Category: Art

Posted on

Kiwi and the Bear

Hayley, the Kiwi in Derby-based Kiwi and the Bear, chatted to us about running a “weird little colourful indie biz” with husband, Aaron (Bear). K&TB started as a hobby back in 2015, they now sell art prints, reusable face pads, scrunchies, pin pennants and more…

I’ve always been a craft lover and loved trying new things until something finally stuck which turned out to be tie-dye. After I spent a couple of months tie-dying everything in sight, I wanted to take it a step further by adding artwork to the dyed fabric, so I taught myself to hand embroider. What followed was a wall full of embroidery hoops containing tie-dye and 2005 emo lyrics with a little bit of Taylor Swift thrown in, somehow that Taylor Swift hoop made its way onto Buzzfeed and shortly after onto her legal team so that hoop was swiftly retired.

Around this time we invested in an iPad Pro and an Apple Pencil, this right here was the game changing moment for me, I just didn’t know it yet. I started to drift over onto a blank canvas and began playing around with little doodles and eventually adding more art to my lettering which, was weird for me as drawing just wasn’t something I ever did – like, at all. 

I didn’t study art, I didn’t consider myself artistic – crafty yes but artsy not at all. At this point I had been following tattoo artists and illustrators on IG that I found so much inspiration in and it had never occurred to me that I could add my voice via my own artwork to the community. I was so nervous about putting my illustrations out into the world, I thought people would think it was a joke.

It was discovering the incredible creative community on IG that taught me art was whatever I wanted it to be and it could mean whatever I wanted it to mean to me, and suddenly I was free to just create. I was having the most fun and finally felt that feeling of being somewhere you were supposed to be the whole time.

So in 2018 we decided to take Kiwi and the Bear a little more seriously, we wanted it to feel more like a brand, something that really reflected who we are – a couple of weirdos trying to live life a little more positively while still remaining sarcastic and foul mouthed. We just wanted a space where we could really just be our obnoxious selves!

We made a few of my illustrations available to buy as prints alongside the embroidery hoops and it felt liberating, so new, so scary, but so exciting! We started developing more products using our hand dyed fabric, purely for selfish reasons as we were making things that we wanted in our own home. It’s selfish but it’s also the best way to find ‘your people’, those that love the same things as you, customers and friends and even better sometimes both!

Our new products and new direction came at the perfect time for us as I had to take a step back from hand embroidery due to my chronic illness making it near impossible to carry on. I’ve had juvenile rheumatoid arthritis since I was seven, two hip replacements and two shoulder replacements later, what hasn’t been replaced is painful and awkward and waiting to be replaced!

I dislocated my thumb while drying my hair, that’s all it took, they couldn’t get it back into place in A&E and soon after, I saw a specialist that showed me my x-ray, and explained that I actually had five chronic dislocations. I’d just learned to live with them. When you’ve been disabled since you were a kid you become really adaptable especially when you’re a stubborn Taurus, so when someone tells you that you can’t do something because of your disability you find ways around it. I couldn’t physically carry on with the hand embroidery, I was grateful we’d discovered things like our pennants and illustrations, so removing the hoops didn’t have to be the end for us, if anything it felt like the start of a new chapter and I found a way to keep drawing and making even with the dislocations.

When people realise I make and create what I do with my sad little hands they often don’t believe it, but for me it’s the most natural thing to keep going, stay positive and stay medicated. Plus, having a high pain threshold really helps. It also helps with really long tattoo sessions, I think nearly every tattoo artist I’ve spent time with has said that I sit like a rock, I mean come on I have to look for the positives in this disease right?

Positivity is a huge part of what we’re about as a brand, it’s strange to say as two emo kids in their 30s who almost always opt for black everything, but somewhere around my 30th birthday I wanted to be kinder to myself. Every day is a battle for my body so I really wanted to focus on the positive things, however small. It was around this time that I fell in love with colour which was super out of character for me, as the only place I ever had colour was my pink hair, but suddenly I was wearing bright fun dungarees and I realised I could be a colorful emo. I found my sweet spot and I’ve stayed here ever since.

