We love finding new apprentices to share and support. We fell in love with the work of Laula Page a tattoo apprentice at Treiz’Ink in Paris, and knew we had to find out more…
I have been an apprentice for nine months at in the 13th arrondissement in Paris. It’s a spacious studio with seven tattoo artists and one other apprentice like me. The studio has a particularity, as every artist has their own unique style. This inspires me to be more creative and to learn a variety of technical experiences. I met my apprentice master through a friend of mine, she showed them some of my drawings on Instagram and that’s how it all began.
I think I have always been attracted to the world of tattooing. On my father’s side, I grew up in a Harley Davidson world, surrounded by tattooed arms. It has always fascinated and influenced me.
As soon as I became of age my brother offered me my first tattoo: roses on my back. The rest of my collection includes my my left leg that I practice on. On my left arm I have a traditional mermaid, a traditional face of a girl, a key and a four leaf clover. On my right arm I just have numbers for now (credit card code!). On my right leg I have David Bowie.
I don’t have a particular favourite tattoo. For me every tattoos is a good experience and brings me beautiful people to meet.
I would say that my style comes from the traditional Americans tattoos in a poetic, melancholic and retro universe. A lot of things help and inspires me and my creations. Rock music, poetry, the retro universe, cinema, emotions, women and their power, their charisma, attitude, sensuality, the list goes on. I really like to draw women. I just started to tattoo with colours. And I’d really like to tattoo more women with colours.
The best part of my apprenticeship is that every day when I get to tell myself that I do what I love. I have a lot of gratitude for being an apprentice. It can get hard but at the end of the day, I’m glad I chose this path (may the force be with you).
Transforming dreams into tattoos and bodies into works of art – tattoo artist Maxime Etienne, owner of Leonart studio in Bondi, Sydney, Australia chats to us about his humble beginnings, the process behind his designs and his charity work…
I have been getting tattoos since I was 18 and always loved art in terms of creation. Painting, sculpting, drawing and tattooing have always been industries I’ve wanted to work in. But, I never thought I could have the skills to do any of them until I tried to draw in late 2016. I started drawing with a lot of geometry pattern and in an abstract version of realism.
I started tattooing in late 2016 at home when I realised I could actually draw a little. I wanted to get more tattoos but couldn’t afford them. So I ordered a $40 tattoo kit on eBay and started to practice on my legs, my arms and even my chest and stomach before tattooing some friends.
I never thought I could be a professional artist of any kind. But after tattooing a decent number of friends for the about eight months loads of people contacted me via Instagram and my follwers increased. I realised that maybe I could become a real tattoo artist one day. One night I met a bunch of tattooists that loved my chest piece that I did myself. They told me “if you can do that on yourself and it heals that way then you can definitely become a tattoo artist.”
So, after roughly 10 months I decided to apply for my licence here in Australia and started in a studio as soon as I received it. After 10 months working in that studio, I opened my own and now it has been two years and I work more than I ever expected.
After some researc I discovered so many artists that inspired me and realised what I like is already there and what I could do would be appreciated by a certain audience. I pushed my creativity further and came up with what I do today. Realism, abstract and detailed pieces that are done to tell a story or express a feeling. I am inspired by everything that comes into my mind and what I love. Nature, animals, astronomy, women’s features, architecture and scientific research illustrations.
Most of my designs are from my clients’ stories. I am trying to turn their feelings, dreams, or their past into images. I design everything one day before the appointment and finalise it on the day after asking further questions. I work that way because I really put myself into their story or project and so I don’t work on several designs at the same time. I only book one client a day to ensure we can get the best out of their future tattoo.
I see myself as a designer more than someone who draws, as I often mix up several elements all together.
I try to give my designs the best contrast and shape for the placement that is given to me. I cannot freehand my designs as they require great details and geometry. Floral and extra small pieces in a piece can sometimes be free-handed, but I prefer having a stencil on to ensure the result will be the best and let my client really visualise what it will look like.
My style is really hard to describe in one word. It is composed of micro realism, abstract and geometry. A dream project would be a full body covered of many designs that would express the wish of freedom and the love for nature and earth. I love the diagram patterns used from engineers and would attach all designs together that way to turn the body into an actual book of human feelings and perception of life on our planet. What we are doing on earth, thanking it for the beauty of it and mixing different feelings most of us are going through to express our strength and fragility.
I see my art lasting through time as I am constantly trying to evolve, learn and create. I am a dreamer and a hard worker at the same time. I always give everything I have to achieve my goals, but if one day my art isn’t appreciated any more and I am forced to only execute clients’ thoughts without having the opportunity to create on my own, then I will do something else.
