Feature girl: Renee Ruin, Melbourne, Australia.
Renee Ruin – beautifully tattooed – publisher by day, blogger by night
Renee Ruin
Ruin by Dean Petty
Girl with skeleton by Jessica Swaffer - Third Eye Tattoo, Melbourne Australia
So Renee, what do you do? I work in book publishing, dealing with international co-editions. So put basically, I get popular children’s books published in other languages for foreign countries like Estonia, Finland, Sweden, Latvia, Lithuania, Russia and Japan. After work I spend my time blogging on my site and also other sites I contribute to and catching up on pop culture and playing with my spoilt brat dog, Bowie.
Skulls by Dean PettyAngelique Houtkamp "Geraldine" by Jane Laver - Chapel Tattoo, Melbourne Australia
What got you into tattooing?
I got my first tattoo at 18 to commemorate moving out of home and eight hours away. That was the beginning. Then I started getting tattoos every time something eventful happened in my life, good or bad. I wanted to try and get something tattooed each year around my birthday as a marker. I also lived with a tattooist for four years so that lead to a lot of random tattoo additions.
What inspires you?
Life, love, death, friends, family, art, film and books. All my tattoos are related somehow to one of those things or more than one of those things.
Do your tattoos have meanings?
Definitely personal meaning. A lot of them are reminders of particular times in my life and are a personal reminder of a triumph or tragedy. A few are purely aesthetic, but my large pieces all have some personal meaning or personal event attached to them.
Daddy by Dean Petty
Are you planning more tattoos?
Most definitely. I’m planning an awesome custom piece for my left thigh which is an amalgamation of Angelique’s style, JT Leroy’s book and Asia Argento’s movie The Heart is Deceitful Above All Things. I am also planning this awesome little ode to my dog Bowie, artist Rik Lee is designing it. I definitely want to fill in my right arm with some patchwork traditional pieces and I’d love a beautiful piece to complete my left arm to compliment Micah Caudle‘s beautiful lady, I’d love Rose Hardy to design something a little darker to compliment it.
Feet Roses by Dean PettyCustom girl by Micah Caudle - Flying Panther, San Diego, CA, USA.
How would you describe your style?
My tattoo style is definitely more traditional mixed with a subtle darker edge. I love girls and skeletons. Do you have a favourite tattoo artist?
Far too many to choose just one. My personal fave to get tattooed by is Jane Laver who did both my Angelique pieces. But I love so many different tattooists and their differing styles.
Boy with antlers based on Sculpture by Beci Orpin by Jake RolfeAngelique Houtkamp 'Madeleine" by Jane Laver - Chapel Tattoo, Melbourne AustraliaDie Trying by Zoe Lethbridge (unfinished)
Get your tat out Renee Ruin.
What got you into tattooing?