It was around my 30th birthday that I received one of my favourite tattoos, it was a real life changing moment for me, like real-life movie montage material of me coming out the other side a bad ass b!

For the longest time I had left gaps on my body that I was too afraid to get out in a tattoo studio, something switched in me when I turned 30, I learnt to love my body no matter what size it was, I learnt to separate the disease I hated from the body that housed it.

I made a tattoo appointment with Mike Love to get my first hand poke tattoo on my sternum, I was really, really testing my limits and I loved it. This piece is so important to me, it marks the beginning of a new era for myself, I faced my fears and got ‘1989’ hand poked into a space I never thought I’d be able to get tattooed, yes it’s my year of birth (I’m a proud 80s baby if only just clinging on to the very end of the 80s) but it’s also a nod to my favourite Swift album, and this one her legal team can’t take away.

We have been a couple since I was 16 and Aaron was 17, so the longest stretch of our tattoo journeys do end up intertwining at times. We have a few “couple tattoos”, for instance he has “Player 1’ on his inner wrist and I have “Player 2”. We’re huge nerds and play video games together any chance we get, and after 15 years together it feels pretty safe to include our story on each other’s bodies. We do have plans for a couple of matching pieces that relate to our favourite Walt Disney World adventures together. During our trip last Halloween I got to show Ariel my Ariel piece and Aaron got to show Mary Poppins his bag and umbrella piece by Lady Chappell Tattoos, yeah we’re those kinda nerds too, and it was so freaking magical!

The one thing I’ll always thank younger me for was being obsessed with filling my arms leaving my legs bare for when I was more educated about the industry. So my legs are home to my most favourite pieces that I’ve collected through my 20s, my absolute favourite is my Rachel Baldwin piece.

Tattoos have 100% had an effect on my relationship with my body, I began getting tattooed when I was underage (I know, I know!) I think as a sick kid this was to have some control over my body when I felt I had none.

Eventually getting grew into a way to love my body, my body art plays a huge part in my body confidence and I’m finally at a point of accepting that I’m like a colourful weird little marshmallow and proud.

Occasionally someone will ask why I describe myself as a marshmallow, it’s actually a kind of sneaky way to refer to myself as chubby (also fluffy, plump and pink it’s the actual food version of me). I don’t use it to replace chubby because I’m ashamed, because I’m not, it’s been a really long journey to dig who I am. I use it because when you refer to yourself as chubby or fat in a positive way, you’ll more than likely experience someone with good intentions trying to tell you you’re not fat. Most people have received an “omg you’re not fat babe” once in their chubby and proud lives, some people can’t see it as anything but a negative, so it’s easier for me to refer to myself as a “leel marshmallow” so I just get to live my fat and proud life. Also marshmallows are pretty dang cute and if just makes someone think of something pink and chubby well, duh, hello!

We have a lot of plans for the future of Kiwi and the Bear, firstly nap with the pups, then celebrate our 15 year anniversary that we worked through, AND then we want to keep adding new illustrations to the shop. We will still take commissions (hand lettering, illustration, custom dyed pennants) most things in the shop you can make a custom request on. I hope to be lucky enough to carry on doing freelance illustration for companies with the same values as us.

The biggest plan we have is to make a zine about being chronically ill which we started working on before everything was flipped upside down. There’s also talk about possibly releasing our first ever pin, which makes sense with our ever growing collection. Really we just aim to keep being a part of the community that we love and making the things we love while making new friends.

Posted on

Strength in softness: Claire Louise Tarrant

Claire Louise Tarrant creates cute girly tattoos with a tough edge at Gravity Tattoo in Leighton Buzzard. We chatted to Claire about her tattooing style and inspiration...

I was first inspired to become a tattoo artist when I was at university studying fine art. My work has always been illustrative, but I never thought tattooing could be a “grown up” career. Nowadays, I think it’s the most intense job I’ve ever had! I was very lucky with finding a studio where I could learn to tattoo, but found the male dominated studio and industry difficult to navigate.