Tattooing became a passion, it’s more than a job. It has never been a way to make money for me, but a dream that became true – to live by doing what I love and making people happy.
Tattooing is an industry where we are in contact with people for hours and deep conversations occur during the process of tattooing. I’ve met so many incredible people that have told me real stories of what they have been through and their issues. Which are unfortunately not mentioned enough to a general audience, including domestic violence issues. I have been raised by my grandmother and my mother and grew up with one sister. Women are everything, they made me who I am today.
I work with an organisation called Karmagawa created by two really close friends of mine, Mat Abad and Thimoty Sykes. I travel with them and help them on different events around the world and design clothes for charity. They both inspire me not only with their charity work, but with their personalities and open minds. They showed me that we can do more than just work for ourselves and we must all help when we can.
Domestic violence, which isn’t always physical, on children and women is something I would really like to help with. Organisations are here to help those in need and money is often necessary to ensure they can keep running. Doing a tattoo fundraiser isn’t only for the money but to reach people that might be in need or even to help them realise what happens to them isn’t normal.
Social media as a platform is powerful, me doing a tattoo fundraiser with posts and stories might push other artists to do so too. I have done similar with the Australian bush fires and given the money to people that were helping those on the spot not just to the organisation.
That’s what I would like to do here. I would like to raise money of course by giving all the profit to organisations, but I am sure that just posting about it could help to raise awareness and I will do that a couple of times every year. My future project is to open a studio in Amsterdam and work with artists that will be willing to do some flash days every year for different causes.
Editor Rosalie shares her most romantic tattoo and speaks to other tattoo collectors about their tattoos inked in the name of love…
That’s right an initial, I got the first letter of my husband’s name tattooed on me. It’s not even his full name or a significant date that ties us intrinsically together. We’ve been a couple for over 11 years and we’ve already got matching tattoos, three to be exact – a hamster (our first pet together), maple leaves to mark our Canadian honeymoon, and watermelons (he has the whole minus a slice, and I have the slice).
So why did it take me so long to take the next step? I’m not even sure to be honest, definitely not a fear of commitment or the pain, or that age-old idea of tattoo regret. A lot of my tattoos have little meaning, and I feel as I go on getting more and more tattooed, the design and reasoning matters even less.
It’s not on my wedding finger, or prominently etched onto my arm, his little A sits on my leg in a little heart lock. Perhaps unnoticeable in the sea of tattoos that make up my body. The romantic in me, did it as a surprise, though (how sweet?).
Now I’ve joined the name tattoo club I wanted to hear from some other members:
Kath from Essex, got her husband’s name tattooed on her recently – “It’s a funny story, we got married in 2002 then divorced and then remarried in 2017. I only got the tattoo this year as this time it’s for keeps! He doesn’t have any tattoos and I got his name as a surprise, he’s quite chuffed with it!”
Paige from Newcastle and her fiancé Shay got matching tattoos after a couple of months together – “I’ve nearly been with Shay a year, but when I met him I just knew – you know? We got a lot of shit for our tattoos. My account has quite a few followers and one of them shared the tattoo on a tattoo shaming page on Facebook. The amount of grief we got, not just for the names but for the other tattoos we have, was ridiculous. It did upset me, what I put on my body is my business. If it’s not something they’d do, that’s their choice, this is mine.”
Paige and Shay’s tattoos done in Gateshead
“We know we want to get some more, but just don’t know what, the strawberry was part of the match because we had a running joke about strawberry lube! But when something like that sticks out to us again we’ll probably get another matching one. I want one where we draw something for each other and get it tattooed, like, something little, like a frog or something!”
“I love my tattoos, I don’t see tattoos as a sacred thing, as you can tell! I have a lot of cover-ups too. It’s more of an experience to me, if a tattoo is shit it’s just another one. Like getting Shay’s name, it wasn’t a big deal – if we break up, I can just get it covered up, y’know? It’s only small. I can understand why people think it’s a big deal but it just doesn’t bother me.”
Chloe, tattoo artist from Leicester, got her husband’s nickname tattooed on her – “I got it just before we got married (September ‘17) while Jody was guesting with us. We were getting matching lemons as we were about to get married in Sicily, and I wanted a little something extra as a surprise for him. I wish there was a better story behind the nickname other than we just started calling each other it one day after watching Beavis and Butthead!”
Are you part of the lover tattoo gang? Let us know and show us your tattoos by tagging us on Instagram!
