Things&Ink

September 9, 2015

New York: Museum of Tattoo History

Daredevil Tattoo studio in New York have been fundraising to create a tattoo museum, we chatted to tattoo artist Michelle Myles who works at the studio to find out more…

Who tattoos at the shop? I work at the shop full time and my business partner Brad Fink is based in St.Louis at Iron Age studio. He gets to New York as often as he can. Our other full time artists are Diego Mannino, Chilly Pete and Lara Scotton from Milan.

How long has the studio been open? We opened Daredevil in 1997 when tattooing was legalized in New York after a 30 year ban. Two years ago we moved from our original location on Ludlow Street to our new space on Division in Chinatown.

Can you tell us about the New York tattoo Museum you are creating? Our new space is larger and incorporates Brad’s extensive historical tattoo collection. Our new location is also just down the street from Chatham Square and the Bowery, the birthplace of modern American tattooing. We are very excited to be able to build a space that pays tribute to the early roots of modern tattooing in the same place where it all began.

How did the fundraising page start? In December we were able to buy the storefront that the shop is located in but it really wiped us out and we were anxious to finish the work needed to bring the rest of the collection into the space. We saw the fundraising campaign as a way to finish the work on the space and also to let people know about the museum and to get people involved in it. Probably the best part of the campaign was the amount of support we got from the tattoo community and really having a sense of people believing in the project and wanting it to come about.

What do you hope to achieve? These days with so many small businesses falling to high rents and being pushed out our goal has been to build a permanent home for tattoo history in New York City that is open to everyone and is a global destination for the tattoo community.

Why is the museum needed? New York City of all cities needs a tattoo museum more than any place else because of the history it gave us.

How much have you raised? The kickstarter campaign raised $36,000

What’s next? Right now we’re working on getting all the rewards out to all the people who pledged for the campaign and finishing the projects in the shop that the campaign will be paying for. The main projects are the front display case that will hold the Thomas Edison engraving pen along with other artifacts, the signage out front that can go up when the work is done on the facade of our building and getting the crushed penny machine working that we got from Lyle Tuttle.

You can see the progress of the kickstarter campaign here

September 8, 2015September 8, 2015

Apprentice Love: Roxy Ryder

We spotted the work of apprentice Roxy Ryder, 24 on Instagram and instantly loved her colourful, bright and cartoon-like tattoos. We chatted to Roxy to find out more about her life as an apprentice at Alchemy Tattoo Studio in Wigan, Manchester where she works.

How did you get your apprenticeship? What were you doing before? I asked in the studio I was getting tattooed in at the time around three years ago and started by handing out flyers. I started my apprenticeship at Alchemy Tattoo Studio in Wigan, a friend of mine recommended me and it went from there. I’ve been tattooing as an apprentice for little under a year. The artists have made me feel right at home. Even if it is an all guy studio and I get a little bullied now and then!
Before working in the tattoo industry I worked in retail, I did this whilst building up a portfolio. Spending most nights drawing and painting.

What do you like about it what do you dislike? I love that I get to do something I love everyday and stay creative. The guys I work with are awesome and getting to meet lovely people on a daily basis is great. The only thing I dislike about tattooing is feeling nervous before a tattoo and self doubt.

Do you have a background in art? I have always been into art and crafts from a young age. I spent a lot of my childhood doing different crafts which followed through into school. I then studied a BTEC National Diploma in Art and Design at college as I always had my heart set on doing something with art. I then found my favourite medium to work with. I have been spitshading with watercolour inks for a couple of years now, trying to get better!

How would you describe your style? I’m not too sure how to describe my style but I love to do bright bold designs. The majority of my designs are usually pretty cute and girly. Very colourful for someone who wears all black everyday!

What is a typical day like for you? A typical day for me is coming into work and doing my little jobs around the studio. I usually prepare most of my designs a couple of days before so I have time to study a colour scheme and change any bits. That way I can make sure I am fully prepared and myself and the customer are happy with the design. I spend the rest of the time watching and learning from the other artists I work with and making brews! If it’s a quiet day I will spend my time drawing new designs and painting. I love to do commissioned paintings in my spare time but if I’m not doing those I love to watch a good B-Movie or a Horror!

