Guest bloggers Archives - Page 9 of 22

January 7, 2016

Collection Tattoos

Just like tattoos, the things people collect are personal and unique. Guest blogger Amber Bryce decided to explore the ties between the two by speaking with three toy collectors, to see what inspired their collections and how these in turn have inspired their tattoo choices…

“When I was a kid, I would daydream through every Saturday morning ballet class about finding the next thing to add to my collections. These ranged from Spice Girls photos for my fluorescent pink album, to sparkly Pokemon cards and miniature car models. Collecting has always helped my mind to focus in on something and block out the chaos of the world, creating soothing rhythms out of mundane objects.

Still to this day I can’t let go of my collection of Pokemon cards or Spice Girls photos. There’s just something about childhood nostalgias that’s so comforting and aesthetically inspiring. Perhaps this is why toy collecting in particular is so popular, as it allows people to hold onto the fleeting moments of growing up, and the joy such things brought us.

There’s also a very close connection between toy collecting and tattoos. Candy-coloured My Little Ponies, perfectly accessorized Barbies and the tall, bright hair of trolls all prove how the charismatic designs of our childhood toys make the perfect kitsch tattoos.

I spoke to three lovely Instagram ladies about their toy collections and which tattoo or tattoos these have inspired”:

Name: Jenna Greenwood Location: Bradford

I have always been a hoarder and collector ever since I was a child. A lot of the things I have from the 80s and 90s are my original toys that I could never seem to part with. When I was little my mum and dad would recall with joy a toy from their childhoods, and when questioned as to where it was or if they still had it, I would always get the same reply, they’d gotten ‘too old for it’. My brother and I used to be horrified at the thought of getting rid of our toys! I never wanted that to happen, so I stockpiled all my favourites. Now it’s a case of reclaiming my childhood and the simple things that used to bring me lots of happiness. The nostalgia now is lovely!

I only get tattoos of the things that have or do give me great pleasure, I think if it’s a captured happy memory I can never go off it or change my taste. With that in mind, my right thigh is dedicated to my childhood and the things I used to love, so as well as my troll tattoo, there is an emerald for one of my favourite films Return to Oz, a mood ring, a dodo (a childhood obsession) and seaside paraphernalia. It’s not finished yet, but I’m hoping to add a tamagotchi and an ever-lasting gobstopper soon to complete it!

Jody Dawber has done all the pieces on my childhood tattoo. I found her work through Instagram and knew as soon as I saw it she was the one for this piece. Her style is fun and colourful with a grown up twist and I just fell in love with her work as soon as I saw it!

In the future, I’d like to factor in something Sindy and Sylvanian Family related too, but I’m not sure where they’re going to go yet. I might have to start on the other thigh if I keep finding stuff in my parents loft!

Name: Andrea Taylor Location: Adelaide South Australia

I collect lots and lots of dolls! My main collection is of Barbie, though. I always loved Barbie as a little girl, and had so many of them, but when I was in my late teens I got rid of a bunch. About 4 years ago I realised this was a huge mistake and spent a lot of time making a list of which dolls I had had and tracking them down again. It sort of snowballed from there and I’ve ended up with a lot more than just recollecting my childhood dolls.

This has inspired my one and only tattoo, which is of an illustration of Crystal Barbie. It was done by Sarah K at Pink Flamingo Parlour. She already had it drawn up with some other 80s/90s nostalgia and I saw it on her feed so I got in touch after some prompting from friends. It was exactly what I had been envisioning when I thought of my perfect Barbie tattoo.

In the future I’d love to get a 60s Barbie heart on my other thigh as the 60s and 80s are my two favourite decades for Barbie, so I’d like to pay tribute to both of them.

Name: Jessica Reeves Location: London

I collect so many things! Right now I am actively collecting Nevalyashka dolls (Russian roly poly dolls), Sonny Angels, kewpie dolls, Blythe dolls and any vintage toy that catches my eye (usually something that squeaks or moves or plays music in some way). But I also have a pretty large collection of kitsch vintage ceramics – mainly cats and deer – that I have been collecting for about four years now. I haven’t added anything new to this collection for a while but the objects I already own bring me a lot of happiness! I am drawn to many of these objects for their nostalgic value but also their aesthetic just really appeals to me and I love to surround myself with things that make my environment an inspiring, relaxing and beautiful (to me) place to be.

