Stories we wear on our skin
We adore carbs in all their various forms: crisps, chips, pasta, noodles, pastry. We think about them all the time. And we’re pleased to see that there are a lot of people who love them as much as we do, so much so that they have chosen to immortalise their carby passion in ink. Here’s a round-up of our fave carb tattoos…
Hmm, now we’re hungry. Share your carb – or any food really – tattoos with us on Instagram #thingsandink
Originally from New York, tattoo artist Amanda Rodriguez creates stunningly beautiful nature-inspired floral tattoos. Now based in Brixton, London, we welcomed Amanda to the city by catching up with her to chat all things tattooing…
You mentioned that you were living in New York, what drew you to London? I grew up in NYC and lived there most of my life. It’s changed quite a bit and the hustle of it grew old for me. I’ve been in love with English culture since I was young. As a teenager I fell in love with Brit-pop. I identify better with English culture, with my sense of humour and interests. I’m also a huge football fan. I’ve visited many times and always wanted to live here but the timing was never right. Over the last year, it became something that had to happen and now I’m here and very happy to be here.
Where can people find you? I’m currently in Brixton but the best way to get tattooed by me is to email me via my website. I generally do all my consultations via email.
How would you describe your style? I’m terrible with genres but I would say my style is illustrative. I am heavily influenced by both nature and traditional tattooing technique. I love bold linework and muted colours.
What do you love to tattoo and what would you like to do more of? I love tattooing roses and peonies because I’m a total flower nerd but I love anything in nature. I love bugs, especially moths. I’m actually terrified of bugs but I love to tattoo them. So I’d love to do more of that. I would also like to do more lady faces, I grew up drawing portraits and I think they make really lovely tattoos.
What inspires you? Nature inspires me, which is kind of funny if you know me because I’m not too keen on being outdoors. I just love seeing all the amazing beautiful things that exist in the world. Like a completely black moth that is the size of your head but dies within a week because it has no mouth, and orchids that look like monkey’s faces. I’ve also always been interested in animal bones. I find them to be incredibly beautiful and fascinating objects and it’s amazing to think you only see them after death and decomposition. That’s the kind of stuff that interests me.
Are there any artists that you admire? There are a ton of artists I admire, too many to really list in full, but in particular I love Tiny Miss Becca (@s6girl). I had the honour of having her tattoo my entire back and I love it immensely. She is so incredibly talented but on top of that she is really lovely and generous.
Have you noticed any differences between the tattoo scene in the UK and the US? Yes, and these are some of the things that made me want to move. For one, tattoo collectors here seem to understand that a tattoo is a luxury and if they want a big one they will take the day off work. Tattoo parlours here tend to have more normal working hours, and the tattoo artists themselves are very down to earth. In the US, I never felt like I fit in with the ‘scene’ as I don’t listen to metal and own a motorcycle or leather jacket. Also, and this may just be NYC culture, but everyone wants to be tattooed on nights and weekends. It got to the point where it completely drained me and I had to turn people down. Overall it’s more laid back here.
Give Amanda a follow on Insta @amandatattoos and welcome her to London.
After seeing sneak peeks and behind-the-scenes pics from some of our favourite tattoo artists taking part in ‘TAROT the art of Tarot’ we couldn’t help but be intrigued!
We caught up with Holly Astral, the woman behind ‘TAROT the art of Tarot’ and Gravity Tattoo Studio to find out more about the project and how you can get your own piece of it…
What inspired you to start the ‘TAROT The Art of Tarot’ project? It just came up spontaneously! Me and the girls in the shop love reading tarot, and one day we started talking about how fun it would be to design some tarot cards between us, and the idea for the show just clicked into place! Since I got the keys to the building that is now Gravity Tattoo Shop I’d always said I’d like to hold an art exhibition in the ground floor reception area, and this seemed perfect!
You’ve taken part in exhibitions at galleries across Europe and America, was this part of your motivation for the tarot project? Totally! Before I was a tattoo artist I was a toy designer, and ran my own line of designer toys. During that time I put on a couple of collaborative art shows in London, and one in LA. Each one showcased toys which has been customised by other designers in the industry and were so much fun to put on. My main motivation for this show and those that I’ve organised in the past is to showcase the talent of those around me – I figured I’d put on the kind of shows I’d like to attend.
