Tattooist Girin creates dark Japanese tattoos at at 3layer studio in Seoul, South Korea. We chatted to Girin about how he got into the industry and what inspires his work…
How long have you been tattooing and how did you get started in the industry? I’ve been tattooing in Korea for five years. Years ago my cousin opened a tattoo shop and it was there that I first experienced tattooing and tattoos. It was that day that I decided I wanted to become a tattoo artist.
Making my first tattoo was a special experience. My cousin trusted my drawing skills straight away and let me tattoo them.
What inspired you to become an artist? Comic books inspired me to become an artist. I’ve read a lot of comic books and ever since I was young it’s been my dream to become a cartoonist. When I was younger I started painting and I studied cartoons and animation at college.
How did your dark tattoos come about? I learnt how to tattoo on my own and when it came to learning colour tattoos I found them really hard. This style was too much for me to study by myself so I decided to work in black ink and create only black tattoos.
Can you tell us about the process behind your tattoos? I start by thinking about the overall idea then I draw a rough sketch. If I like the rough sketch I make a neater one. After that, I finish the design by drawing the light and shaded parts.
What inspires your designs? I study different designs by watching martial arts comic books and illustrations. In my tattoos I make sure that the details on the armour and helmet, that I’m tattooing, aren’t the same. I always keep trying to design new things.
I get a lot of inspiration from seeing monsters in the martial arts movies and games that I watch.
How would you describe your style? My work looks like Irezumi (Japanese tattoos) but I want to create my own unique style – Girin style.
How do you see your tattoos evolving in the future? I usually get to create big tattoos which I like. In the future I want to continue to engrave really nice tattoos on people’s skin so they can wear them like luxury clothes.
What was your first tattoo? My first tattoo was lettering by my cousin, I didn’t like it so I’ve since covered it. I kept finding problems with the designs and tattoos I chose, I just wasn’t satisfied – I keep thinking about getting better tattoos. Maybe one day I will.
Do you have any more travels or guestspots planned? I’m planning to go to Australia for a guest spot this winter.
What do you do when you’re not tattooing/drawing? I like to spend time watching games, animations, movies and dramas.
What moment in your career are you most proud of? Of course, I feel the most proud and excited when my customers are satisfied with a tattoo I’ve given them.
Follow Girin for more blackwork tattoos and travel updates.
Liam Blvck (@theblvckmambatattoo) crafts contemporary blackwork tattoos at Bebop Ink in Vancouver, Canada. Liam combinestheir heritage of Chinese and European culture into dark, fantastical artworkswhich straddle the line between the above and the below, much like the lines Liam tells us they have existed between throughout their career and life…
What inspired you to become a tattoo artist? Did you complete an apprenticeship, if so what was this like? I’ve been fascinated by tattoos since I was young when I saw all of my favourite band members covered in tattoos, it really intrigued me. I remember thinking “can I just wear my favourite art on my skin forever?”
I was the only arty child in my family, and my family thought I would pass that phase as I got older, but I didn’t. I didn’t really think about being a tattooer until I was 16. When it really struck me how I was extremely into body modification and that I would love to do anything related to art, but at the same time I’m wasn’t interested in just painting on a canvas and selling my art in a gallery. After high school, I ended up going to art school which really reinforced the idea of becoming a tattooer. It took me years to find a proper apprenticeship, but I managed to find one at a street shop.
Luckily my mentor was willing to guide me through the process, even though it was a learning curve for both of us. I was his first apprentice ever. Most of the people who worked there were apprenticed under another boss, and I was the exception which kind of made me the black sheep. I was taken through extreme ups and downs when it came to my learning, because I wasn’t taught the way my boss was as an apprentice. I felt like I needed to learn faster and work harder to prove myself.
Can you tell us about your own tattoos, and the process behind these – how do you settle on a design or choose an artist? I’ve collected a handful of tattoos from different artists around the world; each of the pieces represent my growth as a person, and what I was going through at that time. Most of the tattooers I find are from tattoo magazines I’ve purchase, word of mouth, tattoo conventions and artists of the late 90s/early 2000-esque from a website hosted on Angelfire. I was on more of a scavenger hunt for tattoos back then, instead of just going on Instagram like you do now.
I used to believe every tattoo had to have a meaning in order to get it permanently on my body, and I was told if they didn’t I’d regret it for the rest of my life. Surprisingly, some of my most meaningful tattoos have now been covered. The older we are, it seems that we look back on things and the feelings we had have changed. Nothing stays the same forever, every day we grow as a person. I came to the realisation that it’s okay to just simply appreciate something in the moment, overthinking it would make things complicated.
Most of my tattoos at this point don’t have any meaning, rather I loved the work the tattooer had put out. I simply want what they’re good at, not just the styles, but the subject matters they’re interested in too.
