Tag: Cute tattoos

Posted on

Eat, drink and be merry: our fave food tattoos

Our editor Rosalie loves food and – of course – tattoos. So what’s better than combining these two loves? It seemed a lot of you agree with her. In this blog, she shares the stories behind some of her – and your – food tattoos.

Rosalie Hurr: “This is my silly cat wearing a cake and it’s by Lucy Alice (@_cattnip). I actually won a tattoo giveaway and just thought this was a fun idea. The edamame bean was done on holiday in Newquay by Gemma (@helfire). This foodie tattoo is for one of my oldest friends, Cath. We always share edamame beans when we see each other, it’s a bit of tradition. My cute bean reminds me of all the good times and food we’ve shared together. Awwww…”

“Then, there’s my cinnamon bun by Hayley Blackwood (@hayleyblackwoodtattoo). I just reeeeeeally love a warm doughy, comforting cinnamon bun. While honeymooning in Canada, I made it my mission to seek out the best ones. The words ‘forever hungry’ honour trying to stay open and, more literally, my constantly rumbling tummy.”

“I also share tons of amazing food tattoos on @Foodie.tattoos!”

Joey, 31, living in London

“My strawberries were done by Korean tattoo artist @mym_room. Based on a song by my favourite band about strawberries – a heart is like a strawberry, it has nothing to protect it. In an emotional, rather than literal, sense…”

Amie, 32, Operations Manager for a small charity, living in Bristol

“My lil lime tattoo is for my besties! We all love a shot of tequila, obvs with a lime. So, I thought it would be nice to honour my favourite women with a bright green lime on my leg. It’s by @abiloveless. “

Rachel, 30, from Leeds

“I have a pizza slice tattoo. I also have a tomato by Fiona (@growing.basil) but I got that because my cat was called Tomato. So it’s more symbolic but it’s still food!”

Lucyna, 36, hairdresser, Nottingham

“I love PIZZA! I just like pepperoni pizza!”

Amy, 38, tattoo collector and cat mother, Manchester

“Paula Castle (@paulacastletattoos) did my food tattoos. A cup of tea solves everything. And this is my teapot with a bee as a representation of Manchester. Custard creams, malted milks, fondant fancies have always been faves of mine. My mum will always do me a brew with biscuits when I visit so it’s a bit of a homage to her.”

“Scones are also a fave (jam first always), plus it always feels special to go for afternoon tea with scones, jam and cream. Food definitely brings people together – even in the hardest times. Sometimes a brew and a biscuit is what you need to know you’re loved and cared for. One of my nieces pointed at my biscuit tattoos and said those are her fave too – that made my day!”

Nicola, 40, from Sunderland

“Alex Rowntree (@alexrowntreetattoo) did my milkshake tattoo. There’s no story to it other than I love a good narna milkshake! I wanted it for years before I actually got it.”

Vicki, 48, SEN teacher

“My banana was custom by Sarah Whitehouse (@warahshitehouse) back in 2018. I got a tattoo for my younger daughter, then I asked my eldest daughter what I should get for her. She was 14 at the time, but she said a banana! Most of my tattoos have faces so that was what I went for. I teach students with special needs and it’s the tattoo they always comment on. My nephew has loved it since he was a baby, too. A banana with a happy face seems to cheer people up.”

Bek, 30, Clinical Deputy in secure services, Birmingham

“My tattoo was done by Lucy Blue (@lucybluetattoo) when she was an apprentice about 8 years ago. It was a drawing on a print she had created with other foodie ladies and she wanted to tattoo them, so I said yes. You usually see the ladies with fruit on their head, but I liked how fun and different the junk food was.”

Have you got a foodie tattoo? Let us know in the comments and tag us on Instagram!

We’re always sharing amazing tattoos and tattoo artists. Keep scrolling and check out our latest tattoo posts.

Posted on

The little cottage: tattoo artist Ovenlee

Ovenlee creates cottage-style tattoos at Ovl Studio in Seoul, South Korea. We chatted to Ovenlee about her journey into the tattoo world, what inspires her colourful tattoos and what it’s like to tattoo in South Korea…

How long have you been tattooing? Around four years, I started in the summer of 2018.

How did you become a tattooist? What made you want to be one? I was a student at art college majoring in ceramic crafts and design when I got my first tattoo.

The day I got my tattoo I fell in love with it and tattooing. I was charmed by the craft and I loved the idea that someon else could have one of my paintings on them for the rest of their life.

