Now, unless you’ve been in a coma since the sixteen hundreds, I’m sure you are well aware of what an orange is - especially with it being the most produced citrus fruit in the world with oranges making up 50% of all citrus fruits produced. What you may not know is what orange essential oil actually is, what its used for and how Eco-friendly oranges actually are.
Find out all this and more in this weeks Flower Power Hour!
]]>I am certain that you are familiar with oranges, considering they are the most widely cultivated citrus fruit globally, constituting 50% of all citrus fruits produced. However, you may be unaware of the definition and uses of orange essential oil, as well as the eco-friendliness of oranges. Unless you have been comatose since the 1600s, this information is probably not new to you.
Find out all this and more in this weeks Flower Power Hour!
The extraction of orange oil involves obtaining it from the outer layer or zest of an orange, and sometimes from the leaves and blossoms using the cold pressing method. Interestingly, when you peel an orange, and some liquid spurts out from the skin, that's actually the orange oil, not the juice that comes from the fleshy segments.
Although there is an abundance of information available on the internet, in health stores, and from self-proclaimed essential oil experts like Aunt Deborah, much of it is anecdotal. Nevertheless, there is substantial scientific evidence supporting the numerous benefits of orange essential oil, including its antibacterial, anti-fungal, anti-inflammatory, and mood-enhancing properties. Let's delve into these benefits in more detail.
Antibacterial and antifungal:
Research has verified that orange oil possesses significant antibacterial properties, making it one of the most potent agents available. The high levels of D-limonene naturally present in it are responsible for its effectiveness against bacteria. It's noteworthy that D-limonene constitutes about 90% of the compound in orange oil, which is remarkably high!
Orange essential oil has been proven to be an effective remedy against two of the most prevalent disease-causing bacteria worldwide. Additionally, it's an excellent inhibitor of various fungal agents, making it an ideal solution for preventing and treating a wide range of conditions, including athlete's foot and yeast infections.
The oil's antibacterial and antifungal characteristics alone justify its suitability in any skincare or aftercare product. As a result, our Sunkiss range and some of our tattoo butters incorporate it as a natural choice.
Mood Boosting Properties:
If you have any familiarity with the concept of aromatherapy, then you would know that specific scents can have a positive impact on your mental well-being, mood, and relaxation levels. However, if you are not acquainted with this notion, here is a brief explanation: Suppose you wake up in the morning and are greeted with the fragrance of a beautiful present that your dog has left on the carpet in the living room. In that case, you will most likely notice an immediate effect on your stress levels. Conversely, when you return home after a stressful day at work and are immediately greeted with the aroma of your favourite meal being cooked by your partner, your stress levels are likely to decrease. Aromatherapy takes this idea one step further by examining the effects of various oils and extracts on mood, but the fundamental principle remains the same – scents can change your mood.
Orange oil, like many essential oils, has been the subject of numerous studies investigating its impact on mood. For example, researchers assessed the effects of orange oil on stress levels in children during a visit to the dentist. One group was exposed to a control scent of evaporated water, while the other was exposed to the scent of evaporated orange oil. The results showed that the group exposed to orange oil had lower levels of stress hormones during the dental procedure.
Animal studies have also explored the effects of orange oil on mood. A study involving mice, for instance, found that orange oil reduced depression and anxiety while increasing their general activity and curiosity.
Similarly, humans have reported reduced stress, anxiety, and depression following exposure to orange oil, making it an ideal choice after a long day at work or even after getting a tattoo.
Anti-inflammatory activity:
A research study aimed at examining the potential use of orange oil in cancer treatment revealed that the compound limonene had the ability to hinder and frequently eradicate cancer cells. Additionally, the study inferred that orange oil demonstrated anti-inflammatory properties. As a result, it is probable that orange oil or its extracts, particularly limonene, will be utilised in various medications in the future, potentially playing a vital role in the treatment of cancer - a remarkable feat for the unassuming orange!
Numerous other investigations have been conducted into the effects of orange oil on pain and inflammation, indicating that it is a highly beneficial ingredient to possess, particularly in skincare products.
We are aware that Orange Essential Oil provides numerous benefits to your skin, body, and brain. However, does its usage have a detrimental impact on the environment?
The information appears optimistic, with oranges having a low water usage, carbon footprint, and environmental impact. Let's examine this more closely.
To produce 1kg of oranges, it takes 560 litres of water, which may initially sound like a lot. Nevertheless, compared to other items, it is reasonable. Beef, for instance, necessitates a massive 15,415 litres of water per kg, but this is meat. In contrast, apricots require over 1,280 litres per kg and bananas require 790 litres, making oranges a fruit with a low water footprint.
Moreover, the amount of CO2e generated per kg of oranges is also low, at 0.6kg per kilo of oranges, comparable to driving a car 1.5 miles. In comparison, potatoes have a CO2e production rate of 2.9kg per kg.
Overall, oranges are a highly sustainable crop, particularly since orange farming does not lead to widespread deforestation or pollution. The only environmental harm may result from the improper use of pesticides, although this seems to be negligible overall.
Considering all the aforementioned points, it is evident that there are multiple advantages of incorporating oranges/orange oil and other natural ingredients in various products. Such ingredients offer natural alternatives to artificial antibacterial and fungal agents, while also uplifting one's mood, alleviating inflammation, and potentially aiding in the cure for cancer. Moreover, the use of natural ingredients is sustainable and does not pose any harm to the environment.
Words and content by Kirk Diggler.
Vitamin E, as the more astute reader will likely have guessed, is a Vitamin. More specifically, it is the name given to a group of compounds - oil-soluble antioxidants to be exact. It is naturally occurring in many plants and helps to maintain healthy skin and eyes.
There are around eight different forms of Vitamin E - the one used in our skincare products, and our hero, is called Tocopherol. This form has many different uses, but most importantly aids skin repair. It does so by acting as an antioxidant.
]]>“Listen up maggots!” cried General Toco Pherol as his troops bravely formed rank to prepare for battle. “Our objective today is simple and it is critical for the continuation of this company of heroes. Large groups of free radicals have been identified occupying Skingrad, it is our task to liberate that fine city and reinforce its existing defenses. The call to arms has been sounded, this is not a drill. A day may come when the strength of natural remedies will falter, the day where the legions of oxidants and of free-radicals overwhelm our defenses, the day that infection and inflammation rules. But that day has not yet come, and today is not that day! Today we fight, comrades, with all our might, with our creator's blessing and with god on our side. To victory!”
And with that, the pot was unscrewed, blinding light flooded the container and the first troops began to be airlifted to their deployment; so were the scenes as YAYO customer 255719-b - a Hull native and tattoo enthusiast - began to apply their favorite tattoo butter...
Okay okay, sure the events listed above may be slightly exaggerated - there have been very few reports of customers hearing faint battle cries as they apply their favorite Yayo aftercare products. Nevertheless, according to the wise words of Peter Dinklage - “there’s nothing in the world more powerful than a good story”. As such allow me to tell you the story of Vitamin E, Free-radicals and our hero Tocopherol in this week's edition of Flower Power Hour; The ABC's of Vitamin E.
So what is Vitamin E? Why do we use it? And is it as effective as the stories tell us?
Vitamin E, as the more astute reader will likely have guessed, is a Vitamin. More specifically, it is the name given to a group of compounds - oil-soluble antioxidants to be exact. It is naturally occurring in many plants and helps to maintain healthy skin and eyes.
There are around eight different forms of Vitamin E - the one used in our skincare products, and our hero, is called Tocopherol. This form has many different uses, but most importantly aids skin repair. It does so by acting as an antioxidant.
Everything is exposed to oxygen and, as such, everything reacts to it. A car, for example, will begin to rust due to the oxidation process. Your skin may not rust but molecules known as free-radicals on your skin will still react with oxygen. This is due to free-radicals having an unshared electron particle, therefore making it highly reactive to oxygen. This leads to the formation of reactive oxygen species or ROS. These reactive particles not only damage cells but could contribute to heart disease and cancers.
Antioxidants like our hero Toco Pherol stop the production of ROS formed when fat undergoes oxidation, thereby strengthening the body's natural defenses against infection and promoting longer cell life. It does this by sharing an electron with free-radicals, thereby stabilizing them so they don't bind to molecules of skin, cell-membranes or even DNA.
So Vitamin E is, scientifically speaking, very effective at eliminating these free-radicals. Therefore, when your skin is damaged and tissue is exposed to oxygen - I.e during and after the tattoo process - Vitamin E is the perfect healing tool, that's why it’s used in an oil-soluble form in skincare products like our Clean and Clear tattoo butters.
So we know what Vitamin E is, how it reinforces the skin's natural defenses by eliminating free-radicals, but is it safe?
As I previously mentioned, Vitamin E is naturally occurring in plants and is, in fact, highly important to our diets - it can be found in everything from sunflower seeds to spinach. This means that it’s not an unnatural toxin or an unstable chemical etc. - it is, after all, completely vegan!
However, just because it is vegan it does not mean that everyone can, or should, use it. Peanuts are vegan but prove to be an allergen to many people. Whilst over 1% of the population are allergic to peanuts, the estimate for people allergic to Vitamin E products seems to be less than one percent so , in a sense, Tocopherol is safer than peanuts.
Furthermore, allergic symptoms tend to be relatively minor - causing symptoms such as irritation and rashes in select cases. Therefore it is not always recommended for people with very sensitive or acne prone skin etc.
That being said, there is also evidence to suggest that Vitamin E could be used to help treat eczema; it is important to remember that Vitamin E is oil soluble, meaning that it can be administered in higher or lower concentrations. Higher concentrations could prove to be harsher on the skin, so it is recommended to try Vitamin E skincare products such as moisturizers before branching out to oils in order to see what works best with your skin.
To Round Off:
Ultimately, the skin is the largest organ on the human body and is often prone to many more dangers than other organs, yet is also often neglected. If you look after your skin, your skin will keep looking after you so remember to treat your skin to some TLC every once in a while, it’s trying its best and deserves a treat, especially if it is damaged.
So make sure to send in General Tocopherol and his army of free-radical eliminating Vitamin E molecules next time your skin is damaged or prone to oxidation!
If you are interested in finding out more about our products, and for a full list of products containing Vitamin E, just search “Vitamin E” on our website.
Words and content by Kirk Diggler
]]>Welcome to Flower Power Hour, the series where we get up close and personal with the natural ingredients used in our products. This edition will be a bit different as we get to know Activated Charcoal as well as the importance of sustainability!
]]>The world is changing.
The past 36 months alone have been interesting, to say the least. Each breaking news alert has brought a new wave of existential dread. The world feels increasingly hostile, our position as a species grows all the more precarious. One of the latest horrors? The fact that the ocean - the single largest body of water in the solar system - was literally on fire.
Dystopian? Yes. Surprising? Not so much.
The damage that the human race has inflicted on the natural world is now harder to ignore than ever before. Global warming, fuelled by a rapidly growing population (set to hit 9 billion by 2050) has put a strain on global resources. It is obvious that human behaviours and consumption patterns must change in order to sustain our existence.
The cosmetic industry must be held accountable for and learn from the historic role it has played in contributing to global environmental damage. As cosmetics tend to be made from chemicals, there are definite links to the chemical industry - some of the largest chemical manufacturing companies feed the cosmetic industry - as such many of the problems associated with these industries are inseparable.
Furthermore, many companies continue to irresponsibly source ingredients such as palm oil in a non-sustainable way for use in their products. Palm oil is notoriously bad for the environment - it plays a major role in global deforestation, often destroying huge areas of some of the most biodiverse forests in the world. It has been credited in the destruction of the natural habitats for animals such as the orangutan and pygmy elephant as well as credited for exploiting workers and using child labour in poorer regions.
The environmental impact of cosmetic products doesn't stop with ingredient sourcing, however. Numerous studies have indicated a link between heavy consumption of cosmetic products and damage to water sources - in august 2012, research conducted by Arizona State University found Minnesota waterways to be contaminated by cosmetic ingredients, many of which act by killing helpful bacteria that aids photosynthesis.
I could go on. It is clear that traditional cosmetic standards must change in order to become sustainable. But how can it do this?
In order to answer this, we must agree on a benchmark of sustainability. Although sustainability has several interpretations, a widely accepted definition is that of the U.N Brundtland Commission. This refers to sustainable development as ‘meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. This essentially means that the extraction of renewable resources should not exceed the rate at which they can be replenished - simple enough right?
This is where natural ingredients such as activated charcoal come into this.
Activated charcoal acts as a natural alternative to traditional, environmentally toxic ingredients such as petroleum - keeping your tattoos looking fire without starting another ocean fire! It works by drawing toxins from the skin to soothe irritation and prevent infection - you can find it in our tattoo soap range, a must-have for environmentally conscious tattoo aftercare.
Charcoal, as you can probably guess, is traditionally made through the burning of woods such as oak. Now, this may at first seem to contradict the eco-friendly narrative of this post. However, activated charcoal can be manufactured in many more sustainable ways particularly through the burning of other, fast-growing carbon structures like bamboo. Therefore, the rate of consumption won't outgrow the rate of restoration. In fact, some charcoals such as Biochar are said to help store carbon and therefore lessen the impact of carbon pollution on global warming.
Furthermore, activated charcoal isn’t contaminative. It can be used to safely filter water yet not through the use of bleaching agents - it is even used in some foods, though I wouldn't recommend eating our soaps!
The rise in internet usage has made the consumer much more informed, has given the consumer much more power and control to choose products that they believe in and that are ethically sound. Many are choosing to step away from traditional cosmetic companies in support of indie brands, it is easy to see why.
At YAYO, we believe in high-quality products with low environmental impacts. That’s why we strive to lead the way in being as eco-friendly as possible. All of our products are cruelty-free (the fact that animal testing for cosmetic products isn't universally banned already is frankly shameful!) and proudly vegan. That’s the YAYO way.
The world is changing, and that can be scary. It feels as though the damage inflicted on the environment has reached a point of no return, but it’s never too late to make a change. It should be the role of cosmetics companies to provide natural, sustainable and environmentally friendly options, free from harmful chemicals such as petroleum. Here, we make that change in offering these alternatives at a genuinely affordable price. If you want the best, buy the best.
What do you think about the environmental impact of the cosmetic industry? What more can companies do in order to lessen harmful effects on the environment? Have your say and leave a comment below!
Words and content by Luke Marriott.
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I was meant to be driving to Tuxford to go and interview Andy Hunter in person, but a RTC at the weekend had left me without a car and stiff and sore. Instead I rang him up and interviewed him in my garden in an effort to get a good phone signal. I started by asking when did he open the studio and how it has progressed.
“I opened Rebel Base in 2016 it’s slowly snowballed from there. I’m really pleased with how the business has grown as it’s steadily got busier and busier at a manageable rate. I think what’s helped the shop grow is that I’m 100% behind the place; we want to make Rebel Base the best experience for the customer and also a great place to work. What I’ve found is that one good job leads to another. People are coming back to get tattooed and telling their friends about Rebel Base and they are coming in. It’s grown really organically and I couldn’t be happier.”
“Ten to twenty years ago going into a tattoo studio could be an intimidating experience."
Customer service is at the forefront of Andy’s business strategy.
“Ten to twenty years ago going into a tattoo studio could be an intimidating experience. It was a bit like a secret club with its own code of conduct. It could be daunting and you felt that you too had to match this hard man image. It’s a good business lesson to realise that being nice is important. You make your tattoo studio a friendly relaxed place and people will come back. It’s not rocket science, but it’s something I think the industry has been slow to learn.”
The big question is: why Rebel Base?
“Well, I’m a big Star Wars fan and a movie fan in general so I was looking for inspiration from the films I liked. I nearly called it Outpost after The Thing; but there is a shop in Whitby called that. My next choice was Rogue Squadron but Rogue One came out so we went for Rebel Base, which in hindsight is the best of the three.”
I ask how he’s enjoying the new Obi-Wan Kenobi TV series.
“Obi Won starts slow but picks up well and the ending is fantastic. It messes with established cannon a bit but I get sick of people winging about all that stuff. You see these guys in their forties and fifties arguing about who shot first and how come Princess Leia can remember her mum. People forget these are kid’s adventure stories. If you look at Star Wars through the eyes of a 12 year old, 8 year old or 4 year old all you see is wonder; not mistakes in continuity. Don’t whinge about Star Wars, just grab the popcorn and buckle up for the ride. Nerds have no authority; they don’t own the franchise and those who do owe them nothing. Who the hell are they to criticise? It’s for the kids and the kid in all of us.”
As we all learn to live with covid tattooing is taking on the new normal. I ask how Andy has managed through this unique period in history.
“Post covid we are relatively back to normal. I think it’s defiantly effected how people think about their work life balance and revise how much people put into work. For me when I’m working it’s still 100% but it’s helped me reflect on how important it is to balance that with family and home time. You have got to save some back otherwise work will suck it all out of you. For me it’s now not about doing less, but balancing it out more. Laser is the other tattooist alongside me and he managed to get some extra work to tide him over through covid. He gets his name from his time in the band Yes My Ninjas; they all had pseudonyms and his was Brown Laser. My wife works on the health side for the MOD so that helped and I’m pleased to say we survived covid and now business is doing well.”
"Tattooing is always one of those big moments in life and I think people have really missed going under the needle."
Just as covid starts to fade away with now have rampant inflation and a war in Europe. I ask if this has this had an effect business?
“I’m not sure, I think it’s a case of wait and see. I think what we saw during covid, or any time of social stress, was society as a whole having a fight or flight reaction. It’s like you getting into that car crash and you survived; that kind of stress either makes you go full tilt into life or pull back. I think events like pandemics, natural disasters and war are the sociological equivalent of that car crash. These events push people to either jump in with both feet and get a tattoo booked, or cancel an appointment and think twice about what they want. I think covid has prompted people to take the dive and get tattooed; partly because they have had so much time to reflect on what they want and partly because we all got starved of social contact and experiences. Tattooing is always one of those big moments in life and I think people have really missed going under the needle. As for the war and economic squeeze it’s causing, that will obviously mean less money in people’s pockets so less impulsive spending. I know for sure though that when money is tight those tattoos you do get mean that much more.”
I ask if the name Rebel Base results in requests for lots of Star Wars tattoos.
“More so a few years ago; when Star wars was back as a real pop phenomenon. Fashions come and go and I think we are moving away from the big Sci-Fi sleeves and back pieces. I used to do a lot of Hello Kitty tattoos, but you don’t see so many these days. I did Hello Kitty as Spiderman, or Superman or Batman. I didn’t know anyone else doing that sort of thing then all of a suddenly my designs are getting copied by other tattooists then they appearing on T-shirts. So I stopped doing them and moved onto other work.”
Getting copied and ripped off is an occupational hazard for tattooists and artists.
“The same thing happened to me when I worked in design. I did a load of cool illustrations of VW Camper Vans as superheroes; Batvan, Spider Van, Super Van and the like. We got in the VW Camper magazine and got a load of cool press. It was all legit and above board with VW. Then low and behold I start to see people sticking my designs on canvases and T-shirts.; people making money off my creativity and the VW name. But you can’t stop people copying; it’s too much time and stress trying to fight it. Even if you shut these companies down they will just start up again in a different name. The internet has made ripping stuff off global. It’s hard enough fighting those ripping you off in the UK; let alone America, China or Russia. You just have to realise that if you are being copied you must be doing something right. It’s kind of a crass, back handed compliment.”
In terms of tattoo supplies Andy is a big fan of Yayo.
“We use quite a few Yayo products and I have the say the butters are just brilliant; I wouldn’t use anything else. We aren’t sponsored by Yayo, I just find them some of the best products on the market for both tattooists and those getting tattooed. I started tattooing in my mid 30’s and nearly twenty years later its fantastic to have really good quality aftercare available. Long gone are the days of being told to put Savlon on your new tattoo.”
Andy is clearly really passionate about his work and feels very lucky to be doing what he does.