When I first started dating, before I met my partner Josh, I got the typical weird questions about my tattoos and if it meant I liked pain. Even now I often get the odd customer who says comments such as “women with tattoos are sooooo sexy”. It’s boring! People who have loads of tattoos or can easily get tattooed, honestly forget that they’re a big thing to other people. 

I quit tattooing around three to four times due to anxiety and fear of what committing to tattooing meant. It’s such an amazing, insanely cool job, but it’s also overwhelming. It’s helped shape me as a person in more ways than I can count.

I’m now at a all female studio, Gravity, run by the fabulous Holly Astral. Having a female mentor who understands what being a woman in the industry means has given tattooing an entirely new light. It’s now fun and exciting! Tattooing makes me feel like my inner child is playing every single day; I get to be creative, I get to chat with exciting people all day and I get to travel around and discover new places all the time (well before lockdown I could).

I feel as though I’m doing what I was put on earth to do; I practice Reiki and I’m studying to become a counsellor as well. I get to use these tools I’ve learnt on clients too and I feel so connected to the people I tattoo and other tattoo artists. I hate getting tattooed as I’m a huge baby, but the powerful feeling of having another piece of art on me forever reminds me how clients must feel! 

I would describe my style as traditional, playful, feminine and illustrative with a pastel and muted colour palette. In the future I’d love to concentrate on traditional style pieces covered in glitter effects, pink and gold! 

I am massively inspired by history in my flash sheets and tattoo designs. I’m obsessed with the Tudor period; there’s something so magic about castles, weapons, royal flags and embroideries. I also love traditional styles of tattoo flash, but with the colour palette of mustard, gold, pink, mint and maroon.

I like the idea that something tough can be beautiful; women can soften anything!

I love tattooing flash sheet pieces; I only ever tattoo them once, so I like knowing that it’s been tailored colour wise to the client specifically. I do, however, love connecting with a client and understand them more to do a custom piece! 

Posted on

Botanical babes – Ella Eve

We recently spotted Ella Eve’s tattoos and artwork on Instagram. As soon as we saw her botanical babes series and nature-inspired tattoos, we knew we had to find out more…

How long have you been tattooing and how did you get into the industry? I’ve been tattooing for six years and I’m currently tattooing at Blind Pig Tattoo club in Brighton. My journey into the industry was a little unusual. I knew I wanted to be in a tattoo studio environment and Initially I took a job in a studio doing nail art for a short time. Consequently it was through the people I met in that space I eventually plucked up the courage to ask for advice from my friend who was a tattooist, and her guidance pretty much led me to where I am now, so I’m very thankful for that.

How does it feel to be a woman in the tattoo industry, do you think this has an affect or impact? I remember when I started tattooing I felt and continue to still feel very empowered to be a female tattoo artist. However, as a previously very male dominated craft, it’s hard to not feel slightly mismatched to the job at times of insecurity, and quite often there’s an underlying feeling of having to prove yourself. It can be hard not to overthink what your place is within an already quite judgemental industry, and especially now that social media plays such a huge role within advertising and promoting services.

In terms of being a female, I’ve heard from some clients that they prefer to be tattooed by women. Some completely inexcusable behaviour from certain male tattooists really tarnish it for the rest of the completely respectful men in this industry which is really awful. Hopefully we will put a stop to those people who abuse their positions of ‘power’ by calling them all out. I do feel I need to say, I wouldn’t explicitly say that I myself hold the opinion that being tattooed by a woman is a favourable experience to that of a man, I think it’s all dependent on the clients preference at the end of the day. As a tattoo can be such a private experience in terms of placement, it’s understandable some would specify a preferred gender anyway.

On the whole, it’s so great to see so many women making incredible work all over the world, making a stand for huge changes within the industry and also to personally know some insanely talented female artists too.

What inspired you to get your first tattoo and then become a tattoo artist ? I got my first tattoo at 18 because I was driven by a need for self expression and rebellion which is pretty much exactly what everyone would say I expect! I come from a big family of artists most of which are women and so finding your own identity was a lot harder.

I loved the idea of having something permanent on my skin that was mine and also back then I wanted to design everything I got myself. I think when you have been creatively driven your whole life, self expression is like the air you breathe and getting tattooed was another way of tapping into that.

