Flash days are our absolute fave. We love the excitement of heading to a tattoo studio to see the flash (tattoo designs, FYI, read more about that here) on offer. Picking a small design which is a set price so there’s no drama or anxiety about what you have to pay. It’s one of the most fun ways to get tattooed. But you know what we love more than that? Flash events that offer FREEEEE tattoos. Yep. Tattoos that will cost you absolutely nothing.
We couldn’t believe it when the invite landed in our inbox. Tattoo app Tattoodo is hosting a weekend-long event in Shoreditch, London, on Saturday 22 April and Sunday 23 April. Not only is there free tattoos but there’s also drinks, merch, music and competitions.
We’re lucky enough to be attending the VIP night on Friday 21 April, with FREE tattoos from our from Horror Issue cover Star, tattooist Emily Malice (you can see her flash sheet over on her Instagram) and tattooist Teide. Look out for stories over on our Instagram!
There will be another ten – INCREDIBLE – tattooists tattooing over the two-day event – which is open to anyone…
Sophie’s flash that will be available for FREE on Saturday
“This is a compilation of my favourite tattoo imagery, inspired by American traditional and Chicano designs through the years,” says Sophie Rose Hunter, who’s tattooing at the event on Saturday.
Flash by Alex Rufio, available on Sunday
“I’m super excited to be joining the team at Tattoodo for their London launch! The platform they have created makes connecting with clients and managing their bookings massively easier. This event will show that it’s easier to access quality tattooing. I drew a range of classic tattoo ideas in a contemporary design so that clients new and old can get timeless tattoos to be proud of. I’m really looking forward to meeting new tattoo fans and tattoo veterans!” says Alex Rufio who’s tattooing on the Sunday.
Matty Magee will be tattooing from this flash sheet on Saturday
“These are classic designs to be applied with love and consideration. I’m excited about the event: meeting new people and tattooing are two of my favourite things to do, the perfect recipe for a lovely day,” says Matty Magee who’s tattooing on Saturday.
The event will be open to the public on a ‘walk-in’ basis throughout Saturday 22 April (12pm-7pm) and Sunday 23 April (12pm-6pm). The Tattoodo Flash Weekender is partnering with drinks sponsor Sailor Jerry. To grab a free ticket for Saturday or Sunday, head over to Eventbrite.
Location: 149 Shoreditch High Street London E1 6JQ
We sat down to have a chat with tattoo artist Paula Castle, who owns Black Sheep Tattoo in Bristol. Paula is one of the most passionate and creative people in the tattoo world. And our chat covered everything from her fave subjects to tattoo to the deep-rooted misogyny in the tattoo world and the importance of safe spaces. Make yourself a cuppa and settle in for the ride…
We absolutely adore your tattoos, tell us more about them, your style and any themes that people love coming to you for…
I did my version of a crying heart as a sticker in 2017. Then in 2020, one of my clients said to me, I want your sticker tattooed on me. I loved doing it. And if I really enjoy doing a tattoo, my favourite thing to do is come up with different themes for that design. It’s just a really fun and interesting way to work. When people give me challenging themes, it’s fun working out how to do it or how to represent something. The crying hearts are especially fun to theme.
Drag queen, Divine themed crying heart tattoo
I’ve also done a few tickets, too. I’ve done a couple of those as memorial tattoos. It’s a nice design to incorporate dates into, without it being overtly memorial. I did one recently that was a ticket for a festival that my client had been to with her dad, and she lost her dad during Covid. I put a few important dates into the ticket. The problem with things that are obviously in memory of somebody is they lead to people asking questions. Sometimes that might be welcome, but for some people, they never feel comfortable sharing that stuff. Some people want something that doesn’t scream RIP.
Another fun design I’ve done recently is a rear view mirror tattoo – another design that’s good to add themes to.
Do you have a favourite tattoo that you’ve done? Or a favourite by someone else that you can’t stop thinking about?
There’s a tattooer called Josh Todaro who does traditional pieces. He did a portrait of Adam Sandler from The Wedding Singer – and Oh My God. “Somebody kill me please”. And it’s my most favourite tattoo I’ve ever seen. I just love it so much. One of those tattoos I wish was on me. I still look at it all the time.
As for me, it’s such a hard question to answer. But I just did my first ever Muppet tattoo – Miss Piggy from Treasure Island. I just kept giggling the whole way through tattooing it, because I absolutely love The Muppets.
One of the reasons I love tattooing so much is because my favourite tattoo is always the most recent one I’ve done. It just feels like that’s constantly continuing forever – it doesn’t get old.
Do you have lots of regular clients that always come back to you?
