza Boo. The page often does shout outs to promote small pages and boost them, but I think the consistency of other people is where the buck stops. I also think the major problem also lies within the industry’s structure in relation to sponsorship. I feel as black people we get less recognition for our achievements, which adds to the unfortunate white-washed view of the industry. But with education and by consistently pushing each other and our tattooing we will force the industry sponsors to finally take note.

Protests are a way to start a conversation. Given the history and  importance of protests and the content they generate, it’s imperative that we actively continue to push for change.

I think that we are at a place in time that we have a platform to actively keep sharing knowledge with one another. And although I am aware that there are some struggles we face with not having confidence and knowledge, I do not think it’s entirely justifiable for not taking action at all.

If you do not decide to take action in a form of a protest, I would suggest you look at other ways to support an essential causes. Such as signing petitions, listening to podcasts, donating to charities and local communities – supporting black or other ethnic minorities. These are the things that can bring dramatic change, it can easily happen within the art community and eventually tattooing. 

Sarah is continuing to speak out and challenge the tattoo industry, make sure to follow her Instagram and why not join in the conversation yourself?

Halloween cat tattoos

We have to admit our Halloween tattoo round-up is more #spoopy than spooky this year, unless you’re scared of cats that is! Use your paws and scroll on for some of our favourite Halloween inspired cat tattoos…

@hayleyploos – Cauldron check, candles check, witch’s hat check! Oh and the creepiest cat around.

@naaat.j – We love this little cat’s spooky green eyes, do you think they drank the cauldron’s potion?

@iris_lys -We’ll be matching our Halloween costume with this spooky kitty, orange tights and all.

@sallywilkinsontattoo – Such a pretty kitty, just look at that little ear poking out of the hat – too cute to be scary!

@charlotte_eleanor88 – Oh my pumpkin! Look at this little ghosty, we love how its little paws are holding on.

@charlotteannharris – This little spook looks like they want to share their pumpkin with us.

@roxyrydertattoo – Wouldn’t be Halloween with sweets and a bat, we love the kawaii details on this ghosty.

@kerste_tattoo – What spell do you think this little cat is reading?

@catherine_alice_ – Black cats are the best cats, change our mind.

@kayatatto – Have you ever seen a cat shaped pumpkin at your local pumpkin patch? We wish we’d find one!

@kirabishoppp – Look into those big kitty eyes, of course we’ll share our Halloween candy with you.

@xanthianmoon – I ain’t scared of no ghost, especially not this paw-some ghoul.

Share your fave spooky cat tattoos with us on Instagram by tagging us, @thingsandink

Awakening dreams: Maxime Etienne

Transforming dreams into tattoos and bodies into works of art – tattoo artist Maxime Etienne, owner of Leonart studio in Bondi, Sydney, Australia chats to us about his humble beginnings, the process behind his designs and his charity work…

I have been getting tattoos since I was 18 and always loved art in terms of creation. Painting, sculpting, drawing and tattooing have always been industries I’ve wanted to work in. But, I never thought I could have the skills to do any of them until I tried to draw in late 2016. I started drawing with a lot of geometry pattern and in an abstract version of realism.

I started tattooing in late 2016 at home when I realised I could actually draw a little. I wanted to get more tattoos but couldn’t afford them. So I ordered a $40 tattoo kit on eBay and started to practice on my legs, my arms and even my chest and stomach before tattooing some friends.

I never thought I could be a professional artist of any kind. But after tattooing a decent number of friends for the about eight months loads of people contacted me via Instagram and my follwers increased. I realised that maybe I could become a real tattoo artist one day. One night I met a bunch of tattooists that loved my chest piece that I did myself. They told me “if you can do that on yourself and it heals that way then you can definitely become a tattoo artist.”

So, after roughly 10 months I decided to apply for my licence here in Australia and started in a studio as soon as I received it. After 10 months working in that studio, I opened my own and now it has been two years and I work more than I ever expected.

After some researc I discovered so many artists that inspired me and realised what I like is already there and what I could do would be appreciated by a certain audience. I pushed my creativity further and came up with what I do today. Realism, abstract and detailed pieces that are done to tell a story or express a feeling. I am inspired by everything that comes into my mind and what I love. Nature, animals, astronomy, women’s features, architecture and scientific research illustrations.

Most of my designs are from my clients’ stories. I am trying to turn their feelings, dreams, or their past into images. I design everything one day before the appointment and finalise it on the day after asking further questions. I work that way because I really put myself into their story or project and so I don’t work on several designs at the same time. I only book one client a day to ensure we can get the best out of their future tattoo.

I see myself as a designer more than someone who draws, as I often mix up several elements all together.

I try to give my designs the best contrast and shape for the placement that is given to me. I cannot freehand my designs as they require great details and geometry. Floral and extra small pieces in a piece can sometimes be free-handed, but I prefer having a stencil on to ensure the result will be the best and let my client really visualise what it will look like.

My style is really hard to describe in one word. It is composed of micro realism, abstract and geometry. A dream project would be a full body covered of many designs that would express the wish of freedom and the love for nature and earth. I love the diagram patterns used from engineers and would attach all designs together that way to turn the body into an actual book of human feelings and perception of life on our planet. What we are doing on earth, thanking it for the beauty of it and mixing different feelings most of us are going through to express our strength and fragility.

I see my art lasting through time as I am constantly trying to evolve, learn and create. I am a dreamer and a hard worker at the same time. I always give everything I have to achieve my goals, but if one day my art isn’t appreciated any more and I am forced to only execute clients’ thoughts without having the opportunity to create on my own, then I will do something else.

Tattooing became a passion, it’s more than a job. It has never been a way to make money for me, but a dream that became true – to live by doing what I love and making people happy.

Tattooing is an industry where we are in contact with people for hours and deep conversations occur during the process of tattooing. I’ve met so many incredible people that have told me real stories of what they have been through and their issues. Which are unfortunately not mentioned enough to a general audience, including domestic violence issues. I have been raised by my grandmother and my mother and grew up with one sister. Women are everything, they made me who I am today.

I work with an organisation called Karmagawa created by two really close friends of mine, Mat Abad and Thimoty Sykes. I travel with them and help them on different events around the world and design clothes for charity. They both inspire me not only with their charity work, but with their personalities and open minds. They showed me that we can do more than just work for ourselves and we must all help when we can.

Domestic violence, which isn’t always physical, on children and women is something I would really like to help with. Organisations are here to help those in need and money is often necessary to ensure they can keep running. Doing a tattoo fundraiser isn’t only for the money but to reach people that might be in need or even to help them realise what happens to them isn’t normal.

Social media as a platform is powerful, me doing a tattoo fundraiser with posts and stories might push other artists to do so too. I have done similar with the Australian bush fires and given the money to people that were helping those on the spot not just to the organisation.

That’s what I would like to do here. I would like to raise money of course by giving all the profit to organisations, but I am sure that just posting about it could help to raise awareness and I will do that a couple of times every year. My future project is to open a studio in Amsterdam and work with artists that will be willing to do some flash days every year for different causes.