Category: Tattoo Studios

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Saffron Reichenbacker at Axios Tattoo

Saffron Reichenbacker solo exhibition at Axios Tattoo studio.
Private View: Friday 17th July, 6 – 8:30pm
1 Hove Park Villas, BN3 6HP, Hove
Axios Tattoo studio opening hours: 10am – 5:30pm, Tuesday – Saturday
Exhibition runs until 3rd August.

Saffron Reichenbacker is a Brighton based artist inspired by a dream world of silver screen vampires and Weimar Berlin ghosts. She works primarily with ink sketches, which are then scanned and developed digitally. Using strong lines and bold colours, her pieces commonly take the form of imagined portraits. In these, she creates a mood that brings to life her dark dream vision of the 1920s. She loves cats, aerial circus and damn fine coffee.

Follow her on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for more art.


Axios Tattoo is run by Ade and Nigel,  the studio creates custom work with a high degree of freehand tattooing. Ade and Nigel are  both artists outside of tattooing, specialising in painting. Axios are unique in that they ‘want the shop to represent artists both inside and outside of the tattooing community, to become a hub for ‘outsider-lowbrow’ artists to show their work’.

Follow Axios on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for more art work and tattoos.

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Blind Tiger tattoo studio

Blind Tiger tattoo studio in Newcastle burst onto the scene in early July 2014 as a solo project by owner and artist, Gabriela Lastra. “Blind Tiger”, was a “speakeasy” during the 1920s prohibition, which promoted mystery and hedonism, inspiring the studio’s unique spirit. This hidden, intimate gem, which differs from its surroundings is a place where friends can come to feel comfortable and share their stories. Its private status gives it the feel of a personal art studio rather than a walk-in shop, placing the quality of work at its heart. Little Si joined Blind Tiger Tattoo in October 2014 as Gabriela’s co-pilot and the studio’s reputation and body of work has continued to evolve and adapt.

Gabriela Lastra’s niche style is influenced by Neo-Traditional veins of tattooing, favouring a dark colour palette and unusual subject matter, along with producing technically flawless black and grey work.

Little Si is fluid, dynamic and personal across the spectrum. He specialises in Neo-Japanese, his bright colours bursting through traditional Japanese mythology.

The studio’s strong resident duo, the industry greats that form its guest artist repertoire, and the homely and relaxed vibe at the studio, along with its support system of loyal clients and friends, mean Blind Tiger Tattoo is becoming an unstoppable force that shows no signs of slowing…


CHECK OUR INTERVIEW WITH GABRIELA AND LITTLE SI

How did you get into tattooing?

Gabriela Lastra (owner): Ever since I was a child, I wanted to grow up to be some kind of artist, not the generic astronaut or fairy fantasy job kids normally have! I was the weird foreign looking kid at school who spent all her time hidden away in the art class drawing at lunch.

I went to college and studied a B-Tech in Art and Design. This was when I started to notice tattoos a lot more and they started to influence my art, but with such little knowledge of the industry, I didn’t think it was something I could do. After college I ran as far away from Sheffield as I could do to Bournemouth, where I studied illustration at university. After three years I came back to Sheffield with a degree and still had the desire to tattoo.

I did my time in a couple of tattoo studios as “shop bitch”, which I think is really important, but torture! In the end, I was lucky to get an apprenticeship at Couley’s Tattoo Studio in Newcastle. I’ve also been lucky enough to have been helped by some good friends and fellow artists along the way, as well as masses and masses of help from my bearded beauty, Greg Scott!

Little Simon Gunn (resident artist):  I was given an apprenticeship in South Shields, alongside one of my best friends, who is also still a tattooist! We learned the craft for around three years on handmade rotary machines and used a single needle for everything. It’s crazy to see how it has all changed!

How would you describe your style?

Gabriela:  This is possibly the hardest question as I never know how to describe my work. I would probably lean more towards “Neo-Traditional” tattooing but I do my own thing with it! I love strange pieces of work, bold lines, the technical aspects of traditional tattooing and having studied illustration… I love incorporating that into my work. Doing my apprenticeship with a bunch of Realism and New-School artists has had a massive influence on me as I can use techniques related to those styles and it’s brilliant to have a completely different set of eyes analysing my work. There are so many styles out there that don’t fit in a category, but I think that’s cool because who wants to follow trends and fit in little labelled boxes? I think it’s important to be artists and not just tattooists trying to fit in a style.

 

Little Si:  I think if I had to put myself into a category it would be Neo-Traditional Japanese. I love tattooing in every style. My roots are in New-School and Traditional veins of tattooing, so I constantly take influence from those in terms of my technique and colour palette.

How long have you been tattooing for?  

Gabriela:  I have been tattooing for three years, including my apprenticeship which really isn’t long. Everything is moving so fast for me with Simon and the studio and I didn’t expect it to at all. I’m very thankful to have Simon working alongside me.

Little Si:  I was 17 when I started my apprenticeship and didn’t start tattooing until I was nearly 20, so I’ve been tattooing around 4 years now.