As for inspiration for becoming a tattooist, the hardest years of my life were those where I put a cap on my desire to create and just existed in a more ‘realistic’ job making ends meet. I spent a lot of time, maybe too much, determining where I belonged in the world. It’s funny because when I think back, the concept of me working as a tattooist when I was 18 was completely terrifying to me. I was so afraid of failure, had no belief in my abilities and the pressure attached to adhering something permanently to someone else’s body was just mind blowing.

I was fascinated with the process of tattooing, the development from ancient tattooing and the current modern day abilities of tattooists. So, the desire was always with me but I had no idea who I was or how to find the confidence to do anything with it. It’s so scary to present your work to someone and ask for a chance, you really do feel like you’re laid bare waiting to be torn apart, and it was a whole eight years later that I eventually found the courage and thankfully it paid off.

Are there any artists you admire or female tattooers that helped you get to where you are? There are SO many artists I admire, it’s hard to whittle them down to just a few. Artists such as Greggletron, Kamil Czapiga, Tyler Pawelzik, Jack Peppiette, Kelly Violence and Suflanda are hugely inspirational for their consistently flawless work. There are some pretty special ladies I admire for their incredible talent and hard work also such as Tahlia Undarlegt, Liz Clements and Jo Black, the gals at Black Moon in Frome, and Deaths Door in Brighton. All of which have helped me in various ways, they may or may not realise.

What do you love about tattoos? Adorning your body permanently with whatever you feel and want is one of the most powerful things you can do. There aren’t many things in life where we have the ability to take complete control of something to that extent. In the same breath, being able to be part of that process with someone can be seen as nothing less than an honour. There’s no other feeling like it.

Can you tell us about your own tattoos? Do they change how you feel about your body? I would honestly say that I have never got a tattoo to change how I feel about my body. I genuinely see an incredible piece of tattooing and want to own it. Most of my tattoos are a homage to the people who made them and their talent. It’s also awesome to collect tattoos from friends who are tattooists, that feels pretty great. There is so much to learn from getting tattooed when you are a tattooist which just makes the experience even more invaluable.

When it comes to the tattoos you create how would you describe your style? What inspires you? I am a nature freak through and through. There seems to be a running theme through anything I do. It’s not as recognisable as some other people’s practices, but there is something that has innately captured me when it comes to the intricacies of nature. I love repetition and sequences in the natural world and without literally focusing solely on sacred geometry or mathematical sequencing translated into imagery, I think there is always an underlying botanical theme in whatever I do.

My belief is that people should appreciate the benefits of going outside and actually looking at the insanely amazing intricate natural world we live in. That’s definitely something lacking in the modern technological world. I’ve seen that lockdown seems to have reignited this in people a bit more, which I’m hoping will carry over when the world is up and running again.

You’ve been doing a series of botanical babes, we love the one you did of our editor Rosalie. How did these come about and how can our readers get involved? The botanical babes project started during the early stages of lockdown and Initially it was a way of giving back to my clients and followers, giving people something to look forward to and get intrigued and excited about, and of course keep me busy!

The idea carries directly over from the work I was developing within my tattoo practise beforehand so it was also a great way to develop those ideas further. In turn it’s become something so much more than I expected. The feedback I’ve received from people on a personal level about seeing themselves in a totally different light due to these drawings has been amazing. I really didn’t expect that. I’m also so grateful for the amount of submissions I’ve had so far. I’m still open for more, so any readers can just visit my Instagram, drop me a follow and a message with a photo of themselves. Submissions are completely free and open to any age or gender, and physical prints are available for £20 each.

What do you love to tattoo and what would you like to do more of? I love to tattoo portrait style pieces, especially within the style of these botanical faces I’ve been doing recently. Having done my botanical babes project I’d love to go back to work and be able to tattoo more developed pieces within that vein. I love the ‘nature on nature’ element of these pieces. I’ve literally joined the beauty of the human form with the beauty of nature and I’m excited to be able to work more on this concept.