What message do you hope to spread? I’m interested to get the conversation going about tarot cards, and how people view them. I am relatively new to the concept, having dabbled a little as a teenager. I had a very rough start to this year and got into it as I was looking for answers. I don’t believe in divination or mediums, rather my take on tarot is that whatever you latch onto within a reading is your subconscious trying to tell you about a part of your life you need to look a little deeper at, or maybe an answer that you already know and need permission to bring to the surface. We all have the answers to our problems inside of us and activities like tarot reading can help us to bring the answers to the surface.
The Tarot project aims to raise funds for Hula Animal Rescue, does that charity mean a lot to you? Absolutely! We raise money for them throughout the year, and last year put on a flash day to fund raise for them. Gravity is a vegan tattoo shop and animal welfare is important to us, Hula are a wonderful small charity doing great things for animals.
You’ve brought together 78 individual artists for the tarot project – how did you pick them? Well at first we were going to do just the 22 major arcana from the tarot deck, so we asked some friends if they’d like to design a card for the show and it just got bigger and bigger! Before I knew it we had the entire deck being created, we were just blown away by the response.
Is there a wide variety of styles, mediums and interpretations? It has been incredible seeing all the artwork come back for the show! We left it up to the artists how they wanted to create their cards – any medium was okay, the only proviso being that it needed to fit in an A4 frame for the show layout. We have paintings, drawings, digital artworks and even a couple of embroidered pieces in the show. Seeing how everyone interpreted their card’s meaning has been so fun to see, with so many unique and interesting designs coming back to us. All the pieces they’ve created for the show were available to purchase for £100 each (a steal!)
Will they only be available to purchase at the show? First dibs on purchasing artwork from the show will be given to everyone who attends on the night of the party (August 24th 6-9pm) with any remaining artworks sales being opened up to the internet in the weeks after the show.
Will tarot sets be available to purchase too? We can’t wait to do a reading with them! Yes! Pre-orders are now closed but were available through our big cartel: gravitytattoo.bigcartel.com/product/tarot-cards.
Celebrating the art, design and creativity of tattooing will the tarot project be exhibiting anywhere else before the pieces go to their new owners? Nope! Tarot is a one night event!
You used to create your own plush toys ‘Cavey’ and even exhibited at ToyCon, was this integral to deciding to create a physical product from the exhibition? My background in product and the toy industry definitely helped, and I also recognised that not everyone can afford £100 for an artwork and wanted to make an item that everyone could afford, so they can still contribute to the charity. Making the deck of cards seemed like the perfect idea, and a great way to showcase all the great art from the show! We enlisted the help of a local printers to help us make the cards as fab as possible.
This is your first exhibition at your studio Gravity Tattoo Shop, has doing the Tarot project given you a taste for curating tattoo art exhibitions again? Absolutely! We’ll be doing another, different show, next year!
Don’t miss the launch of ‘TAROT The Art of Tarot’ on August 24th at Gravity Tattoo Shop in Leighton Buzzard from 6pm- 9pm or follow over on Instagram for more information!
Interview by Amber Carnegie originally posted on the Barber DTS Tattoo Supplies blog.
We’ve been following @weemoodyjudy on Insta for a while, we love her style – think black leather trousers and pastel pinks galore – her beautiful tattoos and her inspirational illustration work. Find out more in our chat…
Photos: @ryanmormelo
We totally love your style, where do you get your inspiration from? Thank you so much! My style is so intrinsic to who I am, and what I am going through during certain periods of my life. My wardrobe has definitely seen its fair share of experimentations through the years, all of which were fundamental to the development of where my style is today… regardless of how on point (or not!) each look was during that process! As a child I loved to wear my beloved pair of leather trousers and studded heeled boots. Stomping around in them I would feel so “grown up” and empowered!
Other days, I would leave the house wearing an entirely pink outfit accompanied with sparkly trainers and a cutesy attitude. That juxtaposition has pretty much been a permanent fixture in my style ever since! My style has always helped me to discover a sense of self, and has became a way to visually represent how I feel.
When did you get your first tattoo? What was it and who did it? My first tattoo was a matching one with my late father when I was 19 years old – it was his first one too! We snuck out telling my mum we were having a “Father, Daughter Bonding Lunch,” which she unfortunately was not invited to. We skipped the fake lunch and drove ourselves straight to @blackdottattoo, and met with @tomtomtatts who did our tattoos for us. They were two Canadian rock formations called “inuksuk (inukshuk)” – we got these as a memorial tattoo for my cousin Luke, who was from the North Western Territories of Canada (Yellowknife) and who had died the previous year after just turning 22. I know that will always be my most cherished tattoo.
