tattoos Archives - Page 14 of 91

February 4, 2019

Interview with Tattooist Ell Torres

Ell Torres is a 31-year-old tattoo artist based at the Gold Room Tattoo (formerly Dock Street Tattoos) on Crown Street in Leeds UK. We chat to Ell about her love for all things vintage horror and her tattooing style…

When did you start tattooing and what made you want to join the industry? I started an apprenticeship in 2009, as a single mum I worked another job at the same time to keep the bills paid as most apprenticeships are not paid. Although I was within a studio I wouldn’t say I was given much guidance, looking back I was probably more of a glorified (and unpaid) receptionist but it got my foot in the door so I kept going. Tattooing was something I wanted to get into since I was 18, although I was always interested in tattooing and was tattooed myself it wasn’t as popular back then as it is now (especially for females) I guess it just never crossed my mind as an option when leaving school.

What did you do before? Did you study art? I studied art and design straight from school and went straight to university to study textiles and surface pattern design I enjoyed fashion mostly. I loved college but struggled with jumping through hoops at uni, someone mentioned my work was very tattoo inspired so it was a bit of a lightbulb moment for me. I left uni in my second year and started working full time. I found an apprentishship around three years later, a year after my son was born. It’s been a struggle and it’s taken a lot of hard work but it’s what I wanted to do and it’s been worth it so far.

How would you describe your style? Which do you love tattooing more colour or blackwork? I find it difficult to describe my tattooing style as I guess it’s just naturally evolved. I do like to dabble in a few different styles, I guess it’s always very vintage and retro inspired. From films, posters, comic books, botanical illustrations from flowers to animals, I tend to do a lot of planchettes and vintage horror and spooky inspired images. I can sway toward neo trad, comic, realism and ornate depending on what the subject is. Although I’d say my work preference is colour, I’m happy to work with both black and grey or colour.

What inspires you? Are there any artists you admire? I really enjoy b movies and retro/vintage horror along with other genres particurly directors such as Tarantino, Guillermo del Toro and Rob Zombie. In terms of art and artists whom inspire me I love Mexican folk art, J H Lynch, Vladimir Trenchikoff, Edward Hopper, art nouveau, Renaissance, gothic, vintage advertisement posters and movie related art from horror to Cuban travel etc. – the list goes on!

I admire many tattoo artists although I particularly enjoy the work of Teresa Sharpe, Onnie O’Leary, Adam White and Alex Wright. But it’s safe to say I work with some incredible artists at my current studio who all inspire me everyday with their talent – Sneaky Mitch, Rich Wells, Abbie Williams and Sam Rivers.

Do you have any guestspots or conventions planned? I have never done a guest spot before but it’s something I’m considering, although I’m a bit of a home bird. But I will be working at the Scottish Tattoo Convention this year for the second time and possibly the Leeds Tattoo Convention both of which I always enjoy.

January 29, 2019January 29, 2019

Interview with Tattoo Artist Liv Frost

24-year-old tattooist Liv Frost works out of Tattoo HQ, Chesterfield, UK where she creates amazing blackwork tattoos. We chat to Liv about her recognisable style and love for patterns found in nature…

LFrost

When did you start tattooing and what made you want to join the industry? I joined Tattoo HQ seven years ago in March. I had been searching for a shop to take me under their wing as an apprentice for quite a while beforehand and then I got introduced to Brenden Jones and Chris Cross the owners. Who I not only look up to as inspirational tattooists and bosses but also like father figures (I’ve got a tattoo for them on my leg saying “HQ Pops”). Truly lucky and grateful to have to them in my life and for everything they have done for me over the years.

What did you do before tattooing? Did you study art? I did an art and design BTec at Chesterfield college when I left school, specialising in ceramics and jewellery making in my first year and then textiles in my second year. Looking back at old sketchbooks and pieces drawn/made throughout this time, they all reference tattoos, whether that be the style or the history. Tattooing was something I’ve always just been drawn to and interested in. I’ve always had a strong mindset – if you want something bad enough, you have to go out and do it, regardless of what others say, you’ve got to do it for you!

How would you describe your style? What drew you to blackwork? I originally started out wanting to tattoo traditional based work, but something wasn’t quite right. I’m a lover of textures, a mix of line thicknesses and patterns. I think that’s why I use a heavier lines for the main outline of my work though as I like that bold statement that traditional work gives. When I was apprenticing I used to draw on little wooden boxes to sell and Bren and Chris suggested I tried some dotwork out on them. I loved it and I would happily sit for hours dotting away on them. I then drew flash sheets of bugs and butterflies in this style and it all started from there. Just black, dots and lines. Various textures creating depth and forever learning what liner would create the best dotted fade or how adding the smallest of line details can make such a great impact on a piece. When tattooing I only show the customer the main outline of the piece and add all the fine linework and dotwork as we go along. I find that this way, the piece flows better! Trusting customers are everything!