Do you have any guest spots planned (obviously when lockdown is over!) This year was meant to be my year for travelling! Typical! But I’ll definitely be rebooking the guest spots I had planned before the pandemic. These include Parliament in London, Northgate in Bath, Easy Tiger in Leeds and Two Snakes in Hastings. I also had plans to travel to LA and San Francisco in October which I don’t think will be going head, but I’m hoping to rebook those dates also. Thankfully, I did manage to attend my guest spot at Black Moon in Frome, and I’ll now be doing regular guest spots with those very lovely guys in the near future!

Posted on

That’s how magic happens: The tattoos of Blvck Mamba

Liam Blvck (@theblvckmambatattoo) crafts contemporary blackwork tattoos at Bebop Ink in Vancouver, Canada. Liam combines their heritage of Chinese and European culture into dark, fantastical artworks which straddle the line between the above and the below, much like the lines Liam tells us they have existed between throughout their career and life…

What inspired you to become a tattoo artist? Did you complete an apprenticeship, if so what was this like? I’ve been fascinated by tattoos since I was young when I saw all of my favourite band members covered in tattoos, it really intrigued me. I remember thinking “can I just wear my favourite art on my skin forever?”

I was the only arty child in my family, and my family thought I would pass that phase as I got older, but I didn’t. I didn’t really think about being a tattooer until I was 16. When it really struck me how I was extremely into body modification and that I would love to do anything related to art, but at the same time I’m wasn’t interested in just painting on a canvas and selling my art in a gallery. After high school, I ended up going to art school which really reinforced the idea of becoming a tattooer. It took me years to find a proper apprenticeship, but I managed to find one at a street shop.

Luckily my mentor was willing to guide me through the process, even though it was a learning curve for both of us. I was his first apprentice ever. Most of the people who worked there were apprenticed under another boss, and I was the exception which kind of made me the black sheep. I was taken through extreme ups and downs when it came to my learning, because I wasn’t taught the way my boss was as an apprentice. I felt like I needed to learn faster and work harder to prove myself.

Can you tell us about your own tattoos, and the process behind these – how do you settle on a design or choose an artist? I’ve collected a handful of tattoos from different artists around the world; each of the pieces represent my growth as a person, and what I was going through at that time. Most of the tattooers I find are from tattoo magazines I’ve purchase, word of mouth, tattoo conventions and artists of the late 90s/early 2000-esque from a website hosted on Angelfire. I was on more of a scavenger hunt for tattoos back then, instead of just going on Instagram like you do now.

I used to believe every tattoo had to have a meaning in order to get it permanently on my body, and I was told if they didn’t I’d regret it for the rest of my life. Surprisingly, some of my most meaningful tattoos have now been covered. The older we are, it seems that we look back on things and the feelings we had have changed. Nothing stays the same forever, every day we grow as a person. I came to the realisation that it’s okay to just simply appreciate something in the moment, overthinking it would make things complicated.

Most of my tattoos at this point don’t have any meaning, rather I loved the work the tattooer had put out. I simply want what they’re good at, not just the styles, but the subject matters they’re interested in too.

Do you have a favourite tattoo either on your own body or one you have created? Every tattoo I’ve created I’ve loved in different ways, that’s pretty much asking someone to pick their favourite children!

But I would say my favourite tattoo on my own body would be my black-out arm. It was a cover up of a sleeve I’ve got when I was between 18 and 20. It showed how much I had changed as a person, and I realise back then I was still exploring my self identity, as a woman at that time, and as a non-white. Underneath layers and layers of black is a super colourful sleeve that even had an owl with neon pink wings! The black-out took me two to two and a half years to finish, each layer was done by a different coworker that I trusted. The experience of a black-out arm is so different than that of getting a design, it’s a different level of commitment, and it’s something that’s hard to describe until you’ve experienced it on your own.

How would you describe your work? Do you think your experiences have shaped the tattoos you create? Although I was born in Canada, the majority of my childhood was spent in Hong Kong. Hong Kong was colonised by the UK at that time and so I was exposed to European culture along with my own people’s culture. European art was always my favourite because I’m obsessed with how humans can achieve such levels of details in their craft or artwork. Also I was into heavier music and often old European art would be featured on album art and merch.