I actually have a few tattoos inspired by my collections! On my left leg I have two fairly large homages to my collection of vintage ceramics. Both of these tattoos contain so many elements that I just adore – cats, deer, sweets and Pearl Jam lyrics! They are so personal to me and I adore them both. On my right leg I have a super-cute tattoo of a Nevalyashka doll, inspired by my ever growing collection of these vintage roly poly dolls and a tattoo of a kewpie doll covered in tattoos. My boyfriend has a matching kewpie, which also makes this tattoo extra-special.

Both the tattoos on my left leg are done by Amy Savage and I chose her for her beautiful use of colours and personality that she brings to the animal portraits she has done a lot of in the past. The roly poly doll is by Rachel Baldwin and I chose her for her awesome cartoon-like style. I love that my nevalyashka tattoo kind of looks like a sticker, it’s just so bold and perfect! The kewpie was done by Luke Kempton and I picked him because he can turn his hand to any idea and style, and he has made some rad tattoos on my boyfriend in the past.

I love how personal my tattoos inspired by my collections are and I don’t see that connection becoming any less powerful in the future. And as my collections evolve over time there always seems to be some new object to commemorate on my skin forever!

January 5, 2016January 5, 2016

My Dog Sighs: Quiet Little Voices

Our guest blogger is 34-year-old Southsea creative Alanna Lauren, founder of RubyxRedxHeart, attended ‘quiet little voices’- an exhibition by street artist My Dog Sighs in November last year…

My Dog Sighs outside the shop by the mural he painted for the show

It was 7am on Friday the 13^th of November and already people were queuing outside Play Dead tattoo studio to get a tattoo by Samo White, fine artist turned tattoo artist, making Samo the perfect person to take My Dog Sighs limited (one time only) tattoo designs and paint them into skin.

After having a manic year with collaborative exhibitions not just in the UK, but internationally My Dog Sighs had a very short period of down time where friends graphic artist Lex Luthor and tattoo artist Samo White opened up a tattoo studio and street art gallery, just around the corner from his own studio. This was the perfect opportunity to go into the studio, relax with friends in a creative hub and come up with some ideas for a solo exhibition of his work, the first solo exhibition of his in the UK for two years.

Samo and My Dog Sighs

Sat in a tattoo studio/ art gallery called Play Dead, opposite a graveyard and planning for the exhibition to be on Friday the 13^th My Dog Sighs started to explore in his sketch book a darker side of work which he hasn’t done before, something different from the norm and from these elements rose his exhibition ‘Quiet Little Voices’.

As well as working on art for this show My Dog Sighs was also working on larger scale pieces for group shows in LA (Nov 2015) and Miami (December 2015) and after Christmas break working towards a show in New York in May 2016.

Follow My Dog Sighs on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook for more artwork and news of future events.

January 3, 2016

At the box office with Sophie Elizabeth

Sophie Elizabeth is a 24-year-old social media/SEO executive and part-time blogger from London. We chatted to Sophie about her love for films, her fashion style and reactions to her ink at work…

When did you start blogging, how did you get into it? I started blogging around three years ago and it was more just an outlet to improve my creative writing and share what I was interested in. It started out as a way for me to write film reviews and then I introduced the odd outfit post and it sort of just grew from there. The more I posted, the more people started to take notice and now here I am. I think at the time, I felt that there weren’t many bloggers out there (who I followed anyway) that really represented me and my style and so I figured I’d just create one myself.

What kinds of things do you blog about? My blog is essentially film and personal style although over the last year or so it’s progressed more in to London lifestyle, events, food and a bit of beauty also. It’s pretty much all the stuff I’m interested in and the random things I get up to.

How would you describe your style? I think my style changes like the wind – I tend to combine vintage inspirations with modern trends and I love all things 80’s and 90’s. I wear a lot of black (perhaps too much) and I love to play around with textures and prints.

What inspires you? For me, it’s totally film. Filmmakers, directors and other critics really inspire me to write and learn more. I love going to the cinema and, for me, it’s always been the experience and the nostalgic values that come with it. I think I’m also inspired by other tattooed women – I’m very much in awe of them a lot of the time. I have a major girl crush on Hannah Pixie Sykes.

Do you have a favourite designer/artist? My boyfriend is a designer and so I’m probably supposed to say him! I follow a lot of tattoo artists such as Claudia De Sabe, Matty Darienzo and Thomas Hooper – I think they’re probably among my favourites.

