Health and fitness Archives - Page 5 of 9

March 12, 2016March 19, 2016

Interview with Paul Davies

We chatted to geometric tattoo artists 28-year-old Paul Davies who works out of Artium Ink in Kingsbridge, Devon about what inspired him to become a tattooist and how he recently found out that he is autistic…

Photo taken by Matthew Partington

I’ve been tattooing for roughly six years. I moved from Cardiff seven years ago to study fine art at Plymouth university. It was a really last minute decision so there was no available student housing. I moved in with some guys that worked in a tattoo studio, so hanging out with them everyday I started to think this was the path for me, rather than being a painter/illustrator which had been my original goal when moving. I’ve never been interested in doing anything other than being an artist. From the age of around five I really wanted to be an architect, but by the time I was old enough to do some work experience at an architectural practice, I realised it wasn’t as creative as I hoped it would be.

Once I started tattooing I was immediately drawn to patterns and geometry. But the style wasn’t really as popular then, so I just did anything to keep busy. Dabbled in all styles of tattooing and slowly convinced people instead of idea had, maybe it would look good to add some patterning to their tattoo. As time progressed the patterning took over. But I still really enjoyed all the other styles I used to do so I merged them to create something of my own.

I enjoy all the drawing I do but given the chance to design unrequested designs I tend to draw things that I have an almost obsessive interest in, like people with super human abilities, whether that’s a comic book character, Jedi knight or action hero that inexplicably can’t be killed.

I have a few guest spots and conventions around the UK lined up for this year but the one I’m most looking forward to is a guest spot I was invited to in Toronto. One of my favourite artists from Japan has been invited at the same time as me so looking forward to meeting him.

I hate most of my own tattoos as I did the majority that I can see myself to practice when I first started. I’m ambidextrous so I’ve done both of my forearms which as they are always on show, get most attention. I get embarrassed when I’m asked the artist that did them as its not a reflection of the work I do.
Recently I found out I’m autistic. On the spectrum it’s Aspergers but I’ve been told that’s not used anymore and it’s ASD (autism spectrum disorder). For my job it’s a massive benefit, I’m completely focused, never want to stop working and able to think about things a little differently to other people. Behind the scenes it really impacts my personal life. I’m currently writing this from a bar in Cheltenham as I’m heading back from Tattoo Tea Party in Manchester and I’ve freaked out that too many people got on the train in Birmingham and I can’t get back on until I’m drunk.

My wife would liken me to the character Spock from Star Trek, I’m not without emotion, I just don’t understand to show it properly. I think only logically about things and have little time struggle to include other people’s feelings in my actions. A few people over the years have mentioned I maybe autistic but I naively dismissed it as I thought only of the extreme form of the disorder.
Recently I posted a status about this and I’ve had a couple of artists message me saying they often feel a similar way, I wasn’t surprised to see they also specialise in patterns and geometry.

Being a social job I do struggle with it, it would be great if I could just be given an arm to take away and work on alone. Since finding this out I’ve realised I have a script that I say to each customer and that helps me feel in control. I have almost the same conversation every day and I really like it that way. Routine helps me function well, and sometimes I think I couldn’t have got to where I am without autism. However I am stuck in Cheltenham until I get over my anxiety attack and I’m drunk enough to get back on public transport so, swings and roundabouts.

February 8, 2016

Vitiligo Tattoo

Tiffany Posteraro has vitiligo a long term skin condition that causes white pale patches of skin to form on her body. Her whole life Tiffany has been stared at and commented on, as a child she was bullied. To fight against those that tried to knock her confidence and shatter her self worth Tiffany got a tattoo.

The tattoo on her arm clearly states her condition to those staring at her- ‘it’s called vitiligo’, and answers people’s question as to what is going on with her skin before they have even asked it.

Tiffany’s tattoo reflects how she has accepted herself and that she is proud to embrace her Vitiligo instead of hiding it. She has chosen to become an advocate for the condition and spread body positivity and self love to others.

