Things and Ink Archives - Page 5 of 47

January 24, 2024January 24, 2024

“I find small things in everyday life – I contemplate whether those elements can be expressed through a tattoo,” interview with tattoo artist, Chou

When Korean tattoo artist Chou (@chou_tatt) was becoming curious about the wider world, a serendipitous email landed in her inbox from Chronic Ink tattoo shop in Toronto, Canada. She grabbed the chance to work there without hesitation and moved from her native Korea to her current home of Canada. Here she shares more about her tattoo journey…

What first made you fall in love with tattoos? Do you have a strong first memory?

I first learned about tattoos when I was 16. The guy was a sort-of gangster, I supposed, but also an artist in the Irezumi genre – he always drew dragon faces. At that time, tattoos in Korea were associated with the underground culture of gangsters. I found it quite shocking.

A few years later, I came across a watercolour tattoo by a Korean artist named Graffiti. He gave his client a vibrant red plum blossom on their side. Seeing that artwork, I realised that tattoos could truly be beautiful art forms. This experience became the catalyst for my love of tattoos.

What made you want to become a tattoo artist?

The job seemed cool. The idea of giving people lifelong art on their bodies really appealed to me. Before getting tattoos on my own body, I wanted to understand the principles of tattooing. So, I started learning about tattoos.

How long have you been tattooing for and how did you practice?

I think it’s been around five years now. I fell into the world of tattooing, and I’ve been searching for many teachers. I’ve had four tattoo teachers…

We absolutely adore your beautiful style, how would you describe it?

I’m an artist who uses rich and sophisticated colour palettes to beautifully adorn the body parts that customers desire.

Where does your inspiration come from?

It seems like I always find something small in everyday life. When exposed to certain visual stimuli, I contemplate whether those elements can be expressed through a tattoo. If it seems feasible, I quickly jot down notes. When I feel the desire to create a design, I revisit those notes, allowing me to filter out the ones that align more with my criteria.

You’re currently based in Canada, what brought you there and why?

While working in Korea, I became curious about the wider world. The tattoo market in Korea had less demand compared to the supply. By chance, Chronic Ink – the shop I now work at in Toronto – reached out to me and I came to Canada!

How do you like to work with your customers to bring designs to life?

It’s incredibly exciting when customers suggest interesting themes to me. Especially, the tattoo ideas featuring blue chrysanthemums, eyeballs, and pocket mice. These have been the most amusing topics in my life. When expressing my own colour palette with various themes, I fall in love with my job all over again.

Is it a collaboration, or do you prefer to have full control of your work?

Well, most of my customers trust me completely. They simply tell me the themes they want, and there’s little to no need for further adjustments when I send them the designs. Thankfully, my clients genuinely trust and respect me.

If a customer has a firm idea of what they want, and it slightly differs from my opinion, I tend to show them a few examples to broaden their choices. Since a tattoo is something that lasts a lifetime once done, I consider this aspect to be very important.

Do you tattoo flash pieces or mostly custom?

I like both, but working with flash pieces is a bit easier. That’s because the completed images are already visualised in my mind, and I just need to bring them to life. So, I sell flash pieces at a bit more affordable prices.

What are your hopes and dreams for the future?

It’s truly wonderful for me that my profession gives me happiness and I find joy in touching my customers through my work. I genuinely feel blessed. I hope to continue experiencing this happiness in the future and share it with others.

Do you have any plans to travel for guest spots?

I will be working in the UK and Germany from March. If anyone would like to meet me, please contact me through the profile link on my Instagram, @chou_tatt.

Be sure to follow @chou_tatt on Instagram and fill her guest spot spaces.

We’re always talking to amazing tattoo artists, check out our latest interviews.

January 23, 2024January 23, 2024

“The idea is to convert scars into something pretty; to transform a difficult experience into something beautiful,” interview with Tina Caruso

Tattoo artist Tina Caruso (@tinacarusodot) tattoos at Buzz Club in Leeds. Here she talks about her journey into the tattoo industry, never giving up on her dreams and her new project, the ‘pay as you feel campaign’ for those who’ve had mastectomies…

How long have been tattooing and how did you get started in the industry?

When I was 19, I started out of curiosity. My parents helped me buy my first tattoo machine and get my licence – I started tattooing from their house. At the time, in my small hometown in the south of Spain, there weren’t any tattoo studios.