After that I became interested in tattoos and my friend, who was a tattooist at the time, said I should become one too. He told me that my drawings would make very special tattoos.

It was then that I knew I wanted to learn how to tattoo. Luckily I came across Soltattoo who was advertising for a student, so I contacted him and he became my teacher.

What does tattooing mean to you? It is a medium that allows me to bring together the memories of myself and the people I tattoo. When I paint a picture using my own memories and experiences my customers can also attach a meaning to the image that’s unique to them.

We meet through my paintings and that’s how we share each other’s stories.

What inspires your work? I get inspired by objects in my daily life and things I remember. I enjoy taking photographs in my free time and sometimes I bring motifs from them into my work. I can also get inspired by verses from my favorite songs.

What do you like to tattoo? I love cute animals and flowers!

How would you describe your style? I think my paintings and tattoos are in a fairytale and cottage core style. The objects I depict evoke memories and I draw them in warm colours. In terms of the practical side of tattooing I mainly use colour ink.

The thing that makes my tattoos different is that I don’t add contrast with black ink. The design is done with just colour ink.

So after the tattoo heals the colours don’t look dark, but instead appear transparent and clear. I think they heal more naturally without black ink being added.

The tattoo becomes a part of the body more like skin; this is what I like the most about my work.

Can you tell us about your proudest moment in your career? I always feel super proud when I can offer comfort to my clients with one of my tattoos.

I had a client who wanted a tattoo of her cat who had died a few years ago. Through her tattoo and the appointment we shared many stories and she found comfort. When I can share stories like this through my paintings I feel very proud of my job.

Why are tattoos so special? Tattoos are the best way I can describe and express myself. I have several tattoos and these explain my life, the person I am and my life’s motto.

Can you tell us about tattoo culture in Korea? In the past, Korea was a very conservative society where tattoos were considered to belong to gang members and men. Because of this people with tattoos were not given as many job opportunities and celebrities on TV had to hide their tattoos.

Recently a lot of young people have seen tattoos as a way to express themselves and so various tattoo styles have appeared and a tattoo trend is rising. Unlike in the past, colour and mini tattoos are becoming more common and now young women are getting them (more than 98% of my customers are female).

As tattoos become more common more artists are flowing into the tattoo world and more genres are emerging. This makes me really happy. Older people still have a bad perception of tattoos, but now tattoos don’t seem to have much of an impact on finding a job and celebrities on TV shows don’t feel obligated to cover up.

However, in Korea, tattooing is considered a medical practice. A group of tattooists called the ‘Tattoo Union’ is working hard to fix this. As people around the world pay attention to Korea’s tattoo technology and styles, I hope they will pay attention to this issue as well.

When are you happiest? I am very happy when I spend time with my cat and listen to my favourite songs. A lot of ideas for my tattoos comes to mind at times like this!

Also, I am happy when those who have received my work send me a thank you message. There were customers who said they found hope and courage when they looked at their tattoos and others who were grateful that they have memories they could remember for the rest of their lives. My heart bursts when I think about it and I’m at my happiest at times like this.

Make sure to follow @ovenlee.tattoo for more colourful tattoos.

Posted on

The Handpoke tattoos of Charlotte Bolton

Our founding editor Alice Snape spent the most gorgeous Friday afternoon inside the walls of The Gilded Rook Tattoo Studio, in Chesterfield. The studio owned by Liv Frost is up some winding stairs and it feels like an escape, there’s some seriously good vibes going on. Alice got tattooed by resident hand-poke tattoo artist Charlotte Bolton, who was gentle, patient, funny and warm; she tattooed meticulously in tiny movements while they chatted about lockdown / love / dogs (obvs). Our editor Rosalie Hurr caught up with Charlotte to find out more.

How long have you been tattooing? The Gilded Rook is the first professional studio I have worked in, and I started there in October 2020! Before then, I had been practising and teaching myself for about a year.

What inspired you to become a tattoo artist? I am a very creative person, and it has always been one of my career goals and dreams to be a tattoo artist. I just see it as another exciting art form to work in.

I’ve always had a massive interest in tattoos anyway, and knew I wanted to be covered in them myself! I also think it’s so special that people are willing to have your own unique artwork tattooed on them permanently.

I actually had a very short lived apprenticeship when I was 18. When I gave that up I always felt like I’d missed my chance at tattooing, so I’m super grateful that Liv (owner of The Gilded Rook) gave me the opportunity to come work in her studio.

Alice’s tattoo is an inky reminder of what brought her joy in lockdown – dogs and bunches of flowers!