“People will come to me and ask how they can become a tattooist and I always tell them that an apprenticeship will not fall in their lap, even though that’s exactly what happened to me. I was working in design and I did some work for a tattoo studio and we did an exchange of every hour of design I did for them, they’d give me an hour of tattoo time. I came to realise that a lot of what I was drawing up was tattooable and I built up quite a portfolio. This resulted in another shop seeing my work and asking me to come onboard as an apprentice. I was in my mid thirties so it was a big move to give up a well paid job in design to start from scratch in a new industry. But it paid off and I’ve never looked back.”
I ask how Laser came to join the Rebel Base team.
“Laser is my one and only apprentice and I wouldn’t have it any other way. He was coming into get tattooed and I saw his band and bought a T-Shirt off him that he’d designed. I looked at his work and I could see straight away these would make brilliant tattoos. So I told him that when he was ready he should come to me and I’d train him up. People say we are like Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi, but I think he sees it more as Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Vader!”
“Lasers own tattoos have a very trippy, American acid vibe. I keep telling him to keep pushing in that direction as when the trend breaks he will be at the forefront of it. Tattooing moves in peaks and troughs. Look back fifteen years and it was a boom time, in the post Miami Ink world. Now we are in a bit of a lull; full sleeves are out and rough little prison style tattoos are in. I think tattooing thrives off these peaks and troughs and it’s really exciting to see what will come next.”
"It’s inbuilt into us to go out and bleed and suffer then come back to our cave after the kill, to the adulation of our tribe."
Its nearly school pick up time so I round off by asking why tattooing is so appealing.
“I know a psychologist who comes to get tattooed at Rebel Base. They explained to me that tattooing taps into something primeval that the modern world has stripped away from so many. Part of our brains is still wired up to be living in caves and hunting woolly mammoth. It’s inbuilt into us to go out and bleed and suffer then come back to our cave after the kill, to the adulation of our tribe. That sense of suffering for an end result, of sacrifice, blood and pain for a greater payoff is inherent in tattooing. It’s why something that hurts so much, feels so good. Tattooing is hardwired into our DNA.”
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Covid got in the way again, I should have been meeting Ben for a few pints and a chin wag but the wretched virus has put that on hold. Instead I’m sat sniffling at my desk transcribing an audio message from one of Nottingham City’s metal royalty.
“I first got tattooed in Mansfield; I can’t even remember the name of the place or the year. I think it was 1996 or 1997; I think it was 96. It wasn’t a very good tattoo as it was a big tattoo regret. I didn’t do any research or anything. Back in those days we had no internet so to speak, Facebook wasn’t around let alone Instagram and the like. It was a spur of the moment thing and a stupid choice I’ll admit. I went for the classic rookie error of getting a girl’s name done on my arm. I won’t mention the name but let’s just say we are no longer connected. I should have known better; but hey you do crazy things when young.”
"What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, so I felt a phoenix really resonated with where I am in life right now.”
I remember the tattoo well, I’d just got a psychedelic moose tattooed on my leg and looking back I’m not sure if either of us made sensible choices in terms of our first tattoo.
“There is and there isn’t a theme to my tattoos. I kind of go with whatever mood I’m in at the time. I’ve got a number of different styles on me. I see them as reminders of my moods. They don’t necessarily mean anything but one or two do. It’s really down to what I like at the time and what experiences I’m having at the time. I’ve just had one done the other week. A totally new style for me; it’s very traditional and it’s on my chest. Right now that’s my favourite. The one before was a phoenix on my ribs. It’s a fantastic tattoo and it’s probably the one that has the most symbolic meaning for me. After a bad experience I wanted something to mark me getting through that tough time. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, so I felt a phoenix really resonated with where I am in life right now.”
Having not seen Ben since covid hit I’ve lost count of his current tattoo count.
“It’s difficult to count how many tattoos I’ve got as some have kinda mish mashed into one; but I have at least 20. One of my arms is now a sleeve made up of about 10 tattoos forming a Polynesian sleeve. That started life as a cover up for my first tattoo. I don’t regret going towards a Polynesian style, but if I had my time again I’d go for something different. I don’t want it gone as its part of me now, that’s the way I look at it. Tattoos are part of my journey in life so I’d never have it lasered off. I needed something black and I didn’t want to go tribal. The sleeve just evolved from that first cover up, it wasn’t planned that way.”
As I gulp coffee and type away at Ben’s answers, he moves onto the question of his favourite tattoo.
“As for all time favourite tattoo; that’s tough. I have a Type O Negative tattoo as they are my all time favourite band. That’s on my leg. I tend to always like the latest tattoo so at the moment the swallow on my chest is my favourite. But the next new one will probably be my new favourite.”
“My regular tattooist is called Laser, he’s up in Tuxsford near Newark. He’s at Rebel Base Tattoos. They stock Yayo products so you know it’s a good place to get tattooed."
Part of the reason I wanted to interview Ben is because he is a metal legend; the other is he’s part of the Yayo tribe.
“My regular tattooist is called Laser, he’s up in Tuxsford near Newark. He’s at Rebel Base Tattoos. They stock Yayo products so you know it’s a good place to get tattooed. I used Yayo Guard on my last 2 tattoos and they have healed great. I’m going back in a few weeks to get something in on my arm finished off. Andy is the other tattooist there and they are great chaps. It’s a brilliant studio and I love going.”
The conversation turns to music and Ben’s career as one of the most prominent heavy metal guitarists in the Midlands.
“I started playing bass guitar when I was about 14 or 15. My first band was Iconic Memory with a couple of good mates at school. We were a doom metal band, we did a few gigs and a demo but it all fell apart when people grew up and moved on; work, university, girlfriends and the like.”
“I’ve been in quite a few bands over the years. In the days of Nu metal I was in a Nu Metal band called Crawl. We did a load of gigs around the Nottingham area. L.A. as I call it; standing for local area.”
“That was early 00’s. We kept going for a few years but it fizzled out. I had a break from being in a band for a while. Then my housemate at the time was a drummer and he joined a band and said they needed a bass player, so I got the job. We were called Red Shift and it was a doomy, sludgy kind of vibe. We played around the country; it's always good doing gigs out of town. When Red Shift disbanded half of us formed Drag the Lake. We did that for about 7 years. We weren’t as productive as we should have been; we did a few recordings but didn’t release them. We gigged about and they were good shows. The result was a sell out gig with thrash metal legends Testament at the Rescue Rooms in Nottingham. We were the main support, just us and Testament. It was a fantastic gig. At the time Testament were on tour with Slayer and Slipknot and they had a day off so they did a headline gig in Nott’s and we were the support. I’ve also played with Madball and Hatebreed and done Incubate festival in Holland.”
“Currently I play in a band called Punch Drunk which is an alternative punk band. We have just recruited a new drummer. Everything’s been on hold for two years due to covid so it’s been great to get things restarted but taken some logistical planning. Everyone’s lives are different two years on but we still have that passion to play.”
“My other band is King of Pigs in which I play guitar, in Punch Drunk I’m on bass. We had a L.A. tour booked a few weeks ago but covid got in the way. As soon as it seems like you are getting going again it all shuts down.”
Aside from playing in metal bands Ben has also worked within the industry.
“My other claim to fame is I was merchandise guy for industrial death metal giants The Berzerker. It was a fun experience. A collage mate of mine ended up being their tour manager so he got me the job. We were out on a tour bus for a month around Europe, which was unbelievable. I’m just trying to think of the things I can say as the tour was pretty wild. Lots of crazy stories but I’d get in trouble if I dished the dirt. All I can say is you get treated a lot better in mainland Europe than in the UK. That’s been the same when I’ve gigged abroad with my current bands. The food in the UK is crap; they just order you junk food. In Europe you get a full 3 course meal, they look after you so much better. I went out to Europe first in 2003 and it’s just the best place to play. They feed you properly, pay you properly and put you up for the night. Over here it’s still crashing on sofas and peoples floors. Fingers crossed we will get back soon, but Brexit has made it more complicated and visas' are not cheap. We need to look into it now covid is settling down. Probably get King of Pigs over there next year.”
"Tattoo wise; I’ll never be finished until I’m completely covered."
“I’m still in touch with the guys from The Berzerker; its one area where Facebook actually has a real benefit. Hopefully they will be over again. I’ve done a bit of driving for them on another tour so I hope to see them soon.”
Being a bit of an aspiring (if talentless) musician myself I asked about Ben’s current gig gear.
“Guitar wise I have a Gibson Les Paul and an Epiphone Flying V which are my live guitars. I run them through a Marshall and a tuner pedal. I’m planning on adding a wah pedal soon. Bass wise I use an Ampeg SVT Pro and I have 2 Fender basses, a P bass and a Duff Mckagan signature bass. I run them through a tuner pedal, a chorus pedal and a harmonics pedal."
Now Ben turns to the tricky question: guitar or bass?
“I love both but I can’t really decide which I prefer. I’m more comfortable on bass but it’s good to get out of my comfort zone and not rely on muscle memory. I have to concentrate on guitar more so it’s a different vibe.”
As ever I round off with the asking about plans for the future.
“I have lots of plans. King of Pigs is hard at work writing our 4th album, it's slowly coming together. Hopefully we will be giggling in Europe too. Punch Drunk are rehearsing with a new drummer and once he’s up to speed we’ll start working on the next album. Maybe I’ll pull Drag the Lake back together as we have some unfinished business. We’ll have to see on that one.”
“Tattoo wise; I’ll never be finished until I’m completely covered. I’ve got plans. My back is blank so that’s the next move. I have an ongoing Sci-Fi leg piece, so that needs adding too. Sadly my cat died at the weekend so I’m going to get a tribute done to my cat.”
Ben maybe so metal he shits bullets but the guy has a heart of gold.
Words MNHR,
Images BJE, MNHR, Yayo and as credited
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“I had to change artist,” explains Veronica, as I shift around the house trying to get a good phone signal.
“I have been planning my full body suit for many years and I had a disagreement with my artist on the issue of aftercare and how hard he was working on some parts of my tattoo. He said it was fine, I said he was doing too hard and risks chewing up my skin and causing scarring; so the only sensible thing to do was go elsewhere.”
I’ve known Veronica for a few years now, ever since we worked together on getting her on the cover of Total Tattoo Magazine. She was the first trans model to feature on the front of a mainstream tattoo magazine. During 10 years of writing for the tattoo trade, getting Veronica on the front of Total Tattoo and in newsagents across the UK is the achievement I am most proud of. Hell, I don’t even normally do pride; after all work is work. But it felt great to do a world’s first and Veronica was such an easy person to work with.
“The whole body piece is bio-organic themed and it's going to give me a very high percentage of coverage.”
“Also the tattooist was pretty ridged when it came to aftercare; he said I had to use Bepanthen to ensure the tattoo heals well. I’m vegan, so I disagreed. Like I said, it was time to look elsewhere.”
I used to be in the Bepanthen camp; then I discovered vegan friendly Yayo and never looked back. It seems strange now that I used to put nappy cream on my tattoo.
“I was also travelling a lot to see this artist so I found some friends closer to home and I’m now back being happy to be tattooed,” Veronica explains as I finally find a spot in the house where she no longer sounds like a Dalek.
“The whole body piece is bio-organic themed and it's going to give me a very high percentage of coverage.”
As I sit scribbling notes in my en suite toilet I ask how many tattoos, piercing and body modifications Veronica has had over the years.
“No idea; I lost count a long time ago.”
I ask how business is post lockdown.
“It’s different now but it’s beginning to thrive. I think with so much time in the house people could actually research what they want and build up that enthusiasm. The lid is off, so to speak, so people are booking in to finally get done what they need to get done.”
“I managed to survive not working during covid. I got help from the government, as I’m self employed, and you know if you can’t work, you can’t earn and if you can’t earn you can’t live. If I hadn’t have got help I would have had to leave the country.”
“I think it's better that way. There is less drama and less tourists crashing the scene."
The body modification world is a different place since Brendan “Dr Evil” McCarthy was jailed on three counts of causing grievous bodily harm with intent, for removing someone’s nipple and ear. His customers were happy to consent to the procedures but this didn’t stop him going to jail. That was back in 2019 and was the start of what covid finished off; pushing body modification back underground.
“I think it's better that way,” explains Veronica. “There is less drama and less tourists crashing the scene. To be honest I stay away from the social side; especially social media groups. I don’t need the hassle.”
“When it comes down to it as long as people are happy, that customers are happy, then that’s what I’m there to do.”
Covid vaccinations have brought to the mainstream an issue that has occupied the body modification community for years; that of body autonomy. Does the state have the right to tell us what we can and can’t do to our bodies? In the case of Dr Evil (I always felt his nickname did him no favours, in the eyes of the courts or press) then the answer is a clear yes; the state feels it has a duty to dictate what can and can’t be cut and modified.
Of course the victim of all of this is the safety of the customer. Legislation would be far more effective than criminalisation. After all (as I said in the last blog) people have been cutting, piercing, tattooing and burning the human body since the Stone Age. The powers-that-be in the UK aren’t going to stop body modification.
"Everywhere you look the authorities are trying to control what we do with our bodies."
“Everywhere you look the authorities are trying to control what we do with our bodies. They make decisions that affect our lives. Just look at genital modification. It’s quite ok to cut a baby boy’s genitals and remove parts, but a different law applies to females. How can one be ok but not the other? Who is making these decisions and for whose benefit. One procedure is celebrated the other is criminalised; and the difference focuses on gender.”
In the UK there is a cloud over female genital piercing with reports that some medical professionals feel compelled to report such practices as female genital mutilation. Once again the guys get away with having their bits modified, the girls get punished. This emotive and complex issue highlights the culture war at play around body modification.
“Look at the ink ban in Europe on coloured inks,” sighs Veronica, “They say it’s for protection and health reasons but it’s still restricting what we can and can’t put in our bodies. It’s effectively a ban on self expression.”
I turn my attention away from politics and ask how Veronica’s own body transformation is coming along.
“I have all my surgeries done abroad and any medical procedures as well. No offence to the NHS but if I have an X-ray done I want a copy of that X-ray ASAP; I don’t want to have to fill in a load of forms and wait months to access to my medical records.”
“Going private gives me more control and less stress. I don’t even use the NHS for hormone treatment. Hopefully the money I save them can be put to good use.”
“For you darling anything.”
I round off by asking my usual question: what next?
“I’m having some work done on my jaw. It will correct issues I have with one of my joints and also give me a more even and pleasing look. It’s partly for the aesthetics and partly to ensure I don’t get arthritis there in later years. Once I’ve healed from that its back to getting tattooed.”
I ask if we can talk again once she has had more ink done.
“For you darling anything,” she says breaking out in to infectious laughter.
Veronica Blades; there is no one else like her.
YouTube, Instagram and Facebook eventually killed Tattoo Master Magazine.
Back in 2012, when I got my first article published in Tattoo Master Magazine, tattooing was taking over the shelves of every newsagent in the land. Thanks to the popularity of shows like LA Ink, the high profile of celebrity tattoo canvases like David Beckham and Angelina Jolie and a new generation of talented artists emerging, tattooing was riding a wave of popularity that would have seemed impossible during the last century. Tattooing was now cool and everybody wanted a piece of the action and a prime cut of the cash cow.
I got my break covering a story about Nokia patenting hepatic tattoo technology. The idea was that an iron rich pigment would be tattooed into the skin; this would be activated to vibrate when linked to a specially designed smart phone. This high tech angle on body art wasn’t something other tattoo journalists hadn’t picked up on, and the scoop heralded the start of my writing career and my rocky relationship with Jazz Publishing.
"One area where change has been less dramatic is in relation to tattoo prejudice."
An early shot for an article on Kawaii tattooing.
After a year writing for Tattoo Master my career shifted gear and I graduated to the pages of Skin Deep. This was followed by articles I had written featuring in magazines and websites from all over the globe and in 2015 I realised that I was one of the most widely published professional tattoo writers in the world. These truly were the golden years but the high times would not last and very soon the castle began to crumble.
While year on year the quality of tattooing just kept getting better and better after 2015 the magazines began to slide. As social media began to become ubiquitous the tattoo magazines began to struggle with sales and advertising revenue. This was great for artists and the public, but bad for us working in the magazine trade. It seems impossible now to imagine a time when an artist’s work was not set free on the world through the internet and to envisage the gate keepers of publicity that were the magazine editors. Back when I started writing the endorsement of an editor could make the difference between being a jobbing tattooist and being a tattoo rock super star.
Despite big promises Hi-Tech tattoos are still just a novelty.
While the magazines battled social media for control of the heart of tattooing, big tech companies kept plugging at a way to get in on the tattoo game. The past decade has marked a borderline obsession with melding tattoos and technology with big tech, eccentric inventors and bio-hackers all trying to mix man and machine. I’ve seen tattoos that act as a music score for motion controlled synthesises, tattoos that act as keys to augmented reality and animated digital tattoos. Along with these artistic endeavours mobile phone companies keep trying to find a way to link their handsets to your tattoos. Despite everyone’s best efforts cyborg tattooing has yet to find a practical application aside from novel experimentation. I can’t see that changing over the next decade, but never say never.
One area where change has been less dramatic is in relation to tattoo prejudice. In 2022 we inked individuals still face the scorn of conservatives on the left and right of the social spectrum. Our body art continues to be sneered at in the press, on television and online. Over the years I’ve kept tabs on the media’s interpretation of tattooing and while the general public have become more accepting of tattoos and tattooed people the press can’t help but stick the boot in from time to time. Over the past ten years the same old clichés get dusted down again and again. That tattooing is tasteless and crass and doesn’t deserve the honour of being called art. That tattooing is legalised self harm and the expression of angry youth. That tattooing is a sign of mental illness and social dysfunction and should go back to the gutter where it once dwelled. Only this week the irrepressibly charmless shock journalist Melanie Philips stated in The Times that tattoos made her “physically sick.”
"The secret society has unlocked its doors."
The inked man and the sea. An image from one of my favourite interviews.
It’s surprising, but not unexpected that hacks like Philips still get paid to write their diatribes. After all tattoos are one of the few social phenomenon that defy class, race, religion, gender, age, sexuality, ethnicity or education. In the modern tattoo era everyone is welcome to join the party. What was once the mark of sailors, criminals and prostitutes is now open to all. The social stigma attached to ink under the skin is fading in the bright sunshine of acceptance. Rants such as Philips’s highlight not that tattooing is still taboo, but that in a media saturated age only venom cuts through the constant noise of click bait. Saying nice things just doesn’t get the same attention as slagging something off. It’s not tattooing that needs to go back in the gutter it’s the press who need to drag themselves out of it.
What has changed over the past 10 years is the popularity of hand and neck tattoos. Back in the day you’d have had to have had full coverage before a tattooist would touch your neck and hands. Now it’s often the first port of call for the needle. This shows that visible tattoos are far less taboo and that the customer is now at the centre of tattooing. The secret society has unlocked its doors. Back in the day it was hard to become a tattooist. It was more akin to joining a gang than taking on a profession. The tricks of the trade were closely guarded secrets and an apprentice had to put in blood, sweat and tears to become a master. Tattoo equipment was jealously guarded and you had either to be lucky to get hold of a kit or an official paid up member of the organisation. That is no longer the case. YouTube is flooded with online tutorials, Amazon sells books on tattooing, tattoo kits can be bought by anyone through the internet and artists no longer serve a humbling and lengthy apprenticeship to become a registered tattooist.
I'm a huge fan of old school tattoos. Thanks to Kev for modelling.
Convections are another area where the old guard has lost control. When I started writing many of the big conventions were heavily linked to specific magazines and there was fierce competing for dominance. People turned down interviews with me worried that appearing in one magazine would mean being black listed by an opposing magazine and therefore denied access to their affiliated conventions. I still remain blacklisted from certain events myself due to inadvertently picking the wrong side in a secret turf war. But as tattooing emerges from covid I can only see the strangle hold publishing companies had on the convention circuit being further eroded. Over the past decade the convention circuit has been blown wide open as tattooings old guard have lost their domineering grip. Now more than ever tattooing is an industry run by artists for artists without the heavy hand of corporate greed.
The Tattoo Tea Party 2012. My first convention of many.
Two areas of body art where my predictions did not come true are in regards to face tattoos and body modification. I expected that as tattoos got more popular the fashion would shift through the gears in a linier process. From discrete tattoos, to visible work, through to sleeves, then hands and necks; I felt the face was the next logical step. This has yet to happen but I wouldn’t be surprised, in the next 10 years, if face tattoos become the next big thing.
