Spot the difference – Edward Hopper Nighthawks, the tattooed version

In issue 4 of Things&InkThe Art Issue – we recreated four iconic works of art with our very own tattoo twist. One of the paintings featured was Edward Hopper’s Nighthawks.

And here’s our original recreation, as featured in the magazine, but can you spot the differences between our original version and the photo underneath?

Comment below, good luck.

Things and Ink original recreation

Nighthawks, Things&Ink tattooed version starring:  photographer Al Overdrive, art historian Doctor Matt Lodder, vintage hairdresser Lucie Luella and apprentice barber Ryan Costello. Photography by Heather Shuker, assisted by James Sheen-Stevens, styling by Olivia Snape.

Can you spot the differences?

Nighthawks spot the difference

Read more about Edward Hopper on www.artsy.net

 

Extract from interview with Tracy D #theartissue

Tattoo artist Tracy D works at King’s Cross Tattoo in London, UK. Here’s an extract from her interview in The Art Issue of Things&Ink magazine. To buy a copy and see the full interview, go to thingsandink.com

Photographer: Heather Shuker, assisted by James Sheen-Stevens
Make-up: Keely Reichardt
Styling: Olivia Snape
Headress: Gypsy East
Hair: Eleanor Robyn

Tracy D as Ophelia

 

How would you describe your style?

I do a lot of, what I guess would be described as, traditional and neo-traditional work. But I am eager to expand and learn as much as I can about different ways and styles of tattooing. I am just really enjoying what I am getting asked to tattoo at the moment – art nouveau-style tattoos and beautiful feminine pieces. That could always change though, you just never know what the future holds.

Tracy D tattoo

What is your favourite tattoo you’ve worked on?

When Things&Ink editor, Alice, asked me to create her a tattoo to mark a celebration of this issue and also the first year of the magazine, I was thrilled. She gave me the freedom to create a piece just for her and it was a dream come true. She didn’t limit me with space or colour, or anything at all, so I was excited to take parts of three of my favourite Rossetti paintings, ‘A Sea Spell’ (1875-7), ‘A Roman Widow’ (1874) and ‘Sibylla Palmifera’ (1865 70). My main influences were the use of colour, the extravagance of flowers, poppies denoting sleep, butterflies referring to the soul, the use of musical instruments, as well as the strength and beauty of the women depicted in each painting – just heavenly. Each piece is just divinely perfect, in my opinion. I don’t think I have ever been more in my element when working on a piece, and I hope that I will have the opportunity to do more designs influenced by my favourite movement.

 

Interview with a designer

Art: the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form such as painting or sculpture, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty, meaning or emotional power.

Simon Lowther – Industrial designer.

Portrait - Simon

What is art to you? It is an outlet for our absurdity and hopeless questioning as to who we are, why we are here and what for. It also fulfils a primal need to create and construct and control. Despite this, art is ultimately useless (As Oscar Wilde put it). That’s not to say it does not hold value, enrich our lives, carry meaning, and tell stories.

Define and describe your art: I would define it with its title: industrial designer. So I’m not an artist, but I employ creative practices in my work nonetheless. I sketch, make models and employ 3D CAD programs.

Why this medium? I wanted to do something utilitarian and creative rather than just creative.

Does meaning have a place in your work? I don’t go out of my way to embed meaning into my design deliberately. That would be too contrived. Meaning will be inherent in a design if it has been designed well. A design also carries meaning purely by virtue of the time and place (culture) it originates from

Tattoo - Simon

Tattooed by himself

Tell me about the tattoo you’ve designed for yourself: It’s a very simple and small stick’n’poke tattoo of a Penny Farthing. It is the 3rd stick and poke tattoo I’ve done on myself so it’s a bit rough but I like it.

Does the tattoo have any significance/meaning? They are an object I find amusing and in a strange way beautiful. I like how utterly absurd and impractical the design is while still being a very pleasing form in its simple geometry and iconic profile. It also reminds me that people do ridiculous things.

Do you have an opinion on unoriginal and ubiquitous tattoos? When I’m on the way to work and feeling particularly misanthropic or severely hung-over or just in a bad mood I’ll arbitrarily choose things to hate. Sometimes it’s tattoos. Originality is a tenuous subject in art and especially in tattoos. For most people (excluding people from cultures with traditional tattooing) tattoos are just a way to feel better about themselves. It’s image based, and it’s about identifying with a particular milieu. It’s difficult to argue that getting a tattoo is appreciating art although I think the tattoo artists themselves can sometimes be considered artists. I can look at art or listen to music without having it painfully and permanently adhered to me.

What are your thoughts on tattoo artists and their profession vis-à-vis originality and art? Would you ever become one? I wouldn’t become one because I’m not passionate enough about tattoos and I think the noise of the guns would drive me insane. I’m sure plenty of tattoo artists are original in their work but ultimately they are not creating art for art’s sake. They are producing a product for a client, and that product needs to sell.  That requires they tattoo what a customer wants and quite often their own design.  A tattoo artist probably produces art some of the time while simply copy and pasting images onto people at other times.

This interview was conducted by Fareed Kaviani, as part of  Artists, Tattoos, and Meaning: Pissing Ink in Duchamp’s Urinal? a feature in The Art Issue. It features an interview with Rik Lee Purchase a copy from: thingsandink.com

Things&Ink The Art Issue – what’s inside

The art issue with Tracy DThe art issue cover is inspired by Millais’ iconic artwork, Ophelia, with tattoo artist Tracy D. Within the magazine are more fantastic recreations of iconic fine art work with a “tattoo twist,” along with art historical commentary from Doctor Matt Lodder.

the art issue things and ink Contents
Contents page, click on image to enlarge

 

The Art Issue covers tricky topics, such as tattoo etiquette (when does inspiration turn into copying?), and tattoos as art. Amongst its glorious pages sits interviews with the iconic Angelique Houtkamp and Guen Douglas, and the relationship between artist and tattoo artist is explored in an exclusive interview with Jack Vettriano and Mo Coppoletta. It also features work from Benjamin Laukis and Andrea Furci.

 

Buy your copy online from Newsstand 

Things&Ink at the London Tattoo Convention 2013

Wow, I can’t believe it has been one whole year since we last had a stand at the London Tattoo Convention. And at that point we were merely thrusting leaflets into people’s hands in the vain hope that they would take notice of a magazine that didn’t actually exist… well not in the beautiful way that it does now.

Four issues later, with four stunning covers, we are set to make a ripple at this year’s London Convention… And we hope to see as many of you there as possible to help us celebrate one whole year of Things&Ink – the magazine that celebrates tattoo culture with a feminine twist. We will have all four issues on sale – the launch, the face, the love and the art issue – and lots of the team will be there over the weekend, so please do come and say hello and let us know what you think of the magazine. The cover star of the art issue – Tracy D – will also be hanging out with us so come meet her, she might even sign your copy of the mag if you’re lucky.

Things and ink 1 2 3 and 4

Thanks for everyone who has supported us over the last year, it has been truly special. We will be in the Vaults, V61, check out the floorplan

Things and Ink stand London convention
Things and Ink stand last year 2012