January 28, 2016November 20, 2018

Body Modification: Tongue Splitting

Meet 21-year-old Sophia Bickerton, an aspiring tattoo artist who we featured in our Stripped Back issue in The New Normal, a circus-themed shoot showcasing four inspirational people. Here tells us about getting her tongue split…

I can’t say that I had a real reason for getting my tongue split, apart from the fact that I think it looks amazing! I love that you are able to do that to your body. I had wanted to get it done for the past eight years and only recently I plucked up the courage to actually go through with it! For two months before I got it done, I couldn’t get the idea out of my mind. I was dreaming about it almost every night. And I’m a big believer that what is stuck on your mind needs to happen. So it happened!

After a lot of research, I ended up travelling to London to have it split. When I woke up on the day, I was so excited – I just couldn’t wait. While I was travelling I started to feel nervous, so nervous that I felt like I was going to be sick and in the end I had a panic attack because I was so excited and scared at the same time, I just couldn’t process it!

The actual tongue split was magical. I had forceps on either side of my tongue so when it had been cut, it was held apart and I just couldn’t believe it. The thing I had wanted for so long had finally been done. I couldn’t stop smiling and giggling, I was over the moon! My tongue was finally in half! So after that I was on a natural high, I couldn’t feel a thing, only happiness.

After everything was over and I had been sutured up, I was told about aftercare and what my dos and don’ts were. After that, it was back to the underground to catch the tube and that’s when it hit me. I was in so much pain and, to make it worse, I ended up having a random coughing fit, which as you can imagine wasn’t very pleasant. It ended up making my tongue bleed a lot as it was putting pressure on my sutures. And that’s when I started to realise what I had done, I’ve just had my tongue split in half, and I must admit for the three or more hour journey home I started to regret my decision because it just hurt so much, it was throbbing and it was starting to swell.

Day two and three were the most uncomfortable, the swelling had taken over and my tongue had ballooned that much that I had to sit with my mouth open, my tongue just wouldn’t fit in my mouth – I couldn’t even push my tongue in to close my teeth. But pain wise, it didn’t hurt during the day but strangely would hurt at night.

And sleeping, oh damn, that wasn’t fun. I went through so many tissues! The drooling was unbelievable and just when the pain would subside and I was drifting off to sleep I would wake myself up by drooling everywhere. In the end I had to sleep with tissues pressed up against my mouth so it didn’t go everywhere.

Day five was the best day, the swelling was minimal and there was hardly any pain. The only down side was the fact my tongue looked so disgusting due to the white scabs. After a week, I ended up taking the stitches out, they were so uncomfortable and hurt so much. But without them, my tongue felt amazing, I felt free, it felt just like my normal tongue again. The best part was that I could eat properly again.

People have had mixed reactions, my nanna doesn’t like it at all and doesn’t understand why I would do that to my body, where as my grandad was happy for me, as he knew it made me happy. My niece and nephew love it, they are always asking if they can see it, but for them, it’s normal. They have grown up around me and know that I’m a little different to the rest of the family.

When I’m talking you can’t really tell what has happened, my tongue looks different but for someone who hasn’t seen it before they don’t know. I’ve had people ask me what is wrong with my tongue and they seem shocked when I tell them that I chose to do it.
But for the most part, people don’t care, they find it odd but they know it makes me happy and that’s all that matters.

I plan on having my tongue split further back in a few months, which I am really excited about! It healed up just a tiny bit and I’d like to have my split as big as it will allow me without having to have my frenulum cut. I’d also love to get my ears pointed in the future, but I cant see myself going through the healing process, as it will take months to fully heal and be very painful. For me, having my tongue split is the best thing I have ever done and it is now my favourite part of my body.