As for body modification I expected those seeking the push boundaries and break taboos to embrace extreme piercing and heavy body mods. Tattooing as a social rule breaking ritual has become rather diluted. My aunty Roz is in her 70’s and got tattooed in her 60’s; a butterfly on her wrist. The tattoo is no longer a mark that warrants crossing the street to avoid. One big reason I can see for why body modification has not taken over from tattooing is that many of the procedures are more akin to medical surgery than a aesthetic cosmetic procedure. It seems not many people want a rod through their genitals, a nipple removed or horns in their head; or maybe I’m just not talking to the right people.
"Human beings have been transforming their bodies since the Stone Age."
Body modification fascinates me. Eyeball tattoos are not for the faint hearted.
The other is the criminalisation of body modification. The banning of tongue splitting in the UK and the arrest, trial and imprisonment of prominent body artist Dr Evil has pushed the trade underground. It’s tragic that rather than working with body modifiers to legitimate and improve the trade, government has chosen to criminalise and penalise. Human beings have been transforming their bodies since the Stone Age. Conservative British policies will not stop this practice; it will simply make it less safe for those who follow their primal urges of transformation.
I am proud to have spent 10 years watching the talent pool of tattooing grow exponentially. Over the years I’ve worked with some wonderful people and some super creative artists and it’s been a real honour to watch their careers go from strength to strength. In particular it’s been wonderful to see Nick Baldwin go from apprentice, to tattooist and finally to running one of the best tattoo studios in the world, with Bold as Brass in Liverpool. Guy Fletcher is another artist whose work just keeps getting better and it’s fantastic to talk with him while he tattoos and learn about tattooings links to the Viking and Anglo-Saxon cultures. James Surridge needs special mention for his comedic Nigel Farage tattoo that raised £500 for the mental health charity Mind and got me on page 2 of the Daily Star.
Me and Nigel at our best. My 15 minutes of fame.
Out of all the people I’ve interviewed since 2012 particular praise needs to be given to dot work and hand tap tattooist Mereki fade. Not only is she one of the most talented artists I have ever had the privilege to be tattooed by, she is also a wise tattoo anthropologist, a passionate film maker and courageous adventurer. He work documenting tribal tattooing around the world and her expeditions deep into tropical rainforests, isolated pacific islands and the sun bleached deserts has made her the real life Lara Croft of tattooing. It’s only a matter of time before the mainstream realise what a pioneer she truly is and TV channels come calling.
A young Meraki Fade; the most inspirational tattoo artists I have ever met.
Where I have seen a vast improvement over the past 10 years is in tattoo aftercare products. I first got tattooed in 1997 and back then the best the tattooist could recommend to me was a tube of Savlon. When I began writing for Tattoo Master in 2012 aftercare was more of an afterthought. It is thanks to companies like Yayo that aftercare is now front and centre of the tattoo process. No longer do we have to resort to nappy rash creams, antiseptic balms or greasy tubs of petroleum jelly. Tattoo collectors now have specialised healing creams that not only do a fantastic job but look, smell and feel great. I don’t just use Yayo because I write for the company; I use Yayo to heal my tattoo because I honestly believe it is the best aftercare range on the market. I’m really looking forward to trying their Bubblicious Tattoo Butter. Pink tattoo aftercare cream would have been unimaginable 10 years ago. It’s great to work with such an innovative company as Yayo.
"My face never really fitted at the conventions or round the publishing offices."
To wrap up my 10 year anniversary review the last area I need to praise is the tattoo artists themselves. When my first article was published I didn’t imagine that the quality of tattooing could improve year on year. We are truly living in the golden age of tattooing and I’m very excited to see where the art can go in the next 10 years. It’s also amazing to have so many great artists as part of the Yayo team. In my magazine writing days I always felt like an outsider, looking in on the scene. My face never really fitted at the conventions or round the publishing offices. I can honestly say that Yayo is the best company I have ever worked for, and Kirk is certainly the most liberal and enthusiastic editor I’ve ever written for. Here’s to another 10 years writing about tattooing.
The brilliant Tanya Buxton, one of the first artists I interviewed at work.
"While writing this piece my wife asked me what I am most proud of from my 10 years writing for tattooing. The answer is simple; it was getting the first trangendermodel on the cover of a tattoo magazine. That model was Veronica Blades and I have to thank her and Total Tattoo editor Perry Rule for making it possible and making history. To celebrate the start of my 2nd decade in the trade I will be interviewing Veronica in my next Yayo blog."
Text MNHR Images by MNHR, Yayo and David Stacey
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Back in 2016 Justin Bieber broke a social taboo, that I expected to herald an avalanche of tattoo change. It was a time when he was transforming from clean cut, mediocre pop singer to bad boy, mediocre pop singer. A huge part of this reinvention was a bunch of mediocre tattoos. The tattoo that caught my eye, and got me thinking was very small, but one fact made it stand out from the rest. What caught my eye was the fact Mr Bieber’s new tattoo was near his eye; he had gone and got a face tattoo. Yes it was small, yes it was mediocre but it was on his face; and as we all know facial tattoos are a big no-no.
At this point I’d been writing for the tattoo trade for 4 years, and if I’d learned anything in that time it was that where celebs go, society follows. I was surprised over the next half a decade when face tattoos didn’t take off in a big way. Yes I know many tattooists and enthusiastic tattoo collectors have them; but I expected Justin’s face ink to have the same impact David Beckhams back tattoo did, or Cheryl Coles hand tattoo. It seems that for now face tattoos are a taboo only for a select elite and my gut feeling is that will always be the case. Which brings me on to my interesting people; Mad Dog and The Wasp. These two gentlemen perfectly illustrate why facial tattoos will probably never go mainstream.
“This,” he said gesturing at his face, “is my arsehole detector.”
I can remember meeting John like it was yesterday. He thrust his hand enthusiastically in front of me and barked:
“Call me Mad Dog.”
I sat down and I tried not to stare at Mad Dog’s heavily tattooed forehead. Mad Dog’s son Jimmy, headed to the bar to get us drinks while Mad Dog told me his tattoo story.
“This,” he said gesturing at his face, “is my arsehole detector.”
Mad Dog was dressed in leathers and sported long, undercut hair that was tied back in a high ponytail. This exposing where his tribal tattoo extended across his forehead, along the side of his skull and down his neck. I asked if getting his face inked was part of biker culture; he began laughing. He was still laughing when Jimmy returned from the bar.
“Dad’s never owned a bike,” said Jimmy awkwardly, as he handed me my pint.
It was 2004 and John’s tattoo and biker gang image were only 6 months old.
“I got this lovely bit of art put on my face to mark the end of one life and the start of another.”
John had separated from his wife of 26 years the previous summer. It had been an acrimonious affair brought about by a string of illicit affairs. Prior to his divorce he’d been a clean cut, average Joe; post marriage he adopted the Mad Dog persona.
“A lot of people won’t talk to me because of the tattoo and that’s fine; it’s great even. If you’re not willing to give me the time of day because I have a picture on my face then you’re too shallow and judgemental to be a friend of mine.”
He glugged his Diet Coke and smiled showing off his gold teeth.
“A lot of people are intimidated by my tattoo but that says more about them, than me. It’s what’s behind the skin that’s important not what’s embedded in it. The only downside of it is I get asked a lot about bikes and I know sod all about bikes,” he smiled, breaking out into another rich belly laugh.
"The Wasp was truly an intimidating character."
This wasn’t the last time I’d met someone who used facial tattoos to as a filter. While working for a community mental health team as a therapy assistant, I came across a guy who made Mad Dog’s tattoo look tame. His psychiatric nurse had nicknamed him The Wasp.
The Wasp was truly an intimidating character. His cue ball head was littered with nasty tattoos: teardrops under his eyes, a spider web across his cheek, a yin yang on the back of his head, a demon on the crown and the words born evil badly flowed along his jaw line. He looked like a character Robert Carlyle would play in a Shane Meadows film; the guy who kicks someone to death in a drug fuelled rage in the final act of a gritty, Northern, kitchen sink drama
The Wasp was a wiry bloke in army boots and a bomber jacket, but he was no more a skinhead thug than Mad Dog was a biker. He’d come from a broken home, been severely neglected by his mum and beaten by his dad. This trauma had resulted in a childhood spent in and out of care, and had led to an adulthood in and out of psychiatric hospitals; as he struggled to come to terms with the anxiety and depression that dominated his life.
"They warned: keep away or pain will follow."
While Mad Dogs facial tattoo was an arsehole detector The Wasp’s were the human equivalent of the black and yellow banding of a vespula vulgaris. They warned: keep away or pain will follow. But he was more hover fly than wasp. A frightened, vulnerable victim who just wanted to be left alone by other people in the hope of escaping more hurt. His wasp impression worked wonders and I once remember watching a gang of rowdy football fans cross the street, fearful of his sting.
Mad Dog and The Wasp demonstrate that while tattoos are now ubiquitous, with everyone having one including my aging aunty Roz, face tattoos are a different territory. Perhaps it will take a braver celebrity than young Justin to bring them into the mainstream, or perhaps they will always be associated with wasp stings and dog bites.
Please be aware none of the images included in this article are of Mad Dog or The Wasp. They are all images of people I have collected, who are brave and bold enough to rock a face tattoo. One day I may well join them.
A final thought: Counsellor and retired psychiatric nurse Tony Brown explores the psychosocial implications of face tattoos.
“The old cliché of the eyes being the windows to the soul holds some truth. Eye contact is an essential part of nonverbal communication and we convey many emotions and messages through our eyes, eyebrows and facial expressions. Changing and distorting the face, particularly the skin around the eyes, can have effects on how we are perceived.”
“Look at the press coverage and criticism Renee Zellweger received a few years back for suspected surgery on the skin around her eyes. People were stating they didn’t recognise her. Jamie Lee Curtis has recently admitted to a similar procedure and she states she deeply regrets it. Tattoos around the eyes can have the same effect and could really impact on how an individual is treated.”
It is not only how society views those with facial tattoos, Tony believes that there is potential harm to the individual’s self-perception.
“It also can have a negative effect on the person’s perception of self. Like heavy cosmetic surgery or severe trauma extensive, body modification can change drastically how someone looks in the mirror and effect how they view ourselves. Too many changes, too quickly can result in the face in the mirror looking like that of a stranger. I think this applies to eyeball tattoos in particular.”
But Tony isn’t opposed to facial tattoos he just feels people should make informed positive choices.
“Tattoos are all about self-expression and communication. Look at the Maori facial tattoos. They are both beautiful and socially acceptable. I think western facial tattoos have moved on a lot in the past few years. Now people can get beautiful art done in a place where it is unmissable.”
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Email: reichardt@hotmail.co.uk
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When did you get your first tattoo?
“I got my first tattoo when I was 21 as I started to go through my body modification late compared with most people. I went to Steel City Tattoos in Sheffield as he was recommended by a friend. I decided to go with a triple Yin Yang as it is supposed to represent divine resonance. Who knows I just liked the symbol. Probably means nothing like that; but sometimes ignorance is bliss. I have had the majority of my first tattoo covered over with a Polynesian design but the triple yin yang is still in the centre.”
"The skull itself took about 6 hours and it’s the first tattoo that I have had to ask the tattooist to stop."
Run me through your tattoo collection; any favourites?
“In the past I had a biomechanical tattoo on my shoulder showing inner blood capillaries running into metal pipes, “Only the Brave” tattooed over my ass, long story, a Chinese symbol for music on the left of my chest. All of these have now been covered up.”
“Presently I have left arm, shoulder, back and chest tattoo which is a free hand design by Van Schaiks of Sheffield. He also did my right thigh. All I asked for was a cross on my left arm and he just started the gun up and off he went. Next few sessions I also had the gear sequence of a motorbike on my left leg and a shock absorber on my right calf. A bit random but I’ve been on bikes since the age of 3 so it was only a matter of time before something bike related went on my skin.”
“After those there was a bit of a gap between having work done. In 2017 I went to LA with my dad as he’s always wanted to go. One night I was in one of the Irish bars on Hollywood Blvd. speaking to Freddy Kruger and Clownalyn Monroe, again a long story, and they suggested a tattooist over the street. So off I went and ended up getting tattooed by a Hispanic ex gang member called Delmar on my left thigh. Just words on the thigh “Judge me by my actions not what you expect me to do.” After this I said I was done with tattoo’s for a while.”
The skull on your back is really impressive. Who did it and how long did it take?
“The Skull; well the Skull is a memorial piece for my late father. I know that may sound a little odd but I have always wanted a skull on me and after he passed I thought in a rather bizarre way it was fitting. I asked the tattooist if he could put my father ashes in the ink and he agreed so I always carry him around. The skull itself took about 6 hours and it’s the first tattoo that I have had to ask the tattooist to stop. Jesus it hurt but the work so far it’s fantastic. Since then I have added the redwoods across the top of my shoulder and I’m waiting to have the surround of the skull finished. Then it will be my left arm full sleeve. This will be motorcycle related. I also got a Spartan helmet tattooed on my left calf by the lady at Tattoo Clown who was wanting victims to practice on. And she did a wonderful job.”
"We go out to every kind of job from births to deaths."
Do you have a regular tattooist?
“The guy I go to now for tattoos is Hakan at Tattoo Clown in New Mills. The guys work is phenomenal and I can’t see me going to anywhere else now.”
Tell me about your job working for the ambulance service.
“I’m an Emergency Medical Technician with East Midlands Ambulance Service and have been frontline now for about 16 years. We go out to every kind of job from births to deaths. I love the variety and without sounding like a massive bell end I do like the fact that I can say I help people.”
"Front line during covid; it’s been like groundhog day since march 2020."
Do patients see your tattoos or do they stay covered up? How has your employer and the public reacted to your tattoos?
“Patients see my tattoos but only a small part of them until my sleeve is complete. They do comment, but I can honestly say I’ve never had any negative comments even from the elderly patients. When I started my tattoo journey having tattoo’s almost made you one of the select few. Now it appears you are in the minority if you don’t have tattoos. The ambulance service don’t really mind tattoos, but there would be obvious issues if your ink was discriminatory etc.”
How has it been working front line during covid?
“Front line during covid; it’s been like groundhog day since march 2020. I feel more normal in a mask now than I do without one; its been rough. There have been times during the height of the pre vaccine lockdowns that everyone struggled. Constantly taking people into hospital knowing there was a very strong possibility that they would not be coming home. Having to explain to families, mothers, sons, dads and friends that they couldn’t come with them to hospital. Seeing them wave goodbye was really difficult. But this is what we do and I’d like to think we have done ok.”
Tell me about your metal work. It’s seriously impressive.
“The metal work all started off as just a present for my mum. She asked for me to make her something for Christmas so I just made some tall flowers out of metal for the garden. A few people saw these and asked if I could make some more. Then it was roses, tulips etc. So while doing these I thought I could make 3d animal heads for walls etc. And then it went nuts. So at present I do Roses, Tulips, Sunflowers, Stag heads, Unicorns, Highland Cows and of course Skulls. I’ve always loved working with metal and if I could make it into a full time business I would but at the moment it’s just a spare time hobby. I’ve had two requests for Highland Cow Sculptures from a gentleman in the US and they should be going out to him in the summer. Going to cost him a fortune to get it shipped as each one is going to weigh about 30 kg. But he wants them for his Ranch so guessing he can afford it.”
"Tattoo is a surgical procedure, a cosmetic surgical procedure, but none the less it is surgery."
"A tattoo is essentially a graze that aims to put ink into your skin."
When I started writing for the tattoo industry the first person I interviewed was dotwork tattoo artist Mereki Fade. Nine years later Fade’s career has skyrocketed and she is now not only an internationally renowned artist but one of the world’s leading tattoo anthropologists. If I ever need an opinion that’s firmly on the pulse of tattooing my first port of call is Fade.
"When Covid 19 first hit, I was stuck at sea on rations, with all borders of the world shut."
When the world went into lockdown Fade was in the middle of the Pacific Ocean taking part in a pioneering study into plastic waste. As part of an all female crew, Fade embarked on the eXXpedition round the world sailing voyage and research mission.
“When Covid 19 first hit, I was stuck at sea on rations, with all borders of the world shut. My guest spot in Tahiti was cancelled. The studio was shut mostly for one year, and we had to move a six month waiting list four times. During the first lockdown the government didn’t even indicate that we would be able to re-open so it was impossible to put any provisions in place.”
“The main issue with Covid 19 has been the government's management of the situation. Certain creative industries like musicians and artists have barely been supported. We had no relief here and had to pay all the bills regardless. I’ve had to keep myself afloat out of my own pocket because the government mismanaged things. Many clients have been made redundant and have had to cancel their tattoo appointments, which affects things going forward. Despite all of that, we have re-opened, seen all of our regular clients, and are back in the studio. During the lockdowns I took the opportunity to finish my book on tribal tattoo history. I am also currently planning an 8 episode series about tattoo history worldwide. We come back with fire.”
“I’ve worked at tattoo conventions across America, Europe, Asia and done guest spots all over the world."
“I’ve worked at tattoo conventions across America, Europe, Asia and done guest spots all over the world. My favourite has to be my home town in Brighton. Now that London has shut down, Brighton is the most prestigious in the UK. The most fun I’ve had has to be in Borneo, but the Northern Arizona Tattoo convention was great too! It breaks my heart that the London Tattoo convention has liquidated; it was the heart and soul of our industry. Conventions give me the opportunity to network with a wide range of artists, and I often tie it in with a guest spot in that local area which makes me more accessible. It’s been great, I’ve had some of my best times doing that.”
Social media has now taken over as the main means for a tattooist to display their art, but Fade still thinks conventions play an important role.
“Tattoo conventions will always have a vital role in the industry. They give us the opportunity to meet artists from all over the world and network with a variety of cultures.”
"I’m looking forward to working with friends from all over the world that I haven’t been able to see for a long time."
Like most tattooists, Fade can’t wait to get back working the convention circuit.
“Yes I have missed them. It’s such a shame that so many conventions have been postponed or rebooked several times, I can’t wait for them to happen again. I’m looking forward to working with friends from all over the world that I haven’t been able to see for a long time. We are booked into Brighton convention which is in February so I plan to work there if we are able.”
While 2020 into 2021 may have been a quiet time for Fade, next year will be the exact opposite.
“For 2022 I am currently pitching for funding for my TV series Eternal Clothing, about global tattoo history roots and culture. I will be hosting 3 exhibitions in NY exhibiting my tattoo anthropology photographs, films, and book release. Lecturing at the NY Folkart society whilst I am there and part of me feels like I need to return to Tahitii and finish what I started as my trip was cut short, so I need to retrace those footsteps.”
Images by Fade, Yayo and MNHR, words by Matt Haddon-Reichardt
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The Blackwork Tattoo Convention is an exciting new convention that covid nearly killed while it was still in gestation.
“Well, the first public post on facebook was in January 2020, where we announced the first ever dedicated blackwork tattoo convention, to be held in April. Late February we had all vendors, artists, bands etc lined up and all was ready. But covid was getting closer, and things were starting to shut down. So we had to make a choice. Stay and hope for the best, or postpone it, and get a new date straight away to keep the momentum.” Explained Thomas Schwerdtfeger the convections organiser.
“We announced the new date. But covid, restrictions, lockdown, it all got worse.”
But Thomas didn’t let covid destroy his dream.
“I always had this 2 year plan to move from the first venue to a bigger setup, once we were settled. And with the lockdowns, I could see 2 years ahead before there was a chance to try again. So I took the time to find the new venue, and take it nice and slow. So here we are, and in 2022, hopefully I'm able to host this dream of mine, the Blackwork Tattoo Convention.”
What made matters even worse was a complete lack of government support.
“We got nothing, since the event never got its legs.”
“Being more dedicated to a style and a theme is a new and fresh take."
Since the post Miami Ink tattoo boom many old school artists have bemoaned the commercialisation of tattoo conventions. With the Blackwork tattoo Convention Thomas is aiming to take the experience back to its roots through a new conduit.