How did you feel doing your first tattoo? I did my first tattoo on myself, it was a little moth on my lower leg. I was so nervous and it took me ages but because it was on myself it wasn’t too bad.

What inspires you? So many artists and tattoo artists inspire me. Seeing how hard people work and how much talent they have makes me strive to be better and paint and draw more.

What things do you like to tattoo and draw? Everything I draw is always pretty bold and bright. I love drawing and painting cartoons. Most of the time people commission me for cartoon pieces, which is always fun to do! It all depends on the mood I’m in but I have lots of things I love to draw and tattoo! My faves are anything bright, cute and girly! I love doing spacey stuff, aliens, UFOS and rockets are super fun! Robots, little bloody weapons, kewpies, tropical, nautical designs and kawaii pieces. I love horror so I would love to start doing little horror pieces too.

Can you tell us a bit about your own tattoos? I still have so much free space for tattoos. I currently have my lower legs and arms tattooed with a few others dotted about. My most painful tattoo has to be my palm. I decided to have a brain tattooed on it! My first tattoo was a ship on my foot. Most of my tattoos are pretty traditional. I have so many artists I want to get tattooed by so I’m saving my space at the moment!

September 7, 2015September 7, 2015

Flavia Carvalho: Transforming Scars

Brazilian tattooist Flavia Carvalho has been tattooing women who have encountered domestic violence or have had mastectomies. The marks caused by abuse and cancer are there for life, even though the scars will fade, the memories will always be visible.

Flavia is transforming these scars into beautiful tattoos, for free, so that women can reclaim their bodies, find closure and love themselves again. Flavia’s project has been running for over two years , and is named “A Pele da Flor” which translates as The Skin of the Flower, taken from the Portuguese expression “A flor da pele” meaning deeper than skin. Flavia explains that “women are like flowers and deserve to have our skin protected and embellished.”

Speaking to the Huffington Post Flavia explains how the project started:

It all started about two years ago, when I worked with a client who wanted to cover a large scar on her abdomen. She told me that she was at a nightclub, and when she turned down a man who approached her, he stabbed her with an switchblade. When she saw the finished tattoo, she was extremely moved, and that deeply touched me. I was suddenly struck by the idea of providing free tattoos to women who were left with scars following domestic violence or mastectomies. Each tattoo would act as an instrument for empowerment and a self-esteem booster.

Images and quotes Huffington Post

September 7, 2015September 7, 2015

Fashion Pearls of Wisdom: Ink Poisoned

Our guest blogger is Natalie McCreesh aka Pearl, a fashion lecturer, freelance writer and creator of Fashion Pearls of Wisdom. This is the fourth of many posts to appear on th-ink.co.uk, in which Natalie will be telling us about her life in tattoos. Read the first, second and third in the series.

I just tapped out during a tattoo session…

It’s one of the biggest fears people have before their first long sitting but for those of us regularly taking 3-5 hours at a time we are used to the process and become a little blasé about it all. Don’t get me wrong, there’s been a few places I’ve been tattooed that have made my eyes water – I very nearly did a little cry having my ribs tattooed. Once you know what to expect however, you learn to eat something beforehand, drink some water throughout and breathe deeply to get you past the tough spots.

Tattoo by Tacho Franch

I generally enjoy getting tattooed, it’s exciting, it’s fun chatting to your artist and hanging out in the studio. I don’t even mind the Bepanthen rituals in the days that follow, the Clingfilm wrapping and the bizarre clothing choices you have to make to avoid any rubbing. The past few times however I’ve not been as enthusiastic, confessing to my boyfriend ‘I really don’t want to get tattooed today’. But when you’ve made the bookings and you really want a piece finished you just put those thoughts to one side and get on with it.

I went into the sitting without any worries, we were going to finish off the little bits of colour on my back piece and get the lines in to extend it down the back of my legs. I’ve got fairly big tattoo in that area already which wasn’t a problem so I had no feelings of apprehension.

