Black tattoos Archives

June 2, 2022August 4, 2022

Interview with tattoo artist Zee

Zee (@zeetattoo) creates fineline floral tattoos in South Korea. We chat to the tattooer about his first tattoo, love of black ink and the flowers that inspire his work…

Why did you want to become a tattoo artist? I wanted to become an artist becaue I like to meet people. Tattooers can meet new people all the time and at almost every appointment.

So, I thought I would become a tattooist as I also liked the idea of engraving a person’s memories, resolutions or their favourite things onto their skin.

How did you become a tattooer? Before I was an artist I worked as a noncommissioned officer of the Republic of Korea Navy for four years. While working I had the opportunity to get a tattoo.

When I got my first tattoo I was really attracted to the tattooists as they had a completely different life to the one I had back then. I started learning about tattoos and how to tattoo from the person who gave me my first tattoo.

What do you like to tattoo? I like to tattoo big colourful flowers in black ink.

What inspires your designs? I buy a lot of fresh flowers and use these as references for my drawings. I also refer to the work of other tattooists a lot of the time.

However, I think the best thing for me to use is the flowers, because even the same kind of flower has differences when compared to others in the bunch. Each type of flower has things that only they have and this inspires me.

How would you describe your style? There are various curves on the human body and I use their flow to make big and small flowers and leaves. I place these on the body and use very thin lines to create each piece.

Your tattoos are mainly in black, do you prefer this over colour? I personally think that black ink is better than other colours, but I don’t think it’s as fashionable. It’s not that I don’t like colours but my favourite colour is black.

Can you tell us about the process behind linework tattoos? I collect a huge amount of information to help me prepare just one design. I bring all this together into my drawing and when I’m happy with it I start painting. When preparing the design I tend to pay a lot of attention to the overall arrangement.

What do you love the most about being a tattoo artist? My favourite thing is meeting new people and tattooing lets me do that. I also love visiting new countries and experiencing their cultures and food.

When in your career have you felt the happiest? Now that I think about it, I think it was when I first started tattooing flowers. At the time I wasn’t sure if I was happy but now I think I definitely was, especially as I got to learn something new too. Of course, even now I am studying constantly.

Do you have any guestspots or travel planned? I don’t have a definite plan yet, but I want to meet new clients and experience new cultures. It’s always an interest of mine.

What about your own tattoos are you a tattoo collector? I have a lot of tattoos that I’ve done on myself. I tend to try new things on my own body before I do them on anyone else. Also if I like the work of a tattooer I try and get a tattoo by them.

Follow @zeetattoo for more of his amazing floral tattoos.

May 2, 2020May 3, 2020

The patterns of Abigail Tonge

We love the ornamental tattoos of blackwork artist Abigail Tonge, who tattoos at Ultimate Skin in Leeds. Usually she’s incredibly busy traveling, guesting at other shops in and outside of the UK, but during lockdown she had some time to talk to us about her tattooing style and influences…

How long have you been tattooing, what inspired you to start an apprenticeship?

I have been tattooing for five years now, the time has flown by and so much has changed both creatively and personally. I tend to live my life at 100mph, there is never enough hours in the day.

Before getting into tattooing, I was a fashion graduate and working in the industry but it was obviously not for me. I missed the creative life so badly, I spent a lot of my spare time drawing at home, drawing mostly tattoo designs and getting tattooed by various artists that worked in very different styles. Hence why I’m covered in in all sorts, this really helped me understand tattooing more and what there was to be explored.

At university I studied the construction of garments, how people wore them and how to draw them, but I think my tutors got bored of me incorporating tattoo related designs into my work in whatever way I could. I even wrote my dissertation on ‘the history and Renaissance of tattooing within my generation’, as I found links between fashion and tattoos and I found this so interesting. I love the history of tattooing, it’s fascinating and beautiful how everything’s grown and adapted in every aspect from the technical standard of tattoos, equipment, the type of people who have them and people’s attitudes towards tattooing.

From the age of three or four I was obsessed with drawing. I used to spend my Saturdays off school drawing copies of Beatrix Potter illustrations out of books. As I got older I started to notice tattoos on people and I just fell in love. Tattooing was an unknown world that I wanted to discover but I never considered myself anywhere near good enough to be able to do it as a career.

Some people stumble into tattooing and go from there, but for me it was by no means easy. I’m a firm believer that in life anything that’s worth having or doing, requires a hell of a lot of hard work and perseverance!

How would you describe your style, did you know you would always tattoo in this way?

When I first started tattooing I did a bit of everything, which is super important when you first start out. I worked in colour and did some blackwork until my tattoos started to evolve naturally with my interests in pattern and my love of Asian; Indian, Polynesian, Thai, Tibetan artworks. I always knew I wanted to specialise in patternwork in some form, I had to do a lot of adapting, researching and growth before I got onto the road I wanted to be on. Saying that, you never stop learning and growing, I still have a long way to go but I love that! If I could have gone in any direction in tattooing, this is one hundred percent where my love and passion is. I would describe my work as intricate, bold ornamental blackwork.

What do you love to tattoo and what would you like to do more of?