I moved to the UK in 2016 and tattooing stopped being a priority for me, it wasn’t until 2018 that I tried to find an apprenticeship – I didn’t have much luck. So, I kept practising at home, I started English classes and I found the tattooing style I wanted to go for and put together a professional portfolio. I finally started in my first tattoo studio, Skinz, at the end of 2019.

What inspired you to be an artist? Do you have a background in art?

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been painting or drawing. I’ve also experimented with a range of media. I fell in love with oils. My mum’s house is covered in canvases. She has always pushed my creativity.

For me, becoming a tattoo artist came from the urge to be an artist. I felt that selling my art through tattoos would be an easier way to make a living. Now that I feel more settled in the tattoo industry, I can’t wait to start painting my canvases again and combine them with tattooing.

How would you describe your style? Have you always tattooed like that?

No, I started very young, with no guidance – not even YouTube to help me. I didn’t have anyone to ask about styles, so I started with the most popular style: Old School.

I’ve always been curious to try other styles – my first ever portfolio was chaos. It wasn’t until a year before I started working in my first ever tattoo studio that I began to stick to one style. It was dotwork, a very illustrative style – my designs and tattoos would be done dot by dot.

In the studio, I learnt how to whip shade, so I could start evolving my style. It became very dainty with small details creating fine-line realism. I’ve moved more towards surrealism, even more fine, delicate and smooth.

What inspires your designs?

Nowadays, my designs are inspired by people’s emotional scars and happy stories.

I would say daily life and storytelling inspires me the most.

For my personal projects I always use myself for inspiration: a bad moment, a certain situation I disliked, mostly negative emotions I’ve felt over the years. I would paint self portraits, not necessarily realistic, but to express what I felt in that moment and use it as a healing process.

Now I create more realistic looking pencil drawings, filled with certain emotions I have felt at some point. I find objects, human figures, animal, flowers, plants or anything that symbolises what I feel in the moment or relate to in some way.

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

I like to challenge myself with things I’ve never drawn before, this is what keeps tattooing exciting for me.

I’m feeling a bit experimental lately with human figures. I find I’m attracted to them every time I create. I find mythology from any culture exciting. Mostly mythological creatures, as I think these are very hard to capture. I’m learning to make them look real without losing the magical or ethereal look of them.

Can you tell us about your latest project?

The ‘pay as you feel campaign’ is a free service for those who’ve had mastectomies – if there is any exchange of money – but there doesn’t have to be – it will go to charity. I would love to tattoo more over scars and I’d love to help anyone who has had a mastectomy or top surgery.

The idea is to convert scars into something pretty; in other words, to transform a difficult experience into something beautiful.

I want to combine my profession with a social cause, as well as positively impact lives through my art.

How do you see your tattoos evolving in the future?

I am a very changeable person, I’m always creating and experimenting. I would love to start larger scale pieces, not necessarily bigger tattoos, just covering more of the body. They’d have lots of the delicate detail but would be spacious compositions that work with the body.

Do you think tattoos need to have a meaning or story behind them?

I prefer them to have a story. It helps my creative process so I can conjure up something different and unique every time. But I don’t think this is necessary, tattoos can be funny or for no reason. As long as they make the person happy and don’t offend anyone.

What was your first tattoo? Do you still like it? How has your tattoo collection developed since then?

I got my first tattoo when I was 19, it’s a line-work Converse shoe. I did it myself, in my bedroom. Fine-line tattooing wasn’t a thing until recently, so I had loads of colour traditional and black work tattoos.

I started covering everything two years ago, with a blackout from my left arm going down my back and finishing at my bum… for now. I decided to go for a neotribal bodysuit, as I feel it is a much more elegant and less noisy style.

Where’s been your favourite place to travel and tattoo? Do you have any guest spots planned?

I haven’t had the luck to travel outside the UK with my work yet. But, 2024 is full of guest spots, and I can’t wait – I’ll be travelling all over the UK. I’ll also be going to LA in September, so I will try to work in San Francisco and Mexico. But, nothing is confirmed yet. I’m also planning a full month in Germany, after the US. I am very much looking forward to these guest spots, seeing all these new places and meeting new tattoo artists.

What’s the tattoo scene like where you are?

