Tag: Tattoo Studio

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Interview with Holly Marie

Holly Marie is a 20-year-old Disney fanatic tea sipping tattooist who works out of Creative Body Art in Coventry, and creates kawaii bright cute tattoos. We chatted to Holly about her love for Disney, video games and  her tattoo collection… 

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How long have you been tattooing?  I have been tattooing professionally from Creative Body Art Tattoo Studio for a year this coming April! I am so pleased with my progress over the past year, but it is still just the beginning for where my work will go.

What drew you to the tattoo world?  My first interest in tattoos was way before I can remember, I have always been very into art and appreciated body modification from a young age. I used to watch the beautiful Kat Von D, when I was 13, and tattooing and collecting a large amount of tattoos became my ultimate dream; not one that I ever thought I would get the chance to fulfil though!

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What did you do before? 
Before I was a tattoo artist I had a couple of retail jobs whilst studying art at college and even considered training to be a dental assistant after receiving my art qualifications but I learnt quickly that I did not suit that career. Luckily I was in the right place at the right time and slowly made my way into the industry in 2013 through a two year apprenticeship which consisted of daily tasks, such as making coffee and sterilizing equipment for artists that I was learning from.

What do you like to draw and tattoo? My most preferred style to tattoo/design is bright and beautiful coloured pieces with bold lines! It still blows me away when people see my designs on social media and ask to have them transformed into tattoos but in general I just adore tattooing all of the fabulous quirky bright ideas that people trust in me to put on their skin. I genuinely find it hard to sleep from excitement if I know I am making (for example, some of my biggest passions) a Disney, Harry Potter or Pokémon tattoo the next day! But following that, I put heart into every tattoo that I do; no matter the size or design. From the smallest dainty infinity symbol to a half sleeve of tribal if it means something to the customer then creating it personally for them means everything to me.

Not just the artistic side of the job makes it the best job in the world though; talking and laughing with my clients is wonderful, I adore hearing the stories from every walk of life and I live to see the smile when they get that first look at their finished piece!

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What inspires you? I am inspired to work hard and put everything into what I do by my tattoo family at Creative Body Art, Joanne Leslie, Mia Joyce, Dave Boyle and our talented piercer/receptionist Jessica McGuinness. We are all so different style wise but we bounce off each other and encourage each other daily. When I am trying to inspire myself to create new designs my usual set up is a cup of tea, snuggled in pyjamas with a Disney film running in the background, pens and pencils at the ready with my noble steeds (Chihuahuas) by my side!

Are there any artists you admire, do they influence your work? I admire, respect and follow as many tattoo artists from around the globe as I can but would have to say our lovely local artists at Grizzly’s and Hales St are definitely ones that I will have to mention. They warmly welcomed me into this industry and I hope to see them for more tattoos/conventions with our team at Creative Body Art in the future!

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Can you tell us about your own tattoos? I collect a lot of bright and wonderful tattoos that I adore spread across my back, legs and arms! Mostly Disney, Alice in Wonderland and nature themed in a variety of styles and colours, although one exception is a black and grey portrait of my late grandad that I cherish dearly on my arm. I plan on growing my own tattoo collection as I develop more as a tattooist.

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Part Three – Mindful Wanderlust Vegan Travel Diary

Our guest blogger is Giselle, creator of Mindful Wanderlust – a travel blog about responsible travel, tattoos, and following a vegan lifestyle. This is the third of many posts to appear on th-ink, telling of her and her husband Cody’s travelling tales. If you have missed their previous travel posts catch up and read Part Two and Part One…

 

We made it to Tokyo! Before we even booked our flights to Japan I knew it was a country I really wanted to get tattooed in, so I spent some time back in Canada researching different artists.

After taking a look at their consistently beautiful bold artwork, I decided on American traditional for the design, I chose to go with the guys at Inkrat Tattoo in Tokyo. Rei is the owner of Inkrat Tattoo, and has been tattooing for over 22 years.  His shop is covered in art, new and old, and original flash from the 1950s hangs on the walls.

  I couldn’t stop picking out all of the pieces I wanted.

Prior to arriving at Inkrat I decided on a geisha and left the design up to Rei. I thought, “Other than a Sumo wrestler, what’s more Japanese than a geisha?” It’s the perfect souvenir from Japan.

I learned something very interesting and new about Japanese tattoo etiquette (or at least Rei’s tattoo etiquette) at the shop that day. Before arriving for my tattoo appointment, I was asked where I wanted the tattoo, and I said on the outside bottom of my left leg.

On the day of, Rei walked over to me to fit the design on my leg and it didn’t quite fit properly. I said “it’s ok, we can do it on my other leg” But Rei didn’t really respond, he just told me he would make it a little smaller so it would fit. A regular customer sitting across from me said that where I asked for the tattoo is where I am going to get it. The reason for this, is that the artist doesn’t want to inconvenience me, as I already chose the placement and he wants to respect that.

That came as a little bit of a surprise to me. I would have been perfectly fine with the tattoo on my right leg, but just hearing that he refused to put it on my other leg out of respect made me smile a little.

Respect – and integrity – seems to be an extremely important thing in the tattoo world among tattoo artists. It is something that really resonates with me, as integrity is hard to come by these days. I have a lot of respect for people who have a lot of respect for people. Go figure.

On top of my excitement over visiting and getting tattooed in Japan, arriving in Tokyo was a sensory overload. My senses were pulling me everywhere. The colours, the lights, the droves of people, and the, sometimes, disapproving stares from some of the locals.