“Being more dedicated to a style and a theme is a new and fresh take. That way I can focus more on the music, the performers, vendors etc. It's all in the same theme. I’m also moving away from all these prizes. There will be 1 prize each day, for tattoos 100% done on the convention. No one can show up with the same tattoo again and again, or have a client with a 99% finished tattoo, that you complete at the convention.”
Thomas also wants to make the convention more intimate and less overwhelming for both artists and punters.
“I’ll try and keep the amount of artists low; I think we will be around 20 this time. And that’s for several reasons. The first is there will be more work for the artists. It’s sad to see a convention with 150 artists, and a lot of them are just drawing on paper for 3 days straight. Second we take the day before the convention off to socialize; we go on a trip, maybe dinner etc. It’s important to get to know each other; that's only possible with a small amount of artists. Lastly, it will encourage the artists to take walk ins and not be fully booked. People pay to get into a convention; they go to get tattooed, to get tattoos. So all that combined, I think will bring some hype around it.”
“Tattoos have always meant something for me"
I’ve never been a fan of big conventions or the fact it seems so hard to actually get tattooed unless you book ahead; so I for one love Thomas’s ideas on how to make things fresh and funky. Thomas himself is excited at the notion of opening the doors and getting the tattoo machines buzzing.
“It feels so good to have a date! And I decided to do it in 2022, so I was 99% sure that covid was under control and things were open again; I’m really looking forward to it."
And if covid is still gnashing its teeth and growling Thomas will pull out all the stops to make the convention safe.
“Of course if we have to take measures to tackle covid I will; but I’m not even close to the convention yet, so we will see how things are next year. I´ll start promoting it more, later this year and early next year. It will be then that I go into the practicals about running the convention.”
“I’ve had the convention idea for many years. I was tired of seeing the same shows fail again and again."
It’s really testament to Thomas’s passion for tattooing that he hasn’t let covid stop him living out his dream.
“Tattoos have always meant something for me, it was something I wanted and knew I would have; even as a kid. But my artistic skills didn't go the tattoo way, I went on and did a lot of theatrical work, prop making, stage paintings, running big shows. But one day I hurt my back, and I decided that now it’s the time for a change. By that time I had done some convention prizes as a prop maker and artist, so I was in the mix. That how I started tattooing and I’ve never looked back.”
“I’ve had the convention idea for many years. I was tired of seeing the same shows fail again and again. It’s like the same recipe over and over. And since my background was the stage, I thought I would do a more artistic convention. And I think it helps being an active tattoo artist, who works at conventions. I can better sort things out, what works well and what doesn't.”
Images by Thomas Schwerdtfeger, words by Matt Haddon-Reichardt
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“Grief, particularly sudden grief is catastrophic,” explained Taylor as he sipped on his coffee.
I’ve known Taylor for longer than I can remember and he’s been a paramedic for nearly a decade.
“People think it’s the blood and gore that makes this job hard. I blame Causality and the films for that one. In truth is, what’s really hard is the emotion. The dead are dead; there is nothing you can do. But trying to save someone and having their friends or family watching on, hoping and praying you can save them; well that’s tough.”
“And when you can’t save them and they die, well breaking that news and seeing that tsunami of grief; well its heart breaking.”
I’ve met up with Taylor to talk tattoos and human identification. He has years of grim experience of being presented with bodies in a dismembered or decomposed state where initial identification just isn’t possible.
"Often due to stress and grief, Dr Shepherd states that misidentification is easy."
“People think that they will know their relative if they see them; even if the body isn’t in great condition. I’ve been reading a biography by top forensic pathologist Dr Richard Shepherd. He’s dealt with all sorts of cases both on a private and public level from cases of natural mummification to the Clapham Rail Disaster and 9/11. The relatives, desperate to know if their loved one is alive or not, will insist on seeing bodies. Often due to stress and grief, Dr Shepherd states, misidentification is easy.”
This is where tattoos come in.
“What we are finding is that tattoos play a vital role in identifying the dead. They are clues in a puzzle to finding a name, nationality and history. Let's say there is a terrorist attack at a football stadium that your relative tragically attended. You now this relative always wears his teams current shirt and has black hair and glasses. But how many others caught up in the horrific trauma of the day would match that profile; and if the body is damaged, misidentification is a real problem. But tattoos really help differentiate between people and match up parts of people if disarticulation has taken place.”
One of the pioneers in the field of forensic identification through tattoos is Dr Jan Bikker. Dr Bikker was pivotal in establishing the Centre for Anatomy and Human Identification at the University of Dundee. Dr Bikker set up a research project pushing to develop a database of images and information on tattoos, piercings and other body modifications, to help in the identification of human remains.
“Body modifications are often used as a means of identifying victims of disasters, missing persons and unidentified bodies. In international investigations, particularly in disasters involving many foreign nationals, not only accurate documentation of body modifications may be important to assist the identification process but also the uniqueness and potential meaning of those modifications. The aim of the project is to establish an active repository of body modification data which will help us to document the variety of modifications of the body. This collection of data will not only lead to a more uniform way of describing the variety of modifications but may also establish how individualistic certain body modifications are within a population, social group or age group.”
"Tattooists often have their own personal style and portfolio which could provide a clue as well."
Dr Bikkers work has pushed tattooing to the forefront of forensic identification.
“We also hope to find patterns within the data that will help us to infer any intelligence from for example a tattoo design; it may be common for example that Australians have a tattoo of their national symbol, a koala. Or text tattoos may be related to national or locally known poets or writers. Another aim is to find a trend of specific tattoo designs relating to certain periods in time. This may help us to assist in determining the age of a victim in combination with other forensic methods of identification.”
The project went live in 2011 and since its inception respect for the deceased and compassion for their loved ones has been the goal of the project.
“Since Interpol and the Missing Person Unit of the German Police (BKA) are involved as partners of the FASTID-project, there may be a misconception among the general public that the images and personal data will be used for policing purposes. The research is conducted in accordance with strict University Ethics guidelines and therefore the data we collect cannot be used for any other purpose than to create advanced tools for missing person investigations and disaster victim identification. Nor will it be possible to identify the name of a particular person from the image in the aides we develop.”
Dr Bikker went on to explain how the database will work in helping identify bodies.
“The collected data will be analysed to see if any intelligence can be obtained, from for example tattoo designs. By looking at dragon tattoos for example, it is possible to distinguish between Asian and Western designs. Asian dragons are seen as benevolent creatures with whiskers and beards and appear to be feathered and wingless, whereas most European dragons are often depicted with wings and breathing fire. In Asian countries, it is also considered bad luck to depict a dragon facing downwards, as it is seen as disrespectful to place a dragon in such manner that it cannot ascend to the sky. The number of claws tattooed on a dragon may furthermore tell if it’s a Japanese, Vietnamese, Korean or Chinese design. Tattoo designs were important in the identification process of tsunami victims in South-East Asia in December 2004. A large number of locals had traditional Buddhist tattoos. While we can’t say that the victim lived in a specific region or originated from there with certainty, it may have been possible that the victim has visited that region at some point in his life, perhaps as a tourist or for work, and this may be a clue for further investigations. Tattooists often have their own personal style and portfolio which could provide a clue as well.”
"Pig skin is very similar to human skin. We tattoo pig carcasses and record the process of decay."
The team have also been doing pioneering research on how decomposition and decay effect a tattoo. Here pigs have been substituted for humans.
“We also carry out related body modification projects in the Centre for Anatomy and Human Identification. One of those projects is looking at the effect of decomposition on the visibility and design of the tattoo. Pig skin is very similar to human skin. We tattoo pig carcasses and record the process of decay. By doing this research, we hope to gain insight into the changes that occur in tattoo inks and designs after a prolonged period following death and develop new methods that may aid in detecting tattoos on the body and/or increase their visibility. For example, shortly after death the tattoo may become clearer and brighter as a result of what we call ‘skin slippage’ in which the outer layer of the skin can be easily rubbed off. In the advanced decomposition stages, the colours (if any) of the tattoo will normally fade and the outlines increasingly blurry and distorted until the design becomes barely recognisable. If we understand this process in more detail, we can develop tools that will allow us to ‘reconstruct’ the original design of the tattoo. This will be an important tool for the identification of unidentified human remains and disaster victim identification.”
Back at the coffee shop Taylor is reflecting on how sharing our tattoos can help paramedics, academics and pathologists identify bodies.
“This is one area where social media will play a vital role in identification. In effect a tattooists social media pages will act as their own database of tattoos that can be referenced by experts if need be; it’s one of the few times social media can be used for good.”
Taylor has a late shift booked so we finish our coffees and he wraps up the interview.
“Don’t be shy about your body mods and tattoos. Even if they are private or intimate it's important you let loved ones or a trusted friend know you have them. Ok you might not want to tell you mum about your Prince Albert or Nigel Farage tattoo but make sure somebody knows. If the worst happens you don’t want to slow down identification or cause a misidentification. Of course the teams involved will be looking at DNA, dental records and fingerprints but the more information they have on a body, the better.”
Images credited to Yayo, MNHR, Dr Jan Bikker.
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Art is ancient and defines what it is to be human. It is one of the dividing lines drawn in the sands of time between us and our prehistoric, proto-human ancestors. No other creature on the planet communicates through the symbolism of art. Many people know of the prehistoric paintings and engravings that adorn caves across the world, with striking geometric patterns and images of extinct beats and the hunters who stalked them. But fewer people know that tattooing has its roots in the Stone Age and that some of the best preserved prehistoric art is not on the walls of caves but embedded in human skin. But can we really call these primitive marks art?
"The technique to produce the tattoos is known as scarification."
The earliest known tattoos belong to Otzi an ice mummy discovered in the Alps back in 1991. Otzi’s body dates back 5000 years making his tattoos older than Stonehenge and the pyramids of Giza. While the numerous marks on his skin are clearly tattoos the debate rages amongst scientists as to whether they can be regarded as art.
Otzi expert Dr Andreas Putzer does not think the tattoos are art.
“All the tattoos are in places that are normally covered by clothing, so they probably weren’t decorative. Blue-black lines are found in various places on Otzi’s body; near the lumbar spine, on the knee and ankle joints, and on one calf. The technique to produce the tattoos is known as scarification. They made a cut to the skin with a sharp object, probably with a flint stone, and rubbed a carbon paste into the skin. In all probability they are an early example of acupuncture. Severing nerve fibres during treatment can relieve pain. All the tattoos are located at points where the body is subject to wear and tear.”
“Nobody could know who produced these tattoos."
Mummies are very rare and mummies preserved well enough to allow the study of their tattoos are even rarer.
“We don’t know how common tattoos were in this period because the Iceman is the only mummy from this time,” Dr Putzer explains.
“Nobody could know who produced these tattoos. Generally in modern tribal communities the tattoos were made by shamans and they had a high social status in their community. We don’t know how tattoos fitted into the Copper Age culture Otzi was from. You have to consider that most of the prehistoric art was made in organic material which hasn’t survived the ravages of time, but I believe Otzi’s tattoos were functional and had no meaning.”
It is clear that body modification is an ancient practice but Social Anthropologist Elizabeth Ewart isn’t so certain that Otzi’s tattoos should not be regarded as art.
“Body arts can be understood in many different ways, many traditional practices have symbolic significance. Today when somebody tattoos a very personal message, they are also communicating. Minimally to themselves about the importance of the person or thing referenced, but also to the important person in their lives and indeed beyond to the wider public.”
"It certainly seems true that humans have modified their bodies in various ways since very ancient times."
Elizabeth’s position on the debate as to whether ancient body art is art is more nuanced than Dr Putzer’s.
“It certainly seems true that humans have modified their bodies in various ways since very ancient times, probably starting with shell beads that were used at least 80,000 years ago. Body art has a long history, whether it be powdered wigs and corsets of old, or tattoos and piercings more recently. The inspiration for designs and practices draws on a big wide world of practices. Other meanings aside from personal ones, encoded in body arts might be political or about group belonging. They may also be about social or personal status within a particular group.”
While the debate continues over whether we should call Otzi’s tattoos art, there is another Ice Mummy whose tattoos are so well preserved their beauty is undeniable. 2500 years ago a princess was buried in Siberia and her tattoos are some of the most beautiful works of art you will ever see.
The tattooed bodies of a young woman and two men were found in the Republic of Altai in Russia. Buried in a kurgan, a tomb constructed of earth and stones, the bodies lay undisturbed until 1993 when scientist Dr Natalia Polosmak and her team uncovered them during a summer excavation. The bodies, dating back to the 5th century BCE, were preserved by the regions sub-zero temperatures mummifying the remains and preventing the decay of the beautifully detailed tattoos.
'It is a phenomenal level of tattoo art. Incredible.'
Of the 3 bodies it is that of the woman that has attracted the most interest due to her extensive tattoos. She is referred to as the Siberian Ice Maiden, but also known as Princess Ukok, the Altai Princess, and Ochy-bala. She is estimated to have lived to the age of 25 and by the time of her death had both her arms tattooed. The tattoos feature pictograms of animals and display a remarkable level of artistic design and craftsmanship.
"It is a phenomenal level of tattoo art. Incredible," Dr Polosmak told the Siberian Times.
The tattoos feature stylised representations of animals reminiscent of signs of the zodiac and mythological creatures. Evidence from other excavations indicates that the tattoos would have most probably been applied using bone needles and pigments derived from ash and animal fat.
Princess Ukok was from the nomadic Pazyryk people whose ancestors still inhabit the cold, inhospitable region she was buried in. Dr Polosmak believes the tattoos were more than just decorative body art.
"Tattoos were used as a mean of personal identification; like a passport now, if you like. The Pazyryks also believed the tattoos would be helpful in another life, making it easy for the people of the same family and culture to find each other after death," Dr Polosmak stated.
The body art is obviously the work of a highly skilled tattooist and according to Dr Polosmak would have been a sign of a person’s status in society.
“The more tattoos were on the body, the longer it meant the person lived, and the higher was his position.”
"Compared to all tattoos found by archaeologists around the world, those on the mummies of the Pazyryk people are the most complicated, and the most beautiful."
While she is called a ‘princess’ it is not clear what position she would have possessed within her community. Experts have speculated that she may well have been a healer, a holy woman or revered folk tale narrator rather than a princess. The archaeological team found six horses complete with saddles and bridles buried close by. Entombed with her body were ornaments made from bronze, wood, felt and gold as well as a container filled with cannabis. Whatever her exact role in life the beautiful detail of her tattoos combined with her elaborate burial show she was of great importance to those who interned her below the frozen earth.
The 2 men buried with the princess are believed by archaeologists to have been warriors. One of the warriors has a tattoo on his right shoulder and like the princess the level of preservation is so good the archaeological team have been able to clearly reconstruct the design. The tattoo, which starts on his shoulder and stretches down his chest, features a horse with raptor heads for a mane. The warrior’s tattoo, like those of the princess, points to him being someone of status within his society.
More ancient tattooed mummies have been discovered elsewhere in the world but the tattoos of the Siberian ice mummies are perhaps the most sophisticated and eye catching. Dr Polosmak certainly thinks so:
"Compared to all tattoos found by archaeologists around the world, those on the mummies of the Pazyryk people are the most complicated, and the most beautiful."
So were Otzi’s tattoos art? Was the Siberian Ice Maiden a Princess? Leave a comment and let us know what you think.
"Excavating tattooed mummies may be a gift to science but are unwitting archeologists unleashing dark forces from ancient curses? The local residents in Altai, where the mummy was uncovered, still venerate the bodies of their ancestors and Shamanism remains a powerful religion despite the efforts of the former USSR to stamp out indigenous beliefs. The Altai believe the disturbance of the tomb to be sacrilege and that the removal of the body has angered the spirit of the Ice Maiden. While excavating the burial chamber members of the team reported feeling the presence of the Ice Maiden’s spirit and at night experienced terrifying nightmares. The near fatal crash of a helicopter being used to transport the team off site was attributed to the angry spirit. Locals blame the removal of the body for all kinds of natural disasters from forest fires to earthquakes. The suicides of several people have been linked to the curse. Now the body has been returned to its homeland locals hope the curse will be lifted but controversy remains over archaeologist’s rights to excavate tombs across the world."
Images credited to Yayo, MNHR, Public Domain and individual right holders.
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Back when I started writing for the tattoo trade, in the spring of 2012, Nokia announced new technology, that they claimed would revolutionise tattooing. For the first time in its history tattooing would transcend body art and enter the world of the cyborg, part human and part machine. Their idea was to use tattoos to create hepatic feedback. The tattoo would act as an interface between a mobile phone and the human body. By using magnetic ink in a tattoo, the tattooist could link this to a smart phone so that when the phone received a call or a message the ink in the tattoo would start to vibrate.
"The backpack I was wearing, with all the battery power for the camera and microphones, overheated and burned me pretty good."
This may find this idea farfetched but I did my research and Nokia were so serious about their idea that they filed a patent for this hepatic feedback technology. Over the next few months I began to dig deeper and realised Nokia’s cyborg tattoos were the tip of the iceberg when it came to body art and body hacking.
Body hacking is the application of the hacker ethic to improve the human body with DIY cybernetic devices or introducing biochemicals into the body to enhance or change the bodies' functionality. It is also known as biohacking, and these biomechanical engineers have their eyes firmly fixed on tattooing.
To me, nearly a decade ago, it sounded both exciting and worrying. I’d heard horror stories of red ink, containing iron particles, over heating in MRI scanners as the magnetic wave’s pulsed energy into the metallic ink. The result was burns and blisters. As the decade wore on, more and more biohackers jumped onto the tattooing band wagon but each time the revolution was poised to spill over into the mainstream; the cybernaughts retreated. It soon became clear why.
In 2013 interviewed French based artist Karl Marc who took tattoo biohacking to the next level. He made a history, a year before to Nokia’s patent, by creating the world’s first animated tattoo. When I read about Karl I knew I had to speak to him,k as his tattoo could potentially open up a whole new realm of possibilities for the future of tattooing. I was surprised by what I found.
“The pressure of this project was intense right from the beginning,” explained Karl over the phone from Paris.
“The whole process took several months of planning. Ballantines Whiskey first contacted me because they wanted to spotlight a tattoo artist as part of a broader advertising campaign. I went through two castings. I later learned that they had chosen me out of 40 artists. At the same time, I was battling with myself about whether I wanted to use my art to benefit a major liquor brand. After meeting with them and talking about what we could do, I made the decision that the project seemed like a worthwhile concept. They assured me that they would not ask me to directly promote their product and that just being associated with tattooing would be attention enough for them. In the end, they were right; the interest in the project brought them a lot of publicity.”
Rather than kick-start a tattoo revolution Karl vowed never to repeat the experience.
“The actual tattooing was broadcast live on Facebook via a helmet camera. It took four hours and was incredibly complicated. What the viewer doesn’t see is that there was a team of 10 technicians helping to ensure that the live broadcast went well. They also couldn’t know that the helmet cam kept dipping in front of my eyes, that talking for four hours pretty much killed my vocal chords, and that the backpack I was wearing, with all the battery power for the camera and microphones, overheated and burned me pretty good. It was not the optimum environment for the application of a tattoo. And before all this, we went through a lot of trouble finding a code that would work and linking the animation to it.”
The animated tattoo worked though a tattoo of a QR code linking to a mobile phone. Once the QR code was scanned an animation would be loaded up and played on the phone. The tattoo on the skin would not actually move, it simply acted as a key to unlock the animation.
“I do not see myself developing this further. While it was a fun experiment, the nature of the code is too rigid and unwieldy to be inserted into most tattoos. Because tattooing has become more widely accepted, it has attracted artists with great skills. These tattoo artists are constantly pushing the boundaries of the possible and enhancing the techniques used for the application. The future of tattooing lies in the art skill, not the computer. Currently the computer is a good tool to help the design of a tattoo; it’s not generally the purpose of the tattoo. I think that my, and almost everyone else’s tattooing will stay focused on the actual art for the foreseeable future.”
