Kokoro means heart in Japanese – the feeling or the inner meaning that underpins the Japanese approach, not only to art, but to life as a whole.

Horiyoshi III is a tattoo artist and champion of traditional Japanese culture. He is the essence of kokoro. His artwork is now on display at Somerset House, until 1 July 2012.

Jigoku Dayu (mineral pigments on silk) – this was my favourite piece in the exhibition. I love the detail in the clothing.

Namakubi (mineral pigment on silk) – I find this picture very deceptive. The colours are soft and feminine, and it is only when you look a little closer that you see the violence and horror.

I love these little tattoos by artist Guen Douglas, who works at Magnum Opus in Brighton.

I have been on the search for an artist who could tattoo a tiny little thimble tattoo on my vintage arm. So I may have to book an appointment with Guen.

I would like a little thimble tattoo in memory of my lovely Gran who sadly passed away when I was younger.

I was always fascinated by her collections – she collected Toby jugs, pink glass, thimbles and many other random things. Her house was always so cosy and welcoming. My sister and I used to love spending weekends at Gran’s house – eating digestive biscuits in bed, reading The People’s Friend, making dens and eating Gran’s amazing meat and potato pie. Plus Gran used to let us decorate her Christmas tree however we wanted, mum always had a theme!

I miss you Gran. When I get my thimble tattoo, I will forever carry with me a memory of you.

xx

“Good work ain’t cheap. Cheap work ain’t good.” – Norman ‘Sailor Jerry’ Collins - The father of old-school tattooing

The new Sailor Jerry venue in London is now open. Hotel Street is named after the infamous Hotel Street district in Honolulu, where Norman Collins aka Sailor Jerry made his name.

By night Hotel Street is a lot of fun, and I would highly recommend it for tattoo and music fans alike – or those who just want to have some fun in a cool new London venue and drinks lots of lovely Sailor Jerry cocktails…

I suggest trying out an aptly named Hotel Hooch…

On 25 April – I danced the night away to Dirty Beaches and Chapter 24. And generally had far too much fun for a Wednesday evening….

And if that type of deborturous mid-week behaviour doesn’t take your fancy, this multi-functional venue turns into a rather arty affair by day….

Hotel Street by day is home to a gallery of original Sailor Jerry flash and artwork. His work is stunning in real life. And each bit of meaningful flash is described in detail – for example the swallow was to commemorate 5,000 miles travelled at sea and swallows are also deeply rooted in the symbolism of returning.

By night, all the artwork is hidden away from drunken revellers, so I suggest making at least two trips to the venue.

Oh and if none of that entices you, they also ply you with lots of free popcorn!

I know I’ll definitely be going back – most probably to see Joe Gideon & the Shark on 1 May and also Bass Drum of Death on 8 May. Maybe see some of you there?

Hotel Street is on 121-125 Charing Cross Road.

Here is a small selection of photographs from the first ever Great British Tattoo Show.

I discovered one talented new artist – Pedro Santos – and he had some amazing flash he tattooed at the show. Take a look at Pedro’s tumblr too.

And here is a quick snap of what I like to call my vintage arm at the show…

Photos: James, Papercut Pictures

The full album of photos from the show can be viewed on Facebook

I love Rachel Jamie Baldwin’s girly style and fairytale appeal –  and her ladies have the most beautiful, striking eyes…

Please paint a pretty lady on me Rachel?

Rachel works at Modern Body Art, Birmingham.

Photos from Facebook

Name: Christina Owen
Age: 28
Location: south London
Occupation: student paramedic

My name is Christina Owen, I’m 28, I live in south London and I’m a student paramedic and photographer. I could write a book about my tattoos. I have 24 at the moment. I collect them – they are mostly very bright and very bold and I’m hoping that over time I will collect enough small pieces to be built up into bigger sleeves. I prefer getting them done bit by bit, as they tell a story of my life. I’m about to start a photography project about tattoos and the stories they tell.

I’m also training to be a Paramedic and so many of my patients want to talk about my tattoos all the time – it’s a great conversation starter and seems to take their mind off the reasons why they’re in the ambulance! Amazing how many people you wouldn’t expect find them interesting, like little old ladies and children.

Where did you get your tattoos done? All over the place! My favourite tattoo shop in the UK is Frith Street in London, but I’ve had some done in Brighton, some at other places in London, one in New York and one in Copenhagen. At Frith Street I’ve had a few tattoos by Valerie Vargas, who’s an absolutely amazing artist, and one by Frank Carter – who rendered me so starstruck that I couldn’t speak to him.

What got you into tattoos and what was your first tattoo? My first tattoo was a Chinese symbol on my stomach that means ‘fish’ (apparently!). I got it when I was 18 at my local tattoo shop because everyone else was doing it. A couple of years later I discovered SuicideGirls and couldn’t believe that tattoos could be so beautiful and so much like art. Up until then my experience was of tiny black and grey shapes that you would pick off a wall and have slapped somewhere on you, so you could say you’d done it. I thought the women on this site were wonderful and their tattoos completely captivated me.

