Our pick of the best tattoo inspiration accounts to follow on Instagram

The Things&Ink team are pretty addicted to Instagram, here’s the accounts we just can’t get enough of at the moment…

@luckymutttattoo

Lucky Mutt, South Street Tattoo.
Black lines, bold colour, clear designs

@ohnochloe

Olivia-Chlöe Amateur painter Portside tattoo,Liverpool,UK.

 @atramors

Roma Severov, Artists based in Ukraine, pen and ink illustrator.

@abbydrielsmatattoo

Abby Drielsma Tattoo apprentice, Eternal Addiction, Melbourne, Australia.

@sv__a

Andrei Svetov Tattoo artist, Master&Tattoo, Kaliningrad,Russia.

@annitamaslov

Annita Maslov, Illustrations Tattooist and Illustrator, Alchemy Tattoo Studio, Melbourne.

@lucylucyhorsehead

Lucy O’Connell ,Red Tattoo and Piercing, Leeds, UK.

@scragpie

Sam Smith, StevestonTattooCo.

@trailertrashtattoo

Trailer Trash Tattoo, Australia.

@blindvulture

Dan Fletcher, Winnipeg.

@georginatattoo

Georgina Liliane, Southampton,UK.

Who’s your Insta obsession?

Mum tattoos her 12 year old daughter

Anna Yates, 29 from North Carolina has been arrested for tattooing her 12 year old daughter.

In defence of her arrest, she states; “that’s my child, and I’m allowed to do what I want”.

This is not the first time Anna Yates has tattooed without a license or any form of training, she regularly inks herself and friends. The tattoo in question is a heart on her daughter’s arm, tattooed onto her for religious reasons.

The mum was charged with tattooing a person under 18, but she insists she has a right to tattoo her own child.

“It healed fine. It’s there for life and she doesn’t regret it,” said Yates. “She’s a good child. She does very well in school, and I feel she deserved it.”

Yates quoted from www.charlotte.twcnews.com

Image from www.wsoctv.com

Things&Ink The Identity Issue Review

Editorial assistant Rosalie Woodward reviews the Identity Issue out now. Purchase your copy here

 

Peacocks in Afghanistan – Page 18

Photo by Heather Shuker

Tattoo artist Axa Shireen talks to us about  growing up between suburban Manchester and dangerously enchanting Afghanistan and how art has always been a driving force, steering her towards new worlds, whether these be tattooing or love. The sense of her own identity comes from not constraining herself with boundaries, but embracing it all…

Her interview is accompanied with stunning images of ornate sarees, intricate henna and a peacock stealing a sneaky glance at beautiful Axa covered in glittering finery.

 

Laura Jane Grace – Page 57

Photo by Heather Shuker

Our music editor Jen Adamson interviews Laura Jane Grace from Against Me!, formally Tom Gables, about her struggle to show the world who she really is.  Laura explains how her song lyrics allowed her to explore and release her inner self, allowing her to cross the lines of socially defined gender boundaries.  Laura has many crow tattoos, these important birds have perhaps given her the wings she needed in order to be free…

 

Tattooing in Prison – Page 34 and New York Prisoner – Page 38

Ever wondered how inmates tattoo each other when tattooing is prohibited in prisons? What do they use for ink? How do they make a machine? The men behind their crimes are revealed in their honest discussion of prison life. In jail, tattoos become even more important, playing the part of a bargaining tool as well as a seemingly simple way to pass the hours.  This was one aspect of the prisoners’ lives that the officers could not control and they weren’t going to give up.

 

Meet the Customers – Page 26

Photo by Heather Shuker

Meet tattooist Dominique Holmes and her customers, in The Royal Albert pub (where we did the photo shoot), why not follow their lead and crack out the vino! Unique relationships are built when people are regularly tattooed by the same artist, way more so than if they had stepped off the street for a bit of flash.  Dom and her customers alike explore how tattoos add to their sense of identity and how both their friendships and art have evolved.

To read these articles in full purchase your copy of The Identity Issue here


The nipple artist

The Nipple Artist: A video collaboration between The New York Times and POV showcases one woman’s search for nipples

The five-minute documentary tells the tale of writer Caitlin Kieran’s journey to a tattoo studio in Finksburg to have the illusion of real nipples tattooed on her body.

Tattoo artist Vinnie Myers has left behind his career in traditional tattooing and now specialises in nipple areola tattooing, which he has been doing for over ten years. Vinnie creates a three dimensional ‘normal’ looking nipple after women’s mastectomy or reconstructive surgery.  He helps many women to reclaim their breasts, and love themselves again after their battle with cancer.

Surgeons also offer nipple tattoos during reconstructions but having seen these ‘round and red’ ‘pepperoni slices’, Caitlin decided to travel across America to have custom coloured subtly shaded nipples.

Watch the video here 

‘I am so thrilled with the result. I feel great, I feel physically normal, I actually feel like my body looks better now than it did before. I know I’m never going to be the woman I was, but I feel like now I’m better.’

Caitlin quoted from The New York Times Blog and images from POV Blog