I left the interview disappointed. I’d hoped I’d be hopping on a plane to France to get my own animated tattoo. Much like the Nokia vibrating ink patent, Karl’s tattoo seemed like a novelty, an advertising gimmick rather than a step into the beyond. As my writing career took off I continued my research and came across Dmitry Morozov. In 2014 I jumped on a plane and headed to Russia to interview him. Dmitry had pushed beyond simply using a tattoo as a code to unlock technology; he had turned his tattoo into music.
"Technology is everywhere now. We can’t be separated from it; it’s now a part of us."
“This is the beginning of my project ‘Reading My Body’,” explained Dmitry as we sat in his studio, surrounded by gadgets and gizmos of all kinds. It felt like I was in the props department of a Star Wars movie.
“We are surrounded by technology and we are increasingly dependent on it; the internet, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, its everywhere. We have computers in our cars, in our watches and even our washing machines. We wake up with our cell phone, it stays with us all day then we go to bed with it. Technology is everywhere now. We can’t be separated from it; it’s now a part of us. That’s what inspired ‘Reading my Body’.”
Along Dmitry’s lower arm ran a precise, black, geometric tattoo. Dmitry proceeded to connect an elaborate electrical device to his arm that resembled a hybrid between a synthesiser and a printer. He turned the device on and it began to scan his arm. As it did so a cacophony of digital sound broke the air. Pulsing beats flipped into high analogue chimes before descending in to eerie computer drones. It sounded like the kind of digital sound scape Aphex Twin or Autechre would release. All the while Dmitry moved, flexed and twisted his arm; as he did so the sound changed. He reset the scanner and repeated the process; this time with a different set of arm movements. The music that emanated from the machine changed with each movement and while the score stored in the tattoo stayed the same each unique pattern of body movements creates a different song.
Unlike Karl Dmitry feels his technology represents the future of tattooing.
“It’s not only a reflection of this social trend, its hybrid art. I’m seeing how far I can push the envelope of body modification, art and technology. It’s like a living dream of how far technology can go, not only surrounding us but becoming part of our bodies and effecting the world around it creating a new reality.”
I left Russia impressed with Dymitry’s musical tattoo but felt that once again it was more of a novelty than a paradigm shift. The issue with putting codes in tattoos is that the human canvas is not a rigid one. Analogue information is a fixed pattern of 0 and 1’s. Any deviation in that pattern creates a corruption in the data. Tattoos change as the ink sinks deeper into the skin and they risk damage from sunlight, cuts, abrasions, burns or chemicals. Over time as the tattoos change the electronic devices that utilise them as a code would fail to recognise the pattern; they would in effect become useless.
This is something that has not escaped those who have stepped into the tattoo biohack arena and it certainly didn’t stop Olo Sabandija throwing his hat into the ring in 2019, when he created the world’s first augmented reality, tattoo video game.
“The principle is simple,” explained Olo over the phone.
“You need an image that can be easy to find for the app, you import that image into Unity, that’s a game development platform, as a marker and link your image’s 3D assets to that marker so it mimics its position. When the app is running it opens the camera and once it identifies the marker it matches the position of the virtual marker with the image of the real one it sees in the camera, and the stuff you linked to the marker in the app follows your real image on the screen.”
“Making it work with a tattoo was a headache."
Where Olo hit a stumbling block was once again the instability of ink injected into human skin.
“Making it work with a tattoo was a headache. I put the project on hold for 2 years because it worked fine with printed paper markers but I couldn't make the app read anything on my arm. I experimented by transferring inkjet prints onto my skin by printing over a sheet with tape but it was hit and miss. A friend that I met on a Game Jam showed me his AR tattoo and gave me a tip; to use only straight lines, sharp angles and high contrast.”
“Once I had a stable marker I sketched my scene of Green Hill from Sonic the Hedgehog and all the things I wanted in it; then I built it in blender. Most of the textures I used were ripped from actual sprites of the game but for the Badniks I had to paint them, but I picked the actual colours from the original sprite.”
Olo’s project was exciting, revolutionary and super cool. I couldn’t wait to get my own augmented reality tattoo and have sprites leap from my arm and all around me. Then Olo hit another snag. He messaged me some weeks after I interviewed him for Yayo, to explain.
““I think I'll have to use a different tool if I want to sell AR for tattoos, Vuforia's license is absurdly expensive. I contacted them and they don't want to reach a reasonable compromise, but I'll let you know as soon as I have another solution.”
A few more weeks passed before Olo emailed me with the sad that news his dream of augmented reality for the masses was on hold.
“By the way the bad news is that I've been trying different AR engines, but all of them have very expensive licenses, and so far only Vuforia is robust enough to read a tattoo, and its developer license has a limit of 1000 scans if I understood it right. I need to dig a little more to see if the license number is somehow linked to the unity install. If I’m going to make a business or of it I'm not entirely sure how legal it would be to have the customers sign up to get a developer's license and forward it to me but it's the only solution that comes to my mind.”
So once again my dream of becoming a human tattoo cyborg was dashed. Then this month I came across an interesting news article from the BBC. It headline stated that the future of tattooing could be in electric tattoos. Intrigued, I delved in the article; only to once again face disappointment.
While artists are dreaming big of implants and nano technology that will create real, moving, animated, colour changing tattoos we are at this time limited to wires and LED’s embedded in transfers; essentially a sticking plaster. Tattoos go in the skin, not on them. It’s like calling a self balancing scooter a hoverboard; despite the fact it doesn’t actually hover. These electronic transfers that stick to the skin are falsely advertising themselves when they talk about being tattoos. Anyway electronic transfers aren’t even new news. I wrote an article on them back in 2014.
So where does that leave us, 9 years after I started my quest to uncover the future of tattooing. Well technology has revolutionised tattooing over the past decade; even though it may not have led to human/machine hybrids. We have seen tattoo machines come on in leaps and bounds, from all quiet rotaries to recyclable cartridges and grips. Autoclaves have become more economical and vegan inks are now a mainstay of many studios. Green technologies have helped reduce plastic waste and there is even talk of semi permanent tattoo ink that will fade over time.
Aftercare is probably the area to see the most progress and it is thanks to companies like Yayo that the industry is finally moving on from creams containing animal based ingredients. So while it is nice to dream of the day when our tattoos will pulsate, move and glow we are probably best focussing on the fantastic art that is being produced by tattooists around the world. CAD, social media, and low cost international travel have transformed how tattooists design, market and deliver their body art. It is these advances we should be celebrating and leave the high tech tattoos to the cyberpunks.
Words by Matt Haddon-ReichardtImages by MNHR, NHS, Yayo and contributing artists.
We’ve been asked loads of times at YAYO about how we create products that are effective, popular and of high-quality while also staying true to our commitment to being eco-friendly. There are many ways we achieve this, including carefully choosing our ingredients. One of the key ingredients we use across our range is soy wax.
Now I know what you are thinking – soy wax, isn’t that just something that is to do with candles? Believe it or not, soy wax goes far beyond this! This wax provides lots of benefits to skincare, is environmentally friendly and raises the quality of our product range. Now let’s look a bit closer.
So what actually is soy wax? Well, soy wax is produced from the oil that is gained from soybeans, which simply put, is a vegetable! It doesn’t get more natural than that! This oil is then purified into a wax – just think of this stage as perfecting the quality of the wax. It is then customised to a high standard, ensuring that it is of the high-quality that we know our customers love!
There are so many reasons why we use soy wax in our products! When selecting ingredients, we check that we are keeping to our ethos of working in an eco-friendly way. Soy wax is 100% natural, 100% vegan and does not involve nor require any animal products in its production! There are also a ton of environmental benefits from using soy wax, which we will get onto later.
“Soy wax is the perfect ingredient for tattoo aftercare, as not only does it aid the healing and recovery process of the skin, but it also helps to protect the skin from infection.”
Many of our products are designed for use following a tattoo session. As tattoo enthusiasts, we know how important aftercare is. There’s nothing worse than having sore skin after a tattoo session; you just want to sit back and let the skin heal by itself. Well, the good news is that soy wax is the perfect ingredient for tattoo aftercare, as not only does it aid the healing and recovery process of the skin, but it also helps to protect the skin from infection. A great combination right there!
We also appreciate that our loyal customers deserve and expect quality goods. Soy wax produces very consistent results. Over time, we have gradually crafted, honed, and eventually perfected our recipes, which has resulted in an excellent product range for our customers. Our products are long-lasting, which offers customers great value for money. A quick look on our Facebook page will confirm the happiness of our customers!
A lot of companies use beeswax in their products, this type of wax is inconsistent, and not suitable for vegans. This is the same for another popular choice of wax – tallow, which uses the fat of animals. Contrast this to YAYO's products – our high-quality soy wax ensures consistency while also being perfect for vegans.
When most people think of wax, they’ll be thinking of paraffin wax. However, paraffin wax is far from environmentally friendly. While soy wax comes from a vegetable, paraffin wax comes from crude oil. It can also potentially cause serious health problems through soot build-up and harmful chemical additives. Compare that to our all-natural, vegan ingredients – there really isn’t even a debate to be had!
“The paraffin candles we tested released unwanted chemicals into the air. For a person who lights a candle every day for years or just uses them frequently, inhalation of these dangerous pollutants drifting in the air could contribute to the development of health risks like cancer, common allergies and even asthma.”
-Scientists from South Carolina University
Soy wax is really important for our product range. This ingredient has so many benefits to skincare. We have picked out 10 key benefits:
“The soft and soothing nature of soy wax means that it can be used as a moisturiser. It is easy to apply to the skin and creates excellent results, keeping the skin smooth for long periods of time.”
Perfect for sensitive skin: One of the biggest problems facing those with sensitive skin is finding a brand of skincare that works for them. Soy wax-based products can be the perfect solution for this. The natural ingredients should cause minimal interference with the skin.
Can act as a moisturiser: The soft and soothing nature of soy wax means that it can be used as a moisturiser. It is easy to apply to the skin and creates excellent results, keeping the skin smooth for long periods of time – which is especially great when you want to protect your skin following a tattoo session.
Emollient effects: As I said, soy wax has an incredible ability to soften and soothe the skin. Even if you don’t use soy wax for moisturising purposes, you can still receive the same benefits as part of your beauty routine.
High in Vitamin E: Soy wax also has naturally high levels of Vitamin E. We know it is difficult to know your Vitamin D’s from your Vitamin E’s, but take our word for it – Vitamin E is important in skincare! By being high in Vitamin E, soy wax can help fight dry skin, some skin conditions, and is crucial for skin rejuvenation.
Natural: Using our soy wax-based products will mean you are applying natural ingredients to your skin. You will not be putting any nasty chemicals on your skin, which can potentially cause damage and leave you vulnerable to a reaction.
Ideal for use in the winter: Anyone that has lived through a winter in the United Kingdom knows that the colder months can be harsh on our skin and cause many problems. Soy wax is excellent at keeping the skin hydrated throughout cold times of the year, leaving you looking your best for the summer!
Long-lasting: A small amount of balm goes a long way when it comes to soy wax. You therefore get good value for money, and a product that should last longer than many other skincare products. We have so many happy customers and positive reviews which confirm this!
Long-term use: You can use soy wax products over a long period of time and the results will remain. Regularly using our skincare products will keep your skin healthy.
Protects against infection: As we mentioned earlier, soy wax has the fantastic quality of being able to act as a barrier to infection while the skin is healing. This is particularly useful for when you have had a tattoo session or have any minor cut. Soy wax helps the skin healing process.
Not tested on animals: Something that we can always assure here at Yayo is that the ingredients we use will not have been tested on animals. Soy wax is no exception to this! Most high-street skincare brands use ingredients that have been tested on animals, which causes unease for many of us. When applying Yayo products, there is no need to worry about animal testing.
Here at YAYO we have carefully formed our supply chain so that we source soy wax in an ethical and eco-friendly way. We import our soy wax from North America, as this provides us with quality ingredients, while also helping us to support soybean farmers.
But we always like to go the extra mile, so we have gone one step further. We specifically only use non-genetically modified organisms (GMO’s) when sourcing ingredients, which helps us to keep our commitment to making our products completely natural.
Over time, soy wax naturally biodegrades and acts as a fully renewable resource. We are highly passionate as a business about being eco-friendly, and this example shows the effort we put in to achieve this goal.
Unlike some, we don’t throw the words “eco-friendly” or “natural” around like they’re going out of fashion. We truly care about the environment, which is reflected in the way we work.
So then, to round things up, soy wax has several benefits. Not only does its use protect you from harmful chemicals, but it is also vegan-friendly, great for skincare and does not harm the environment in any way! Like I said earlier, we are careful in sourcing our ingredients, with soy wax being one of our absolute favourites! We hope that you’ve enjoyed this article on soy wax, and now you know that there is far, far more to soy wax than you previously thought! Be sure to look out for more blog posts talking about our other amazing ingredients soon. Until then, stay safe, we hope to see you back here soon, thanks for reading!
For the quote from South Carolina University Scientists:
https://www.scsu.edu/news_article.aspx?news_id=832
Harvard format if needed:
Massoudi, R. (2009). Frequent use of certain candles produces unwanted chemicals. South Carolina University. Available at: https://www.scsu.edu/news_article.aspx?news_id=832.
Tony qualified as a psychiatric nurse back in the 1970’s and has worked extensively in the UK and abroad. A specialist in psychosis and dementia care, he switched to being a counsellor once he retired from the NHS.
“Firstly, and let’s be clear on this, there is no one such thing as a typical person who self harms. It affects people of all ages and backgrounds. In my experience self harm appears to be a ‘release’ from psychological and emotional pressure as there is control in the action and the individual’s control means that they can determine the degree of release. The ‘pleasure’ boundaries are extended through the pain barrier because of the sense of fulfilment, thus increasing a person’s self-esteem and ability to be in control of their own emotional lives. It can be perceived as a form of self punishment as well as a method of controlling one's life, when it feels that there is no control due to external pressures.”
"Tattooing is about individual motivation, communication and expression."
I ask what the difference is between getting a painful tattoo and utilising tattooing as a form of self harm. Tony is adamant there is a difference.
“Tattooing and piercing give a person self-worth either in their own eyes or in the eyes of their particular group. 'Look at me' can be the consequence of obvious and publicly displayed tattoos and piercings. They are noticeable and make a statement especially if displayed in strategic places as the head face, hands and neck: they surely do get noticed! Tattooing is about individual motivation, communication and expression. Self harm is a destructive act, body art is a creative act; for me that is the dividing line.”
So tattooing isn’t self harm but getting a tattoo can be self harm; it’s a subtle but definite difference. In Tony’s experience it’s an under researched field.
“It’s definitely an area where more research is needed. Tattooing and piercings can be painful and remain painful for hours if not days. There is always the chance of infection which will extend the period of pain and discomfort. The tattooist performs the act and the rationalised individual does not carry the guilt of that act yet bears the pain and discomfort and therefore they absolve themselves of any guilt whilst controlling the situation. It becomes a socially acceptable vehicle of self-harm. The process becomes important, the act of tattooing and piercing, as the pain and discomfort produced helps rationalise away any guilt as the proxy act absolves the self-harmer of responsibility.”
“I once nursed a man who had switched from cutting himself to tattooing as a form of self harm. He preferred tattooing as cutting had resulted in ugly scars and bad infections which needed medical treatment. He had adopted tattooing as a more hygienic and less damaging form of inducing pain. I don’t think his tattooist ever knew his real motivation for all the work he was getting done.”
“To increase self esteem and to influence the response of others, individuals often take tattooing and piercing to the extreme."
The subtlety of the distinction between art and harm is such that people can take what is perceived as a negative and turn it on its head. Tony believes there is a ritual element to some peoples self harm that can find a home in the body modification process.
“To increase self esteem and to influence the response of others, individuals often take tattooing and piercing to the extreme. My only experience is of people on the gay scene whose esteem is low and piercing in particular enhances the individual’s already vulnerable self to a positive level. The use of Prince Albert rings is common in gay men. This may be a form of self harm and mutilation with the usual control triggers and enhanced satisfaction as the outcome. Once again the self-harmer passes on the responsibility for the act. They become part of the ritual and make the sacrifice rather than the one wielding the sacrificial blade.”
I ask Tony what his advice would be if a tattooists suspects a customer is experiencing mental illness.
“Don’t tattoo them, is the simple answer. When in doubt be honest with the person and explain your reasons for refusing, or just refuse without reason or excuse as it is your business; because you don’t have to give reasons. One lost customer is better than a lost reputation or litigation. Always be the professional."
“A person with body dysmorphic disorder may believe that their body is not right or that they are ugly."
In extreme cases of body modification, like Zombie Boy Rick Genest, people have major surgery, tattooing and body modification to alter their image and identity. In other cases people have the desire to remove body parts or even whole limbs. Some have interpreted such cases as examples of body dysmorphic disorder. I ask Tony what advice would you give to tattooists who feel a client is taking their interest too far and displaying signs of the condition.
“A person with body dysmorphic disorder may believe that their body is not right or that they are ugly. They will go to great lengths to alter that body so that their perception of self is enhanced. We all have such a perception be it legs, eyes, big ears, wrinkles and the joke of jokes, ‘Is my bum too big in this?’ It is often difficult to change a person’s view of self and body dysmorphic disorder is even more difficult to shift. It is beyond just not being satisfied with your appearance; it is delusional and cannot be easily shifted. For example someone may have a small nose by society's standards but they may see themselves as having a huge nose and obsess about it. In such cases, surgery after surgery does not fix the problem no matter how small their nose becomes; think Michael Jackson.”
“A tattooist needs to be aware of the returns for work and the whys. Believe me it soon becomes obvious when an individual’s reasoning for tattooing is grossly psychological. As in any service provision, get to know your customer. I read of an individual who felt that their nose was too big and had extensive tattooing of the head to distract attention away from their nose. They felt better for this but the social backlash negated any perceived improvement as they came too see themselves as a tattooed freak. Pushing down neurosis in one area just pushes up in another.”
"A skilful artisan tattooist can definitely undo much of the consequential scarring of self-harm."
Mental health can be linked to poor self esteem. I round up by asking Tony if can tattooing be part of building positive self esteem such as having work done to cover up self harm scars.
“A skilful artisan tattooist can definitely undo much of the consequential scarring of self-harm especially in later years and once the individual has developed some control in their lives. As a person matures then the emotional pressures of youth diminish with a wish to 'start again'. The skill of the tattooist can resolve much of the trauma of, let's say, youth by the elimination of the scars which are the visible consequence of their actions of self harm. There are many artisan tattooists who perform work equal to any cosmetic surgeon yet who are totally unaware of this. These artisan tattooists perform a valuable service in a socially acceptable manner without resorting to medicalising the process. Healing is not confined to the NHS. In many ways life is a constant cycle of damage, healing, growth and renewal. Tattooing plays an important symbolic role in these cycles.”
“What people have to remember is that tattooing is as old as art itself and is part of the human process. People were tattooing long before a brush was applied to canvas. Yes sometimes it is misused as a form of self harm, but in the vast majority of cases it is a celebration of being human not an act of self destruction.”
Words by Matt Haddon-ReichardtImages by MNHR, Yayo and NHS England
Fraser Williams, from the Maidstone Tattoo Extravaganza, is facing the grim reality of Covid lockdown.
“Covid has killed our convection and completely screwed up our finances. It costs me £27000 to hire the venue and cover bins, waste, water, electric and the like. We had last year’s fee transferred to this year but we won’t be running in 2021; and the venue have now taken our deposit. That’s the convention £3750 out of pocket. I can’t get the money back to the artists and traders who have booked with us as it’s already been invested. In a lose/lose situation; it sucks. If people can’t work, they can’t earn and if they don’t have cash flow then their business could go bust. So even if the convention happens next year we could be in a situation where artists and traders are no longer available to make bookings.”
While the majority of artists I speak to love conventions Fraser feels raw economics could get in the way.
“If tattooists can’t tattoo and studios can’t open then there is no money. In this situation booking a convention is low down the list of priorities.”
Like many passionate about tattooing, money isn’t Fraser’s major motivation.
