Category: Photo inspiration

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“Tattooing is more than a job, it’s a way to express and communicate a person’s life,” interview with tattoo artist, Inno

Tattooist Inno, who’s based in Seoul in Korea, realised that tattoos can be art when he saw a tattoo of a small, beautiful flower. That tattoo set him on a journey to becoming an artist himself. Here we catch up with him to find out more about tattooing in Korea, guest spots and what motivates and inspires him…

How long have you been tattooing for? How did you train to become a tattoo artist?

“I started learning how to tattoo in 2019. I took classes at STUDIO BY SOL, one of the most famous tattoo academies in Korea at the time. In Korea, tattoos were illegal, so there were few places that taught hygiene education and technology properly, but I chose this place because it was the best place to train.”


How would you describe your style of tattooing?

“I live near the beach, so whenever I was frustrated or couldn’t think of an idea, I used to look out at the sea – it cleared my mind, it gave me room to think. It’s what made me realise I wanted to draw pictures of the waves and the sea. And turn other objects into waves too. Water is flexible and permeates almost anything. I guess that’s how it works with my clients too, their bodies become covered in my wave style.”

Do you tattoo lots of tourists who’ve travelled for your work?

“Most of the guests who visit me in Korea are foreign tourists. They come to visit me during their trip. Customers usually contact me through email before their holiday.”



What are the rules for tattooing in South Korea? Is tattooing more underground or becoming more mainstream nowadays?

“Tattoos are illegal in Korea, you need a special medical license to practice. However, in recent years, many celebrities are getting tattoos, and they are becoming more and more popular. I think Korean tattoos will become more and more famous around the world.”

How should customers contact you? If someone is travelling over from the UK, how much notice would you need?

“Customers come from various countries, as well as England. It is enough if you tell me the picture, location, and size of the tattoo you want. Please contact us via email at inno.waves.tt@gmail.com, with dates that you will be in Seoul.”



What’s the best way for customers to come up with an idea for you? Do you offer flash or prefer custom work?

“I don’t like doing Flash because the number of copycats has been increasing recently. I don’t like my paintings to be done by anyone other than myself. Now I prefer custom work because I want to draw a special picture for only one person.”

What is the address of your studio?

“It is located in Seoul, Korea. Please contact us via email for detailed addresses.”



Any interesting hotels / shops / cafes nearby?

“The place where my studio is located is one of the most famous tourist attractions in Korea. Therefore, there are so many foreigners and it is a place where anyone can enjoy. Perhaps that’s why I think the tattoo scene has developed a lot here.”

Do you ever do guest spots? If so, when / where?

“I have been to Australia, Canada, and the United States – so far. My drawing style is unique and rare all over the world, so I want to visit lots of different countries.”

What are your hopes and plans for the future?

“I believe my paintings will develop further. I haven’t done a lot of large-scale work yet, but I want to draw bigger pieces.”

“When asked if a tattooist is an artist or a job, I would say artist.”

Inno



What do you think about the tattoo world itself?

“Tattoos are one of the most basic acts of expressing oneself. Also, I think it is very noble work that expresses and communicates each person’s life. Therefore, I hope that all artists will be more careful and work passionately in their work. This is because many people now think of it as just a job to make money. When asked if a tattooist is an artist or a job, I would say artist.”

Follow Inno on Instagram @tattooist.inno

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Tattoo artist Grigorii Butrin’s masterclass on photograhing tattoos

It’s never been more important to get an amazing photo or reel of your freshly made tattoo. Not only are you a tattoo artist but you also need to be a social media manager and photographer too. To help you capture your art in the best way, realism tattoo artist Grigorii Butrin is sharing his top tips…

Black and grey realism is a style that remains one of the most popular trends in the world of tattoo culture to this day. Grigorii Butrin (@butrin.tattoo) is a talented artist, many would say he’s up there with the best tattoo artists working in this style.