What drew you to handpoking? Have you ever used a machine to tattoo? I actually tried out handpoking because I thought that it would be something I could teach myself and that would also be a lot safer and hygienic to do at home. I never actually realised that handpoke tattoos were done in professional studios before. When I realised that, it gave me the motivation to be really serious about learning it and being hygienic in the set up and process.

I also love how therapeutic it is. In my own creative practice, I’ve always enjoyed making things that are quite time-consuming and finicky, and I feel like there’s more control with handpoke, so it seems like the perfect technique for me. I did a few machine tattoos back when I was 18, but I would love to have a proper go at learning again some time. 

Can you tell us about your process and set-up. I am a very eco-conscious person, and obviously in tattooing there are a lot of single-use products that are mainly plastic based. So for my set-up, I try to be as eco-friendly as possible and I use plant-based covers and ink caps from Greenhouse Tattoo Supplies and sometimes tin foil for my trolley. For my needles, I simply tape them to wooden lollipop sticks with some cute washi tape!

I use exactly the same needles that are used in machine tattooing, but obviously it is all done by hand. Because of this, handpokes definitely take a lot longer than machine tattoos, but I personally think they hurt a lot less as they’re more gentle on the skin, which most of the time means the healing process is a lot quicker and nicer to deal with too!

What inspires your designs, how would you describe your style? I would say my style is cute, fun and playful! I love to draw animals and characters – sometimes I just can’t believe people want my silly drawings on them, I love it!

I get a lot of inspiration from things I just have lying around the flat, I’m such a hoarder for quirky little souvenirs from charity shops that I have an endless supply of objects to draw inspiration from! I also get a lot of fun custom ideas from people too, I recently did three little ducklings that were wearing a bucket hat, a sombrero and a leprechaun hat!? I have the best clients!

What do you love to tattoo and what would you like to do more of?At the moment I’m actually such a fan of tattooing writing, which I never expected! I would definitely love to do more writing, but anything animal or character related is always a fave for me. 

What would you like people to know about handpoke tattoos? Because handpokes are a bit of a niche and people don’t know much about them, everyone is scared of them! So I’d just like people to know that it is honestly a lot less terrifying than you imagine, I think it’s actually quite relaxing and a lot easier to deal with the pain (if any!). People also assume that handpokes aren’t permanent like machine tattoos, and although they may need a touch up in the future – they are definitely permanent.

Give Charlotte a follow on Insta.

Posted on

Cuteness overload with Little Rach

Rachel (Little Rach) tattoos at Luck and Love Tattoo in Darlington, UK where she creates, bright, bold and super cute tattoos. We chatted to Rachel about her style, inspirations and how she’s been spreading a little kindness during lockdown…

How long have you been a tattoo artist? I started my apprenticeship in 2016, so just over four years.

What drew you to the world of tattooing? I was always attracted to the alternative from a young age, noticing people with bright hair, piercings and tattoos. When I first started listening to heavier music as a teen, a lot of the bands I listened to had tattoos and I just thought it was so cool! As I got older and started getting tattooed myself I just loved everything about it.

I would buy tattoo magazines with my partner and we would sit and redraw our favourite designs from them for fun. I knew it was something I really wanted to get into.

I loved how tattoos looked but also the feeling it gave me to take ownership of my body and my choices in life (which at the time felt quite rebellious).

What inspires your work? I really like to collect vintage kitsch ornaments and kawaii toys, so I’m often inspired by things I surround myself with. I have always loved Sanrio characters and that look of cute animals or inanimate objects with big sparkly eyes. Sometimes I’m just inspired by a colour I see and I want to use it in a design.

How would you describe your style? I always struggle to answer this question because I find it difficult to say where I fit in, in terms of style. I guess cute and colourful with bold lines and a bit of sparkle. It developed from being taught how to tattoo in my apprenticeship.

I was taught by Kenny Ackerman who specialises in realism, so I learned colour blending techniques and the impact of a nice white highlight to make a tattoo pop. I was also taught by Ben Roberts who showed me the importance of clean solid line work and bold colour, so I have combined elements of the two techniques to come up with my style.

Has your style developed over time? My style has definitely developed over time. At the moment I’m really enjoying stripping my tattoos back – focusing on a solid line and saturated colour to make the design stand out on the skin. I am enjoying using a different colour palette – I have been using nice bright warm colours but contrasting them with more muted tones to give them a bit of a vintage feel.