“I started the convention 4 years ago; just me and my wife set it up. We are small and independent and that’s what people like about us. We don’t give out awards, instead we celebrate every artist who works at the convention. When you look at it awards mean fuck all; artists only get better by bettering themselves and sharing knowledge and experience. Tattooing shouldn’t be about one-upmanship. If we have no competitions then we have no rivalry, it creates a more relaxed atmosphere. Some trophy given out based on arbitrary tastes or opinions isn’t really worth much, in the grand scheme of things.”
"It’s a lot of expense and hard work, but I do it because I love it."
“Like most industries, those outside of it don’t see the hard work and detail that goes into planning and running a successful convention. The punters just see the glitz and glamour and the artists have their own focus. But you need so much to get a convention set up; all the tables, banners, lengths of electrical cable, not to mention how you store and move it all. It’s a lot of expense and hard work, but I do it because I love it. Running a tattoo convention is the best job in the world.”
I wanted to get a tattooists perspective on conventions being cancelled so I got in touch with Yayo sponsored artist Gary Chase; a man who is never short of an opinion. He personally has not missed the convention circuit.
“I've stayed a little further from conventions recently, too much politics for me, happier in my own environment with my head down although I really should push myself to do a couple when things are back to normal. I don't believe it's affected me or tattooing at all, currently we are being hounded by old and prospective clients desperate to get in, we've been asked if we can do lock ins, home visits etc; which we have of course said no to. But this moulds my personal opinion to be that if anything the boredom of lockdown has given people, if anything, more time to consider tattoos.”
"That may impact the public appetite if certain big names aren't there or familiar faces they circuit around.”
In the tattoo scene, conventions are often regarded as the life blood for generating new customers. But in the age of social media they have started to take more of a back seat. Gary does not think a couple of years of convention cancellations will damage tattooing.
“No absolutely not for the same reasons above; convection cancellations will not harm artists. I would guess at least 90% of our clientele are typically people that either do not attend conventions or have maybe attended one or 2 out of curiosity.”
One aspect that will help kick start conventions is artists hunger to get back and tattoo in public. Gary is not feeling particularly hungry for this.
“I may be wrong here as I can only speak for myself, but as much as I'm looking forward to tattooing it's going to be immensely overwhelming even coming back to the studio so I would guess a lot of artists are probably feeling the same way and want to adjust to life back to normal before straying away from the studio again. That may impact the public appetite if certain big names aren't there or familiar faces they circuit around.”
The Scottish Tattoo Convention has been hit as hard as any other. I spoke to show runner Jim; he was sad that the convention had lost a decade of momentum.
“Well we had had our first edition of Scottish Tattoo Convention in 2011, and we were looking forward to our 10th show in 2020. We had to postpone in 2020, 2 weeks or so before the show in March. We won’t run in 2021, hopefully we will be able to go ahead in 2022.”
“We are a midsized show, around 180-200 artists, but we have been fortunate enough to have a strong line up since day one; meaning we are one of the more sought after shows to attend as an artist. The show itself is run as a small, family style show, by Tattooists, so I think we do well at looking after everyone.”
“We have received zero financial support from the Government."
Government support for tattoo conventions has sadly been lacking.
“We have received zero financial support from the Government. The show doesn’t have employees, etc so we aren’t looking for anything. The business has been run properly, we have high overheads, but no one takes a wage or spends any of the shows money, so it can continue to run and grow.”
Jim disagrees with Gary and thinks people will be itching to get back to conventions.
“I think people will be excited to go back, I know we are, but it will depend on what measures we have to enforce. We already have sinks for wash bank of booths, so shared by 2-3 artists, 2.2m booths, and fairly good distancing, but this may not be enough. If it goes similar to Rome or Barcelona, with individual glass enclosures, single sinks, etc. I think the costs to put a show on or attend as a working artist will be too prohibitive for most.”
“We will do our best to ensure the core of the show remains the same, the artists and people attending are our priority.”
“This is a passion for me more than a business."
Back in Maidstone, despite all the setbacks, Fraser is maintaining a level of optimism; after all the show must go on.
“This is a passion for me more than a business. Insurance companies may be pulling out of the convention scene due to Covid but I’m not. I’m sticking to the rules, at home and work, and we will be back. We have had zero government support, because we are an event and there is no way of predicting our turnover. Everything is in mothballs and good to go for 2022; we just need the people on both sides of the needle to come back.”
“In 2019 I made £4500 and then donated 10% of that out to charity. I do it for love; it’s the best feeling in the world building something and seeing the smile of people’s faces when they walk through the door.”
As soon as Covid is an ugly memory, Jim, Fraser and the other survivors will be back and conventions will be up and running again. We just all need to support them; because once lost some will struggle to return.
Words by Matt Haddon-ReichardtImages by contributing interviewees, as credited, Yayo and NHS England
Like so many, my jobs rather odd under lockdown restrictions. I usually like to get out and meet the tattooists I interview. Even better I like to get tattooed by the tattooists I interview, but at the moment that just isn’t possible. Instead its email, Skype and WhatsApp that fill the void of face to face interaction.
“I started back in 2013 when I was having my back piece started up. My tattoo artist found my creative mindset interesting and saw my drawings and pushed me to try out tattooing; 6 months after I ended up getting some machines and decided to look for an apprenticeship. The first studio I went to took me in and that’s kinda where it all started.”
I always start at the start with interviews and it always surprises me the sheer variety of reasons why people take up tattooing. I always follow that one up by asking where people are working now and what they like about the place. It seems like a nice way to introduce the reader to the artist.
"Although before the whole Corona lockdown I travelled all over the world for guest spots."
“I opened up my second studio almost 3 years ago in the heart of Copenhagen, Denmark. What's great about it? Everything! The location is unique as I decided to open as a private studio where I currently have 5 other artist working and a shop manager.”
“The location is placed on the 3rd floor and mostly for collectors or people who know of us, or heard of us; which makes the studio and the location one of a kind. Although before the whole Corona lockdown I travelled all over the world for guest spots and I'm in good collaborations with awesome studios in Cali, NY, Hawaii, USA, Israel, Greenland, Netherlands. Germany, plus many more.”
“No, I don't believe I served a traditional apprenticeship; I was mostly self taught and always searching and studying from different artists I felt I could learn from.”
"Would tattooing benefit from college and university courses; yes, I actually believe so."
Its surprising how many artists are self taught and dodged the traditional dogsbody apprenticeship. Another question I like to throw around, like an over inflated basketball, is the idea of formal education getting involved in the tattoo scene; like a degree in ink or the like.
“Would tattooing benefit from college and university courses; yes, I actually believe so. But I'm afraid of the idea as I've already seen a boom in artists just copying work. But on the other hand I'm sure those who would pop out could take the industry to an even higher level.”
Which brings me nicely onto question 4: is tattooing an art or just a bunch of people copying someone else’s tattoo of Iron Man?
“Copying is a thing that’s always gonna be around and be done. The focus is too high for sure. But take it as a complement when tattoo artists try to copy each other’s work. But when a artist gets to the level where the work being pushed out becomes unique then that breaks the cycle. I would love to see some custom work and less copying.”
“I love that I'm still learning and always pushing to become better."
If anything gets tattooist down more than no shows its red tape. It’s the same in Denmark as in the UK.
“I love that I'm still learning and always pushing to become better, I love that I get to travel the world and find inspiration, motivation and learn from other studios and artist and to give back. I dislike what the government in Denmark is trying to do to the tattoo industry; new mandatory hygiene courses done by the state with no tattoo experience. Plus the high taxes and costs to have the government approve the studio setup for the rights to tattoo; its kinda complicated to explain.”
Back to the artist and one question that often stumps them is to ask them to describe their style. Not the case for Mr Jones who slaps down a royal flush on the table.
“I would describe my style as, realism with a twist; with a bit of personality. It’s about fine lines and details. As I'm still learning, I'm not sure if I've have gotten to the point on having a "Jones Style". My style has developed throughout the years of finding artist that would inspire me and do work where I would feel comfortable and not locking myself down to a stencil, but to kinda just go for it. Currently I've started mashing up work with other artist, so my focus is currently on doing some big ass oversized back pieces.”
Back in 2019 I heard a lot of chatter that tattooing had peaked. I think Covid has put an end to that rumour and very soon, tattooing will be back with a vengeance. Jonesy agrees with me on this one.
“No I don’t think tattooing has peaked. I think the level of artists who are able to take tattooing and the art even further will increase. And to see the acceptance of a generation of people, who earlier were not able to see the art in tattooing is a real epiphany. So yeah, when Covid-19 is over and out, I think locals would look more to travel but that also means that collectors would look into artists abroad and still have their work done.”
Here in the UK we can often think that we invented the whole world and all its culture but tattooing has always been a global phenomenon with a rich history. I like to ask hip young artists how they feel about tattooing's heritage.
“As there is a lot of history of tattooing in Denmark I definitely see a good take on keeping traditions, but I also see the need and the curiosity of taking the past into the future. Personally I'm more focused on the art side of the tattooing and the future of tattooing, but at the same time I have traditional artists who's been working in the industry for over 3 decades.”
Despite being a middle aged tattoo collector who remembers the days when having a tattoo made you a rebel without a cause, I like to keep up on current affairs. One issue that’s really been in the press is equality and diversity; particularly the #metoo movement.
“I believe in some areas it’s an issue, but I see a lot of strong women taking their tattooing and their personality to at least just as high a level as a lot of the good "male artists" out there. So I don’t see it, but I've heard in from Women co-workers all over the world.”
And that is that; 9 questions, 9 fantastic answers. Hopefully next year I can do it all again; but this time in person and under the needle.
Words by Matt Haddon-ReichardtImages by Jones N S larsen, Yayo and NHS England
Q. Who are you?
A. I’m Connor Alderman; a 28 year old lady tattooist from the US. Before I got into the industry, I studied Fine Arts with a concentration in oil painting. It was while I was enrolled in college that I began to pursue tattooing. 8 years later here we are. When I’m not tattooing, I’m at home taking care of my 5 year old daughter Vera.
"I went into tattooing because I wanted a career in the art world that would allow me to not only produce art but connect with other people as well."
Q. Why did you become a tattooist?
A. I went into tattooing because I wanted a career in the art world that would allow me to not only produce art but connect with other people as well. Originally, I went to school to be an art teacher however after receiving my first tattoo, I knew immediately that it was something I wanted to do.
Q. Where do you tattoo?
A. I tattoo in my own studio outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in a little town called Trexlertown.
Q. What do you tattoo?
A. Most of my tattoos are nature based. I primarily tattoo flowers but I often do birds and other animals as well. My style is kind of a combination of all of my favorite styles of tattooing. Neotraditional, realism, and pointillism. I went through a long period of time where I felt like I was having an identity crisis in my work. I was able to replicate a lot of different types of tattoos but never had any consistent elements that made my tattoos uniquely mine until I started experimenting. I started to incorporate what I learned with my painting background to build my color palettes and tried to find a way to mesh it with the neotraditional tattoos I was doing. Eventually I found what worked for me and a way that I was able to do all the things I liked to do in one.
"I have nothing but good things to say about Yayo and their products."
Q. Why Yayo?
A. I have nothing but good things to say about Yayo and their products. What initially sold me on them was using their ointment to heal one of my tattoos. I have incredibly sensitive skin and had a hard time finding ointment that won’t cause my pores to clog or my skin to rash. The tattoo I cared for with their ointment healed beautifully and from that point on I now only carry Yayo products in my studio. My personal favorites from Yayo are the ointments, green soap and foaming soap specifically in the “Spook” line. It smells absolutely amazing and it works so well to keep my client’s skin soft and cooperative while I work. I also highly recommend the Candy stencil solution too. Overall, Yayo is amazing and the people behind it are the reason for that. You can tell how much thought and care was put into their products as soon as you try it for yourself.
Q. How is tattooing surviving Covid-19 and its restrictions?
A. Covid-19 has definitely thrown a wrench into things when it comes to my business. Tattooing was a rough industry to be in when all of this happened. So many artists were struggling to get by without the help of their government to cover the loss of work. Thankfully so many of us helped each other out to help promote the side projects and products we were doing to make the money to survive this. In Pennsylvania, we were shut down for 4 months before we were allowed to open at half capacity again. My studio is private, and it has never gotten much foot traffic, so we didn’t see a loss in walk-ins. It is just me and 4 other women who tattoo there and we have always only operated as appointment only. We had to jump through hoops to find a lot of our medical supplies once we were able to open again. The cost of gloves has skyrocketed as well as our disinfectants and other PPE. Despite the restrictions and the price gouging in materials, things have picked up and all of the artists at our studio are doing well. I think people are coping with the world flipping upside down by getting tattooed.
"I’m sure in many places the sexism is still rampant."
Q. How is being a woman in tattooing in 2020?
A. Honestly, being a woman tattooing in 2020 has been amazing. 10 years ago, when I got into it, that was another story. Consistently what I was running into when I got into the industry was either sexual harassment by my mentor’s clients and friends or I was talked down to by some of my male counterparts. I’m sure in many places the sexism is still rampant, but I don’t allow that into my life anymore. Most of the men I know in tattooing are incredibly supportive and treat me no different. The tattoo industry has changed so much, and it has become a much more welcoming and inclusive place.
Q. What are your plans for next year?
A. The goal for next year is to do all the traveling and conventions that I had planned for this year! I still am uncertain if that will happen due to Covid but I truly hope it does. Regardless of whether I travel or not, I’d really like to make new friends with other artists and continue working on improving my tattoos.
Words by Matt Haddon-ReichardtImages by Conner Alderman, Yayo and NHS England
Q. Let’s start at the start, how did you get into tattooing?
A. I always loved drawing, designing and creating! Almost everything I had done in life had pointed towards tattooing as a career. Then came along Miami ink; I was hooked! Watching it day and night I became obsessed with the practice and the clients stories. I knew I wanted to be able to give people the closure, the celebrations and the confidence that a tattoo brings.
So I started speaking to other tattoo artists, getting tattoos myself, drawing constantly. I contacted a studio owner which eventually let me apprentice with him. The main reason I wanted to be a tattoo artist was as I touched on, the power of a tattoo. People lose family members, pets, friends and want a tattoo to help them grieve their loved one or they have a baby, a wedding or engagement and they want to celebrate those moments in life. Even if people dislike parts of their body, they put tattoos there and suddenly they love themselves again.
That’s such a beautiful gift to give someone; not only the tattoo but also the time. We spend hours with our clients as they speak open and honestly about their lives and we comfort them and celebrate with them. We are truly blessed to be able to have that trust from our clients.
"I love working for myself because I get the freedom to treat my clients in the way I want them to be treated."
Q. Where do you work now?
A. Almost a decade into the craft and I have just opened my very first studio. I am incredibly proud of what we have already achieved with the studio. I love working for myself because I get the freedom to treat my clients in the way I want them to be treated. We have a chalk board with a personal welcome message for each client who comes in. We have free tea and coffee for clients (when Covid buggars off) and we also have a large touch screen computer with our portfolios and designs on so clients can browse freely and easily. My whole studio is client focused, so we provide before-care, during-care and the very best in after-care. I think working in a few studios allowed me to see what works and what doesn’t work and what I wanted for my own studio.
Q. Describe your style. How did it evolve?
A. In terms of style I don’t stick to any one style as I like to be versatile and continue being able to offer a variety of styles to my clients. Many people know me for my dotwork and mandalas but lots come for me for realism and black and grey. I think my crafts developed from working with other artists and taking on board their comments. I never wanted to stick to one thing so I am forever asking questions and watching other artists work when I can.
"The thing I love most about tattooing is cheesy, but it truly is the clients."
Q. What do you love most about tattooing?
A. The thing I love most about tattooing is cheesy, but it truly is the clients. As much and they come to me for some form of therapy, I also definitely get the same benefits from my clients speaking to me about their lives. I also love that it gets to prove wrong my teacher saying “you can’t get a job cutting and sticking!” NURRRRR!!!
Q. Do you work in any other mediums? Do you paint, sculpt or draw
A. I love to draw both realism and cartoon styles for people. I rarely paint anymore with the studio being so busy but drawing is definitely my relaxing time!
Q. How have you survived Covid 19 and can tattooing survive the 2nd wave?
A. In terms of mentally surviving lockdown, I think I actually needed the break. I’ve had a very rough few years and lockdown gave me a chance to just stop and take care of myself and I’ve came out of lockdown a lot healthier both mentally and physically. In terms of financially, because I had been open 7 days I luckily got the small business rates grant; which helped to some extent but not loads. I also got a small amount from self employment grant. I was very fortunate.
I also started doing more commission pieces since I had more times. So I did a few realism portraits and some pet portraits. I started teaching myself to draw cartoons and offered those out at a cheap rate too.All these little bits added up!
I do believe tattooing can survive a second wave, the majority of us have had a huge backlog which means most of us are working extra days and putting money away in preparation for a second lockdown. Hopefully the government has enough to help us again.
"Sexism in the industry is very much still an issue in some studios."
Q. 5 years ago I wrote an article about sexism being a big issue in tattooing. Do you think sexism is still a big issue in tattooing? Have you experienced sexism within the industry?
A. Sexism in the industry is very much still an issue in some studios. The first studio I worked in (I won’t name for legal reasons) was especially hard. I was only taken on because I was a girl and was sexually harassed, controlled and mentally abused for five years, which, when I left, turned into physically stalking and required the need for an injunction. He was incredibly sexist and saw me as weak. Every studio except one that I’ve worked in, I’ve been subject to sexist comments or sexual harassment. All of which led me to my decision to open my own studio.
Q. What are your plans for the future?
A. My plans for the future are to keep bettering the studio, develop my skills more, help my apprentice become a stand alone tattoo artist and have many guests in the studio. I’m very excited for the future of the studio and being my own boss! My studio is Crescent Moon Tattoo Studio in Doncaster. We offer tattoos and piercings. Come and pay us a visit when we reopen.
Words by Matt Haddon-ReichardtImages by Nikita-Mariee Mortem, Yayo and NHS England
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Q. How Did you get into tattooing?
A. Tom, now my husband, got to know my arty side. I cant remember a time in my life where I wasn’t doodling on something which drove my mum mad and obviously at school but I never thought I could actually make money from art. So we just started chatting about tattooing, he had a really crappy tattoo he wanted covering up, and he suggested maybe getting into it rather than letting my talent go to waste. I had no idea about the industry at that time, I mean I had a couple of small tattoos but that was it really so I started to research tattooing and the industry. Things like cross contamination; Google told me bits and pieces. This was 16 years ago so there wasn’t a lot of information about tattooing to be honest but I just kind of got the bug! I sourced materials and started practicing on practice skin and then Tom was my volunteer from there. I am lucky to have picked tattooing up quite naturally and progressed pretty quickly. In 2007 we moved to Bristol, which is Tom's home city, from my home town in Bury up north and I got offered a job right away. I worked in a few studios in Bristol and eventually I met Cookie who became my adopted mentor. I picked up a few things from working with different artists along the way, some things I kept with me and use to this day and some things I soon realised were bad practice and never to be repeated by myself.
"Year after year we got busier and busier taking on more artists to cover walk ins who themselves eventually got booked up!"
Q. Tell me about how your career has progressed?
A. After 4 years of working in different studios, 2 of them with Cookie at Demonic Dermagraphic in Radstock Tom, I decided it was the right time for us to open our own studio. I have two children so wasn’t really into the travelling tattooist scene or lots of conventions so for me it was the next step. In 2011 we opened Purple Rose Tattoo in Bristol. It was scary but felt like a natural progression, in the beginning it was just me but within a month or so we had 3 artists and a piercer. Year after year we got busier and busier taking on more artists to cover walk ins who themselves eventually got booked up! Almost 10 years later we have 11-12 artists at anyone time , some come and go but the majority love it and stay. I’m not going to lie it is hard work running such a big studio and I couldn’t do it with out my husband Tom who deals with the day to day running and the business side of things.
Q. How would you describe your style?
A. My style? I have never really thought I had a style as such, I suppose you would say I’m an all rounder. At the beginning of my career I progressed towards black and grey realism but I’d say colour is were my heart is. The nerdier the better from comic style to realism. I am a nerd, a big nerd much to my husbands dismay and I am very lucky to get so many awesome tattoos to do!