Leeds is a very artistic and youthful city. I feel very lucky to be part of a team with young creatives and talented artists like the Buzz Club family. It is a great city to be an artist, even more so a tattoo artist.

What do you do when you’re not tattooing or drawing?

Emails! Tattooing is a 24/7 job. But when I have the free time, I love to go to the countryside, mostly in the summer, and in the winter, you will find me in any art gallery or exhibition. I find them very inspiring and sometimes I’m lucky enough to meet new artists while I visit their exhibitions.

What moment in your career are you most proud of?

When I moved from Spain to the UK at that young age, it definitely marked a before and after in myself. I kept pushing to become a tattoo artist – even when I wasn’t good enough.

The second was when, with no previous apprenticeship, I started working in a real tattoo studio as a real tattoo artist. All the effort wasn’t for nothing. I finally got into the tattoo industry.

And the last, the moment I learnt that every one of us has a different path, and it’s okay to have a rest when following your dream. It’s hard work, but never give up even if it takes years. You’ll get there if you put effort and care into what you do.

Follow Tina Caruso (@tinacarusodot) on Instagram for more beautiful tattoos. She works at Buzz Club in Leeds.

We’re always talking to amazing tattoo artists, check out our latest interviews.

January 5, 2024February 18, 2024

“I fell in love with the process of tattooing and that love has been with me all my life,” interview with tattooist Dmitrii Palkin

We sat down to have an in-depth chat with tattoo artist Dmitrii Palkin who tattoos from Mimik Tattoo, in Charlotte, NC.

What first made you fall in love with tattooing? Do you have a very strong first defining memory?

Of course. It was in Russia. I was 10 years old and I saw the movie From Dusk till Dawn for the first time. George Clooney was so cool and he had a big brutal tattoo on his arm. This movie impressed me so much that I couldn’t sleep all night… I became a fan of tattoos after that.

What tattoos are on your own body? How old were you when you got your first? Do they tell a story – or are they more random? Do you still enjoy getting tattooed?

I only have five tattoos on my body… but that’s two arm sleeves, one leg sleeve , and my whole back and chest!

I got my first tattoo done by myself when I was 13 years old. I put together my own machine out of a spoon, guitar string instead of a needle, a ballpoint pen and a motor from a CD player. It was a very bad machine and the result was the same. It was a hieroglyph and I have no idea what it means. But from then on, I fell in love with the process of tattooing and that love has been with me all my life.

How did you become a tattoo artist? Is it a constantly evolving process?

After graduating from university, I tried my hand at different fields, but I always felt out of place. The love for tattoos is something I’ve always felt.

In one of the hard moments of life, when I lost everything, I decided that this would be the best moment for the dream to become a reality. I gave myself six months to try my hand at being a tattoo artist. It was the best decision of my life. I started learning how to tattoo every day. And this learning doesn’t end even now, seven years later.

How would you describe your style?

Black and white tattoo, microrealism, fineline.

What inspires you? Do you have any artists you admire?

I am very inspired by Dmitry Troshin, Sergey Murdoc, Sashatattooing, Orge Kalodimas. They are very cool masters, and besides their work I am inspired by the fact that they achieve everything by themselves.

Do you have any guest spots planned? Where and how do customers book in?

Yes, I plan to visit many different states in the US, I want to explore California, Florida, Vegas. To book a session with me, you can use any means of communication. Instagram direct or email Palkin@mimiktattoo.com.

You specialise in covering scars, how did that come about and what do you love about it?

I once had a situation where my wife badly burned her leg and I lived the recovery journey with her. She was left with scars after the incident and after healing I offered to help her cover them with a tattoo. When I announced on my blog that I was willing to help other women cover their scars as well, I saw huge feedback.

I started getting hundreds of hard tragic stories and pictures of scars sent to me. It was heartbreaking to read them, but I felt compelled to make their lives better. Scars are the heartache of thousands of women.

What’s different about tattooing scarred skin and what should customers think about if they have scars they’d like to tattoo over?

Tattooing over a scar is much more difficult to do than over just a skin. It takes a lot of experience to choose the right design and control the depth of the piercing. In the inexperienced hands of an artist, overlapping a scar will look like mush/a bruise. Not all scars can be resurfaced, sometimes I send clients to a dermatologist for a consultation to get the go-ahead.

We love how open and honest about your past you are on social media, why is that important to you?