What do you like to tattoo and what would you like to do more of? I love tattooing things with faces that wouldn’t normally have a face – stick a cute pair of eyes and a smile on a banana and I’m happy! Anything cute and colourful I love to do. I am also a HUGE fan of drag, so anything drag related I am always keen to do and would love to do more! It’s so much fun.

How have you found the pandemic, have you found time to be creative or been feeling blocked? The pandemic has been really tough. As someone who lives with anxiety and depression, it has been difficult for me to keep motivated and inspired at times. There have been times where I have had creative block for months and it becomes frustrating. I start to doubt my abilities and feel really low.

That being said, the lockdowns have given me the opportunity to explore my work in different ways, and come up with ideas that aren’t solely focused on tattooing or being a tattoo-able design. I guess being unable to tattoo takes the pressure off my art having to then be translated to a tattoo design – it can be anything it wants to be.

I’ve taken to drawing positive/inspiring messages within my art that represent things that have helped my mental health experience, trying to focus on gratitude and putting kindness into the world. 

What does tattooing mean to you and what does it mean to not be tattooing? Tattooing means the world to me. I feel so grateful to have been given the opportunity to tattoo and I’m so fortunate for the life it has given me. I have been so lucky to have such supportive people in my life who have encouraged me from the get go. I have met so many wonderful people, artists and clients, and it still blows my mind that people want to wear my artwork on their skin forever, I will never take that trust for granted.

Not being able to tattoo at the moment has been hard. Me and my partner, Ben Roberts, have our own private studio, so it has taken away a big chunk of our lifestyle. We love tattooing and everything about it, we owe everything we have and everything we do to tattooing. We miss being able to travel and see our pals across the UK, guesting in studios and doing conventions, and financially it is a worry as we both rely on tattooing for our income.

We are fortunate that we have people who are really supportive of our work and have bought prints and other bits and bobs from us, it really does make a difference and I encourage everyone to support small businesses and the arts during this tough time. I look forward to the day when there are no more lockdowns and I’m allowed to my give my clients a brew and a biscuit again when they come in the studio. 

Make sure to follow Little Rach on Instagram for more cute tattoos and artwork.

Posted on

Strength in softness: Claire Louise Tarrant

Claire Louise Tarrant creates cute girly tattoos with a tough edge at Gravity Tattoo in Leighton Buzzard. We chatted to Claire about her tattooing style and inspiration...

I was first inspired to become a tattoo artist when I was at university studying fine art. My work has always been illustrative, but I never thought tattooing could be a “grown up” career. Nowadays, I think it’s the most intense job I’ve ever had! I was very lucky with finding a studio where I could learn to tattoo, but found the male dominated studio and industry difficult to navigate.

When I first started dating, before I met my partner Josh, I got the typical weird questions about my tattoos and if it meant I liked pain. Even now I often get the odd customer who says comments such as “women with tattoos are sooooo sexy”. It’s boring! People who have loads of tattoos or can easily get tattooed, honestly forget that they’re a big thing to other people. 

I quit tattooing around three to four times due to anxiety and fear of what committing to tattooing meant. It’s such an amazing, insanely cool job, but it’s also overwhelming. It’s helped shape me as a person in more ways than I can count.

I’m now at a all female studio, Gravity, run by the fabulous Holly Astral. Having a female mentor who understands what being a woman in the industry means has given tattooing an entirely new light. It’s now fun and exciting! Tattooing makes me feel like my inner child is playing every single day; I get to be creative, I get to chat with exciting people all day and I get to travel around and discover new places all the time (well before lockdown I could).

I feel as though I’m doing what I was put on earth to do; I practice Reiki and I’m studying to become a counsellor as well. I get to use these tools I’ve learnt on clients too and I feel so connected to the people I tattoo and other tattoo artists. I hate getting tattooed as I’m a huge baby, but the powerful feeling of having another piece of art on me forever reminds me how clients must feel! 

I would describe my style as traditional, playful, feminine and illustrative with a pastel and muted colour palette. In the future I’d love to concentrate on traditional style pieces covered in glitter effects, pink and gold! 

I am massively inspired by history in my flash sheets and tattoo designs. I’m obsessed with the Tudor period; there’s something so magic about castles, weapons, royal flags and embroideries. I also love traditional styles of tattoo flash, but with the colour palette of mustard, gold, pink, mint and maroon.

I like the idea that something tough can be beautiful; women can soften anything!

I love tattooing flash sheet pieces; I only ever tattoo them once, so I like knowing that it’s been tailored colour wise to the client specifically. I do, however, love connecting with a client and understand them more to do a custom piece!