What inspires you and what would you love to tattoo? I love butterflies and moths, the unique prints on them and just like leaves and petals, the impressions from their veins. I love tattooing floral pieces and mandala/pattern work, I’ve found they go hand in hand with each other for creating larger scale work! Another of my favourite things to tattoo is small frilled hearts with anything inside them – often writing or something Disney related! I’d love to tattoo more large scale pieces, I’ve got a few back pieces coming up that I’m really looking forward to and this year I’m definitely going to focus on drawing up more flash sheets based around nature, patterns and of course some more Disney will pop up in there!

Do you have any guest spots or conventions planned? I currently don’t have anything lined up for any guest spots or conventions but I’m definitely going to change that! My books reopen in March so by that time I’m hoping to have a few shops booked for guesting at! I always post about anything up and coming on my Instagram and work Facebook page!

January 21, 2019

Kewpie Tattoos

If you’ve been following us for a while, you’ll know that we’re just crazy about kewpies. We first shared our love for these adorable dolls in Number 3 of Things&Ink magazine – The Love Issue. Now we’re seeing that a lot of tattoo collectors and tattoo artists share our feelings for these little cuties…

@rat666tat

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@drewlinden

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@_cattnip

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@jodydawber

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@juliazombitattoo

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@showpigeon

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@attackofthe50footwoman

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@monikadarling

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Do you have a kewpie tattoo? Tag us in your photo on Instagram so we can see it!

January 19, 2019

How Getting a Tattoo after Rehab Helped me to Stay Sober

Shaira is a marketing supervisor of a retail store in Denver City, Colorado, and this is how her personally designed tattoos helped her to stay sober. The 26-year old shares how she started getting some ink after successfully getting out of rehab, and how it led her to design tattoos for others…

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When did you start getting a tattoo? I was actually 21 years old then. I had just got out from rehabilitation in Colorado and felt that I needed a diversion. I came across the Things&Ink blog and saw how liberating it was to have that freedom to do art on your own body. I was more enticed when I saw the other guest bloggers whom themselves are tattooed. It was also that time when Ink Master and other similar shows started to gain traction. I got hooked.

Before then I was hanging out with older people who became my friends. They taught me how to drink alcohol until I barely was sober. That was when my parents sent me to rehab. When I got out, ink became my diversion. I started designing for myself, and since then, I would get one whenever I found myself desiring alcohol.

How many tattoos do you have right now? I actually have 70, most of my tattoos were inked soon after my release from rehab. The urge to go back to drinking was much stronger then and the feelings of depression were still strong. So, I got one after the other. It’s both a good thing and a bad, that I am gaining more control over my desire to go binge drinking because I feel more free from the disorder. Unfortunately, I no longer have that extra reason to get myself tattooed again.

What prompted you to start designing tattoos? One of my closest friends saw me designing my tattoo one time. She was amazed and wanted one for herself, but I was hesitant back then. This was something that I was mainly doing for me, and I didn’t have the courage to do other designs. But I started checking out sites of other tattoo artists and found that designing can be learned. The artist in me was awakened. I believe that it helped me to get over my depression and squashed my desire to abuse alcohol.

Can you tell us more about tattoos helped you overcome alcohol abuse? It was in one of my Denver AA meetings that I encountered the idea again of doing art as part of the substance abuse treatment. It was part of my treatment package when I was in rehab, but it was not my time yet. It did not strike me much then probably because I was still not ready to leave my addiction behind me. The experience proved to me that the process of rehabilitation really takes time. Just like how I acquired my alcohol dependence which became a full-blown disorder, being treated from it is a step by step process. One cannot just wake up and feel relieved from alcohol addiction.

I started studying the relationship of art as part of rehabilitation from substance abuse disorder. I read a couple of articles online and realized that art therapy and music therapy are vital aspects of complementary and alternative medical practices (CAM). CAM shows a positive effect when implemented parallel to the implementation of treatment programmes for substance use disorders that are evidence-based. When someone finds a healthy way of channeling his or her creative energies through art therapy, their attention is diverted to more positive activities. People like me who suffer from a substance use disorder are provided that comfort from art, and we are relieved of our worries and burdens, especially concern over remission.