We just love the delicate botanicals and nature inspired pieces that Cath Pilling handpokes. A budding tattoo apprentice at Bloom & Gloom Tattoo in Loughborough, she’s definitely one to add to your tattoo wish list…
How long have you been apprenticing and how did you get your apprenticeship? I started my handpoke apprenticeship with Bex Fisher in August 2019. I’d been following her for a long time on Instagram, so when she announced that she was opening her own studio, I got in touch to ask if she was looking to take on an apprentice. She took a look at my work, invited me in for a chat and we clicked. I know I’ve been very lucky – apprenticeships are hard to come by and I’m grateful to be under the wing of someone who is lovely as well as a great teacher.
When I was offered the apprenticeship I had a moment of fear creep in that I was too old, I had too many responsibilities (young kids and another part-time job), and that I, well, might be shit at it. I’m so glad I ignored those feelings because it’s one of the best things I’ve ever done.
I’ve got a lifelong obsession with creative imagery. I did a degree in Fine Art years ago and I’ve always produced artwork, but I didn’t always want to be a tattoo artist – It just wasn’t on my radar when I was younger. After having different careers (mostly in the arts) and starting a family, I came to tattooing sideways and a little later than most at 35. It’s never too late, right?!
What drew you to the tattoo world? I became interested in tattoos when I was about 30, at which point I was a clinical aromatherapist, which I loved, but I really wanted to be doing something more creative yet still working with people one-to-one. In all honesty, I don’t feel like it’s the tattoo world as such that I’m drawn to. In fact, it can seem pretty intimidating, right?! It’s a strange old industry which can be amazing and full of wonderful humans and incredible work, but also I’m aware that the tattoo world has it’s problems, usually stemming from the way people treat each other. I’m not a spring chicken and life is too short for that shit. The thing about tattooing that I am really attracted to is the creative freedom (drawing and being creative as a job? Win!) and working with clients.
Having that one-to-one experience with a client is what I miss about being an aromatherapist, so tattooing feels like a perfect balance of creativity and human connection. With handpoke especially, it feels like there is an intimacy there. I feel so honoured whenever anyone wants me to permanently mark their skin. I think it’s really important to make people feel as comfortable as possible in an appointment, both physically and mentally.
Can you tell us about your own tattoos, and your first tattoo? Do you have a favourite or favourite tattoo experience? All but one of my tattoos are handpoked. The first one I had was totally spontaneous. I went to London for the day to visit The Other Art Fair. Rosa Perr, aka Bluestone Babe was over from Brooklyn especially to tattoo at the fair, so I jumped at the chance to have a small flash piece above my elbow of two crossed twigs. I fell in love with the process, it was magical and calm – I was hooked! She was really lovely to chat to as well and told me about how she got into tattooing. That was my light bulb moment, and my favourite tattoo experience. I guess the best tattoo experiences I’ve had have been when I’ve had a good chat with the artist. You’re in close proximity to someone potentially for hours, and you’ll always look at your tattoos and remember having it done, so a positive, friendly experience is really important.
All of my current tattoos are nature and botanical based, I’d just like to be covered in nature! I have eight in total at the moment, so I have a lot of space and I’m pacing myself with getting more. I’ve got a list of artists who I’d love to visit over the next few years. I don’t really have a favourite tattoo, I love them all for different reasons, some for the aesthetics, some for what they represent.
What inspired you to handpoke your tattoos rather than use a machine? Why did this appeal to you? After that first tattoo with Rosa, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. It wouldn’t have been the same quiet and calm experience if it was a machine tattoo. Handpoke is slower, gentler, quieter. I’m not a big fan of the machine noise – it’s a bit more difficult to talk and it’s more invasive for the skin. There’s a lot of debate as to whether handpoke is less or more painful, but in my experience it’s much less uncomfortable compared to having a machine tattoo. However, it also depends on other factors like personal pain threshold, placement, size and detail. It can get a little sore, but that’s generally it. The healing process can also be a lot faster.
I like that modern handpoke is derived from traditional ancient methods – there’s a beauty in getting back to basics.
Can you tell us about the process behind your tattoos, what inspires you, how would you describe your style? Without the need for a machine, the actual tattoo process only needs a minimal set-up. Each tattoo is created by gently poking ink under the surface of the skin. It’s a more laborious process than machine tattooing and takes longer, but I’m working on increasing my speed whist maintaining accuracy. I’d rather a tattoo takes twice as long and looks great, instead of trying to do it quickly and it end up looking bad.