Thank you so much! When I talk about my past, I get a lot of feedback from those who are having a hard time right now. And by seeing my journey and what I’ve come to, people see hope for a brighter future. It’s important for me to spread the message, it’s in my recovery programme. It’s also important for me to remind myself where I came from.

You’ve recently moved to the USA, where were you before and what made you make the move? What’s next?

All my life I have lived and worked in Russia and travelled a lot to other countries. America was my childhood dream. And I am happy that I have had this opportunity. America is a great country and I am honoured to work here now and learn the American culture!

December 30, 2023January 11, 2024

“I like to be quite free and experimental with my artwork” – interview with tattoo artist Meg Roberts

Tattoo artist Meg Roberts (@meg.the.cyclopz_) creates blackwork and dotwork tattoos at The Drawing Room in Coventry. We chatted to Meg about her style, her love of cats and the reason she fell in love with tattooing…

How long have you been tattooing?

I’ve been tattooing for four years now. Two of which were my tattoo apprenticeship.

What made you want to become a tattoo artist?

I’ve wanted to become a tattoo artist since I was five years old. I always had a strong passion for art and was fascinated by people who were heavily tattooed – I thought they looked so much cooler than the average person… Also I only had one family member who had any tattoos and that was my grandad who was a massive influence in my younger life.

He sadly passed away when I was seven and since then I’ve wanted to make him proud doing something that I love.

Can you remember the first tattoo you ever did?

I’ll never forget the first tattoo because it’s on me! It’s a little trad-style flower on my ankle.

It’s definitely not the best but I’ll always keep it to remember where I came from – no matter where I go in my career.

How would you define your style? How has this changed since you started?

My style is very much a mixture of blackwork and dotwork. I like making things quite detailed and illustrative but I’m heavily influenced by traditional art work, too. My style doesn’t fall into the traditional category at all though – it’s cute but also has gothic hints, which is very fitting with my personality.

I originally thought I would be a traditional artist, but the traditional style has too many rules to follow and I like to be quite free and experimental.

What do you love to draw and tattoo?

My favourite thing to draw has got to be animals – epecially cats. I’m a massive cat lover but I love drawing literally any animal because they have such amazing features. I also enjoy drawing eyes and faces because every one is so unique – which creates great artwork.

What would you like to do more of?

One thing I definitely want to do more of is cathedral buildings. I did some recently and thoroughly enjoyed them. I think they’re very fitting with my gothic style, too – I can really bring out my creative side in those sorts of designs.

Have you seen any trends in the themes you’re tattooing?

I always get asked for completely different things all the time, which I love because it always keeps it interesting for me. But there are definitely popular trends in tattooing at the moment: angel numbers, cherubs, dragons and even tribal has made a massive comeback.

What was your first tattoo?

My first tattoo was a classic rose on my forearm. I had it done on my 18th birthday because I just couldn’t wait any longer. It’s probably not something I would get done now but I still love the tattoo because of the memories attached to it.

Do you have a favourite tattoo experience?

My favourite tattoo experience was probably getting my first one because of how long I’d waited and the build-up to it. I was so excited yet so nervous, but once it started and I realised it was nowhere near as painful as I thought I was completely fine and just wanted more. I ended up booking back in two weeks later.

Where can people find you and how can clients get in touch with you?

I’m based at The Drawing Room in Fargo Village in Coventry in the UK. It’s an absolute delight working there with some lovely talented artists who have helped me grow both as an artist and as a person. The best way to get in contact with me is through Instagram.

Any future plans you’d like to tell us about?

My future plans include doing some more guest spots around the country and maybe other countries when I’m brave enough. I’d also love to do a convention next year because I’ve never done one before and would love to see what it’s all about.

Make sure you follow @meg.the.cyclopz_ for more blackwork tattoos.

We’re always talking to amazing tattoo artists, check out our latest interviews.

December 22, 2023January 12, 2024

‘Tis the season – Christmas tattoos

We love the twinkling lights, frosty mornings, hot chocolates piled high with cream and marshmallows. The joy of writing Christmas cards and making your own with family and pet portraits. Christmas is a special time of year, filled with traditions and loved ones.

It seems that you all love it too – from festive food to Father Christmas, we chat to tattoo artists and collectors about their Christmas tattoos and the stories behind them...