I love, love, love building relationships with clients. I enjoy time with people that I’ve tattooed before, because it’s like catching up with an old friend. I’ve got some people that I’ve been working with now for the best part of my career. I’ve seen people move through life in such positive ways – going through beautiful moments like marriages and buying houses and having children. Then likewise, I’ve had long-term clients who sadly lost parents or gone through other stuff and I’ve been able to offer them support.
It’s been interesting, I was diagnosed with ADHD last year, and so many of my clients are also neurodivergent. I’d love to understand if there’s a correlation, whether neurodivergent people gravitate towards other neurodivergent people without really knowing that they’re doing it, you know.
Tell us about your shop, Black Sheep Tattoo in Bristol. We know tattoo shops can sometimes feel like intimidating places if you’ve never been in one before.
I try my best to make the studio safe and welcoming for everybody, but also I’ve taken as many steps as possible to make it really clear who we don’t want here. I think that’s just as important. We’re trans friendly, queer-owned, female-owned – it says female-owned on my sign outside – like I’m very upfront about it. I don’t want people in my studio who are going to make not only my artists, but any other clients feel uncomfortable. And that’s always been of the utmost importance to me. The clients that we have here really reflect that.
We have eight artists and a studio manager and tattooers who do regular guest spots. Then we also have The Tooth Pixie, who does a couple of days a month offering tooth gems. And Amanda who comes one Saturday every month and does brow lamination and eyelash tinting. When it comes to body modification, it it isn’t just about permanence. I love integrating to offer more than one service. Which brings people into a tattoo studio who’ve never thought about tattooing before, and might have a preconceived notion of what a tattoo shop is like.
‘Even now, you open a tattoo magazine and every advert has got a half naked woman in it’
Breaking down those kinds of social barriers is still something that’s really important. We have a responsibility to tattooing – and especially tattooing for women. It’s still an extremely male-dominated industry and it’s misogynistic, from a systemic point of view. Even now, you open a tattoo magazine and every supplier advert has got a half naked woman in it – it needs to stop.
We’re ready for change, why isn’t it happening quicker?
It’s those little micro aggressions of misogyny in advertising and in, you know, the percentage of sponsorships and things that go to men over women in the industry, that leads to inappropriate behaviour with clients in studios, and sexual assault and sexual violence against female clients and artists.
These things can’t be fixed by me opening a studio and not standing for that behaviour in my studio, the only way to fix the problem is to address the people doing the things in the first place. It’s not on us to fix it. But it is the responsibility of the suppliers and the media that work within tattooing to fix the systemic misogyny within tattooing, because it’s not acceptable anymore. And it needs to stop.
It’s been gorgeous to chat, and we loved you getting on your soapbox about the change that’s so needed. Anything else you want to share?
It’s my tenth year tattooing this year. It feels like such a milestone. It’s definitely been a roller coaster. But it’s so hard having your own studio. If I had been able to find a space to work in that was like mine, I would absolutely not choose to be a studio owner. If anybody’s really unhappy where they are, don’t think that the solution is to have your own place. It isn’t always the answer. But yeah, all I ever wanted was to have somewhere that I could truly be myself – like, you know, somewhere not to feel embarrassed all the time. That’s all I ever wanted was to not have that feeling anymore.
We absolutely love independent tattoo skincare brand Stories & Inkand everything they stand for aligns with our vibe over here at Things & Ink.The Stories & Ink range has been specially created for people with tattoos, the products nourish, define and protect tattooed skin – from aftercare cream and gentle foam cleanser for freshly inked skin to vibrancy serums and exfoliating wash to inject some life back into older tattoos.
We caught up with Stories & Ink Creative Content Manager, Barbara Crane – who’s 26 years old and lives in Latvia – to find out her top tips for dealing with that dreaded new tattoo itch and her fave S&I products for new tattoo healing.Barbara’s a tattoo collector, too, of course, and her collection of blackwork tattoos is out of this world…
Barbara is the creative content manager for Stories & Ink skincare
What made you fall in love with tattoos? Do you remember when it was? I was about six or seven years old, I think. The idea of having permanent art that’s all over your skin – and goes everywhere with you – fascinated me. When I was a child, I also loved art and drawing. I thought the idea of having drawings on your skin was amaaazzzing and I couldn’t wait to cover myself in art.
Do you enjoy the process of getting tattooed? I would say 50/50. I do love going to the tattoo studio, talking to tattoo artists, and going through the whole process – except the pain of actually getting tattooed, of course. Yes, it is a part of the process and, to some degree, I do like it, but I don’t know what it is – age or something else – but it does feel like every next tattoo is more painful than the last. My tolerance is a lot lower than it used to be. Or maybe it just means that I keep moving to more and more painful places on my body.
The top half of Barbara’s body has been tattooed by Emīls Salmiņš
What’s your top tips for the healing process? Hmm, I’d say leaving the healing tattoo alone as much as possible. Of course, cleaning it and applying aftercare cream when needed. But don’t go into the sun, don’t do any crazy activities, don’t pick at it and drink a lot of water. Treat it almost like a wound and just let it heal. Then the healing process happens a lot faster.