January 16, 2016

Interview with Céline

We first interviewed Céline in 2014 (read the post here) since then she has had many more tattoos and is currently working on a body suit with Guy Le Tatooer. We caught up with Céline to find out more about her tattoo journey and what inspires the project…

What inspired you to work so closely with one tattooist to create your body suit? I’ve had different approaches since I started my journey. For a long time I collected tattoos from a lot of different artists: Jondix, Gotch, Cokney, Sway, Burton, Mikael de Poissy, Rodrigo Souto, to name a few. But I don’t see the point anymore. I think meeting Guy le Tatooer certainly changed my whole perspective on tattoos and on how I wanted to be tattooed. I never thought I would get that much work from Guy but after spending time with him my vision evolved and in the end it just made sense to give him full freedom with my body suit.

How did you decide to create such a huge project with Guy? Who approached who? Well, it just happened. Things were not supposed to be that way, I approached him in the first place to get a full back done. I guess he saw the potential of what we could do together and I think he pretty much knew right from the start the kind of direction he would take. But the project is in constant evolution. Every time we meet we discuss new ideas and ways of developing the project. We went from creating one piece to a full body project. Guy is now reorganising most of my existing work to create a cohesive look. It’s a neverending concept.

Do you let him have creative freedom or do you both generate ideas? We both generate ideas and discuss everything. We don’t need to talk that much though, we are on the same page. And he obviously has all the creative freedom he wants.

Do you worry that when it is complete you will lose a part of your life, that the journey will be over? Or will you be satisfied and feel a sense of achievement? There is no way I could get tattooed as much as I do on a permanent basis. It has to be temporary. Getting tattooed is not a hobby. And even though it should remain fun, it’s definitely not an insignificant process. Getting a body suit is a huge transformation for the body and mind.

I absolutely love the journey, I think it’s an incredible experience but I can’t wait for it to be over! I enjoy every minute of it but the more I do it, the more difficult it becomes. The pain is harder to take and I think harsher. Over all it’s mentally exhausting.

It’s a long process to see my final idea come to life. So I think I will definitely feel a sense of achievement and satisfaction the day I consider it’s finally over.

How did you make the decision to cover/change your existing front piece? I think the idea came up after Guy redesigned my chest piece. Like I said Guy is reworking every area of my body in order to create a cohesive look, which involves covering and/or blasting some old tattoos. We are basically creating a new look together. That’s the main idea. We don’t see tattoos as a permanent thing, even a tattoo can evolve. I think my chest piece is a great example. Phase two of my project with Guy is a full leg sleeves concept.

Do you worry about offending artist’s work that you are covering? A journey is a series of destinations. Nothing is final. So, no I don’t worry about offending anyone at all.

How often are you getting tattooed, how long is each session? I started getting tattooed seven years ago but the last three years have been the most intense. I get tattooed once or twice every month. To give you an example I had a total of 16 sessions in 2015.

What are your future tattoo plans? I suggest you follow my Instagram account to see what’s next…

December 31, 2015

Paul Clark: Scalp Micro Pigmentation

Paul Clark initially trained as a tattooist before specialising in scalp micro pigmentation and works at Brandwood Clinic. We chatted to Paul about the processes behind his work and the clients he works with…

What is scalp micro pigmentation? Do you tattoo hair onto other parts of the body? Scalp Micro Pigmentation is a procedure that creates the appearance of hair using an insertion of ink and the micro-dermal level. It is (as the name suggests) mostly for the scalp but we also replicate facial hair -beards, stubble. This is particularly for alopecia but also for those who want the look of stubble without the work of keeping it trimmed or people whose natural stubble isn’t dark or thick enough.

We work with other technicians who are skilled in semi-permanent make-up for eyebrows and the like. Essentially we can offer the whole package.

How does it work? What is the process? How long does it take to heal? We insert a pigment into a shallow layer of the scalp, we use thousands of impressions randomly distributed in order to replicate the appearance of hair follicles. The end effect is an appearance of hair at its shortest, we regularly describe it as the ‘buzz cut’ look. When working with clients who have some hair it can add density to the thinner or thinning areas, something we’ve done with both women and men.

It’s a procedure that usually takes three sessions distributed over four weeks or more. Overall the healing process is five days from the last session, when the pigment size has reduced to appear ‘as hair’. It’s effectively healed when the pigment size matches the existing or previous hair follicles.

