Photo inspiration Archives - Page 19 of 52

November 2, 2015November 2, 2015

Covered: a photo project where tattooed people bare all

Covered: a portrait project of tattooed people. This beautiful photographic project illustrates the variety of people who get tattooed and the vastly different reasons why…

Photographs by Alan Powdrill | Interviews by Erica Buist | Feature from theguardian.com

Victoria Clarke, 37, Coventry
My tattoos are part of who I am, and I’ll always love my bodysuit, now and when I’m 80. The respect and love I get for what I look like is what it’s all about.

Graham Platts, 58, Cleethorpes
I was 51 when I started getting tattoos. I wanted one in my teens but my parents wouldn’t have agreed. About 10 years ago, I stopped smoking and thought, “I ought to do something with the money, to have something to show for it”; I decided to get a tattoo. I got one on my right arm. Then I got one on my left arm. Then on my right leg, then my left leg – it just escalated. I’ve replaced one addiction with another, but a healthier one. When I see a gap, I want it filled. Once I’m covered, I think I’ll start saving for a nice holiday.

Izzy Nash, 48, Maidstone
I was 16 when I got my first tattoo, a tiny rose on my thigh. For me, it’s about being different. You’re never naked, because you’re covered in artwork. My bottom is always the talking point: I’m forever showing people.
I’m talking with my tattooist in Brighton about doing my neck and my legs – then there’s only my stomach left. My kids love it. I’ve told them, “When I die, you need to skin me, dry me out and put me on the wall.”

Alex Coates, 49, Whitby
When I started getting tattooed, over 30 years ago, it was frowned upon. It was the skinhead era, and I saw a guy with two swallows on his hands. That was it: I wanted them, too. My mum wasn’t happy. Now I’m completely covered. Recently, I asked my mother if she’d mind if I got some little tattoos on my face: a cross and a few dots. She said, “As long as they’re not too big.” I had it done that day. I woke up the next day, and thought, “What have I done?” But everyone said they looked cool and now I love them.

Drew Beckett, 32, London
When I was 27, my hair fell out. I have total alopecia. I decided to reinvent myself so that the first thing people see is my tattoos, rather than the fact I have no eyebrows. I thought, “I’m a blank slate.” I started, embarrassingly, with a 90s tribal dragon on my stomach. I was 18, and thought it was the coolest thing ever. The artist was a Goldsmiths graduate called Thomas Hooper, who is now an internationally famous tattooist. I’m a civil servant; I check with my boss before I get a tattoo. If I was told no, that would be OK. It’s good manners to ask.

You can view more portraits on photographer Alan’s website, the Covered portrait exhibition of tattooed people will open on 11 November 2015 at Mother, in east London, RSVP alan@alanpowdrill.com.

October 28, 2015

Horror influencing fashion

Our guest blogger is Jade-Bailey Dowling, fashion writer and creator of Nouvelle Noir, a blog dedicated to dark fashion. This is the first in a series of post where she looks at how horror influences fashion and how you can draw fashion inspiration from the movies…

Horror has influenced fashion in many aspects over the years. Designers have taken obvious inspiration from a particular horror heroine, such as Carrie or Wednesday Addams, or adapted their new season style to fit the aesthetic of a film or genre; it is undoubted that horror and fashion sit on a precarious diversionary line.

Wednesday Addams

In this fashion series, I will discuss how designers past and present have looked to the horror genre to gain inspiration for their clothes, and further still how these have been translated by the high street and enable horror fans to take their love of horror from film to fashion.

First up, Stephen King’s coming-of-age combined with kinetic powers heroine Carrie White. The novel has been adapted for film various times, most recently in 2013 with Chloe Grace Moretz featuring as the infamous Carrie.

Carrie is a firm favourite costume choice for Halloween and fans often pour red paint or dye over any cheap white or light coloured dress they can find for an easy yet striking outfit for the night. Carrie can be a fashion icon without the need to reference this, albeit pivotal, moment.

The infamous blood scene from Carrie 1976

For those familiar with the novel or film, Carrie White’s style is very much reflective of the modest, strict upbringing inflicted by her religious mother, Margaret White. However, this granny chic style is set to be very much en vogue for Autumn/Winter 2015, as seen on the catwalks of Miu Miu, and Prada.