"I love everything about the job itself; the people I work with and more importantly my lovely customers! "
Q. What do you love most about your job?
A. I love everything about the job itself; the people I work with and more importantly my lovely customers! I am lucky enough to have a really good team who I work with, extended family really and apart from the odd occasion we just gel as a family. The majority of my customers are awesome!!! Don’t get me wrong everybody gets that one or two lets say difficult customers but as a whole I can't complain, some have even become close friends. I love the different banter we have, I literally laugh everyday. And the gossip you hear; wow! I think we are the new bartenders, my customers become so comfortable with me they tell me everything; never too be repeated of course. I love the fact that tattooing has given my family a pretty ok life. My kids are 20 and 21 now; I feel so old but they are doing well and if it wasn’t for tattooing I don’t think we could have been able the give them half the opportunity’s we have been able to.
Q. What did you get up to during lockdown?
A. To be honest before lockdown my time was pretty limited, I always find myself booked up 6 months plus in my diary so any artwork was dedicated to my clients designs. Any spare time I had was usually for general house duties, shopping, cooking, cleaning etc. But obviously with having so much spare time over lockdown I started to do Pet portraits. Just for friends to begin with and my own just to keep busy and posted a few on Instagram; from there I got commission after commission. I love animals just as much as tattooing so I absolutely love doing them. I also do a little interior design, my own mostly but tips to friends and family, more of a hobby but would love to get more into that.
"To be honest I don’t think we have survived it yet; its just the beginning of it."
Q. Do you think tattooing has survived Covid 19 and is making a come back?
A. To be honest I don’t think we have survived it yet; its just the beginning of it. We are pretty sensible with money so had enough in the business to see us through, the business premises grant helped for a couple of months keeping the studio and bills paid but it soon ran out. Personally being a ltd company and technically employed by Purple Rose we had to furlough ourselves which was minimum money but we did the same as probably most people and took a mortgage break. The pet portrait commission helped with keeping a little money coming in. It was scary at first not knowing but eventually we actually enjoyed ourselves, after 10 years of being flat out it was actually nice to have a break from it all. To get to spend quality time with the kids with the lovely weather we had. Luckily we have a huge garden so spent most of the time out there, we actually have a nice garden now. I kept Tom busy also with all them finishing touches to the house he never had time to do before! Hopefully we can survive as an industry. Since retuning we have been busier than ever before, I need another break!
Q. Eight years ago when I started writing for the tattoo industry sexism was a huge problem. Nearly a decade on have things got any better?
A. I have experienced a little sexism in the tattooing industry, my husband and I would go to conventions to look around and everybody would naturally presume that Tom was the artist and chat to him. He would correct them, but even now people presume he is the tattoo artist when we tell people what we do for a living. In my studio no its not an issue, but overall probably. There are more and more woman owned studios popping up which is lovely to see, I was the first in Bristol and now there’s at least 4 or 5 that I know of; we are getting there slowly.
Q. What are your plans for the future?
A. What are my plans for the future? Just to keep doing what I’m doing, our studio has an amazing reputation and we work hard to keep it that way. I will probably slow down eventually, have a bit more time for fun things hopefully but to be honest I just love what I do and would miss it if I didn’t do it at all.
Words by Matt Haddon-ReichardtImages by Kat James,Yayo and NHS England
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“I've had doctors discriminate when I have my tattoos on show to the point of being misdiagnosed and mistreated. I saw a new doctor today in London about my eye injury. A shit beautician got glue remover in my eyes and I now have a lifelong eye problem and even had eye surgery this year.” Explains Meraki Fade over Skype.
I’ve worked with Fade many times over the years and she was the first tattooist I interviewed when I broke into the industry. She is one of the most talented artists I have ever worked with and her work documenting indigenous tattooing has taken her all over the world. It’s a shame that people judge her fantastic collection of body art before getting to know the exceptional human being underneath.
“I saw the new doctor and covered all my tattoos with long garments and my hair down to hide my neck. He was lovely and got to know me before finding out I was a tattooist and he remained super helpful when I explained showing him how intricate my work is.”
“I've had so many discrimination and even have people grab at my skin to "see my tattoos" without introduction or invitation. They think its okay to touch you because we must want our tattoos looked at. I've had people assume I'm into pain and had people say I'm more likely to have HIV because I've been tattooed!”
“In tribes of Borneo women are considered a higher standard of beauty and skill the more tattooed they are; or they are royalty."
What Meraki is acutely aware of is societies double standard when it comes to tattoos; that women are judged harshly for their body art while men are praised.
“Yes woman's tattoos have nicknames like tramp stamp and slag tag. Men’s don’t have that for Bulldogs or tribal bands! And old fashioned people thought prostitutes where tattooed women. The word prostitute is always assumed female unless named male first which is one of many ways oppression is written into language.”
Fade has travelled extensively studying the tattoos of none industrial tribal societies. She has spent considerable time in the jungles of Borneo learning about hand tap tattooing. She has found that the Iban tribe of Borneo have a very different perspective to tattooing compared to so called western civilisation.
“In tribes of Borneo women are considered a higher standard of beauty and skill the more tattooed they are; or they are royalty. In Mentawai tribes of west Sumatra tattooed women are shaman.
Sadly in the UK it is a different story.
“When I was looking for a bigger shop to rent in Lewes, the property owners refused me viewing or applying because they have old fashioned views on tattoo studios and me being a heavily tattooed women; even when I had references and book work from my existing shop in that town. That's why I moved it to Brighton as it's a more leftwing town than Lewes.”
“My granddad gave me a clipping from his newspaper. It was an article showing a cricket players sleeve with the headline "tattoos make people look cheap and nasty.” He thought it might interest or influence me! He’s known for his humour though.”
“When I'm with remote tribes studying tattoo anthropology people warm to me because I'm tattooed."
Meraki has though found other peoples prejudice is less humorous and more hurtful.
“People assume a lot about tattooed people and I regularly get stared at, cold customer service, remarks and inappropriate questions. Its most people’s go to talking point when trying to make conversation with me and I don't really like it because it's always the same questions about "did it hurt", or, "what's it mean" which gets tiring to answer.”
Thankfully Meraki hasn’t let others narrow mindedness put her off her passion for tattooing.
“When I'm with remote tribes studying tattoo anthropology people warm to me because I'm tattooed. It's a mutual respect and interest and the art from is respected as sacred and part of cultural tradition. When I was a kid I showed my grandma my drawings and said I wanted to be a tattooist when I was adult. She tried to put me off like it was a bad job and said I'm a clever girl and I could go around the world with my mind and career. I have been all over the world tattooing and I'm fortunate it's taken me places such as USA, Australia, most if Europe, Asia, Easter island, Tahiti, Borneo and West Sumatra. She’s seen documentaries I've made with the tribes and magazine articles about my studies and it's like I'm an extreme explorer to her now!”
Troy Tuck is one of the Yayo Pro Teams most talented artists with a stunning collection of body art; yet his talent hasn’t stopped him being on the receiving end of negative attention.
“You can’t help the fact that once your tattooed you will always get looked upon differently; and the more tattoos you have the worse that is. I feel one of the worst places I get looked upon different is on holiday specially when you go to fancy hotels and that! The first day round the pool I come down with my wife and kids, and my wife has a lot of coverage as well, so we come down and everyone stares. They look at us and I’m like: here we go again!”
“I feel like I need to walk around and introduce myself so they know I’m a normal guy."
It’s a shame Troy has to compensate for others narrow mindedness. He’s a genuine, friendly, stand up kind of guy.
“I feel like I need to walk around and introduce myself so they know I’m a normal guy but over a couple hours or so a few people will come over and talk to us or ill make a point of saying hello or making some holiday remark like it’s hot to break the ice. It’s something I’ve learned to live with as in most places you go and you have lot of tattoos you get looked at some in a good way and some in a bad way, but if you can’t take it in your stride then maybe think twice about getting a lot of tattoos !”
Words by Matt Haddon-ReichardtImages by Matt Haddon-Reichardt, Meraki Fade, Troy Tuck, Yayo and NHS England
Why did you become a tattooist and how did you start in the industry?
"By total accident; I left home really young, and worked a string of jobs whatever I could get to pay the bills. I was renting on my own at 16. Essentially a run of soul destroying, dead end jobs, but they paid the bills. Eventually, after I had my kids, it was time to go back to work, but I was adamant that I wasn't going to go back to a dead end, soul sucking industry that is selling mobile phones. We were skint, we lived week to week, but being in poverty was still better than that. The stars aligned and an advert popped up for a tattoo apprentice on my Facebook feed. Frankly, I didn't think I'd get it for a minute, but thought it'd be a good chance to get back on the "get interviewed" pony, so I went for it. I have never looked back!”
Where do you work and what is it like working there?
“I own a little family run studio in York opposite the Uni called Chirality Ink. We really focus on being friendly, warm, welcoming and trying to steer well clear of the uppity, aloof, "elite" feel so many studios seem to have harboured the last few years. So many of our customers come and have had bad experiences elsewhere, feeling like they "weren't good enough" or were talked down to by rock-star tattoo artists. Some have even experienced artists laughing in their faces over their designs. To us, that’s not cool; not one bit.”
“Everyone is welcome and we like it that way. Most of us have experienced that cool, stand offish vibe in a studio at one point or another, and our aim is to get as far away from that as possible; even in the studio decor. It’s super important to me that all my clients feel safe, secure and respected. Even if their design isn't something we're feeling, that we will be friendly and kind to them. After all we're all people, and even rock-stars fall eventually.”
“I love anything dainty and delicate, but nothing beats a realism black and grey piece either."
Describe your style and how it developed.
“I don’t have one; I'm a jack of all trades. As a small studio, we don’t have time to cater to just one style. I do anything and everything, bar the obvious ones that are just a no go. Personally I tend to specialise in "damaged" skin; reworks, cover ups, scars, de-pigmented skin, the works.”
“I love anything dainty and delicate, but nothing beats a realism black and grey piece either. For me, so long as each day is different, I'm happy. I'd be bored out of my mind repeating the same style day in day out; my brain is too on the go for it.”
What do you love most about tattooing?
“This is a tough one. As the years have gone by that’s changed, warped, come back on itself. The freedom of being my own boss is great, I think I'm pretty much unemployable to anyone other than the tattoo world now, but being the boss also obviously comes with its own negatives too. Doing art every day, that has to be up there. The people; I love my clients, their stories and their journeys. It’s amazing being part of that, though sometimes it can be really heavy. I'm sure so many artists associate with this in that some of the stuff we get told can really weigh on a person’s mind; it’s just part of the job. When you spend 6 hours tattooing someone a memorial piece, working up close and personal, they're vulnerable. They talk. They tell their tales. Sometimes they're funny, sometimes they're heart warming. Sometimes, they break your heart. I don’t think I have a "love the most", I have a list of many.”
“I have to say I'm super disappointed with various sectors through the industry, and the country as a whole, not helping places out."
Is it great to get back working and how did you survive lock-down?
“It’s nice to be back for sure; it's been a little rough as I have a few health conditions myself, namely arthritis, so I've had to work back steadily to build up again. For the most part, clients have really understood. As I have a backlog of months we've had the odd few who haven't understood that. As artists working with our hands, some skills need refining again essentially. Speed, for example. I can do the same quality tattoo, but I'm slower. That’s rebuilding, but it will take time. “I love anything dainty and delicate, but nothing beats a realism black and grey piece either.
“Lockdown was tough, I'm lucky in that I'm a control freak, and always have some money put aside for a rainy day. Without it, my shop would have gone under. I mean, I now have very little savings, but it is what it is. I'm just glad to be open again.”
“I have to say I'm super disappointed with various sectors through the industry, and the country as a whole, not helping places out. My waste collection people actually paused my account and that was great, it helped. I'm just sad that so many others chose to go on charging people who are already struggling.”
“I think for most of us it was the unknown that was the worry. The "when will we open?" "how?" "WILL we reopen?" It was a bit concerning, and I feel for those who have lost their businesses because of it.”
“Frankly I am not worried about a 2nd wave. I doubt the government could shut everything down again, there just aren’t the resources financially, and people have had enough. The country struggled through the first lot, I don’t believe people will accept it a second time, especially the outrage i.e. when a pub can open, but clean tattoo studios couldn't. I just don’t see it. 2nd wave, maybe, 2nd lock-down? I doubt it.”
Can you run me through your own personal tattoo collection?
“I've got a bunch. My first started with a good old memorial, a big angel on my back for my Granddad; bless his soul. I've been building up others ever since. I'm nowhere near finished though. My overall concept is an earth, air, fire, water theme. One element on each limb , combining into some sort of cosmic bang on what’s left on my back. I've not got round to the planning of that yet.”
“Why did I get them done? I don’t really have a why. I love art, I like tattoos, without going too heavy, I have (haven't we all) been through a really tough time throughout my life. I’ve had therapy galore and a mix of mental and physical health issues and a lot of my work helps to symbolise that; who I am and how I feel. It’s hard to put into words, but I know for a fact anyone out there whose gone through anything, will know exactly what I'm talking about far better than my poor attempt to explain it will do.”
“Work, work, work, work. I've got to try to recover some of this year’s losses and rebuild."
If you weren't a tattooist what job would you do?
“Probably something to do with plants or animals; I inherently don’t really like a whole lot of people. My clients are "my" kind of people and if I had to work away from them, it'd have to be away from the general public. I've done my share of that over the years working in pubs, restaurants, shops and gas stations. Never again!
“We are animal crazy in my house, and I keep a large garden and allotment which I really find soothing, though hard work, to the spirit; so I'd probably do something to do with that, making jam or something daft. Unless there’s a job somewhere with the title of "gets shit done". I'm pretty good at solving problems in businesses and well, getting stuff sorted that no one else can. I'm the one people bring their "this company is ripping me off and I can’t seem to fix it" problems to too sort out. However it's pretty stressful so I think I'd probably have a heart attack before I was 40. So yeah, gardening or animals.
What are your plans for next year?
“Work, work, work, work. I've got to try to recover some of this year’s losses and rebuild. I have no plans or grand designs or rock-star aspirations in this industry, I just enjoy doing my work in our little corner of York and getting on. I'd love to meet more like-minded artists this year, there are some amazing online communities, which are great for us as the community here it’s not strong. So it would be awesome to meet some other artists who feel the same."
"As an older artist with a business, a mortgage and kids I don’t have the time or energy, to go out partying and living the lifestyle so many people think tattoo artists live. I'd rather curl up with a book and my dogs. So this year, I'd like to get to know more artists who are the same. Old fogeys essentially; whilst the younger ones go have all the fun. I'm really glad to be back, working with my team, my clients and my sponsors and just being back at it. We were pretty lucky in that I just finished renovating my studio this time last year, so there’s nothing major we need to do. We just keep pottering along making some cool art and meeting some cool folks. The plan is to keep on swimming. And bees, I'm getting bees. It’s not tattoo related in the slightest, but I think they're cool.”
Words by Matt Haddon-ReichardtImages by S. Barker, Yayo and NHS England
I had a new garden fence installed this week. You may wonder what that dull fact has to do with tattoos but please, bare with me. The old fence had been on its way out for a while and the neighbour had resorted to propping it up during strong winds. It was unclear who was responsible for the boundary so we decided to go halves on the cost of getting a brand spanking new fence fitted. We’ve only been living in the house 18 months and as is usual in the modern world we’d never had a conversation with our neighbours. So when Steve, our neighbour, approached me about the fence matter it was the first time we had spoken.
Steve presented as a mild mannered, middle aged man, who seemed nervous talking to me. He tried hard to hide his anxiety behind the awkward offer of a beer and a man to man chat on the back garden about all things fence related.
After our powwow I was puzzled why he seemed so nervous talking to me. I’m an easy going guy and years of interviewing people for the tattoo industry has given me the kind of social skills where I can pretty much rub along with anyone. I asked my wife, a psychiatric nurse with an acute ability to assess and quantify personalities, why he should be so edgy round me.
“It’s probably your tattoos,” was her reply.
My initial response was to disregard her assessment. After all this is 2020, we’ve had 2 female prime ministers, America has had a black President and Caitlyn Jenner is the darling of the media; surely a bit of body art can’t ruffle feathers. But events the following day were to prove my wife right.
The fencing contractors arrived promptly 2 hours late and quickly set about ripping down the old fence. I headed out to offer them tea and biscuits and got chatting with the pair of them about their tattoos. The older of the 2 was heavily inked, including his neck and he proudly pulled off his shirt to reveal a huge back piece and faded chest tattoo. His young assistant was also tattooed but to a lesser extent and was more timid about stripping in exchange for a cup of PG Tips and a Hobnob.
The job only took them a day and that evening as rain started to fall I pulled on my coat and went round to Steve’s to settle up. His wife, Margaret, answered the door. Small talk followed while Steve searched for an invoice. As I counted out what I owed them in crisp new tenners the conversation moved from the weather to the new fence.
“They did a good job didn’t they?” Margaret gushed.
“Yes, lovely,” I said handing her the money.
“Though I was a bit worried when they first arrived. They both looked a bit rough,” she said her eyes awash with concern. “I don’t know why anyone would want to get a tattoo.” She said her face wrinkled in disgust.
“I get it every time me and my wife go on holiday or to a fancy place.”
That night as I put my daughter to bed I had to accept that tattoo prejudice was alive and well in 2020. The very idea that someone’s ability to erect a fence would be hampered by body art seemed far fetched, but Margaret clearly saw tattoos as a sign their owner had spent time on the wrong side of the tracks. In her Terry and June suburban existence, tattoos were clearly still the mark of criminals, low lives and thugs.
The next day I reached out to the tattoo community and asked a few of my associates if they too had encountered negative attitudes to their tattoos. With the ubiquitous nature of tattoos and the fact face tattoos are on the rise I was surprised how many people still received negative reactions to their ink.
“I get it every time me and my wife go on holiday or to a fancy place,” was Troy Tucks answer.
“Yeah sure! I've had experiences even recently,” was what Meraki Fade told me.
“You should have seen the reaction from the Women’s Institute when I showed them my butterfly tattoo,” said my Aunty Roz who at a sprightly 70 enjoys pushing boundaries and buttons.
“Yeah sure! I've had experiences even recently.”
Perhaps I’m naïve to have thought tattoo discrimination was in the past. I’ve half been expecting body modification to be the next big thing now so many people are having face tattoos; for me it feels like a natural progression. With this thought in mind I contacted Paul LaVey.
“Face tattoos are certainly more common. As for people being off with me because of my tattoos I've got implanted horns so no one bat's an eye at my tattoos.”
Paul feels there is little chance of body modification becoming common place in the UK.
“Body modding is mostly illegal in UK now, after the Gov made an example of Dr Evil its pushed procedures behind closed doors, some have just stopped all together. It's also affected European studios ways of working.”
They say prejudice is born of ignorance and it certainly seems ignorant to push body modification underground rather than legislating and regulating it.
“They’d rather shut him down than gain knowledge from Dr Evil, who's probably the most qualified bloke in UK at doing it. Rather than gaining knowledge on it to regulate and work with him for better understanding, they chose to persecute and discriminate. Clients mental health was brought into the court case, it was also mentioned consent forms don't mean nowt; ridiculous. They jailed him as they didn't like what he did. No client complained and they defended him.”
“Implants wise, a lot of people stare, but for most part pretty much every comment has been positive.”
I ask Paul if his horns have resulted in negative attention.
“Implants wise, a lot of people stare, but for most part pretty much every comment has been positive.”
“I think the amount of people that are accepting of the tattoo and body mods are starting to outweigh the ones that don't accept. Obviously you’re still going to get discrimination but it's much less than when I was a kid just for being a Goth.”
I remember, growing up in the 90’s, that being a Goth was enough to warrant unwanted attention let alone being a tattooed Goth. I remember many times running away from gangs of Chav’s who were hell bent on giving me a kicking, my duster coat and long hair trailing behind me.