Tattoo artist Missi Blue @tattoosbymissiblue

“My life is so hectic and busy all the time, Christmas is the time of year that I’m forced to slow down and take a break. I spend time with people I never get to see, and I just truly enjoy the entire process of gift giving. Shopping, wrapping and seeing the smile on their faces when they open their present. I love creating that Christmas magic for everyone.”

“I think a lot of my Christmas tattoos are inspired by vintage Christmas because it reminds me of decorations my parents and grandparents had when I was a kid. I just love the style of the ’50s in general too, so a lot of my designs are inspired by that time period.”

Tattoo collector Riley @oddfingers

“I’ve always had such an infinity for Christmas from a young age, I’ve recently started collecting vintage Christmas items from the ’30s through to the ’80s and I wanted to immortalise the nostalgia into a leg piece. My tree tattoo is a nod to an aluminium tree, the colours are supposed to represent how the tree is illuminated by a colour wheel.”

“We’re planning to add more vintage items such as Putz Houses, Mercury bead garlands, and vintage ornaments. I haven’t seen the design yet but I have given Angie full reign to do whatever she wants”

Tattoo artist Angie Meuth @angiemeuth

“Riley is my Christmas client, and we’re always giggling when we do their tattoos, they’re just so fun…’

‘I love Christmas too. One of my fave memories from when we were kids, is me and my brothers waking up in the middle of the night on Christmas Eve hoping to catch Santa in his sleigh in the night sky. As an adult, it’s more missing what my mom used to do to make it special – like Christmas breakfast and not having to tell her a Christmas list because she always knew the perfect gift. My mom passed away on 22nd December 2021, so Christmas is much harder these days without her.”

Tattoo artist Verity Turner @tattoosbyverityturner

“My client came in asking for a full calf vintage style Father Christmas and wanted him to look joyful and not creepy. We went through a few designs trying to find one, but was hard as quite a few of them look a bit creepy. I really enjoyed doing the tattoo. My client was so funny and so positive, it was a really lovely day and her enthusiasm for it made it even better.”

Tattoo collector Jo, AKA The Berkshire Bungalow

“There isn’t really a story attached to my Christmas kewpie. I just asked Tracy for a Christmas kewpie and this is what she came up with. It was when she was at King’s Cross in London in 2014 and we listened to the Phil Spector Christmas album.”

Tattoo artist Claire Jackson @clairejacksonartwork

“A very good friend of mine got this tattoo. She wears a different Christmas jumper every day in December and has a Christmas tree in every room of her house. I don’t get to see her much as I’d like but I love her and her enthusiasm for Christmas.”

Tattoo artist Melvin Arizmendi (@melvin_arizmendi)

“Thank you @pumpkinbabe13_ for getting this amazing Santa Claus tattoo. This was the best day ever 🎅🏼💕Done @the_hideaway_tattoo 🎁”

Tattoo artist Alena McDonald (@alenamcdarling)

“This is a candy cane for Camila from my flash. I love doing holiday tattoos.”

Tattoo collector Beth Ashley (@bethashleywriter)

“My Gremlins tattoo is by Fran Bailey at Sweet Pea, a cute little LGBTQ+ inclusive tattoo studio in Telford. I got it this year because Gremlins is one of my favourite films of all time and my ultimate comfort watch, so I wanted to have a little tribute to Gizmo. I messaged Fran about wanting a Gizmo tattoo and because they specialise in cartoon tattoos, they took it so seriously and went and rewatched the film to get the sketch as accurate as possible with all Gizmo’s little details!”

Tattoo artist Matt Pearl (@mattpearl)

“My birthday is December 22nd, so all my eggs are in one basket being so close to Christmas. I always get so excited this time of year. Family, friends, blow molds, lights, old gaudy decorations – I love it all! As far as tattoos go, when a customer starts off by saying, “I think you’ll like this!” or, “I know it’ll be fun/weird,” I know it’ll be right in my wheel house. If a customer doesn’t know what to get, there’s plenty of hand painted holiday sheets all over the shop too. At this point, I’ve done 100+ Christmas tattoos, so you’ll be in good hands!”

Love tattoos? Love hearing the stories behind them? Why not read our latest blogs – Ink and Horror: a conversation with horror tattoo collectors and Eat, drink and be merry: our fave food tattoos.