I really enjoy tattooing anything with a heavy line weight, even then mixed with smaller needle groupings to create more intricate details; like in the Thai inspired designs I’ve been doing. I would love to do more large scale Tibetan projects, in placements that are not so generic, like big torsos connected to the back or both full legs. I have plenty of ideas up my sleeve, the limits are endless! I also love to tattoo in another style, floral blackwork. I did a lot of this in my first four years of tattooing. I still love to take on floral projects but prefer to do large scale work when it comes to these concepts. I like to add solid black elements, mixed with dotwork and negative sections to create gradient differences and depth.

What inspires your work?

I find inspiration in literally anything with a cultural background! Patterns, motifs, embroidery, paintings, buildings, temples and home wares. I take inspiration from anything really especially when I travel around other countries. Life itself is surrounded by references and inspirations that we don’t always realise are around us.

I always feel so inspired by artists that I’ve looked up to from the beginning; Tomas Tomas, Guy Le Tattooer, Jondix, Thomas Hooper, Curley, Jack Peppiette, Mckenzie, James Lau, Aaron Anthony, Cal Jenks, Kieran Williams, Savannah Colleen, gosh there are so many more!

Can you tell us about your own tattoos, how do these make you feel? Do they affect how you see yourself and your body?

I started to get tattooed at the age of 18 (on my eighteenth birthday to be exact). What was popular in tattooing in 2008 was very different to what is popular now. I have a lot of neo-traditional tattoos from when I first starting getting tattooed, I have things on me that I definitely wouldn’t get tattooed now, however I wouldn’t cover or re-work most of them as they are just another layer of who I was and once adored.

Nothing in life is consistent, we as people are forever changing and growing, including our tastes and interests. I think I’d be one big cover up if I kept changing things to match what I liked at the time, saying that there are sections of me where there are and will be cover ups as I love a good blast over. Like on my chest I had a really ‘scene’ chest piece of script, roses and diamonds done when I was 19 that now has a black patternwork blast over the top, I love how it looks as you can see the layers of shapes, shadows and colours underneath.

I know I have a good mixture of good and bad tattoos, I think this is good because it makes you look at them in a way we’re you can learn what works and what doesn’t, what looks good and stands the test of time and what doesn’t on different areas of skin. This helps you be a better tattoo artist for your clients in my opinion.

I wear my tattoos proudly, I love how tattoos look on the skin full stop hence why I want to create them on other people’s bodies.

January 14, 2014January 14, 2014

Black Tattoo Art

Black Tattoo Art II
Modern Expressions of the Tribal

As a lover of traditional and colourful tattoos, I approached Marisa Kakoulas’ (editor of needlesandsins.com) hefty coffee table book Black Tattoo Art, feeling like I was about to step onto unknown soil. My sense of unease was unwarranted, though, and as I delved into the pages of the book, I was transported into a monotone world of pure beauty. I was introduced to the work of masters – Roxx, Delphine Noiztoy, Loic aka Xoil and Simone Pfaff – each artist converting me to the dark side, my colourful collection of tattoos may have some black additions soon.

I wanted to get a sense of the history of this unique and iconic book, so I got in touch with author Marisa, who also edits tattoo blog needlesandsins.com, this is what she had to say:

‘When Edition Reuss Publishing approached me back in 2008, I told them I wanted to create a book on blackwork tattooing – work just in black ink – because it had not been done before. I believe that it’s tattooing in its purest form, continuing the traditions of indigenous tattoo cultures, even if the patterns and compositions are contemporary. So, the first Black Tattoo Art book came out in 2009, and continues to be popular because there still isn’t anything on the market that specifically pays tribute to this tattoo genre. Since the first edition’s release, the number of artists and the outcropping of different styles has grown exponentially, and so it was time to do a second volume.

‘There are many more artists in edition two, 75 of the best in black from around the world. There is also a new chapter on Celtic and Nordic inspired tattooing, curated by renowned tattooer Colin Dale. This chapter features stunning ancient designs, and in his introduction to the chapter, Colin offers some of the myths and lore behind the art. We also expanded the Art Brut/Abstract chapter, which gets the strongest reaction. I think that the work in this chapter is wild and fearless, and redefines what a tattoo can be.

‘But really, I love every work in this book, as if they were my own children. I believe blackwork is timeless – it doesn’t follow any trends, its ornamentation follows the lines of the body and enhances, rather than overwhelms, it. Personally, I’ve been getting tattooed primarily in blackwork for almost 20 years, and it has aged beautifully. I love my tattoos!’

Marisa also states that her ultimate goal, in all of the books that she has authored, is to present tattooing as a fine art form, to show the endless possibilities of body adornment, and inspire other amazing tattoos. Marisa, mission accomplished. This compendium of tattoos is stunning and truly the perfect addition to any art lover’s coffee table – whether a tattoo collector or not.

By Delphine Noiztoy — Tattoo by Delphine Noiztoy

BLACK TATTOO ART 2, by Marisa Kakoulas is published by Edition Reuss, and costs $199/£103.50. Purchase from amazon.co.uk.

This review was first published in The Celebration Issue of Things&Ink magazine. Purchase from our website thingsandink.com.