I knew I was in trouble after the first line, I couldn’t relax into it like usual. Not a word was uttered as I hid my head under my hoodie. My amazing artist sensing the struggle just cracked on with it as fast as possible. How I even managed an hour I have no idea, by that time I was shaking all over, boiling hot and feeling sick. My body simply couldn’t take it and I tapped out. After some food and a hot drink, I calmed down and felt much better. The guys at the studio really looked after me as always and I was able to continue the rest of the session just with some little bits of colour on a different area – certainly no more lining!

After that we agreed that my body needed some TLC, I’d pushed it too far. I usually only have one sitting a month at most but I’d had four in a month, three of those in just one week. I usually heal quickly, within 6-7 days for the main stages but I still had unhealed patches from two weeks earlier. These patches struggled to heal well and ended up in deep sores, which will now have to be retouched. So my artist has put me on a tattoo ban for two months, during this time I am also going to take a much needed holiday in the sun. Falling back into unhealthy eating habits and missing out on gym time due to unhealed tattoos had taken its toll. This break will be hard for me, especially if I end up at any conventions in the meantime, but it’s been a real wakeup call that we have to love our bodies from the inside just as much as the outside.

September 6, 2015

Is there more to getting a tattoo than changing your appearance?

Here at Things&Ink we think there is so much more to getting a tattoo than merely changing your appearance. Things&Ink reader, Hannah Keningale explores how tattoos have changed her, her lifestyle and even how she approaches situations.

For some, getting a tattoo is a very simple act of wanting to change their appearance; a transaction that will make them more fashionable, or perhaps help them pay homage to something they love. But for others, there is more to getting a tattoo than discussing a design and sitting in a chair wincing for a few hours. We often read stories of people who have made connections with others through their mutual love for art and permanence. We have seen beautiful images of colourful wedding days, amazing designs covering painful scars, and difficult journeys that have been celebrated and remembered with ink.

Pug by Abbie Williams

So, how about me? What have I gained from getting tattooed? Do I have an amazing story to share? To be honest, the impact has been somewhat more subtle for me, yet in my eyes still very important. I remember the excitement of getting my first tattoo, and also the anticipation. I wasn’t too worried about the pain, but more about how to handle myself and what to except. After reading many websites, blogs, and magazine articles, I had gathered there was certain etiquette to follow. I was a little worried I might not conduct myself in the right way. Would they think my design ridiculous? Would I do something to offend the artist? Would it go wrong simply because I hadn’t made the right decisions? These are some of the thoughts of someone who suffers from anxiety. I go through this process almost every day with even the most mundane situations. I have to tell you, it’s not fun!

Tattoo by L’ain Freefall

I chose a studio called Evil from the Needle in Camden, London, and was lucky enough to get tattooed by L’ain Freefall. Everyone was so welcoming, and we talked all the way through my tattoo. No one laughed at me. No one said my design choice was stupid. The whole experience was really fun and I was actually a little sad when it was all over. From then on, tattoos have helped me build confidence. I love my body a lot more now. I felt like I had something I wanted to show the world finally, and also enjoyed the affect of putting on the simplest of clothes and still having something colourful to my appearance. The biggest thing I have gained though is a sense of belonging. When I walk into one of my favourite studios I’m greeted with smiles and hugs. I’ve been able to share excitement with artists over design choices, been given gifts, compliments, even tea!

It may sound silly to some, but I feel truly at home when I’m sat in a tattoo studio, and I’m always planning my next visit. Tattoos have become part of my lifestyle now. I have prints adorning my walls, I can’t tear myself away from Instagram, blog pages, and tattoo magazines, and I even buy different clothes now that my body has changed. I think for many of us, there is more to getting tattooed than simply following fashion. While a lot of people still reject the idea of being tattooed as “acceptable” or “normal”, I actually feel more accepted and happy now than ever before.

Ice Cream by Paula Castle

So is there more to getting a tattoo than simply changing your skin? Well for me I’ve also gained new friendships, made new journeys, gotten over some of my anxiety, shared stories, shared laughs, and had a lot of fun. The experience changes you as much as the ink.