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Claire and her vintage-inspired ink

Get your tat outFeature girl: Claire Cocks
Location: London
Occupation: Cataloguer at an autograph auction house and retailer

Claire CocksClaire Cocks

 

Victorian Silhouette Tattoo
Victorian Silhouette Tattoo

Where did you get your tattoos done?
I got my silhouette by Lucy at Into You and my Victorian lady “Gwendolen” by Miles at Frith Street.

What got you into tattoos and what was your first tattoo? I’ve always loved tattoos, but I was a bit dubious about whether I’d want something so permanent, until last year! I mentioned to a friend what I had in mind and he gave me a list of artists to check out and away I went. At first I wanted a simple cameo within an ornate frame, but the design evolved until I decided on a solid black silhouette portrait of my mum.

Are you planning any more tattoos? Yes definitely – although it took a few months after Gwendolen to think about having another one. I’d love to get a skull and crossbones that I saw on the floor of the Campo Santo in Pisa. The crossbones have a ribbon tying them together and I love the juxtaposition of the two. I’m also looking into getting a Victorian animal engraving, so I’m hunting around second-hand bookshops for an original drawing to work from at the moment.

Where did your inspiration come from? Victorian engravings and adverts, woodcuts, history of photography.

How would you describe your style? Vintage inspired, but without sticking to any particular period or style, although I’m always keen on Victoriana, 1920s cross-dressing (Louise Brooks in ‘Beggars of Life’) and the 80s 1940s revival.

Is there anyone you would like to get tattooed by?
I’d love to get tattooed by either Volko Merschky or Simone Pfaff from Buena Vista Tattoo Club – their designs are amazing. I saw them at work at the London Tattoo Convention and it has definitely spurred me on to do some saving!

Victorian Corset Tattoo - Gwendolen
Victorian Corset Tattoo - Gwendolen

Do you have a favourite tattoo? As I only have two I think it would be unfair to have favourites!

Do your tattoos have meanings? The portrait of my mum is commemorative – I wanted something really simple in a place that I could always see. Luckily she liked it. Gwendolen on the other hand is just pure aesthetic joy – a corset advertisement I found one day and fell in love with!

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A lover of secrets

Padlock tattoo on foot
Vintage padlock tattoo

My heart padlock by Paula Converse

For as long as I can remember I have dreamt about getting a padlock tattoo. When I was younger I was very secretive and wrote everyday in my padlocked diary about an unrequited crush or a first kiss. As in childhood, in adulthood I enjoy keeping certain things private or sharing things with only selected people.

Here is my heart-shaped padlock, it represents my secrets, now I wonder who holds the key to it?

Tattoo by Paula Converse at Into You, Brighton. Photo: James Stittle

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London Tattoo Convention First – first day of filming

20,000 or more visitors are expected to attend this weekend’s International London Tattoo Convention at Tobacco Dock in Wapping. The halls of the warehouse have become a fantastical world of tattoo parlours, tattoo museums, fashion boutiques, a rockabilly club and performance stages.

And I have been lucky enough to film and report the action for Zeitgeist magazine…

Friday 23 September – Day one of filming

It is easy to spot the convention goers from the moment we arrive at Shadwell station, a trilby, a pin-up style head scarf…and of course lots of beautifully decorated skin – wonderfully out of context on the streets of Shadwell. I wait for the rest of the film crew to arrive (the boys from Papercut Pictures and Olivia Snape) with a cup of coffee and a cheese toastie, and wonder what the day will hold.

Queue
Queue of tattoo collectors

Thinking we are organised, we arrive at the gates at 10.30am ready to get inside and start arranging film times. We are clearly not as eager as a lot of art enthusiasts and a queue is steadily building outside the main gates. I am in awe, amazed by the inkings and body modifications that adorn the skin of these art collectors.

Even though the convention is not yet open, when we get inside there is already a buzz as the artists set up their equipment for a day of tattooing. We have a list of the artists we need to see and arrange suitable times in their busy schedules for them to speak to us on camera about their particular take on the art form. From traditional Samoan done by hand, to antique victoriana and old-school American.

Neck tattoo I spotted in the queue
Neck tattoo I spotted in the queue

Many of the artists have travelled the world to work at the convention and while it can be easy to put ‘tattoos’ in one category, the convention truly illustrates the variety of styles and traditions in the history of the art form, as they are all there to see in the maze of Tobacco Dock.

Our first day of filming was stressful, but amazing and we spoke to some of the world’s leading tatooers: Pili Mo’o, Ryan from Scapegoat tattoo, Jo Harrison, Steve Vinall and Michelle and Amanda from Daredevil tattoo NYC.

I won’t tell you what they had to say though, as the short films will be on Zeitgeist very soon. I can’t wait to go back today and speak to some more artists, including Uncle Allan (who I LOVE!) let’s hope he gives me a sneaky tattoo while I interview him.

Hope to see some of you there again today…

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Cosmopolitan blog awards

Cosmo blog awardsI feel extremely honoured to be shortlisted for a Cosmo Blog Award, in the Lifestyle section.

I have been writing about tattoos for a number of years now and I would love to see an alternative blog, such as Th’ink, be a winner in a fashion-dominated world.

As tattoos gain increasing currency in contemporary culture, my blog mimics the chic aspirations of girls just like me. Those who use tattoos as a way of expressing themselves, but are not necessarily completely covered, and see the beauty of the art from and the sub-cultures surrounding it.

Tattoos are becoming more fashionable, I am here to make sure people  get good tattoos and think before they ink themselves for life. If you have read my blog, enjoyed it and agree with the messages I stand for,  please vote for Th’ink and help me put good tattoo art in the heart of fashion culture.

Vote here… www.cosmopolitan.co.uk/blog-awards-2011-vote