Beautiful tattoos in blue ink influenced by vintage ceramic patterns by tattoo artist SirLexi Rex, Lo and Behold Tattoo studio in Olympia, Washington.
Images from Sirlexi Rex’s Facebook
Animal Tattoos
Some of our favourite animal tattoos that we’ve seen on Instagram recently
Have you seen any cool animal tattoos lately? We’d love to know!
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…
Lucky Mutt, South Street Tattoo.
Black lines, bold colour, clear designs
Olivia-Chlöe Amateur painter Portside tattoo,Liverpool,UK.
Roma Severov, Artists based in Ukraine, pen and ink illustrator.
Abby Drielsma Tattoo apprentice, Eternal Addiction, Melbourne, Australia.
Andrei Svetov Tattoo artist, Master&Tattoo, Kaliningrad,Russia.
Annita Maslov, Illustrations Tattooist and Illustrator, Alchemy Tattoo Studio, Melbourne.
Lucy O’Connell ,Red Tattoo and Piercing, Leeds, UK.
Sam Smith, StevestonTattooCo.
Trailer Trash Tattoo, Australia.
Dan Fletcher, Winnipeg.
Georgina Liliane, Southampton,UK.
Who’s your Insta obsession?
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
Exclusive new images in Mark Leaver’s facial tattoo project
Facial tattoos are bold and unflinching, they cannot be hidden – perhaps this is why they still sometimes provoke fear and prejudice. Mark Leaver’s photographic project tackles this issue and tries to dispel some of the myths that exist about this niche within a subculture.
These are two brand-new, unseen portraits in Mark Leaver’s beautiful (and much talked about) series of portrait photographs. (previously blogged about here, and also featured in The Identity Issue of Things&Ink). This time Mark photographs a couple of our friends, Duncan X and Blue from Into You, London.
Duncan X, 48 years old, Tattoo Artist
Duncan was 21 when he got his first tattoo. Duncan was in a band for 7 years until he began working at Into You as a receptionist at 30 years old. He did an apprenticeship in Soho with Dennis Cockell. Duncan’s first facial tattoo was by Curley Moore (when Curly worked at Into You). Duncan doesn’t intend on getting any more facial work.
Blue, 50 years old, office manager at Into You, London
Blue was 18 when she started getting tattooed and it wasn’t until her mid 30s that she decided to move to her face. For her, the hands and neck were a bigger deal to get tattooed than her face. Blue has been at Into You for 20 years and she wants more facial work, but not for a while – maybe at 70!
A word from the photographer Mark:
It seems oddly timed that the project has had so much publicity and attention right after I’ve graduated from university! To get the series published by the Daily Mail is an amazing (and unexpected) progression of the project. This marks a new audience which is amazing for much a niche subject – before the series was only really viewed by people from the tattoo community, for it to be in a tabloid paper is incredible.
The project is nowhere near over, I’m still shooting. I shot these portraits last week of Duncan and Blue. And I actually shot two more today and will be doing two more tomorrow. There’s still a few big names/characters I’d like to have in the project before I put it to rest.
We will continue to keep you updated on Mark Leaver’s progression with this project. His work can be viewed at www.mdleaver.com