I’d describe my style as delicate and organic. I’m conscious of pigeon-holing myself into a particular style, so sometimes I try to draw other things and in different styles that other people want to see or what I think I should do. When I do that, it just doesn’t sit right. I’m never 100% happy with drawings if my heart isn’t it. I love anything botanical and nature-inspired, images that won’t age. Different tattoo styles will go in and out of fashion, but nature-based imagery itself won’t. I’ll do my best to keep my creative integrity in-check as much as possible, both in style and content, but that’s if I have the luxury of being able to pick and choose the work I do.
What do you like to draw/tattoo and what would you like to do more of? I think nature inspired designs will always be my main thing, but I also love working with abstract shapes and experimenting with composition of elements. I’d like to try more illustrative, perhaps surreal collage-style combinations of linework and dotwork. I’m planning on bringing in some bits of colour too – really excited about that! Everything I’ve done so far has been blackwork in order to purely focus on getting my technique right.
What’s been the best part of your apprenticeship so far and what have you found the hardest? I’ve been over this question in my head a lot, but I can’t pin down what the best part is. The most valuable part of it is learning so much – Some of those things are key pieces of knowledge and information in regard to the process (especially hygiene and safety), and some are great tips that I wouldn’t otherwise know.
The hardest thing? Pacing myself when it comes to progress. One one hand, I want to learn it all yesterday, whiz through my apprenticeship and be working in the studio full-time. Realistically, it takes a lot of time, commitment and sometimes sacrifice. I regularly have to remind myself that I’m doing my apprenticeship part-time between my other job and being a parent, so of course my progress is going to be slower than if I could be at the studio full-time. It’s frustrating sometimes, but only because it’s what I want to do.
Bonnie Maxwell, self proclaimed ‘Autistic Queen’ is a tattoo apprentice at Gun and Pedal Tattoo Studio in Brighton. Since sharing her experiences as a person with autism in the tattoo industry on Instagram, we knew we had to speak to Bonnie and find out more about her story…
What made you want to become a tattoo artist? I sort of just fell into it, I always knew I was going to do something creative with my life as drawing is everything to me. I have a first class degree in Illustration from Brighton University so from there I’ve had multiple creative jobs, but never felt I could really be myself in them, tattooing felt natural to me and the thought of being my own boss as a queer autistic woman felt empowering.
What do you love to tattoo or draw, what inspires you? To put it simply, I am a neo-traditional artist who loves colour, animals and nature and anything in between. A lot of my inspiration comes from concept sketches and video games and even from my love of Pokémon, just a huge mix of drawing Pokemon for years and translating that into something I enjoy. I like using colour and subject themes and sometimes limiting my colour palette and drawing in a way that fits the space and canvas perfectly.
When did you get your autism diagnosis? Can you tell us about this? Absolutely, so I have always known there was something different about me – even when I was younger, I never really had an interest in having loads of friends or doing all the “normal” things a teenager would. I was more interested in my hobbies and my art.
I was officially diagnosed in November 2019 at the age of 27. Up until this point I really struggled socially and didn’t have a clue that I might be autistic, just because the general portrayal of people with autism is very different, and what most don’t realise is that it’s a spectrum and women can present differently to men. Women have the ability to mask, to blend in, which means obtaining a diagnosis can be such a challenge as women can appear to seem “normal”. I was lucky enough, but there are still so many out there who need that support.
Can you tell us about your experiences within the tattoo industry? Have you struggled with apprenticeships before? Where do I start? So I’ve basically struggled with every apprenticeship I’ve been in, I’m in my fifth now and I’m totally okay with that. My current studio have been super supportive and just let me tattoo and get on with it and that’s all I ask for. I’ve been in a few different kinds of apprenticeships, each with different ways of doing things and I have picked up tips from each, but never managed to really stay at a studio so predominantly I am self-taught.
I feel like there isn’t an understanding of disabilities, even in this industry. I have experienced bullying first hand which is never okay and those artists should feel ashamed.
I have tried to fit in with studio banter, I’ve been called lazy which is insulting as there’s not a day that goes by where I’m not drawing. I’ve had people tell me to fake it ’til I make it, pretend to be confident, to look busy and talk to the customers all the time, even though all I wanted to do was avoid the drama and draw. I didn’t want to lose another apprenticeship because I didn’t do what my mentor asked, but because of my disability, I didn’t feel like I could change myself to fit a mould and this became overwhelming so most of the time I ended up leaving.