Mui Mui A/W

Although the 2013 version, directed by Kimberly Peirce, is set in a modern setting, the fashion choices of the costume designer follows that of the original film that aligns itself with the novel and is set in the 70s, another source of A/W 2015 style inspiration such as at Burberry.

Screen shot from Carrie (2013)

Channel your inner Carrie White with 70s inspired florals, a-line denim skirts and chunky shoes.

Denim dungaree dress, £20, Boohoo
Shirt £19.99, New Look
Brogues, £19.99, H&M
Knee High Socks, £2.99, New Look
A Line Demin Skirt, £30, Topshop

Despite Margaret White famously stating “Red. I might have known it would be red”, the famous prom dress is actually very light pink. For those who wish to steal Carrie’s prom look, pre pig’s blood of course, opting for a nude, or light pink dress can pay homage in a delicate and sophisticated way. With loads available on the high street at reasonable prices, should you wish to cover yourself with a red substance that will, hopefully, come out in the wash you can transform your look from Prom Carrie to Bloody Carrie with no major expense, while looking more authentic than other Carrie Costumers.

Screen Shot Carrie 2013

Left to right: Miss Selfridge – £55, Rare @ Topshop – £45, Glamorous – £25

Next time, see how the 90s iconic witch film, “The Craft” has inspired fashion, from catwalk to street style.

October 15, 2015

Bieke Depoorter: Night journeys in Sète

Bieke Depoorter is a photographer and associate member of Magnum Photos. She works mainly on autonomous projects, including travelling through Russia and photographing subjects whose houses she had stayed in for a single night.

Christian Caujolle (associate professor at the National Superior School Louis Lumière, specialising in film, sound engineering and photography) explains that in Night journeys in Sète Bieke does not follow routes planned out for her, but instead makes her own path. He comments on her subject matter, her form and the ways we can interpret her art:

Faced with images that are free, enigmatic or descriptive, but which can never be limited to one single interpretation, we stop, just as the woman visitor had to stop.

No stereotype, not even an informative one. No acceptance of technical constraints: it is the night that best reveals the light, and not the sun-drenched town.

The mystery deepens when we see that these elements grabbed from reality are naturally structured to found a story of which we do not know the scenario, of which we can only follow the inexplicably harmonious thread as it seems to feed on digressions or chance.

Free photographers, like free travellers, get to know themselves in what they experience of elsewhere and of others. Happy is he who, like Ulysses or Bieke Depoorter, has been on a beautiful voyage..

October 14, 2015

The Horror Issue: Meg Langdale

The Horror Issue of Things&Ink features a music playlist by apprentice tattooer 28-year-old Meg Langdale. We visited Meg at The Burton Tattoo Collective in Leiceter for an evening filled with creepy yet cute kewpies. As our editorial assistant Rosie was being tattooed, we chatted to Meg about her developing style, how she started out and her tattoo collection…

What first attracted you to the tattoo world?
I’ve always known I wanted to do something creative but I just wasn’t too sure what. I did a fashion and design degree at university, and at the time all the design and illustration jobs I looked at just seemed like glorified office jobs, which wasn’t for me. Tattooing has given me the freedom I wanted creatively and in an environment I feel comfortable. I think my illustration work was the stepping stone into the tattoo world. Meeting my boyfriend, who is a tattoo artist, of course had a huge influence. I feel like it’s what I was meant to do, it maybe just took me a little longer than others to realise.

How did you get your apprenticeship?
I was fortunate enough to be given the opportunity by my boyfriend, which I will be forever grateful for. I started my apprenticeship in September last year and I’ve only been tattooing around four months. So far I have really enjoyed tattooing lots of floral pieces, but a lot of my illustrations are quite dark and creepy, I want to bring this into my tattooing. None of it would have been possible if it hadn’t been for the support from my whole family. I feel very lucky how things have worked out.

How would you describe your style?
My style is still evolving but its super illustrative, and it includes flaws and imperfections. I really want my tattoos to look like illustrations. When I draw, I like that my designs aren’t perfect, don’t get me wrong I spend hours drawing and redrawing designs. But I sometimes like the little wobbles in lines and lack of symmetry. I also weirdly like tiny little flaws in my own tattoos. I’m lucky enough to have some beautiful pieces down by amazing artists but I quite like that in most tattoos you can find tiny little imperfections. It’s not a question of liking or having bad tattoos, mine are perfect to me and I love them. But I think flaws make them real. I’m not perfect and neither are my tattoos.