My work is a fine line between European-esque art, and my life experiences of living on the line between Western and Chinese culture – my identity, my skin, gender, mental health collides with European occult imagery. It’s abstract and complicated.

What kinds of tattoos do you love to do, what designs get you excited? Is there anything you’d like to create or a particular concept you’d like to explore? I would like to continue with the occult aesthetic in my work, but take it more into a surrealism direction. Loving what you do and taking it to another level is the truest growth of oneself.

How would you describe your experience as a queer tattooer in the tattoo industry? Does this influence the spaces you tattoo in? I started out as a cis woman in the industry and I experienced the struggle of being part of the boy’s club. I still notice how I get treated differently compared to white colleagues, and often I get the harsh end of it all. Even the clientele at the beginning of my career treated me poorly because most of the folks that came to me did so because I’m not white, they assumed that they could get a deal on the tattoo they wanted.

I also have experienced male tattooers putting me into uncomfortable situations, such as commenting on women’s appearances, wanting to meet me outside of the workspace for a “consultation” and when I’ve gotten a tattoo from them their arm is positioned in a questionable area.

When I realised that I’m non-binary, and started to dress more queer it was another segregation on top of what I had already experienced. I feel sometimes that the community itself questions my queerness and my right to the space because I’m married to a cis man and therefore I’m not queer and non-binary enough. I was still treated as a cis woman, and my chosen name threw people off and some of them got a bit uncomfortable when they had shown up to their consultation and were expecting to get tattooed by a male tattooer.

All of these experiences, have shaped me. I want to tattoo in a queer friendly safe space where all bodies, race, genders are welcome. Both tattooers and clients give so much trust to each other and vulnerability, in this space judgement and hate is not tolerated. Getting a tattoo shouldn’t be scary and you shouldn’t leave with a traumatic experience.

I’ve read that you’ve explored your craft in a lot of different countries is there a place or moment that stood out for you? I’ve travelled to a few places throughout my tattoo career, I always get inspired by my experiences. Also seeing how other tattooers that I admire love and perfect their craft, gives me the motivation and validation to know that you create your own journey within this craft. There’s no such thing as one art being superior to others, your craft is created by a collection of experiences. The people who come to you do so because they connect with your creation, and that’s how magic happens.

Posted on

Sewing tattoos into skin: Laura Taylor

Laura ‘LAET’ Taylor creates sensationally beautiful tattoos at Sri Yantra Tattoo, Oakland California. We chat to the artist about her craft and inclusivity within the tattoo world…

You describe yourself as a skin seamstress, can you tell us a more about this? I started using my mother’s sewing machine at around five years old. One day, she sat me down in front of her sewing machine, and as I picked up the machine technique, I discovered that I found machine sewing enjoyable. I would make quilts and clothes, little projects that grew into big projects, experimenting with a variety of fabrics and bold colours as I went along.

Fast forward 15 years, I went to Central Saint Martins school of Art and Design in London, a place that celebrates courageous free-thinkers and creative innovators. Going to that art school was a game changer for me. I felt seen by the staff and inspired. Being at CSM made me realise my passion for textiles was a legitimate endeavour, as I saw the same spark amongst the textiles students. I studied illustration there, and was able to work on my draftsmanship. I’ve always been looking for a creative space that combines my love of drawing and technical sewing with textiles. Tattooing has become that space for me. The intricacies of my tattoo designs often feel like embroidery as I am constructing them, and so the term ‘Skin Seamstress’ came to mind and has stuck with me.

How long have you been tattooing and what drew you to the industry? This year (2020) will be my 18th year in tattooing. It’s a pretty surreal feeling. I’m in my 30s and I’ve already been tattooing for over half of my life. It’s weird. I’ve been tattooing for far less time than a lot of folks, but a lot longer than others. Enough time to see enormous shifts and passing trends.

I’d say I prefer the way things are headed. A little more conscious, a bit more inclusive. It keeps the bar high, with artists producing higher quality work along with happier clientele.

