Photo inspiration Archives - Page 26 of 53

June 13, 2014

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?

June 9, 2014June 9, 2014

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

June 6, 2014June 7, 2014

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

April 25, 2014May 1, 2014

Identity – Portraits | Modification | Adornment. An exhibition

Susanna tattoo — Artwork by Susanna Widmann

We are very pleased to announce our upcoming exhibition ‘Identity – Portraits | Modification | Adornment’ at Into You, London, in May 2014.

Launch party: Thursday 22 May from 7pm
Location: Into You, 144 St John St, London EC1V 4UA
Join the Facebook event, here.

Artwork by Oddboy — Glimpse of a piece by Matt (Oddboy) Barratt-Jones

The exhibition coincides with the launch of The Identity Issue – issue 7 of Things & Ink magazine and celebrates the work of tattooists, photographers and artists. Each piece is the artist’s interpretation of the theme – no restrictions or limitations. This collection, curated by the team at Things&Ink, is varied, exciting and thought-provoking.

Identity means something different to us all, and this collection of original artwork and photography – and The Identity Issue of Things&Ink magazine – explores the way our identities can be informed by the world around us and what we choose to do with our bodies.

There will be work from:
Alex Binnie
Araceli 4ever
Andrea Furci
Axa Shireen
Aimee Cornwell
Antony Flemming
Clare Goldilox
Delphine Noiztoy
Duncan X
Joao Bosco
Matt (Oddboy) Barratt-Jones
Susanna Widmann
Wendy Pham
Ramon Maiden
Luke Garwood
Heather Shuker
And a selection of artists from Into You Brighton and London.

LG_Burma_T&I_06 — The Chin Women of Myanmar, by photographer Luke Garwood
Ma Apoi aged 66

Come and join us to celebrate the launch and view the entire exhibition on Thursday 22 May from 7pm, Into You, 144 St John St, London EC1V 4UA. The exhibition will run for three months from that date.

The exhibition has been curated by the team at Things&Ink magazine

April 4, 2014April 4, 2014

Street Spotting in London

While interning at Things&Ink I spied some cool tattoos and stopped the owners for a brief chat.With everyone rushing to wherever they were going, it was difficult to ask everyone lots of questions about their tattoos!

Things&Ink reader Mia MaCauley, 20, art student in London on a college trip.
She often gets tattooed at conventions, her chest piece is by Billie at Afflecks in Manchester.