Grigorii conquered the world’s tattoo community with his realistic tattoos consisting of striking contrasts, complexity and detail. They bring the image to life so that it looks 3D on his client’s skin. His sense of detail, light and composition makes his work different from others in the industry.

Gregorii’s tattoos are known in many countries, they have been frequently appreciated by judges at international tattoo conventions around the world. Grigorii Butrin is a member of several professional teams and clearly understands how to make black-and-grey realism truly spectacular. It’s this understanding of the craft which has gained him hundreds of loyal clients across the globe, and allowed him to give master classes to other artists. He’s also collaborated with world-known brands and giants in the tattoo industry – he’s a tattooer on the rise.

Looking at photos of his work from a professional standpoint you can see how he scrupulously works on photographing his tattoos. According to Grigorii, “this is very important, because it is not enough to make a high-quality tattoo, it is necessary to present it correctly to the audience.”

“Practice shows that you need to photograph tattoos immediately after the session. The reason for this is very simple: in 90% of cases, the creator will never see this tattoo again, and there is no point asking clients to take photos later, because they will not be able to do it correctly.”

Grigorii Butrin shares his recommendations in photographing tattoos to his colleagues:

  1. Do not turn off the light in the studio completely, dim it. To illuminate the work itself, use a light together with a polarising film – this makes the picture more natural, especially if you are photographing a miniature tattoo. Many tattooers prefer to photograph the work with a single light source, which makes the photos gloomy due to the lack of background.
  1. In the case of using several illuminators, glue the films to them in the same way, in accordance with the instructions. If the lights are not synchronised, then they will have to be turned over in order for them to work correctly. Cut the film according to the size of the luminous surface of the lamp, do not allow non-polarised light to get into your work.
  1. On your phone, use the first three settings for the final edit of the photo: Exposure, Shine, Light areas. They have the least effect on image quality. You can also adjust the Saturation. In order to increase the set of processing tools, I recommend installing photo editing applications.
  1. Remember that the photo will only show what was projected by the lens into the phone’s memory. If the photo is highlighted and if the whole tattoo is flickering with highlights, then it ‘s not possible to restore what did not get into the phone’s memory, when you took the photo no matter what subsequent processing you do. That is why you need to use polarising filters. Processing will only correct some flaws, but will not change the image itself in any way. Take high-quality photos initially.

Find out more about the realism tattoos Grigorii makes in our interview with the tattoo artist.

We’re always talking to amazing tattoo artists, check out our latest interviews.

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‘My studio is welcoming, but I make it clear who we don’t want here’ – Paula Castle, tattoo artist

We sat down to have a chat with tattoo artist Paula Castle, who owns Black Sheep Tattoo in Bristol. Paula is one of the most passionate and creative people in the tattoo world. And our chat covered everything from her fave subjects to tattoo to the deep-rooted misogyny in the tattoo world and the importance of safe spaces. Make yourself a cuppa and settle in for the ride… 

We absolutely adore your tattoos, tell us more about them, your style and any themes that people love coming to you for…

I did my version of a crying heart as a sticker in 2017. Then in 2020, one of my clients said to me, I want your sticker tattooed on me. I loved doing it. And if I really enjoy doing a tattoo, my favourite thing to do is come up with different themes for that design. It’s just a really fun and interesting way to work. When people give me challenging themes, it’s fun working out how to do it or how to represent something. The crying hearts are especially fun to theme.

Drag queen, Divine themed crying heart tattoo 

I’ve also done a few tickets, too. I’ve done a couple of those as memorial tattoos. It’s a nice design to incorporate dates into, without it being overtly memorial. I did one recently that was a ticket for a festival that my client had been to with her dad, and she lost her dad during Covid. I put a few important dates into the ticket. The problem with things that are obviously in memory of somebody is they lead to people asking questions. Sometimes that might be welcome, but for some people, they never feel comfortable sharing that stuff. Some people want something that doesn’t scream RIP.

Another fun design I’ve done recently is a rear view mirror tattoo – another design that’s good to add themes to.