How do you match the colour? We have 70 different shade variations which get close to any hair colour. They are specifically mixed for each client. We use a special pigment which is totally organic, all plant based and suitable for vegans – very important to me as I am one!

What sorts of clients to you get? What do they ask for? Are they happy with the results? Most clients ask for a natural, realistic end-result that can’t be detected easily. They are seeking the appearance of hair. It can be all ages, I’ve treated a 15-year-old with alopecia and a 70-year-old guy wanting his hairline back. It’s many different walks-of-life: celebrities, armed forces, musicians, sportsmen. Essentially anyone who is image-conscious and doesn’t want to be bald.

It often takes a long time for people to come to the decision that they want this treatment, we frequently talk to people who are on a journey and coming to terms with their hair loss. Once they’ve had the treatment it restores a level of self-confidence, they’re liberated and feel extremely happy. It’s an incredibly rewarding role to have in someone’s life.

Can you tell us about your pioneering work? It’s a relatively new industry, the very first procedure was probably only a decade ago. I was the first ‘full-time’ practitioner and have helped to train a lot of the people working in the business world-wide. The first treatments were in the straight-looking, defined hairline style and this is still something that a lot of clients like. What I’ve tried to do over the years is to perfect a more natural looking hairline because people’s hair tends not to grow in razor-sharp lines.

One of my early clients was Simon Lane who’s been on an incredible journey of his own with scarring and hair transplants and the like. He trained as a practitioner and we’ve been close friends ever since.

Simon’s hair journey

Working together we experimented with a few different styles of hairline and definitions. We first introduced the broken hairline, moved onto the jagged and eventually the feathered look which is one of the most advanced procedures that can be performed.

When we started Brandwood Clinic we were keen to introduce a whole new method and spent a few months perfecting something we call the 3D Scatter Technique. It’s a way of working, particularly with clients who still have some hair, to deliver the most realistic appearance possible. It is the most sophisticated procedure available and, at present, we’re the only two practitioners who can perform it. We’re naturally proud of it, as it demonstrates a great leap forward for scalp micro pigmentation.

Can you tell us about where you work? Me and Simon are at Brandwood Clinic in Solihull where we see people from all over the UK and further afield. We have a client regularly flying from Ireland and a guy coming to see us from Spain in early 2016. The whole ethos behind the clinic is that we deliver a professional service in a comfortable and clean environment. Our aim is to improve the overall respectability of Scalp Micro Pigmentation, improve standards and work towards regulation of the industry.

Costs are variable depending on many factors – what level of hair density you have remaining, whether there are scars from hair transplants or other treatments and what look you are trying to achieve. We also ‘top-up’ a lot of previous clients and have updated some of them to the 3D Scatter appearance.

Treatments (over three sessions) can take up to twelve hours, an average cost for a completely new treatment is in the region of £3,000.

Can you tell us about your tattooing background? How long were you a tattooist? Where did you tattoo? I did a six month apprenticeship in Birmingham. I studied art and felt that this was a natural progression but then found an opportunity with scalp micro pigmentation that didn’t exist in traditional tattooing. It was a chance to really help people but also, eventually, use some of my knowledge of art and tattooing background.

I felt that I wanted to concentrate more on that and not jump between the two. I wanted to immerse myself in the technique of micro pigmentation and perfect it. Trying to tattoo at the same time would be confusing, they’re different disciplines. I’ve treated tattooists and they’ve always been blown away by the work, I always felt like it justified the decision I made. I’m very passionate about scalp micro pigmentation.

Can you tell us about your tattoos? I have quite a few tattoos, sleeve and chest area mainly and a recent one on my hand. Andy Cryztalz at Park Street Tattoo in Birmingham did the dot work and mandala on my hand, it’s a great piece. I also like Dawnii at Painted Lady who did my sleeve, Mike Philip at Immortal Ink did my chest, all great artists. In the new year I will be starting on my other arm!