The experience that drew me to tattooing was the first time I saw a tattoo on a person. It was the ’90s era of London, England, outside the Commonwealth Institute on Kensington High Street. I saw a woman walking towards me on the street. She had a huge red mohawk, fully sleeved up, and Doc Martens. She owned that road with her presence, and her confidence shone. I was four years old. I decided right there and then that I would tattoo.

How would you describe your experiences as woman tattooer, especially in the light of recent events within the industry? I would say that things have improved, slowly but surely. The industry is witnessing shifts as the cultural conversation progresses and society moves forward. Being a woman in this industry used to put you in a minority group, but equally that gives you more chance to make a difference and lead for the change you’d like to see. I believe in equality, I believe we are getting there one conversation at a time. I see changes and I remain hopeful, and as always, empowered.

What does tattooing mean to you? Both the work you create and the tattoos on your own body. Freedom. Tattooing is freedom to me. Artistic expression and freedom. Something worth striving for. A great aspect of tattooing is the ability to travel with your job. Tattooing opened up opportunities for me to move to the United States, and develop my skills in more depth. The work I create is heavily influenced by my love of textiles and nature. People will ask me for my flowers, which I will never tire of! Nature is a brilliant resource and teaches us so much.

I personally have a collection of blackwork from about 15 different artists from the UK and the states. Some is ornamental blackwork, some is very gothic blackwork, some is dotwork, and some is punk style/prison style blackwork.

How would you describe your style? What inspires your creations? My style is intricate and detailed for sure. Clients will approach me asking for large-scale pieces, and to keep things intricate. I’d say this is where my seamstress tendencies come into action; often my tattoos look like textiles on skin. I am inspired by my biracial heritage too. I grew up in a British multi-racial household with a variety of vibrant cultures surrounding me. I try to allow this to flow through me into my work.

What do you love to tattoo and what would you like to do more of? Nature is always going to be a favourite theme for me. It offers up endless possibilities. I’m always down to tattoo floral tattoos.

Growing up in London, I felt the medieval and gothic architecture of the city calling me. I’m a Camden Town goth chick for sure, and spent a lot of time in the London goth scene as a teenager. Over the years I can see those style tendencies come through in my work. So anything gothic will always speak to me personally.

We love your rich, opulent colour palette, do you prefer to work in colour or black and grey, or is this like choosing a favourite tattoo – impossible? Tough question! When I tattooed in London, I was known for gothic ornate blackwork. Clients would mainly ask me for black and grey. I was expanding on the celestial style sun and moon pieces I like to do, and I’d tattoo a lot of depictions of tarot cards. Once I started travelling to the states, I’d already done some vibrant pieces. Mainly tattoos of brightly coloured peonies or chrysanthemums. I started receiving a lot more interest in my colour work, once I came to the States. I guess the colour thing really took off. It’s pretty cool, looking back on that, to think about how much my colour style blew up, even after I was known for a completely different style.

We’ve heard than many tattooers may often refuse to tattoo dark skin, is this something you have experienced? If you do not know how to tattoo all skin tones within society, you do not know how to tattoo. So you’d better learn. Tattoos look brilliant on black and brown skin tones. If you don’t know how to display your work on these tones, you are missing out. 

How can we make the tattoo scene more inclusive? What changes would you like to see, do you have any advice for black artists? I think that some important steps forward are being made. I don’t believe overall that tattooing is the racist place it used to be. Tattooing reflects society, and as society continues to be diverse, so should tattooing. Accepting this, is a simple but huge step forward. I would encourage any black artist with a passion for the craft to get involved. It is hard work, you must be committed, but it is also a birthright and something to be very proud of. 

Is it important that we call out cultural appropriation when we see it? How can people who profit from this turn things around? I’ve been watching cultural appropriation get worse (especially in England, as we are not taught about our colonial empire building heritage) I used to think it was not important, but now I’ve seen where it has lead us, and as the cultural conversation progresses I’d like it to be more considered. Just think about the marginalised cultures that do not benefit. Tattooing is alive within society, we exist because of our diverse clientele, and I would like to see tattooing reflect and be respectful to that.