Do you have a favourite tattoo that you’ve done? Or a favourite by someone else that you can’t stop thinking about?

There’s a tattooer called Josh Todaro who does traditional pieces. He did a portrait of Adam Sandler from The Wedding Singer – and Oh My God. “Somebody kill me please”. And it’s my most favourite tattoo I’ve ever seen. I just love it so much. One of those tattoos I wish was on me. I still look at it all the time.

As for me, it’s such a hard question to answer. But I just did my first ever Muppet tattoo – Miss Piggy from Treasure Island. I just kept giggling the whole way through tattooing it, because I absolutely love The Muppets. 

One of the reasons I love tattooing so much is because my favourite tattoo is always the most recent one I’ve done. It just feels like that’s constantly continuing forever – it doesn’t get old. 

Do you have lots of regular clients that always come back to you?

I love, love, love building relationships with clients. I enjoy time with people that I’ve tattooed before, because it’s like catching up with an old friend. I’ve got some people that I’ve been working with now for the best part of my career. I’ve seen people move through life in such positive ways – going through beautiful moments like marriages and buying houses and having children. Then likewise, I’ve had long-term clients who sadly lost parents or gone through other stuff and I’ve been able to offer them support. 

It’s been interesting, I was diagnosed with ADHD last year, and so many of my clients are also neurodivergent. I’d love to understand if there’s a correlation, whether neurodivergent people gravitate towards other neurodivergent people without really knowing that they’re doing it, you know.

Tell us about your shop, Black Sheep Tattoo in Bristol. We know tattoo shops can sometimes feel like intimidating places if you’ve never been in one before. 

I try my best to make the studio safe and welcoming for everybody, but also I’ve taken as many steps as possible to make it really clear who we don’t want here. I think that’s just as important. We’re trans friendly, queer-owned, female-owned – it says female-owned on my sign outside – like I’m very upfront about it. I don’t want people in my studio who are going to make not only my artists, but any other clients feel uncomfortable. And that’s always been of the utmost importance to me. The clients that we have here really reflect that.

We have eight artists and a studio manager and tattooers who do regular guest spots. Then we also have The Tooth Pixie, who does a couple of days a month offering tooth gems. And Amanda who comes one Saturday every month and does brow lamination and eyelash tinting. When it comes to body modification, it it isn’t just about permanence. I love integrating to offer more than one service. Which brings people into a tattoo studio who’ve never thought about tattooing before, and might have a preconceived notion of what a tattoo shop is like.

‘Even now, you open a tattoo magazine and every advert has got a half naked woman in it’

Breaking down those kinds of social barriers is still something that’s really important. We have a responsibility to tattooing – and especially tattooing for women. It’s still an extremely male-dominated industry and it’s misogynistic, from a systemic point of view. Even now, you open a tattoo magazine and every supplier advert has got a half naked woman in it – it needs to stop.

We’re ready for change, why isn’t it happening quicker?

It’s those little micro aggressions of misogyny in advertising and in, you know, the percentage of sponsorships and things that go to men over women in the industry, that leads to inappropriate behaviour with clients in studios, and sexual assault and sexual violence against female clients and artists.

These things can’t be fixed by me opening a studio and not standing for that behaviour in my studio, the only way to fix the problem is to address the people doing the things in the first place. It’s not on us to fix it. But it is the responsibility of the suppliers and the media that work within tattooing to fix the systemic misogyny within tattooing, because it’s not acceptable anymore. And it needs to stop.

It’s been gorgeous to chat, and we loved you getting on your soapbox about the change that’s so needed. Anything else you want to share?

It’s my tenth year tattooing this year. It feels like such a milestone. It’s definitely been a roller coaster. But it’s so hard having your own studio. If I had been able to find a space to work in that was like mine, I would absolutely not choose to be a studio owner. If anybody’s really unhappy where they are, don’t think that the solution is to have your own place. It isn’t always the answer. But yeah, all I ever wanted was to have somewhere that I could truly be myself – like, you know, somewhere not to feel embarrassed all the time. That’s all I ever wanted was to not have that feeling anymore.