Despite tattooing being more popular than ever, perhaps it is the conservative thinker’s view of it as an unsightly act of self harm that pushes many people to get tattooed. Just take pop stars like Justin Bieber and Harry Styles. When they tried to break away from their squeaky clean, bubble gum pop image tattooing was part of their new bad boy wardrobe. Maybe tattooing in western society will always be a ritual that is fused around the transgression of boundaries. At least to my middle aged neighbours tattoos are still taboo. Maybe that is why so many of us get them, in a small way its indulging the rebel that lies with all of us.
Images by P. LaVey, M. Fade, T. Tuck, M. N. H-R. Yayo and NHS England
“I started offering nipple tattoos as a way of giving something back to the women and men who have lost their nipples through breast cancer surgery. Sadly it didn’t quite take off as I hoped, but I keep promoting the offer here in Ireland and managed to do a few nipple tattoos over in the UK,” explains Bren over a crackly WhatsApp phone line.
“I wouldn’t describe myself as a cosmetic tattooist but I felt I could apply my skills as a tattoo artist to creating realistic nipple tattoos.”
“I don’t charge for the service but I didn’t get the support of the breast cancer surgeons I talked to."
Bren is underselling herself. As you can see from the images her work is exemplary.
“I don’t charge for the service but I didn’t get the support of the breast cancer surgeons I talked to. It’s sad to say but they seemed to look down on me. I’m not taking anything away from their abilities as surgeons but I could see from the nipple tattoos they were performing that their set up was all wrong, right down to the needles they were using. Some were doing more harm than good and creating scars. It’s really tough for someone to go through a procedure like a nipple tattoo, after a full or partial mastectomy, so I felt it was really important to do a great job. Unfortunately the people I talked to in the medical profession said that it wasn’t a priority for them.”
Sadly cancer is big business and Bren offering free tattoos put several noses out of joint. She continues to offer free nipple tattoos and is happy to take enquiries from people wanting the service or just those happy to promote it.
The focus of recent interviews is how tattooist have been surviving the Covid lockdown. Bren has taken it in her stride.
“I was off sick from work for a month before lockdown started so in total I’ve had 4 months off,” she explains as I fiddle with my broadband settings trying to get a better connection.
“I run a private studio so I’m my own boss. I don’t drink or party and I had enough savings. Her in Ireland anyone who had to stop working due to the Coronavirus got three hundred and fifty Euros a week from the government. As soon as I started back on the 29th July I was booked up till September. That’s fine by me but we will have to see how it pans out with the new restrictions.”
“I feel a second lockdown is inevitable."
By restrictions Bren means a second lockdown.
“I feel a second lockdown is inevitable. We just don’t know enough about this virus and so many people just aren’t taking it seriously. People just don’t know how to be polite. Just wear a mask and wash your hands. It’s not oppressive or an infringement on your human rights to ask you to be sensible and protect those that are vulnerable.”
While many tattooists found here months of enforced work absences difficult to manage Bren has plenty of experience in being unable to do the job she loves.
“I was off work for three years and unable to tattoo, so three months was light in comparison. I had a sports injury that messed up my arm and made it impossible to work. When I had healed I had to take things slowly, building up my confidence and skills. I started on close friends and family and I can’t thank them enough for their support.”
"Since I started seven or eight years ago a lot has changed and artists have learned so much; including me."
Thankfully Bren is back working at full capacity and is building a strong reputation. She prides herself on looking at a tattoo as a long term investment rather than an Instagram post.
“You see some realism work in online and it looks stunning. Then you see the healed tattoo in the flesh and it’s faded. Since I started seven or eight years ago a lot has changed and artists have learned so much; including me. Some people look at my fresh work and say it’s too dark but what many people don’t realise that in the healing of the tattoo and the natural process of the ink sinking and settling you lose anything from twenty or thirty percent of intensity. When you first do the tattoo you are essentially stripping a layer of skin back. When that regrows it makes the tattoo less vibrant. So a tattoo that looks too dark when complete will look just right several months down the line”
I ask if she thinks another lockdown will damage tattooing long term.
“No, not at all. I don’t think tattooing has peaked. In fact I think people are getting better educated and informed about tattooing. Here in Ireland people wouldn’t travel to get tattooed. Now people will go two hours or more to get work from an artist they have see online, or where they have seen their work in the flesh. The artists who love what they do will always find a way. Be it a recession, losing your home, a pandemic or floods and typhoons; if you want to tattoo you will find a will and a way. We earn good money doing what we do and there is always an artist around to match your budget, needs and style. Tattooing has always been here and it’s not going away, Covid or no Covid.”
“Live your life not in fear. Just be sensible.”
With a second lockdown on the horizon Bren is future proofing her business.
“I’ve been working hard and saving money to cover six months of rent. When it happens I’ll use my time wisely; drawing, practicing on fake skin and tattooing my fiancé. It just frustrated me that people aren’t taking it seriously. In Asia they seem to know what they are up against after SARS.”
Bren asked how I have been coping; I confess I have been bricking it.
“Live your life not in fear. Just be sensible,” her words of comfort echoing down the phone line. “Wear a mask and wash your hands. It’s easy to get information overload with the internet and get bombarded by conspiracy theories and fake news. I know a local artist who refuses to wear a mask; that’s just selfish.”
The line drops and a delay kicks in. I switch from WIFI to mobile data and back and the problem temporarily disappears. I ask Bren if her plans for 2020 are now on hold.
“Things have changed. I had plans to do guest spots but that’s now out of the question. I’m looking at taking some online seminars to keep developing my skills. I’m looking at one with Thomas Carli Jarlier; he does beautiful realism work. He knows how to put just the right amount of detail in so that its looks realistic but nothing is lost in the healing process. My ongoing goal is to make my tattoos look good long term. After all Instagram images fade, a tattoo is for life.”
Images by Bren Kelly, Yayo and NHS England
Tattooing isn’t really about tattooing, for 90% of the tattooists I speak to. Ts really all about art.
“I’ve always been interested in art and drawing from an early age. Mainly because my dad is an amazing artist,” explains Adam.
“I would upload my drawings and designs to Facebook, friends and family commented saying I need to use it to my advantage. Then one of my friends said I should start looking into tattooing, I thought it wouldn’t be a viable career choice being self employed but I started looking into it. I had interviews with a few tattoo shops, one in which I met Lee Kennedy who later opened his own shop and took me on as an apprentice. That’s how it all started for me.”
“My work has definitely changed for the better since lockdown."
Lockdown has been hard work and many people have lost their businesses or jobs. For some though, its been a chance to rest, regroup and reassess. Adam falls into the latter camp.
“My work has defiantly changed for the better since lockdown; sometimes you don’t get much time to yourself or any time to refresh, with having to constantly draw up designs and sometimes working 6 days a week. The break has been good. It has been nice spending the time with family and I want to come back better than I was before.”
While Adam enjoyed the downtime it wasn’t without its stresses.
“I think it was the right move that we were one of the last shops to open due to the close contact with clients. But it does suck for everyone, especially with bills to pay and I had only recently opened my own shop so it was really bad timing.”
“If financial support wasn’t offered again during another lockdown, I can’t imagine many businesses lasting at all."
While every tattooist I have spoken to seems happy to be back at work the threat of another lockdown and spiralling recession weighs heavy on the industry. Without another round of government backed financial support UK tattooing would be teetering on a the edge.
“If financial support wasn’t offered again during another lockdown, I can’t imagine many businesses lasting at all. I’ve been lucky with the fact that all of my clients have been very understanding with rebooking them back in.”
That is one of the major positives I have taken from lockdown, the support customers have given their artists. It’s a cliché but tattooing feels less like a business and more like a family. I ask Adam what he has been tattooing since coming back to work.
“Since being back in the studio I’ve been tattooing mostly black and grey work. I find I have been enjoying tattooing even more since coming back to work. I’ve tattooed a variety of things such as a smoking tiki mask on a hand, an RAF pilot with planes and scenery on the calf and Poison Ivy from the DC Gotham TV series. Some pretty cool stuff to be honest.”
As interesting as what artists work on is the work on their bodies. I ask Adam to run me through his own tattoo collection.
“Well my first tattoo was on my chest; it was a full chest piece. It is a couple of old fashioned pistols in black and grey with red roses around them and thorns. At the moment I need to have my full back coloured in. I have got a Medusa portrait on my back in a neo traditional style with roses and snakes flowing through it. It was tattooed by Josh Jeffery who is a really talented artist. I am also in the middle of having my full arm done by Dom Brown in which I am having a dark themed sleeve in black and grey including a skull, cathedral, bat, fox and possibly an owl as well. Dom also great at tattooing.”
"I also want to get some photos up to show off the studio as it has been fully renovated, it was previously a mobility scooter shop.”
As you can see from from the pictures, Adam is a really talented guy. If you are interested in getting tattooed by him he works at and owns Black Kraken Ink in Willenhall.
“I currently work on my own, as we have just opened, but I will be advertising for artists soon to work with me. I also want to get some photos up to show off the studio as it has been fully renovated, it was previously a mobility scooter shop.”
As ever I round up with asking what Adam has planned for the rest of 2020 if lockdown stays lifted.
“My plans for 2020 are to progress as much as possible in the tattoo industry. I want to push myself and make sure I’m putting my work out there for the public and potential clients to see.”
With what I’ve seen Adam has every chance of becoming one of the best of the best.
Images by Adam Peers, Yayo and NHS England
Dave has been with Yayo since the early days and is proud to be a sponsored artist.
“I first discovered Yayo’s products through social media. This was years ago back when it was actually called ‘Sigma’ and loved the products from the start. I’ve used them from then on in and I have seen Yayo expand as a company and expand its product line, becoming bigger and better. Its great to have witnessed the range grow into the ‘Yayo’ brand we know today.”
“I use pretty much every product Yayo make, to be honest."
I ask if Dave has any favourite products amongst the range.
“I use pretty much every product Yayo make, to be honest. I think my favourites being the Yayo clean tattoo butter, Yayo clear tattoo butter and the Yayo guard.”
Dave has not only been with the company since the early days he has steadily worked up the ranks.
“I started as just a satisfied customer and was then asked to be part of the support team before being approached to become a sponsored artist which I proudly accepted.”
Dave’s story with the tattoo industry is one of hard work and subsequent gains. Unlike many modern artists, who are self taught, Dave went down the established route of a traditional apprenticeship.
“I have always had a keen interest in art and have drawn from a young age. This ended up leading me to seeking out an apprenticeship to which I fulfilled for a few years before working my way up to becoming a full time artist. I then went onto open my own studio and haven’t looked back since.”
“The thing I love most about tattooing is being able to have my love for art and creativity become my full time job."
Like many tattooists it was a passion for art that attracted Dave to the industry.
“The thing I love most about tattooing is being able to have my love for art and creativity become my full time job, not everyone gets the opportunity to turn something they love into a full time career and I am humbled to have been able to do this especially being able to specialise in realism which has always been a firm favourite of mine.”
“Absolutely tattooing can survive."
Tattooing may have survived the first wave of Covid-19 but if we have another wave over the winter, can the industry survive another lockdown. Dave is optimistic about tattooing's future.
“Absolutely tattooing can survive, it is more popular than ever and keeps continuing to rise in popularity. Obviously Covid put things on hold for a while but the customer enquiries kept coming in which is obviously very reassuring given the uncertainty the world faced with the Covid pandemic. We have amazing customers that always keep our spirits high so coping with the situation was thankfully a positive experience for me.”
For many a break away from the industry was more stressful than a fully booked appointment book. Dave managed to take the lockdown in his stride and was constructive with his use of down time. I ask if he managed to indulge in any art projects outside of tattooing.
“At the start of lockdown I did a few drawings but to be totally honest I used the time off as an opportunity to spend valuable time off with my family. Outside of tattooing I love creating and listening to music, drawing, spending time with my family and travelling. Obviously lockdown put a hold on the travelling.”
I always like to talk about artists goals but Dave has a much more relaxed approach to his work.
“I have no particular set ‘goal’ as such but I strive to continue to always improve my work and push my own boundaries; I enjoy the process of growth and development. I have been looking into doing some guest spots and conventions in other countries; I have a particular interest in working in South East Asia. It’s a part of the world that really appeals to me. I want to get back to travelling so that’s definitely going to happen when the Covid situation is better and I look forward to that.”
Now Dave has been back working for a good few weeks I round up by asking him if there is anything in particular he really wants to tattoo.
“As for anything I would really like to tattoo I’m super lucky that most of my existing bookings are really cool ideas that I love to tattoo. I would definitely love to do more Buddha pieces though! I have quite a few ongoing sleeves and other big pieces that I’m looking forward to completing and I will be putting more designs together of things I’d love to do. Fingers crossed I’ll hopefully be doing some of those in the near future too.”
Images by Dave Griff, M H-R, Yayo and NHS England
Cat Allen is one of Cornwell's finest tattooists. She is an award winning artist with a passion for excellence and the ability to turn her hand to any style. The Yayo blog hooked up with her to get the low down on all things tattoo shaped.
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Cat is an award winning tattooist & co-owner of The Vault in Looe, Cornwall. She has a distinct, eye catching style and is just as comfortable in the realms of colour as she is in the world of black and grey. She is also a big fan of Yayo products. I kicked off the interview by asking her what makes Yayo so good.
“I discovered Yayo products probably around 5 years ago I reckon. It was back when they only had the solidifier and the aftercare was called Sigma! As far as I can remember I received a sample or got some for personal use to begin with but found it that good that I started recommending it to my clients and fellow artists. I’ve been sponsored by them for around 4 years and have used their products exclusively since. I still always try new products that come out but nothing has ever come close to being as good as Yayo. I predominately use the Prime for during the tattoo process, along with the Candy Stencil Solution and Fresh Tattoo Soap. The Prime along with Yayo Guard gives one of the most impressive heals on a tattoo I’ve ever experienced.”
"I firstly started tattooing a few mates. I know; naughty, naughty!"
I always find it fascinating tracing the roots of an artist’s passion for tattooing.
“I kind of fell into it really from just having a love of art and being part of a more alternative community of people and seeing lots of folk with tattoos. I firstly started tattooing a few mates. I know; naughty, naughty! But soon got offered a job at a studio local to me. Having no knowledge of the industry at the time I jumped straight in and just tried to learn as much as I could myself. I eventually ended up working in better studios, meeting some great people and fine tuning everything I’d learned along the way. I wouldn’t necessarily say I had a set style of tattooing, I definitely pride myself on being able to do justice to most styles, I think this came from working in predominantly flash shops for a few years and having to do whatever came through the door. Although I really enjoy super bright colour cartoon and Manga style stuff along with black and grey realism. I really love everything about tattooing. I enjoy the freedom that a lot of my clients give me when it comes to creating pieces for them and love meeting new and interesting people on a daily basis, I think as a job it’s pretty much the full package.”
Covid-19 has turned tattooing upside down. I ask how Cat has coped during lockdown.
“It was definitely a bit of a shock to the system, especially financially as we moved house right at the beginning! So as big a nightmare as it was, every cloud has a silver lining and it meant we had time to decorate the whole house and do some decking. I also enjoyed having the beach to myself and spending quality time with friends which we wouldn’t normally have. Tattooing can definitely survive this, tattooing has become such a normal part of everyone’s lives. I can’t see it going anywhere anytime soon; people get them more often than having their hair cut these days!”
"I did a little but I actually enjoyed having a bit of a break away from it."
While many artists have used lockdown to indulge in other artistic endeavours Cat has turned her hand to a different kind if creativity.
“If you count painting walls with tons of emulsion then yeah I’ve been kept busy being creative! to be honest I did a little but I actually enjoyed having a bit of a break away from it as I’ve found it’s spurred my creativity and want to get back to it.”
When I first started writing for the tattoo industry, over 8 years ago, sexism was a big problem for female tattooists. I ask if in 2020 Cat still feels it’s an issue.
“I suppose it does have a history of being a predominantly male run industry, but that’s definitely not the case anymore. I can’t say I’ve ever experienced any sexism but I’ve mainly worked for good and respected people so I’ve been lucky. Some of the best tattooists in the world are now women so I think we’re well past all that now.”
"I’m super booked up at the moment so just gonna make the most of it and try not to burn out!"
I finish off by asking if Cat has any plans now she is back working and if there is anything she is super desperate to tattoo.
“To be honest I’m just gonna get used to being back in the grind for a bit, I’m super booked up at the moment so just gonna make the most of it and try not to burn out! I’m definitely enjoying being back and won’t be moaning about work for a long time I can be sure of that! I’ve got lots of plans for next year and hopefully a good bit of travel on the cards, I’ve definitely missed conventions more that I thought I would. It’s always awesome meeting other artists and making new friends and definitely gives you a massive artistic push when you get home.”
I’ve always wanted to go to Budapest and I was looking forward to a short city break in this gem of a city. Unfortunately Covid-19 has put that plan on hold so I had to interview Eva through Facebook messenger. As always I started at the beginning asking how she got into the tattoo trade.
“Tattooing had been in my mind since I was about 14 years old. When I got to 30, I decided to go for it and learn tattooing. I committed to learning what it takes to be a really good tattoo artist. After a lot of searching I finally I found an art form that I can be really eccentric with; tattooing lets me put 100% of myself into my art. Around about this time I started to follow Endre Szabo’s page and he just so happened to be looking for apprentice. I took a deep breath and jumped in applying for the post. Really soon after I applied and I was invited to the studio and that was the beginning of my apprenticeship in London at Tattooend studio; it’s a really cool studio, in a really cool city.”
“Tattooing had been in my mind since I was about 14 years old."
The public still seem to see tattooing as this rock’n’roll industry but I’ve always seen it as really humble job where the great tattooists put the customer at the centre of their world. Eva agrees that customer satisfaction is at the heart of her art.
“What I really love the most about being a tattoo artist is when I see happy clients on the end if the session. You cannot get bored with tattooing; for me that would be impossible. Being an artist I think there are always things to learn and discover; every day is a school day.”
One thing I have noticed over the past 5 years is that face tattoos are on the rise. It’s still a controversial topic amongst artists, particularly when customers with very little ink come requesting one. While they are becoming more popular Eva does not think they are becoming more acceptable.
“Face tattoos I guess are certainly a sensitive topic,” explains Eva. “I’m not sure that people are more accepting of them in social life and I don’t think that acceptance will happen anytime soon. There are still factors where employers do not accept tattoos, not to mention the ones that are on the face. People still have these old stereotypes in their heads; luckily these thoughts seem disappearing but the process is a slow one.”
“Face tattoos I guess are certainly a sensitive topic.”
UK tattooing went into stasis during the coronavirus lockdown. Eva can confirm that the Hungarian government had a very similar approach.
“In 2019 I moved back to Hungary and I now work in Endre’s other studio which is in Budapest. During Covid-19 we had to close for two and a half months but the government told us we could open up from June onwards. Endre still owns the studio in London too, so I still have that British connection. We had 2 girls working there and operating the studio on a day to day basis, but unfortunately they left. Now as studios in the UK could open, the first thing I had to do is make contact with all our UK clients and fly over for 2 weeks to take care of their tattoos. Over the next 2 weeks Endre will swap with me to keep the studio up and running for a while, while we look for new staff.”
Eva marked the end of UK lockdown with a very personal tattoo.
“This week started just perfect for me. I had 2 cute mushrooms walking in an autumn forest; it’s a memory for a father. Tuesday I had the honour to tattoo Martin Dobson; a really cool tattoo collector. I did a praying mantis which is a such a cool insect. These two clients were waiting for me since March. On Thursday I did another really nice long day, inking a galaxy on a customers upper arm. A friend of mine also booked in, yet I don’t know what she wants. My Monday is still empty; but I have lots of small tattoos booked in the following days, even writing work. And next week on the Thursday I will fly back to Hungary. It’s a hectic schedule but I just love the work.”
"Mainly what I like to do is anything I've never done before."
I ask if Eva has any tattoo goals.
“I don’t have a particular one. Mainly what I like to do is anything I've never done before. A fresh challenge is what I would really like to do.”
Now global tattooing is gradually awakening from its Covid-19 slumber I round off by asking if Eva has any plans for the rest of 2020.
“I will be focussing on our studio in Budapest. I want to reach out to people and build up a strong client base. That way I can sell them more Yayo products! And in the same time I’d like to stay visible in the UK too. I’m just really happy to be back doing the job I love.”