Things&Ink

July 14, 2012July 14, 2012

Friday 13th tattoos – did you get yours?

Are you superstitious?

So tattoo shops have a tradition of celebrating Friday 13th by offering lucky (or maybe unlucky) tattoos from a sheet of flash for £13 – you can also give an optional £7 tip if you like. (I think some shops might charge £30 now – times are tough!)

Unfortunately, I am on holiday with some family friends, so didn’t manage to get myself a Friday 13th tattoo, but here is a selection of yours…

My Twitter friend, Daniel Vane aka Grandmaster Tash, was a little greedy and got himself the dagger (by Julia) and the candle (by Naresh) from Flamin’ Eight, in Kentish Town, London.

I love this little dagger – it’s on Bethany, who runs one of my favourite blogs ever, Arched Eyebrow. She got it done at The Circle, London. And picked from the sheet of flash below by El Bernardes…

Lucky rabbit foot, by William Corvidae Sparling, who works at Exile Tattoo, Benfleet.

This little cat is on Lou LaLa, she got it done at This Old Skin, Wymondham, Norfolk.

Noose by Scott Move, Haunted Tattoo, London.

These cherries are on the lovely ReeRee Rockette, who runs Rockalily Cuts. Tattoo by Stewart O’Callaghan, tattoo apprentice at Prick Tattoo, London.

July 7, 2012May 5, 2013

Love at first sight – Cris Cleen

I fell in love with Cris Cleen’s work the moment I first saw it.

His work encompasses everything I love in art and tattoos, he has a very traditional and antique style that also has a softness and femininity about it. He has created a world of ladies, flowers and butterflies that instantly drew me in when I saw his documentary short on Vimeo last year.

In this documentary, Cleen talks about the history of tattooing and how the old guys impact the way he looks and what he surrounds himself with. For Cleen, tattooing is about the whole experience, the way you look and act make a big difference and he is dedicated to giving people unique tattoos. His work and his style are almost of another era, but at the same time they are timeless and romantic, even erotic.

I have recently emailed Cris Cleen about booking an appointment with him when I go to New York next year. And luckily for me, he said he would happily tattoo me. Now all I have to do is save my pennies… (luckily I have this – New York ink fund).

Cris Cleen works at Saved Tattoo in Brooklyn.

Photos: criscleen.com and Saved Tattoo

July 3, 2012July 3, 2012

Tattoos: tasteful or trashy?

So who’s seen it? You know, Jodie Marsh and psychotherapist Marisa Peer debating tattoos on ITV’s This Morning?

psychotherapist Marisa Peer — Marisa Peer

(You can watch the full clip here)

There’s a few things I would have liked to have said to Marisa, if I had been on the for side and sitting in Jodie’s chair…

Marisa says that people with a sleeve of tattoos look impulsive, and while there’s nothing wrong with being impulsive, I think a person with a sleeve actually looks quite the opposite. They look like they have committed themself to getting a large piece of art on their skin. A sleeve is a significant undertaking and cannot just be decided on spur of the moment. And just because most of the people Marisa knows regret their body art, that does not mean that everyone will.

Also, Jodie talks at length about her tattoos having meaning, mine don’t all have meaning yet I do not regret them. Some I just like because of how they look and because I wanted to collect a piece of art from the tattoo artist who created it.

Another important point that doesn’t often get mentioned, everyone always talks about the permanency of tattoos, yet our bodies are not permanent. We are transient beings who won’t live forever and I think I would regret not getting tattooed more than I would collecting art on my skin while I am alive.

There’s lots more I could say about tattoos and the ridiculous amount of press they are receiving at minute – but I think Dr Matt Lodder (tattooed art historian) summmed up this particular ITV tacky/tasteful debate quite nicely in a tweet earlier today: “Are tattoos tasteful or trashy?”, @itvthismorning asked. Neither. Both. Tattooing is a medium, not a message.

I would be interested to see what Doctor Lodder would have to say, had he been on the This Morning sofa instead of Jodie Marsh….

And I want to know, what do you think about tattoos in the press at the moment? And do you think it’s right that it seems to be women more than men in the spotlight? Are tattoos tacky or tasteful? Tweet me @MoreWhiteQueen or comment on this post. Look forward to hearing your thoughts…

July 2, 2012

Cute matching envelope tattoos

Photo: sarpearbear.tumblr.com

June 28, 2012June 28, 2012

The story of the buddy tattoo by Christina Owen

New guest blog post from Christina Owen featuring the cutest little Russian doll tattoos I have ever seen…here is the story of Christina and Jess’s matching tattoos.

My friend Jess and I live a couple of hundred miles apart. She lives in Cardiff, I live in London. We work busy schedules and we don’t get to see each other much. We also both love tattoos and don’t take ourselves too seriously. So when I found time to go and see Jess for a couple of days in June, we decided the best course of action would be to get matching tattoos, for no other reason than because we are great friends, and because it will remind us that we’re always there, even though most of the time we’re, er…not.

It’s common for couples to get matching tattoos, but what about the ‘buddy tattoo’ (I may have just coined that phrase…)? When Lord of the Rings finished filming in 2002, the nine members of the Fellowship of the Ring got matching Elvish tattoos. Earlier this year, Adele and Joy Williams from The Civil Wars got a tiny matching friend tattoo after being on tour together.

Our friends mean the world to us. And we express that in different ways. Jess and I chose a little, girly Russian Doll tattoo, for no other reason than because we LIKED it (and that’s reason enough). Some of our friends shook their heads at us and called us silly, but to us (and to every girl out there who loves tattoos and is comfortable in her own – colourful – skin) it made perfect sense.

Jess headed to Physical Graffiti in Cardiff and spoke to Tasha Pollendine, whose cute and colourful style of tattoos we had looked up online and loved. Tasha drew us a pair of gorgeous pink matching dolls based on a picture Jess showed her. All that was left was for me to take the National Express to Cardiff and for us both to jump in the chair…

Photo inspiration — The original inspiration

Photo: etsystatic.com

While we had our tattoos done, we both chatted to Tasha who was easygoing, friendly, patient and very talented. I grilled her, interview-style on how, why and when she got into tattooing, and made her snort with laughter and have to stop tattooing me at one stage, when I asked her if she’s ever sneezed and accidentally drawn a huge ink line down someone’s arm (probably better not to put a tattoo artist off like that when they are making permanent marks on your skin, guys). The atmosphere in the shop was relaxed, and we spent a fun couple of hours talking to the other tattoo artists and customers. Jess and I chose to have our tattoos in different places on our bodies (a nod to our own individual personalities) – she chose the back of her left ankle and I chose the back of my right upper arm.

I’m back in London now, and don’t know when I’ll see Jess next. But I now have mini-Jess on my arm to remind me that distance doesn’t really matter – good friends will always make time for one another.

I think that Mini-Jess is definitely the cutest tattoo in my collection so far. Thanks Tasha – I’m sure I’ll be back to get tattooed by you again!