What inspires you?
I’m really critical of myself and my work, so that in itself inspires me to want to keep improving and keep pushing myself. I really hope to be respected as an artist by other artists too, and not just for drawing pretty stuff. I want to be able to put in solid lines, and produce really nice quality tattoos.
I also collect old reference books; I adore medical illustrations in old anatomy books, and simple line drawings in books of wild flowers. I like combining quite delicate floral stuff with elements of darker stuff. I’d much rather draw from real life or old books than have to rely on the internet.

How did it feel doing your first tattoo?
Terrifying. I tattooed pig skin a lot to build my confidence initially. Then myself which was just dreadful. It’s so hard to overcome inflicting pain on yourself to focus on putting in decent lines. My first tattoo on someone other than myself was on Dane’s brother in law, it was so nerve wracking. He’s always been really supportive of my work and was quick to offer up some skin for me to practice on. At the same time I just remember thinking this is it, this is what I’m going to be doing forever now. I get nervous before I tattoo, but I’m always fine once I start and I just get into my little zone. My confidence has definitely been one of my biggest hurdles.

Can you tell us about the tattoos on your body?
My own tattoos are a combination of styles, mostly black and grey. Weirdly enough I don’t have any that are that similar to my own style, but I’m saving my right arm for lots of illustrative floral bits and bones, I’m just undecided on who I want to do it yet. I’ve been lucky enough to get tattooed by some amazing artists in the last couple of years, and of course Dane, he’s done a lot of my favourite pieces. I do have a few colour tattoos too, currently no plans for any more, although I had considered having some really muted colours on my legs in-between lots of black of course.

Photographs by William Kirk

October 1, 2015

Pastel Paradise: Lemon Freckles

Toni or Lemon Freckles is a 30-year-old illustrator and blogger from Sheffield who lives in a pastel paradise of pink hair, her pugs and girl gang inspired drawings. We chatted to Toni to find out more about her fashion and artistic style, how she became a blogger and her tattoo collection…

When did you start blogging? How did you get into it? I originally started blogging around 10 years ago under a different name but Lemon Freckles is around five years old I think. At the time I was working full-time in mental health and in need of a creative outlet, blogging seemed like something I was able to do while working full-time, I didn’t really think anyone would ever read it.

What things can people expect to see on your blog? A mixture of things, I like being able to share what is happening in my world; from my latest cute find to things that inspire me. I want Lemon Freckles to be a positive place, full of colour and silliness.

Do you have a background in art? No, my degree is in mental health but I have always been a doodler. After 10 years of working in the mental health industry, I decided to take a step back and reflect on what I enjoy doing and last year I enrolled in a year long course in design. A few months ago I went self-employed full-time and it has been one of the best decisions I have made.

What inspires you? Colour and my ever so slight obsessive collecting of cute toys from my childhood. I want to bring back a little bit of that magic I left at the school gates sometime between the late 80s and early 90s. I am a firm believer that just because you’re an adult, it doesn’t mean you have to act like a grown up.

What things to do you like to draw? The more colour the better in my eyes. I love doodling toys and making characters out of everyday objects.

What medium do you use? Pen and paper, Illustrator, whatever is to hand.

How would you describe your style, both in art and fashion? I think they are both the same, eclectic. It’s all in the detail, from the Polly Pocket earrings to the denim jacket covered in patches, the more cute the better!

Can you tell us a little bit about your tattoos? Of course! I actually only got my first tattoo last year, which was a pug (a forever reminder of my two furry pug babies, Doug and Lola) and since then I have got three more; a My Little Pony, a Lefton, Miss Priss Kitty tea pot and a sewing related one. Sam Whitehead of Blind Eye Tattoo Company in Leeds has done all of mine and also has the same love of cuteness that I do, which makes her wonderful to work with.

Do you think they have to have meanings? Nothing deep and meaningful I’m afraid. I get tattoos of things I love, things that make me happy and of course, the more colour the better.

Do you have any future tattoo plans? I’ve got one later this month actually, a Roly-Poly doll, which will be going on my arm. I’m wanting to get my full arm covered in cuteness over the next year, much like my style, eclectic and cute.