What made you feel an urge to get tattooed and what do you like about being tattooed now? From a very young age, I always loved tattoos. Growing up I really didn’t know any adults with tattoos… or visible ones at least! Any time I was lucky enough to see someone with tattoos or colourful hair I was pretty much in awe, and knew I wanted to look like them when I was older. When I was twelve years old I even did a presentation in our school assembly: “when I’m older I want to be” about how I wanted to be a tattoo artist – all my slides containing half naked grizzly tatted men… this still makes my mum laugh. Although I’m not a tattoo artist today, it does make me happy knowing I am becoming that person my younger self always dreamed of looking like. Tattoos make me feel in control of my body, who I am, and how I present myself.
Tell us a little about all your tattoos… Currently I am only at the beginning of my tattoo journey, but so far it has been a very enriching and empowering process. My first tattoo with my dad will always be one of my most cherished experiences. I also have a pentacle hand poked on my sternum by @stickaroundtattoo, which I got with my housemates/coven when I lived in Melbourne. Recently I got that pentacle tattoo expanded by @jayrosetattoo to include cobwebs, a spider, and twigs from a bramble bush, which is significant to my childhood. I also have the word CUSTARD tattooed on my side, purely because of the sheer enjoyment I get while eating that golden goodness.
Do you have plans for more? If so what and who by? Most definitely! I pretty much have my entire body planned out, and I’m very excited to see how my ideas materialise themselves by the artists I’ll be working with. Most of my tattoos are planned to be either botanical, witchy or mythological tales. My next one is going to be of Bacchus by Caravaggio and I’m trusting the lovely @patriciashim with that piece.
So tell us… What do you do as job and what do you love about it? I am a stylist and an artist! I’ve styled for various freelance jobs, but I’ve just landed my first full -time position. I am fortunate to have a job that not only I love, but one that comes naturally to me. I recently started my own brand @WeeMoodyJudy, where I am selling prints and pieces of cool merchandise! In time I’ll be steadily expanding this to include clothing and accessories too – you can check out my website at weemoodyjudy.com. Being self employed is a tough gig and I often feel overwhelmed, but there truly is nothing more rewarding than seeing your work develop from concept, to design, to a tangible object which can be shared and enjoyed!
Tell us a secret… The name Wee Moody Judy was given to me as a child because I had serious “wee man syndrome,” which in Scotland means I was hella small with a LOT of rage.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to get tattooed but feels nervous? I’m pretty wimpy when it comes to pain, so I definitely wouldn’t be able to do much to sooth their nerves apart from maybe offer them some paracetamol and tell them that it’ll all be worth it in the end. What’s a few hours of agonising pain compared to a life time of self love?
We love your Insta account, what do you hope to share with your followers the most? I hope to be loving and empowering/empowered by the women and queer people who I follow and who follow me. I want to share my art and looks and to be outspoken through them. I want what I share to be truthful to my own thoughts and experiences. I’ve found that when I’m most honest and vulnerable is when I can communicate best through my work. I use those moments of vulnerability and charge them with my own personal style and humour. I usually describe my work as a “fuck you”, but with a smile! So I hope that my followers can get their own sense of empowerment through the message I’m sending out.
We first met Mo Deeley, the self-proclaimed tattooed glam-ma back in 2011 at the London Tattoo Convention. The following year, we spent a day in her life up in Yorkshire. We told her story in our second print issue. Meet her here…
Photos: Heather Shuker
I started getting tattoos in the late ‘80s after my divorce, a whistling worm on my ankle and two smaller ones on my shoulder blades, but never anything more than that. The bigger ones I have now were started in May 2011, when I went to my local tattooist to have the small ones on my back covered up. At the consultation, I explained that I was unsure what I wanted, but if I was a little bit younger I would have a full backpiece with a theme.
I honestly thought I was too old to get a full back tattoo. I’m 56-year-old grandmother. However, Tef the tattooist told me I should do as I want and it doesn’t matter at all about age – I should follow my heart. And so he started work on the back tattoo, which just seemed to creep over my shoulder and onto the front of my shoulder.
This was never enough and I kept thinking of different ideas, which we sat and discussed together. Then I started getting tattooed every weekend, I absolutely loved it. I also became very friendly with Tef the tattooist, which always helps, and I completely trust him.