Where do you get your inspiration from? 

Gabriela:  I’m in love with so many amazing artists! It’s so hard to specify where I get my inspiration from. I’ve recently been tattooed by an amazing artist in Berlin called Daniel Gensch, so he’s my current favourite.  Apart from the many artists I admire, I also love going to see fine art in galleries and I absolutely adore statues!

Little Si:  I’ve always been a huge fan of cartoon, which comes across in my work a lot and feeds into my Neo-Traditional Japanese style. I’m obsessed with Japanese art and folklore, where a lot of my inspiration comes from! I think I’m probably single-handedly funding Amazon with my book addiction. Everything inspires me really, my family is a huge inspiration and support system for me and seeing other artists killing it pushes me to work harder too.

If you weren’t a tattoo artist, what would you be? 

Gabriela: I would hope that I would be doing something related to art, probably an illustrator or maybe just a bum.

Little Si:  Just happy in whatever I did, I hope. I have a long list of things I would do if I wasn’t a tattoo artist, but as long as I was happy,  jobs a good’un!

All enquires can be made to info@blindtigertattoo.co.uk and any studio updates are available on their Instagram and Website 

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Songbird Tattoo Studio

Songbird Tattoo Studio has recently moved to Exeter’s High Street, becoming the most central shop in the Southern City.

This beautiful emporium is a custom shop, which is open to the public but maintains the ambiance of a private studio. A highly unique space with much to spark the imagination, the studio has an air of relaxation and friendliness about it.

Studio owner and tattooist Nic Smith works mainly in Mehndi, geometric pattern decorative styles, and also enjoys colour work. She’s inspired by patterns, fabrics and varied religious iconography. All of these things not only inform her work but have impacted on the shop’s interior.

Syluss focuses his attention on custom illustrative work and also excels at portraits and black & grey.

Ryan Ousley works primarily in a bold new school style, favouring bright colours.

Email songbirdtatoo@live.co.uk for booking and enquiries and follow Songbird Tattoo on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for studio updates and more tattoos.

 

 

 

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Part Three – Mindful Wanderlust Vegan Travel Diary

Our guest blogger is Giselle, creator of Mindful Wanderlust – a travel blog about responsible travel, tattoos, and following a vegan lifestyle. This is the third of many posts to appear on th-ink, telling of her and her husband Cody’s travelling tales. If you have missed their previous travel posts catch up and read Part Two and Part One…

 

We made it to Tokyo! Before we even booked our flights to Japan I knew it was a country I really wanted to get tattooed in, so I spent some time back in Canada researching different artists.

After taking a look at their consistently beautiful bold artwork, I decided on American traditional for the design, I chose to go with the guys at Inkrat Tattoo in Tokyo. Rei is the owner of Inkrat Tattoo, and has been tattooing for over 22 years.  His shop is covered in art, new and old, and original flash from the 1950s hangs on the walls.

  I couldn’t stop picking out all of the pieces I wanted.

Prior to arriving at Inkrat I decided on a geisha and left the design up to Rei. I thought, “Other than a Sumo wrestler, what’s more Japanese than a geisha?” It’s the perfect souvenir from Japan.

I learned something very interesting and new about Japanese tattoo etiquette (or at least Rei’s tattoo etiquette) at the shop that day. Before arriving for my tattoo appointment, I was asked where I wanted the tattoo, and I said on the outside bottom of my left leg.

On the day of, Rei walked over to me to fit the design on my leg and it didn’t quite fit properly. I said “it’s ok, we can do it on my other leg” But Rei didn’t really respond, he just told me he would make it a little smaller so it would fit. A regular customer sitting across from me said that where I asked for the tattoo is where I am going to get it. The reason for this, is that the artist doesn’t want to inconvenience me, as I already chose the placement and he wants to respect that.

That came as a little bit of a surprise to me. I would have been perfectly fine with the tattoo on my right leg, but just hearing that he refused to put it on my other leg out of respect made me smile a little.

Respect – and integrity – seems to be an extremely important thing in the tattoo world among tattoo artists. It is something that really resonates with me, as integrity is hard to come by these days. I have a lot of respect for people who have a lot of respect for people. Go figure.

On top of my excitement over visiting and getting tattooed in Japan, arriving in Tokyo was a sensory overload. My senses were pulling me everywhere. The colours, the lights, the droves of people, and the, sometimes, disapproving stares from some of the locals.

Although tattoo shops are legal in Japan, the long history and mentality of tattoos being only for criminals and misfits has not yet dissipated.

The earliest signs of the Japanese getting tattooed date back to 5,000 BC. By the 7th century the Japanese adopted much of the same mentality that the Chinese had for tattoos, seeing them as barbaric and using them as a punishment for crimes committed.

In the middle of the 18th century Japanese tattooing was popularised by a Chinese novel with several of its heroes covered in tattoos. This novel influenced all Japanese culture and arts, but the yakuza also became interested in tattooing, further making it a tasteless form of art and self expression to many. The yakuza felt that because tattooing was painful, it was proof of courage, and because it was illegal, it made them outlaws forever.