When did you get your first tattoo? Do you still love it? I got my first tattoo aged 16 and under age tattoos are never good tattoos. It was well done and by a good artist but it’s six stars on my stomach and very emo. I wouldn’t get rid of it though and I completely forget it’s even there now.

Tell us about your other tattoos? Most of my tattoos are traditional Navy inspired with thick, blown lines but I like to put a girly spin on it. Lots of flowers, animals and bright colours. I think my favourite is the Victorian lady on my thigh by artist Naomi Smith – I love the lines in her hair, the colours are amazing and how she’s got kind of a big nose. She’s perfectly imperfect.

Do you have any future tattoo plans? I’d love to get more in the future as I haven’t had any in a while – I have some plans to get some dot work or menhdi and I find myself really drawn to bold, black tattoos lately. I’d like to add more to my legs and maybe get some more film inspired pieces too.

Do you consider yourself a tattoo collector? I don’t think I ever set out to be but given the amount I now have, I imagine I am. I am running out of space now though so not sure how much longer the collection can go on for.

How did you get your current job? I worked in retail for about seven years, from turning 16 to finishing university, before finally making the move in to an agency environment. I applied as an Office Administrator originally, to get a foot in the door, but luckily I was able to work my way up very quickly.

Did you study, did you do work experience? I did my degree in Film Theory and Major Production and I don’t think I’d even heard of SEO or anything at that stage. I wasn’t 100% sure of what I wanted to do and had lots of experience but not necessarily in the correct fields. Luckily, because of my blog, I was able to use that as a sort of portfolio. I’m surprised how many doors it’s opened for me. If you can show you’ve done work off your own back and followed through with it then that’s good experience to have.

What reactions do your tattoos get at work? Do you cover them or show them off? When I first started I was terrified of having them on show in case someone said something or it upset the directors. Thankfully, after a few months I eased up and they didn’t care either way anyway although I don’t think they’d ever seen anything like me before. I have them out sometimes at work (especially when it’s unbearably hot in summer) and hide them for some clients but that’s my choice to do so. I think I’m very lucky to be in an agency that’s very laid back and embraces individuality. I know a lot of other corporate companies may not see it that way. I’ve always said that if they asked me to cover them, that’s fine – I’ll do that; but it also doesn’t affect my work performance.

December 18, 2015

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.

December 16, 2015February 11, 2016

Music Review: The Vaccines

Our guest music blogger Verity Vincent stopped by Plymouth’s Pavillions earlier this month to check out The Vaccines. For those that haven’t seen The Vaccines perform live before we recommend you put it on your to do list for 2016.

Justin Hayward Young, Freddie Cowan, Árni Árnason and Pete Robertson took to the stage at Plymouth’s Pavillions and treated the crowd to 90 minutes of pure musical indie-rock goodness. The nice thing about watching The Vaccines is their ability to create a musical arc of their material, giving fans exactly what they want. Playing songs from their first two records, What Did You Expect From The Vaccines? and Coming of Age, as well as their latest offering, English Graffiti.

@thevaccines

The initial mild mood of the crowd quickly changed when the boys kicked off their set with ‘Handsome’, ‘Teenage Icon’ and ‘Ghost Town’. If we were talking in sandwich terms, the filling of the gig was a meaty concoction of hit after hit including ’20/20′, ‘I Always Knew’ and staple track, ‘If You Wanna’. Cue the flying beer cups, bodies being launched onto shoulders and the Pavillions, in general, coming alive. Justin’s vocals seemed to just effortlessly float out and fill the venue while he controlled the stage with honest, natural charisma. He has a way of not giving too much away with idle chit chat, but still connecting with the crowd.

A mid-set highlight was ‘Post Break-Up Sex’ which had every sweaty body in the building singing along to the lyrics that, if we’re honest, everyone can relate to.

@thevaccines

Bring the set to an end with the outstanding anthem ‘All in White’, Justin then returned to the stage solo and softly launched into an acoustic version of ‘No Hope’ with the entire room hanging on his delicate notes.

Before fully closing off, Justin divulged that they’d actually forgotten, until now, to offer up a track choice to the crowd. It mattered not – the choice was unanimous and the band went out with a bang, with ‘Blow It Up’. Palma Violets front man Sam Fryer burst back onto the stage and darted around in quite possibly the most enthusiastic duet you could witness. High energy would be an understatement and it brought the night to a perfect end.