I suppose my tattoo inspiration comes from happy memories of my childhood and, in a profound way, the loss of my dad spurred me on to keep going. I just thought life was too short. My Audrey Hepburn tattoo I got in memory of my dad, as we played Moon River at his funeral and I think he fancied her a bit.
I’ve got six children, and my son who’s 20 still lives with me, so he gets very spoilt, he’s my baby – I even bought him a full sleeve for Christmas, he loves tattoos too. At first, my daughters were against the idea of me getting so many tattoos and kept telling me I needed to stop. But now I think they are quite proud that I am who I am. They were very quick to state, “That’s my mum” when we retuned from London to find Things&Ink were looking for me on Facebook.
I had been at the London Tattoo Convention with my Husband, Paul, and I felt like I was being chased by the paparazzi. I’m a nan of 18 being followed by photographers from the USA and everywhere. I had been to a smaller event in Liverpool, but that was when I didn’t have as many tattoos. People would look at me, but nothing out of the ordinary. But when I was at the London Tattoo Convention – it was mental, I couldn’t sit down anywhere without people asking for a photo with me. I felt like Cheryl Cole [this was in 2011]. This reaction took my breath away. Paul spent most of the convention carrying a rather fetching handbag and vanity case for me, so I could oblige people who stopped me to look at my tattoos and pose for picture. I loved every minute of it. It was my photo taken by Things&Ink at the convention that has turned me into a bit of a celeb and won me a subscription to the magazine – which I adore [We had a competition to win a subscription to our print mag, we got got people to pose as it they were on the cover of the magazine and Mo won! Of course…]. I have never won anything before, and I couldn’t believe how many comments the photo received on Facebook.
After that, I got invited down to London for the Things&Ink launch party. As soon as I saw the Things&Ink launch issue cover, I knew I wanted it tattooed on me. I was just unsure how to incorporate it into a design. I told Tef my intentions and we set to work on a design. I think 2012 was an amazing year in my life and I tried to incorporate this into my tattoo. I also have a Yorkshire terrier to represent the amazing time I had at Rockalily vintage salon – they have a salon dog called Ellington – even there I was treated like royalty. I feel like it is a place that I just fit in, with my vintage styling and tattoos showing. I am also adding a wallpaper pattern to the tattoo, which reminds me of my best friend Pat – she has just put up some new beautiful patterned wallpaper and has the best taste in interiors. Pat’s home is lovely and full of vintage knicknacks, which I love.
My grandkids, all 18 of them and another on the way, live very near to me, and sometimes my granddaughter comes in to see me when I am getting tattooed, she loves showing me off as her nan. Don’t think any of her friends have a nan quite like me, and they all seem to find it quite cool. My grandchildren call me Glam-ma and always bring their friends to meet me – they all say they wish their nan was more like me.
I live in a small mining village, Maltby in Rotherham, and seem to attract a lot of attention – some nice comments, but mainly stares from people who don’t know me. People I grew up with accept me as I am, I have never really been one to conform to other peoples idea of “normal.” My husband says I’m a prototype not a stereotype.
I love big and bold clothing mainly in a ’50s style, I am also looking into collecting more garments from the 1940s. I have followed every fashion trend since my teens. Tartan, shoulder pads – the works. I love shoes and they used to be my overriding thoughts, but shoes have now been replaced by tattoos. I think about ink all the time.
I like to spend time with my family and friends, and I am quite lucky that Pat likes a lot of the same things I do. We can spend a whole day trawling vintage fairs and second-hand shops. I also often pop and see my daughter in the fish and chip shop she works, she recently won the Guiness world record for being the fast chip wrapper, so she’s a bit of a local celeb too. It must run in the family.
My life in a nutshell – born in a sleepy mining village, married very young to a mine-worker, with whom I had five children, which kept me very busy. I think I only ever really wanted to be a mum and love having my kids around me. I divorced in 1989, went a little bit off the rails I think. But my second husband, Paul, put me back on track. We have been married for 17 years now and have a son together. Paul’s my rock, he’s so placid compared to me, so we’re the perfect fit. He treats me like a queen and I love him with all my heart. During our marriage, we have travelled around a bit, but we always end up coming back to Maltby, it’s our home. We ran a pub together in Scotland, but I missed my family too much. Home is where the heart is and I am a very content and happy lady, even if some people think I look a little out of the ordinary. ❦