Do you have a fave Stories & Ink product? Why? Oof, always hard to pick one. I am totally a fan of the Daily Moisturiser and the Vibrancy Serum, for sure! They both smell so amazing and nothing makes my tattoos come back to life and glow like these two products do!
How do you cope with the new tattoo itch? Ha! Good question. I didn’t experience it that much in the past, but the last few tattoos I got, it came to bite me in the butt. I don’t scratch it – of course. Maybe give it a light tap with my palm, if it is unbearable. But if I do feel an itchy sensation, it just means that the spot is dry and I apply a little of the Stories & Ink Aftercare Cream and that usually does the trick.
Any new tattoo plans? I have a bunch, but first I’d love to finish my massive back piece. Later I’d like to get my fingers tattooed and the insides of my ears.
What’s your coping tactics to deal with long sessions? Honestly, numbing cream. I know people debate about it, but I don’t understand why. Some say “you should earn the tattoo” but I say that is just toxic masculinity at it’s finest. A bit of a hot take, I know. But it’s true. If it will be a long session and in a spot that’s very sensitive and painful, make it easier for you and for the artist. If the area is numb or has less sensations than normal then you are having a breeze and the artist can focus on doing their work without you whining and twitching and moving around from the pain. Other coping tactics would be music or watching videos on my phone. Really distracts my brain well.
What do you love most about working at Stories & Ink?
I’ve been a freelancer for a long time and everything always felt so hectic, working at S&I has brought so much structure in to my work life and I love it as I am a big planner myself. Also being a huge tattoo enthusiast, I feel like I have found my place – finally. I used to think I would be a tattoo artist as I thought that was the only job I could have in the tattoo industry, but I am glad I was wrong. I love how welcoming, passionate and understanding the team is. I feel so lucky to be a part of such an amazing, growing and future-thinking company that aims to share the right messages about tattoos, tattooed people and tattoo care – and so much more.
We’re so excited to reveal that The National Maritime Museum Cornwall has opened a brand new temporary exhibition: British Tattoo Art: Reclaiming the Narrative, which is now open in Falmouth.
Reclaiming the Narrative features 14 pieces of artwork by Black and POC tattoo artists, all working in the UK today. The artworks represent a celebration of contemporary tattoo art on Black and brown skin. The installation forms a powerful artistic response to the museum’s critically-acclaimed 2017 exhibitionTattoo: British Tattoo Art Revealed, which was the largest gathering of real objects and original tattoo artwork ever assembled in the UK.
The artworks represent both a celebration of tattoo art – especially on Black and brown skin – and a thought-provoking and powerful challenge to National Maritime Museum Cornwall’s own cultural decision-making around the original 2017 exhibition, Tattoo: British Tattoo Art Revealed. There were omissions (the 100 Hands for example were all created on white / male tattoo practise skin) and the exhibition should and could have been approached differently. There should have been more conversations – and this new addition to the exhibition is acknowledgment of that. It’s time for change, to admit where mistakes have been made.
These works are also intended as a positive intervention into a wider, necessary conversation around diversity of representation – historical and contemporary – in the story of British tattoo art. Reflecting on the original exhibition approach, these works have been commissioned to address omissions and cultural biases contained in the narrative of the 2017 exhibition, and are intended to be a direct intervention into a wider, necessary and vital conversation around diversity of representation in the story of British tattoo art.
The installation has been guest curated by our editor Alice Snape (who also curated the 100 Hands, the centrepiece of the original exhibition) and created in partnership with lead artist Charissa Gregson aka Glasgow-based Tattoo artist Rizza Boo, of Shadow Work Tattoos.
Lead artist Charissa Gregson with her tattooed torso, Starry Crown – which is the central piece of work in Reclaiming the Narrative
Here’s what Charissa Gregson / Rizza Boo, owner of Shadow Work Tattoos, Glasgow had to say about the exhibition:
“Following the brutal killing of George Floyd in 2020, people all over the world have been engaging in more conversations about social injustice, police brutality, institutional racism and anti-Blackness. We saw this echoed through the tattoo community with clients and tattooers sharing some of their experiences of anti-Blackness within the industry, ranging from subtle microaggressions to outright racism. There were conversations about the lack of appreciation and representation of black artists, insensitivity when tattooing cultural subject matter, the harmful effects of whitewashing photos of clients to fit a specific aesthetic and the general lack of knowledge and misinformation around tattooing darker skin.
“We know that representation matters. This exhibit feels like an important addition, showcasing the work of Black and POC tattooers, making sure we are included in this particular record of tattoo history. It is a small sign of progress that the plaques and silicone arms used in this project are now available in a slightly more diverse palette, which one would hope will continue to expand. Offering a wider range of colours, skin tones, so that even more people would see a representation of their skin included in an exhibition like this.