What encouraged you to share your experience? The increasing statistics of people experiencing substance use disorder, especially alcohol use disorder, is really bothersome. I underwent the same battle, and I know how difficult it is once the person is already alcohol dependent. But there is hope. That hope is the main reason I’m sharing my experience.

I want more people to know, especially women, that it is not the end of the battle. There are options available for treatment. Rehabilitation facilities offer different treatment options for recovery. Grab the opportunity to free yourself from that disorder. As per my part, I will be willing to help anyone in any way I can. I offer my services to those suffering from substance abuse disorder who want to have a tattoo. I have shared some of my designs to other members of the AA meetings Denver area. I know it is a small favor that I have given them, but it also makes me happy to know that I have a share in their recovery.

Interview by writer Patrick Bailey

January 14, 2019

Careers: Tattooed Critical Care Nurse

28-year-old Imogen Crisp is a critical care nurse in Manchester who sports an impressive tattoo collection. We caught up with Imogen to find out about her job, what sort of reactions her tattoos get, as well as how she feels as a heavily tattooed woman…

How long have you been working in your current role? I have been a nurse for four years and worked in my current role for three and a half.

What do you love about your job and what do you find difficult? I love my job because of the sense of reward I get for caring for someone and their loved ones in some of the darkest times. To connect with a person at their most vulnerable and even if only slightly makes it more bearable. I have seen the beauty of the arrival of life, the suddenness of the end of it and every stage in-between. Who can say that for a job? Before becoming a nurse, I felt my life had no real direction or focus, now (fingers crossed) I have a whole career ahead of me and a real sense of purpose. It’s a humbling job and makes you appreciate what you have in life. I have also met some of my closest friends through this work, there is no deeper friendship than a nursing one, trust me.

The most difficult parts of being a nurse I guess is sometimes it can be emotionally draining, you become attached to patients and families and having to see them in some of the toughest times never gets any easier. Also the sense of weight on your shoulders, that you have someone’s life in your hands and you can’t have an off day. You often find yourself sacrificing your own needs to make sure you get everything done for that patient, the old cliché but I have gone 12 hours without a wee. In saying all this though, the good most certainly outweighs the ‘bad’ there is nothing in this world I would rather do.

Are you allowed to show your tattoos at work? Our uniform covers most areas anyway, but you still must be bare below the elbow so any lower arm tattoos are visible and don’t have to be covered.

How do you think attitudes are changing towards tattoos, especially in healthcare? I have never had any issues with my tattoos at work, colleagues and patients have only ever had positive things to say, it can be a good conversation starter at times. Colleagues who don’t have tattoos or who come from cultures where tattoos are not as ‘popular’ find them very interesting and want to know more about them.

I like to think that attitudes are changing for the better towards tattoos not only in healthcare. People are becoming more open minded, and wouldn’t judge me on my capability as a nurse because I am tattooed which when I first started was a big fear of mine. So far four years in and it’s not happened.

What sorts of reactions do your tattoos get? Outside of work the majority of my tattoos are on my lower body, so if they are out, you get the odd few stares and comments, usually men shouting ‘nice tattoos love’ which I just politely smile at, other times people are genuinely interested in the art or meaning behind my tattoos. I think heavily tattooed girls still has a bit of stigma attached to it, more so than men, people see it as more of a shock factor for a girl to be so covered, but attitudes are changing we will get there eventually.

Do these differ when you’re at work? In work I only have one or two that poke out the sleeve of my uniform, people usually ask what it is and if they can see it properly, I am always happy to show, its usually only positive reactions.

Have tattoos helped you to love your body? Absolutely! I knew from a young age I wanted tattoos, and would spend time planning what and where, I didn’t get all the ones I had planned at 16 (thank god) but I did start as soon as I was 18 and now my body is a story of my life. I have tattoos that have meaning, tattoos that remind me of dark times in life, and tattoos from friends and ex’s (wouldn’t recommend but here we are!) I regret none of them, and I believe they make my body beautiful and even more individual.

Is there a particular tattoo that means the most to you? I have yellow roses on my thigh with banners that say ‘Nana’ and ‘Mumma’ the two strongest, women that influence in my life. I idolise them both, when my nana passed all my cousins also got a yellow rose tattoo as it was her favourite flower. I have script that says ‘Good night, God bless’ which is something my grandad still says to me every day. And I even have me as a pin up style nurse, which I got after being qualified for a year.

Do you have any future tattoo plans? At the moment nothing is booked, I’m thinking about getting my back done, but my god does the pain get worse with age! I don’t quite know if I’ve got it in me yet. Maybe something a little smaller.