Because of my autism I don’t really have a filter and most of the time I will just say it as it is, which can get me into trouble and I don’t always understand that this could be wrong. Because I have poor organisational skills, I mostly forget what I’ve been told to do and this can make it seem like I’m lazy. I have strong beliefs in right and wrong and will correct someone without realising, I also have a lot of sensitivities – like if people are talking over each other and music is too loud, it’s physically painful. For eight hours a day, I avoid eye contact and social interaction which can be exhausting. These are all things I’ve come across in a studio setting. This is just my experience and how I’ve felt, but may be completely different in a more understanding studio or for someone else with a disability.
What do you find most challenging about tattooing? Tattooing itself feels like the most natural career for me, it’s the personalities and egos that make it challenging especially in those that have very specific views on what an apprenticeship should be. Social engagement is hard enough when you have autism, so having to deal with other people makes the job harder. I feel like some still believe an apprenticeship should be a challenge and something gruelling that you have to earn, which may have been how they did it back in the day, but now anyone can tattoo. Just because your mentor was treated badly and had a hard time in their apprenticeship doesn’t mean you should be treated the same.
There’s also no job security, so as an apprentice you are completely dispensable. As someone with autism or a disability, you will have your own way of learning and adapting a task to make it more manageable. When I was trying to do a traditional apprenticeship and be someone’s cleaner for a year, I didn’t feel like I was progressing much. Although I did learn about cleanliness and health and safety, I learned this from artists outside of my apprenticeships and made my own cleaning routine.
I know I may upset some by saying this but I believe if someone has the artistic talent and promise to do well they should be able to learn in a way that encourages this and is accommodating with their disabilities. Tattooing should be accessible to all.
In what ways do you think your autism helps you and makes you a better tattooer? Ooh now how to start this without coming across as arrogant or blunt. My brain is wired differently so I have a completely different view of the world. It may be different to others with the same disability, but for me I can see and view things in a very unique way. People with autism tend to have special interests which means we have intense interest in certain subjects or hobbies. Some like bikes or watches I have an intense interest in art and tattooing, not to mention my not-so-secret love for Pokemon. That love will never die.
So for me instead of going out and socialising or drinking or doing anything else, I spend 90 per cent of my time doing something tattoo related, whether it’s researching needle groupings, or learning techniques, or finding out about the different types of aftercare or working on how I can give my client a great experience and tattoo. I have the ability to hyper-focus and draw for hours and hours without taking a break, I’m fast and can knock out three or four full colour flash sheets if I wanted in a single day.
Nobody can tell me I’m not passionate or cut out for this industry because I can’t complete a traditional apprenticeship, when I live and breathe art and tattooing every day. My clients love this about me and how much time and effort I put into my work for them.
Tattooing is not just a job or a rockstar lifestyle, it’s a passion. I am proud I’m autistic because I feel lucky to feel so passionate about what I do and this is what makes me feel like I make a better tattoo artist.
What would you like your clients to know about you or is there anything they can do during the appointment or before that could help? So everyone with autism is different and will have different requirements and needs. For me, too much social interaction can feel exhausting so unless I know the client very well sometimes I don’t talk as much and just get on with the tattoo. That’s never a sign that I’m being rude, I would rather focus on getting the tattoo perfect for the client than to have to think of phrases and conversations. I have sensory issues so if I’m not feeling myself that day I may stick a headphone in so I don’t get overwhelmed. Again I don’t mean to be rude, it just helps me to give you the best tattoo I can.
Also change is a big scary thing for someone with autism, for me I could have a bit of a flap if a client changes their mind too much on the day of the tattoo, because with my disability I can’t process that change if I have planned out the tattoo. This seems like an explosion of information for the client but honestly it’s not that bad, all my clients have been awesome and understanding and are completely clear and let me do my thing. So far anyways…
What advice would you give studio owners or other tattooists who either have autism themselves or work with someone who is? Best advice to anyone in my shoes is to be honest and upfront with your mentor about your needs and discuss how you like to learn and what you both can do for each other to make sure no communication is lost. Never tolerate an apprenticeship that treats you badly or makes you do things that are completely not tattoo related or puts you in a position where you have to fit their mould. You are better than that.
There will always be people that will bully and drag you down especially when you are talented and different, but never let it get to you. The journey doesn’t matter, we all want to be in the same place. And to the mentors out there with an autistic apprentice or looking to take one on, my biggest advice for you would be to learn all you can about autism, learn about your apprentice’s needs and how they like to learn. Even for an autistic client this would be useful, ask if they would like the music turned down or an extra pillow for sensory issues. To be inclusive and knowledgeable will really have a positive impact on this industry.