“When asked to contribute to this project, it was obvious to me that we must get more artists involved. A single piece by one artist would only be the illusion of diversity and give a false impression of the cultural and artistic diversity that actually exists in our communities. Holding space for more artists and giving platform to their creativity gives a truer look at who is tattooing in Britain right now. With this project we seek to disrupt and challenge some of the misinformation, give voice to the individual artists and allow us to share some of our collective story.”
Charissa Gregson’s tattooed torso, Starry Crown, which celebrates the Black female body and forms the centrepiece of the exhibition.
Additional designs on synthetic skin plaques including works from:
Manni K, Jolie Rouge Natasha Jackson, Prophecy Tattoo and Piercing Lord Montana-Blue, The Good Fight Tattoo Sarah Louise Powell, Neon Wolf Tattoo Studio Samantha Bee, INKLOUNGE Tattoo Studio Rakhee Shah, Xotica Tattoo Company Nish Rowe, Blu Xion Tattoo Jade Clark, Heart of Glass Tattoo Samuel Ayobami Paul, Artkilledme Ash Tyson, Ouroboros private studio Yasir, Fake Skin Tattoo Jezz-lee Wood, Samsara Tattoo Parlour Pedro, Grey Area Custom Tattoos
byYasir, Fake Skin TattoobyAsh Tyson, Ouroboros private studio by Samuel Ayobami Paul, Artkilledme
Sydney-based tattoo artist Dario tells us about his journey to becoming a tattoo artist, how his style has progressed and some advice for tattoo first-timers…
When did you first know you wanted to be a tattoo artist? What attracted you to the world? I used to paint graffiti and street art, since I was 14 years old. When I turned 18, I was getting tired of the problems it brought. Tattooing was a legal way to keep making art and I knew I wanted it to be my job.
What did you dream of being when you were a child? I wanted to be an architect when I was very little, after that I always imagined I might become a pro skateboarder.
What is it that you most love about tattooing people? Being able to travel overseas and constantly meet interesting people. I have really missed that during the pandemic.
What’s the tattoo scene like over in Sydney? I know there are lots of amazing studios and would love to visit one day – when the world opens up again. The tattoo scene in Sydney is massive. Heaps of studios, incredibly talented tattoo artists, people love getting tattooed and getting more into the tattoo culture. Also in Sydney the weather is very nice most of the year, so tattoos are visible and it is normal to see high quality tattoos on the street. I reckon that helps to keep this growing every year.
How do you like to work with your customers? Would you consider any of your works to be a collaboration? I like to work with clients that have a solid idea about what they want to get tattooed. That always helps to create something even cooler than they had in their mind. I’m very open-minded to accept ideas. I try to represent both the meaning of the tattoo and the way it looks in the best way possible that I can.
How would you describe your style? What inspires you? I currently do realism in black and grey (bng), but there’s also a mix of every single style I have tried before – I like to mix realism with dot work or geometric style, for example. I’m okay to label my style as bng/realism but I do way more than that.
What inspires me the most is to observe and study natural things, anything organic has always called my attention since I was a kid.
What draws you to black work / darker art? I love horror movies. I believe a horror piece that is well done is always going to have a reaction in someone who is observing it – whether that’s good or bad, it doesn’t matter. People are not indifferent to a very dark piece that is scary, and to get that result for me is gnarly.
How have you found the pandemic, have you found time to be creative or been feeling blocked? I was very motivated at the beginning of the lockdown – I had time to draw, as many hours as I usually tattoo every day. I finished some pieces that took more than 50 hours of work and started some others, so yeah it helped to feel creative. Well, at least for the first month, after that I started focusing more on working out and eating well so it would kill most of the bad energy that the pandemic brought.
What are you currently working on? Heaps of big projects, a lot of sleeves and full leg pieces… these are a few of my recent favourites:
Is there anything you would like to tattoo that you haven’t yet done? I have set up a collaboration with a friend from Spain, but the pandemic has forced us to reschedule it. I haven’t done collabs tattooing with other artists so far, so yeah I would love to make some. Hopefully that one is coming up soon.
What advice would you give to first-timers who are nervous? It is normal to be nervous the first time you get tattooed. The best thing to do is research as much as possible for the right artist for you in your area. Try to find the best person who does the style that you are looking for. The day you are getting tattooed, just have a nice breakfast, try to think about how much you want your tattoo, trust your artist and you’ll be alright. It is a really cool experience – enjoy it!
Any hopes for the future? I hope to be able to travel overseas soon, and go back to tattoo conventions. In terms of the world, I hope this pandemic has changed people to be conscious about the simple things, like hugging a friend when you got the chance, not just to stack toilet paper.