Are you planning any more tattoos? Oh yes! I have about seven on my to-do list at the moment, but beyond a great idea for a tattoo, it’s also about finding the right artist to do it, and having the time and money to get it done. I’m impatient but I don’t want to rush – they need to be done properly, in the right place, at the right time. I’m quite picky about when the right time is to get a tattoo! I need to be in a good mood, things going well, the sun needs to be in the 5th house and the day needs to have a Y in it etc etc. It’s quite annoying…

Where did your inspiration come from? I mainly find inspiration in patterns and shapes that surround me. The stars on my chest come from part of a windchime that I got for my 20th birthday. It fell apart, and the stained glass star shape was all that was left. I stuck it on my bedroom wall in every place I lived, and fell in love with the design to the point where I wanted it on me forever! Sailors would get swallows tattooed on each side of their chest when they had travelled a certain distance away from home and I got stars, because of the star that I took with me everywhere I went.

I recently got the design from a pot that belonged to my grandmother on my arm, and I have this ancient biscuit tin that has yellow flowers on it that belonged to my Mum – I want the flowers tattooed on me somewhere.

I collect patterns from things that I have grown up with. Apart from that, I love traditional sailor flash designs and also pop art. I have a traditional arm and a contemporary arm to reflect both.

How would you describe your style? Bright! And nothing matches! But hopefully everything will somehow go together in the end. Like a living room where none of the furniture matches, but it looks good anyway.

Is there anyone you would like to get tattooed by? I’m going to Nashville next month and I’d like to get a tattoo by Amanda Leadman at Black13 Tattoo, but whether or not that will happen remains to be seen. There’s also a female tattoo artist who’s photographs I follow on Flickr and her tattoos and art are amazing. She works somewhere in America – it frustrates me that artists live in places you can’t just nip to on your day off! And I would love an entire sleeve by Miss Led, but she doesn’t tattoo as far as I know.

Do you have a favourite tattoo? People ask me this a lot and I don’t want to pick a favourite because it’s like picking a favourite child…but the stars on my chest are the best thing I’ve ever done. Also, the words on my feet – 2nd best thing I’ve ever done (they say Didi and Gogo which are the nicknames of the characters in Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett).

Do your tattoos have meanings? Yes – they have surface meanings and some have deeper meanings too, and those meanings don’t get told when people ask. But the surface meanings do. And some of them only have surface meanings. I got a black cat tattooed on my wrist when I was 20 purely to impress a boy (it didn’t) and I had an anchor tattooed on my arm at the oldest functioning tattoo shop in the world, which is Tattoo Ole in Copenhagen, only because I wanted to be like a sailor and walk in off the docks and pick a design off the wall. The quality isn’t great, but I love it because of where it’s from.

He paints. He draws. He’s an apprentice at Black Garden – Jean Le Roux.

Images from Jean’s blog

Jubly-Umph artworks are inspired by old school tattoos, rockabilly and pin ups.

Designed and made in Melbourne, Australia
jublyumph.bigcartel.com

Don’t rub me it’s fake.

Where do you wear art forever? 

Try before you buy…

Think about art you like or make your own art, then put a transfer of it on your skin and see how it looks.

I rarely go off the art that hangs on my wall in the same fickle way I toss a pair of shoes or a skirt into my great crate of former loves (the deepest, darkest caverns of my wardrobe). This is why tattoos should never be seen as a fashion fad, don’t get a tattoo to accessorise your latest favourite outfit (unless it’s fake).

Art hangs on my wall, always loved.  The same way tattoos sit on my skin. Invest in tattoos as you would in art – only get it if you love it. Until one day it becomes part of you, sometimes unnoticed, until you meet someone new and they comment (positively or otherwise). Obviously one piece of art cannot be loved by everyone, it’s subjective, but that’s the beauty of it. And as long as you love it, who cares?

All photos are taken from the beautiful book Tattoo Icons • Victionary 3 (Limited edition). This book inspires you to think about tattoos and art beyond their tradional boundaries. Think of tattoos as more than just anchors, flowers, butterflies and tribal bands and have fun and experiment with transfers to see how they change when they are put on the body.

Photos: Tattoo Icons (removable tattoos for trial included)

Last weekend my sister Olivia moved to Australia. Before she left, we decided to get matching sister tattoos, so that no matter how far we are apart, we will always have something to remind us of each other.

We chose a design that represents our home – a traditional English rose – and keeping in touch – an envelope. Our appointment was booked with Cassandra Frances for 14th February, not intentionally, but it seemed like the perfect way to spend Valentine’s day…

We travelled up to End Times in Leeds from our hometown in Leicestershire – and we took our dad along for the ride, too.

We both fell in love with the design as soon as we saw it.

Getting tattooed at End Times was a lovely experience and we spent the day chatting to Cassandra – who told us some very interesting tales about how she got into tattooing.

And here is the final ink. I am so glad we both have a permanent reminder of our sisterly love.