Follow Paula on Instagram @paulacastletattoos

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Her tattoo world: Stories & Ink’s Barbara Crane on her tattoo collection and new tattoo healing


We absolutely love independent tattoo skincare brand Stories & Ink and everything they stand for aligns with our vibe over here at Things & Ink. The Stories & Ink range has been specially created for people with tattoos, the products nourish, define and protect tattooed skin – from aftercare cream and gentle foam cleanser for freshly inked skin to vibrancy serums and exfoliating wash to inject some life back into older tattoos.

We caught up with Stories & Ink Creative Content Manager, Barbara Crane – who’s 26 years old and lives in Latvia – to find out her top tips for dealing with that dreaded new tattoo itch and her fave S&I products for new tattoo healing. Barbara’s a tattoo collector, too, of course, and her collection of blackwork tattoos is out of this world…

Barbara is the creative content manager for Stories & Ink skincare

What made you fall in love with tattoos? Do you remember when it was?
I was about six or seven years old, I think. The idea of having permanent art that’s all over your skin – and goes everywhere with you – fascinated me. When I was a child, I also loved art and drawing. I thought the idea of having drawings on your skin was amaaazzzing and I couldn’t wait to cover myself in art.

Do you enjoy the process of getting tattooed?
I would say 50/50. I do love going to the tattoo studio, talking to tattoo artists, and going through the whole process – except the pain of actually getting tattooed, of course. Yes, it is a part of the process and, to some degree, I do like it, but I don’t know what it is – age or something else – but it does feel like every next tattoo is more painful than the last. My tolerance is a lot lower than it used to be. Or maybe it just means that I keep moving to more and more painful places on my body.

The top half of Barbara’s body has been tattooed by Emīls Salmiņš

What’s your top tips for the healing process?
Hmm, I’d say leaving the healing tattoo alone as much as possible. Of course, cleaning it and applying aftercare cream when needed. But don’t go into the sun, don’t do any crazy activities, don’t pick at it and drink a lot of water. Treat it almost like a wound and just let it heal. Then the healing process happens a lot faster.

Do you have a fave Stories & Ink product? Why?
Oof, always hard to pick one. I am totally a fan of the Daily Moisturiser and the Vibrancy Serum, for sure! They both smell so amazing and nothing makes my tattoos come back to life and glow like these two products do!

How do you cope with the new tattoo itch?
Ha! Good question. I didn’t experience it that much in the past, but the last few tattoos I got, it came to bite me in the butt. I don’t scratch it – of course. Maybe give it a light tap with my palm, if it is unbearable. But if I do feel an itchy sensation, it just means that the spot is dry and I apply a little of the Stories & Ink Aftercare Cream and that usually does the trick. 

Any new tattoo plans?
I have a bunch, but first I’d love to finish my massive back piece. Later I’d like to get my fingers tattooed and the insides of my ears. 

What’s your coping tactics to deal with long sessions?
Honestly, numbing cream. I know people debate about it, but I don’t understand why. Some say “you should earn the tattoo” but I say that is just toxic masculinity at it’s finest. A bit of a hot take, I know. But it’s true. If it will be a long session and in a spot that’s very sensitive and painful, make it easier for you and for the artist. If the area is numb or has less sensations than normal then you are having a breeze and the artist can focus on doing their work without you whining and twitching and moving around from the pain. Other coping tactics would be music or watching videos on my phone. Really distracts my brain well. 

What do you love most about working at Stories & Ink?

I’ve been a freelancer for a long time and everything always felt so hectic, working at S&I has brought so much structure in to my work life and I love it as I am a big planner myself. Also being a huge tattoo enthusiast, I feel like I have found my place – finally. I used to think I would be a tattoo artist as I thought that was the only job I could have in the tattoo industry, but I am glad I was wrong. I love how welcoming, passionate and understanding the team is. I feel so lucky to be a part of such an amazing, growing and future-thinking company that aims to share the right messages about tattoos, tattooed people and tattoo care – and so much more.