Finally, tattooing in Japan was legalised in the 20th century, but to this day it is still taboo. People with tattoos cannot enter into any hot baths, so unfortunately we will not be visiting any onsen (hot springs) in Japan.

Thankfully the mentality of tattoos being only for criminals is dying out with the old generation and new generations are embracing their rich culture of the art of irezumi.

 It is an ancient craft that should be appreciated and respected for what it is, not looked down upon, because it is misunderstood.

As Japan tries to reclaim all of the beauty and positivity of this ancient art of expression; I feel honoured to be able to collect an original piece from a country so steeped in the tradition of tattooing.

Follow Giselle and Cody’s travels on their blog and Instagram

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Tattooing Under Martial Law

Our Australian contributing editor, Fareed Kaviani, is currently in Bangkok getting a back piece from Guy Le Tatooer. While over there he caught up with Six Fathoms Deep owner Nicholas Mudskipper to find out what it’s like tattooing under military rule.

On 22 May 2014, the military announced that it had taken control of the country in a coup implemented ostensibly to restore order and enact ‘necessary’ political reforms. Martial law continues to be imposed nationwide. Although the political arena is a complex entanglement of loyalties, royalties, and corruption, the situation can be simplified by reducing it to a civic battle between different coloured garments.

The yellow shirts wanted to suspend the constitution and depose the democratically elected government on the charge of corruption. Their desire was to appoint an interim administration to oversee political reform.

The red shirts were loyal to the ousted government.

Due to the civil unrest, most foreign governments have been advising their citizens to exercise a high degree of caution when travelling to Thailand.

I arrived on the 9th to get tattooed by Guy Le Tatooer while he’s guesting at Bangkok’s Six Fathoms Deep. Although Bangkok appeared to be business as usual, news reports of police harassment suggested otherwise.

Tourists and foreign nationals have become targets of what many claim to be systematic ‘racial profiling’. Accosted by police, people have been asked to present identification papers and visas, with some even forced to provide on the spot urine samples designed to detect hard drugs. As one report cautioned, an empty bladder is no excuse: ‘when he couldn’t produce, he says they forced him to drink four liters [sic] of water and pressed forcefully on his bladder to make him urinate and touched his penis.’

Using the threat of immediate arrest, they have been aggressively cajoling unsuspecting tourists into coughing up ad hoc ‘fines’ for failing to provide substantial documentation. Although Martial Law applies exclusively to the army and its soldiers, and Section 93 of the criminal code clearly states that searches conducted in public are prohibited without probable cause, it is believed that the police have had to improvise due to the Army obstructing their usual swindles.

Six Fathoms Deep’s Nicholas Mudskipper has experienced their intimidation first hand.

‘Yeah man, vultures on the streets shaking down people for payouts. I was headed back from a ju-jitsu session and I was told I’m a Russian selling coke around the red-light areas, [the officer] greedily stuck his hands into my gym bag to find a sweaty ju-jitsu gi! These guys’ other rackets are being squeezed by the military so they need to find other ways to buy Christmas goodies this time of year.’

‘So, are you red or yellow shirted?’ I asked in jest.

‘I make my own shirts bra! Black white and grey for days!’

Originally from Cape Town, South Africa, Nick came to Bangkok several years ago to set up shop with his business partner, Dillon Pienaar.

‘Bangkok is a beast that can swallow you up fast, a city full of interesting things, a sunny place for shady people!’

I asked Nick what it was like to run a tattoo studio, while under Martial law, inside the belly of that beast.

‘Bro, Six Fathoms Deep is like a bubble, once you’re inside, doesn’t feel like I’m in Bangkok anymore: no dramas, no politics, just tattooing and Masters of the Universe figures surrounding me. If all else fails I’m sure Skeletor will get my back. Our Tattoo shop is a friendly creative family for good-hearted tattooers far from home. We are all about doing good clean tattoos, good vibes, toy collecting and of course big BBQs!’

Speaking of toys, the interior of Six Fathoms Deep was peppered with an array of figurines.

‘I’m crazy about Masters of the universe and other 80s toys, Matt Adams is into Ninja turtles, Miss Ink is super into Russian and Kewpie dolls, David Chaston is into other strange stuff too, so yeah it’s just our man cave full of items that influence us and that we’re nostalgic about.’

And why Six Fathoms Deep?

‘I originally wanted to call the shop Six Feet Deep, but that was kind of taken, ha-ha. I grew up around the Atlantic Ocean and have always been curious of the mysterious depths and legends of giant creatures fathoms deep under the ocean, so I blended those together! Boom!’

Six Fathoms Deep’s resident artists are Nicholas Mudskipper, David Chaston, Miss Ink and Big Matt Adams.

Current guest artists are Guy Le Tatooer and Etienne Memon.

Read more of Fareed’s work at www.the4thwall.net