Our pick of the artists to watch out for at Brighton Tattoo Convention 2015…

Artists chosen by T&I editor Alice Snape, T&I editorial assistant Rosalie Woodward and T&I managing editor Keely Reichardt

Here at Things&Ink magazine, conventions are our favourite… like being in a tattoo bubble… we can spend forever searching for artists, and looking at their back catalogue of work. So we’ve compiled this little round-up of some of our favourite artists who are attending the Brighton Tattoo Convention this year, with reasons why we like them. Hopefully we’ll see some of you at the convention, as we will have a stand there all weekend, and you can let us know if you agree with our picks – and crucially who you think we missed…

Kid Kros from Casa Occulta in Split, Croatia @Kidkros
“I love his animals, they range from unbelievably cute to downright frightening, but always intriguing and he perfectly captures their latent personalities. His detailing is mesmerising, especially his jewellery inspired pieces and he’s really finding his feet style wise.” Rosie

Rafaela @rafaela2die4 Tattooing at ‘To die for tattoo’ Leverkusen, Germany
“Rafaela continues to create beautiful women but with a sadness in their eyes that captures my soul. Her colour palette is divine, a wash with pinks and blues, whose depths reflect the tone of the piece.” Rosie

Alix Ge, France @alixge
“I love the way Alix Ge experiments with style and inspiration, including Japanese influences and a more traditional range of colours. Her women are soft with almost plump faces, as if they have been plucked from period dramas, forever suspended in time on someone’s skin. Definitely on my tattoo wish list!” Rosie

“Alix Ge is someone I am saving the top of my arm for (this is a big deal for me, as I used to not want my arms tattooed at all)!  I love the romantic expressions on her lady faces and the rosy coloured cheeks she gives them.  Her style is really interesting in the way she mixes traditional Japanese with beautiful soft women’s faces who look like they have stepped straight out of a Jane Austen novel!”  Keely

Greggletron @greggletron, Scapegoat Tattoo, Portland USA
“He’s just one of the many incredible talents that work out of Scapegoat in Portland (I would get tattooed by all of them). Greggltron uses such a beautiful palette of colours, reds, warm colours that have a wonderful vintage vibe – kind of  traditional with his own twist. The girls he creates are stunning and their eyes are hypnotic.” Alice

Danielle Rose, The Illustration Issue cover star and travelling tattoo artist @DanielleRoseTattoo
“Danielle Rose was our cover star for ‘The Illustration Issue’ and has become one of the most sought after artists of the last 18 months. I have a Larry David portrait by her from 2013, which is still one of my favourite tattoos.  She is particularly well known for her weeping lady faces who have all been characterised into different scenarios – the beekeeper, the punk rocker, even a Marie Antoinette lookalike!”  Keely

Big Sleeps, LA @bigsleeps  
“The godfather of lettering all the way from Los Angeles… Big Sleeps is your go-to man if you want some bold yet beautifully crafted words!” Keely

Matthew Gordon, Berlin, Germany, @Matthew_Gordon
“Matt is currently working on my butterfly lady backpiece, I love how he creates huge pieces that really work on the body. I was first drawn to his work when I saw the front piece that he did on my friend Celine.” Alice

Miss Juliet, Don’t Tell Mama
“I love her ornate and beautiful style, her work is instantly recognisable and the way she creates shapes from hundreds of small lines is amazing.” Rosie

Araceli 4ever, London UK @araceli_4ever
“I have loved watching Araceli grow into her own style as a tattoo artist. I knew her before she started her apprenticeship and she has really come into her own, and created a style that is just hers. She is super-lovely and a beautiful person too.” Alice

Andrea Furci, Seven Doors, London, UK @andreafurci
“Andrea did one of my first ever tattoos (a cameo on my wrist), I love his bold traditional style.”

Bugs, USA
“I love Bug’s style, it is so artistic and unusual and looks like a fusion of cubism, art deco and classical art. A true artist” Alice

David Corden, Edinburgh, UK
“David Corden is an incredible portrait tattoo artist, the likeness he manages to create is just out of this world.” Alice

Also look out for Things&Ink cover stars – past and present: Brian Wilson, Delphine Noiztoy, (stripped back) Wendy Pham (The Identity Issue), Grace Neutral (The Modification Issue) and Tiny Miss Becca (The Celebration Issue)…

Things&Ink the celebration issue 5
Time to party with two of the tattoo world’s leading ladies, Amy Savage and Tiny Miss Becca
Space Elf Grace Neutral on the cover of issue 6 – which launched at last year’s Brighton Tattoo Convention

 

Come and see us at our stand at the convention! And find out if our anatomy issue cover star is also tattooing at The Brighton Tattoo Convention 2015… we cannot wait, see you there?

Healing tattoos – double mastectomy tattoo

This tattoo is simply stunning. Healing, restorative, beautiful… and we loved spotting it being shared on Facebook, with lots of positive comments.

The artist is David Allen, who is based in Chicago. Read more about him and view his work at allentattoo.com

The response to this piece is incredible. Tattooing is a beautiful and absolutely viable option for concealing or altering scars. When coupled with an artist you’ve researched and feel connected to… taking the reigns and regaining some sort of control can be empowering. There is healing in this!

Said Allen on his Facebook page.

Part four in My Marathon Diary – runner video inspiration

Things&Ink editor Alice Snape is currently in training for the London Marathon 2015, she’s running for Sarcoma UK. Read more in her first Marathon diary entry. Here’s part four of her marathon diary – some video inspiration.  

This video went viral last year, but I still love it… I find watching it comforting and it just makes me want to get out there and go for a run – providing me with much-needed motivation during my marathon training.

Directors Matan Rochlitz and Ivo Gormley released the short film – ‘The Runners’ – on 15 November last year. Using a bike with a cart attached for the cameraman, the duo interviewed runners through the seasons, which you can see change beautifully throughout the short film. The runners keep on running through rain and shine. In a piece published in The Guardian, Ivo Gormley wrote that one interviewee had been “humbling” in his honesty about his determination to run a marathon for his father, who suffers from dementia.

Runners are united in this film by one thing – running – and they run for all sorts of different reasons.

 

 

Published on Nov 15, 2013 – A short film by Matan Rochlitz & Ivo Gormley

“Pounding the tarmac through the seasons, a band of runners are brazenly challenged with intimate questions as they pace their routes. Liberated from responsibilities, their guards drop dramatically, releasing funny and brutally frank confessions, and weaving a powerful narrative behind the anonymous masses.”

Twitter: #therunners
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/therunnersfilm

I am running the marathon for cancer charity Sarcoma UK, as my boyfriend’s sister Katherine died from Sarcoma over three years ago, just a few short months before James and I met. I am running the marathon for Katherine, who I never met, but so wish I could have. I want to do this for James and his family. If you could donate as little or as much as you can afford, it will make my training seem so much more worthwhile. My JustGiving page is justgiving.com/AliceSnapeMarathon