Check out the full range of Stories & Ink products in their shop: storiesandink.com, and give them a follow on their Instagram, @storiesandinkskincare

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Tattoo conventions are back

We’ve definitely missed going to tattoo conventions over the last couple of years. We love finding new artists, the buzz (excuse the pun) and of course getting a new tattoo or two. But do the tattoo artists working at conventions feel the same?

We spoke to some of the artists at this year’s Vancover Tattoo and Culture Show to find out if they love tattoo conventions as much as we do and they share some top tips for those who haven’t been to one yet…

Rachel Hofer @rach.tattoos, NEW EDGE INK COLLECTIVE™, Vancouver

Photo taken by Ania

I love tattoo conventions because I get to see all different kinds of artists and get inspired. Going to conventions really makes me feel part of the industry. It’s also a chance for me to promote my business to a diverse group of people.

Saying that working at conventions is quite chaotic! Not being in my normal work space or having limited equipment and supplies makes it difficult to stay organised.

I don’t mind the loud music and crowds of people though as it keeps it exciting. 

When I work a convention I sometimes I book people in but generally I prefer walk-ups, as it’s hard to know how long something will take so I usually stick to doing flash. 

If you’ve never been to a convention, expect lots of people and lots of art. There are usually shows on the stage and contests for various tattoo categories.

I’d also recomend that you:

  • Eat before you go unless you like $15 hotdogs!
  • Bring cash as most vendors don’t have debit/credit machines
  • Plan ahead if there is a specific artist you want to get tattooed by as they may be very busy. 

Matt Chaos @mattchaos_ttt, Black Circle – Tattoo Coven, Montreal and Lyon

Photo taken by Ania

For me conventions are more about connecting with artists I like the work of. Tattooing there isn’t the best obviously, it’s far from my comfort zone! But it’s a great opportunity to meet friends and artists from all over the world who are at the same place for a few days.

Conventions also help me to promote my work in new cities that I have never been to before.

The biggest challenge is breaking away from old habits while you tattoo.

There are a lot of people to talk to; it’s all about communication, as you have to be everywhere at the same time. Artists need to be fast and ready to go.

I used to work in a private by-appointment-only studio in Montreal so, I prefer to book in advance for conventions. Knowing what I’m doing each day better fits my flow. But sometimes I keep half a day to fit people in who want a flash design.

I think conventions for tattoo collectors are a good way to meet and discover artists from all over the world. It’s the opportunity to book in with someone who lives on the other side of the planet.

For young artists it’s the best way to show your art to a lot of people in one place, it’s like social media but in real life.

Nathan Ross @discopotatoes , HandCrafted Tattoo & Fine Art, Edmonton

Photo taken by Ania

I love that the culture of tattooing becomes so alive at conventions. They showcase so much talent, including those that are outside the medium of our craft.

There are painters, musicians, entertainers and unique retailers – everywhere amazing things are being created in all forms to make an impact and inspire.

Over the years you learn to balance and juggle the challenges of working at conventions.

You overcome the struggles of working on a client while talking to potential clients, as well as applying a stencil or tattooing in front of multiple peers and people! There’s some adjustment needed to work the long hours, it’s important to eat properly throughout the show.

This piece titled “Night Owl” was done at the Vancouver Tattoo and Culture Show

Personally I love booking large scale pieces for multiple day sittings. But, I’m torn because having a custom flash board always means you can consistently tattoo your patterns and engage with the community.

For those who have never been to a convention consider this; “Instead of worrying about what you cannot control, shift your energy to what you can create.” These shows help you gain inspiration in multiple ways no matter who you are or what stage of life you’re in.

Do you love going to tattoo conventions? Let us know!