Although tattoo shops are legal in Japan, the long history and mentality of tattoos being only for criminals and misfits has not yet dissipated.

The earliest signs of the Japanese getting tattooed date back to 5,000 BC. By the 7th century the Japanese adopted much of the same mentality that the Chinese had for tattoos, seeing them as barbaric and using them as a punishment for crimes committed.

In the middle of the 18th century Japanese tattooing was popularised by a Chinese novel with several of its heroes covered in tattoos. This novel influenced all Japanese culture and arts, but the yakuza also became interested in tattooing, further making it a tasteless form of art and self expression to many. The yakuza felt that because tattooing was painful, it was proof of courage, and because it was illegal, it made them outlaws forever.

Finally, tattooing in Japan was legalised in the 20th century, but to this day it is still taboo. People with tattoos cannot enter into any hot baths, so unfortunately we will not be visiting any onsen (hot springs) in Japan.

Thankfully the mentality of tattoos being only for criminals is dying out with the old generation and new generations are embracing their rich culture of the art of irezumi.

 It is an ancient craft that should be appreciated and respected for what it is, not looked down upon, because it is misunderstood.

As Japan tries to reclaim all of the beauty and positivity of this ancient art of expression; I feel honoured to be able to collect an original piece from a country so steeped in the tradition of tattooing.

Follow Giselle and Cody’s travels on their blog and Instagram

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Redwood Tattoo, Manchester

Established in October 2014, Redwood Tattoo Studio is already carving out a name for itself in the city of Manchester. The studio is home to four custom tattoo artists, each with their own style of artwork. A hand-picked, close-knit team that are as dedicated to the design stage, as they are with the quality of the final tattoo.

Chelsea Ladish specialises predominantly in watercolour and line-based pieces, Lauren Sutton in unique geometric and custom dotwork. Kieran Barnard translates his beautiful sketches onto the skin with bold lines complimenting the fluidity of his designs, and last but certainly not least, Chris Green is producing piece after piece of consistently solid neo-traditional.

With an underground vibe, Redwood is proving to be a new little gem in the already diverse and popular Northern Quarter. All enquiries can be made to redwoodtattoostudio@gmail.com or 0161 258 9252.

 

 

INTERVIEW WITH CHELSEA LADISH:

How did you get into tattooing? Becoming a tattoo artist is something that happened pretty organically for me. I have always had a healthy interest in the art of tattoos, and started my personal collection at the age of 19. It wasn’t until I was working in Brisbane, Australia, that I met the man who would eventually train me. I had booked into Westside tattoo studio, in the West End there, and chosen Lawrence Hocking to do my souvenir tattoo. I actually had to cancel my original appointment because I was moving home to England to drum for a band down south, but he overheard me chatting to the receptionist and managed to squeeze me in on his day off! I’ll always be thankful for that, because after leaving the band a year later, he offered me an apprenticeship at his new studio, Seventh Circle. I was incredibly lucky to be surrounded by such wonderful, dedicated artists. He took a chance on me, and I still appreciate that every day.

Backpiece by Chelsea Ladish

How would you describe your style? If I were to say I had a particular style, it would be a mixture of watercolour and lowbrow. I tend to use a lot of watercolour and black inks on my paintings, and that has bled across into the way I tattoo. I’m pretty changeable though, and like to try new things. I like that when artists develop as individuals, and experience different things in their own lives , it can be seen in what they create.

Robin Williams by Chris Green


How long have you been tattooing for? I have been tattooing since the summer of 2009.

Dotwork Raccoon by Lauren Sutton

Where do you get your inspiration from? I often get inspiration from the people that I surround myself with. I think on a personal level, I also draw inspiration from nostalgia, and the places that I have been/people that I’ve met along the way, fragments of time. I’ve always been quite wrapped up in keeping time. Journals, excessive amounts of photographs, all the good stuff. If you pay attention to these things, they can offer an infinite level of inspiration. There’s a richness to the small things that can often be overlooked. On a more superficial level, the artwork of bands that I loved growing up (particularly DEVO), skateboard culture graphics, 80’s popular culture and film, lowbrow artists such as Robert Crumb… I have a lot of time for Robert Crumb.

Inverted shaded skull by Kieran Barnard

If you weren’t a tattoo artist, what else would you be? There are a lot of things I’d like to try. I’d like a restaurant, the kind with a Cheers vibe, where everybody knows your name. I’d also get a huge kick out of making documentaries. Learning about different cultures and lifestyles for a living. I can definitely think of worse things.

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Skullduggery Tatu

Skullduggery Tatu is a custom tattoo studio based in Belfast. Both artists take inspiration from American Traditional tattoos, folk art and illustration. The results are powerful bold lines with a beautifully balanced colour palette; really strong and traditional.

 

After extensive travel, Helen McDonnell opened the studio in 2000, with tattoo artist Jenna McAleese joining her in 2011. The shop not only houses two female artists but also lends itself to travelling guest artists. You can also get tattooed by Helen and Jenna at various tattoo conventions.

To see all their recent work follow the artists  and shop on Instagram

@skullduggery_tatu    @helenskullduggery and  @jennamcaleese

The shop acts as a gallery space showcasing the work of not only local artists but international ones too. Previous exhibitions have displayed beautiful embroidery pieces and large-scale wall paintings. Also live performances take place within the intimate tattoo space.