Do you have a favourite tattoo either on your own body or one you have created? Every tattoo I’ve created I’ve loved in different ways, that’s pretty much asking someone to pick their favourite children!
But I would say my favourite tattoo on my own body would be my black-out arm. It was a cover up of a sleeve I’ve got when I was between 18 and 20. It showed how much I had changed as a person, and I realise back then I was still exploring my self identity, as a woman at that time, and as a non-white. Underneath layers and layers of black is a super colourful sleeve that even had an owl with neon pink wings! The black-out took me two to two and a half years to finish, each layer was done by a different coworker that I trusted. The experience of a black-out arm is so different than that of getting a design, it’s a different level of commitment, and it’s something that’s hard to describe until you’ve experienced it on your own.
How would you describe your work? Do you think your experiences have shaped the tattoos you create? Although I was born in Canada, the majority of my childhood was spent in Hong Kong. Hong Kong was colonised by the UK at that time and so I was exposed to European culture along with my own people’s culture. European art was always my favourite because I’m obsessed with how humans can achieve such levels of details in their craft or artwork. Also I was into heavier music and often old European art would be featured on album art and merch.
My work is a fine line between European-esque art, and my life experiences of living on the line between Western and Chinese culture – my identity, my skin, gender, mental health collides with European occult imagery. It’s abstract and complicated.
What kinds of tattoos do you love to do, what designs get you excited? Is there anything you’d like to create or a particular concept you’d like to explore? I would like to continue with the occult aesthetic in my work, but take it more into a surrealism direction. Loving what you do and taking it to another level is the truest growth of oneself.
How would you describe your experience as a queer tattooer in the tattoo industry? Does this influence the spaces you tattoo in? I started out as a cis woman in the industry and I experienced the struggle of being part of the boy’s club. I still notice how I get treated differently compared to white colleagues, and often I get the harsh end of it all. Even the clientele at the beginning of my career treated me poorly because most of the folks that came to me did so because I’m not white, they assumed that they could get a deal on the tattoo they wanted.
I also have experienced male tattooers putting me into uncomfortable situations, such as commenting on women’s appearances, wanting to meet me outside of the workspace for a “consultation” and when I’ve gotten a tattoo from them their arm is positioned in a questionable area.
When I realised that I’m non-binary, and started to dress more queer it was another segregation on top of what I had already experienced. I feel sometimes that the community itself questions my queerness and my right to the space because I’m married to a cis man and therefore I’m not queer and non-binary enough. I was still treated as a cis woman, and my chosen name threw people off and some of them got a bit uncomfortable when they had shown up to their consultation and were expecting to get tattooed by a male tattooer.
All of these experiences, have shaped me. I want to tattoo in a queer friendly safe space where all bodies, race, genders are welcome. Both tattooers and clients give so much trust to each other and vulnerability, in this space judgement and hate is not tolerated. Getting a tattoo shouldn’t be scary and you shouldn’t leave with a traumatic experience.
I’ve read that you’ve explored your craft in a lot of different countries is there a place or moment that stood out for you? I’ve travelled to a few places throughout my tattoo career, I always get inspired by my experiences. Also seeing how other tattooers that I admire love and perfect their craft, gives me the motivation and validation to know that you create your own journey within this craft. There’s no such thing as one art being superior to others, your craft is created by a collection of experiences. The people who come to you do so because they connect with your creation, and that’s how magic happens.
Tattoo artist Peggy B creates magical blackwork tattoos out of Grace Neutral’s Femme Fatale tattoo studio in London. We chatted to Peggy about her beautifully recognisable style and the energy she brings to her work…
How did you start tattooing? I was getting tattooed a lot at uni, and over the years I became friends with a tattooer. I ended up buying a machine with his help and with my own understanding of what tattooing was, I started my journey.
What was the first tattoo you did? The first one which didn’t fade after two weeks was a smiley face on my pinky finger.
What made you want to become a tattooist? I think tattooing chose me more than I was me looking for it. Moving to London at a young age and soaking up the culture of this city has had a big influence on me and my tattooing. The tattoo industry here is different to my home town, it’s been introduced to me from a different point of view. My experiences of the London tattoo scene, the craft and the culture are definitely a couple of things which made me go for it. Over the years it took my heart and all the spare time I had, and quickly it became my passion. It has taken a while but, patience is everything. It feels like tattooing is just my way to express myself in the best way possible. Creating imaginary creatures and immortal flowers, hanging out with the most wonderful artists and making people smile, it’s just such a beautiful job to have.
How would you describe your style? It’s definitely black work, maybe a little bit illustrative. But I wish I could call it “just magical!” I want people to feel the energy flowing through the moment when they look at my work.
Where would you like to take your work? To the other dimension, or as far as it can go.
How has your tattooing changed? The industry keeps developing for me. The more trust I am lucky enough to get the more creative I can become. Patience and working with the people who trust you is the only way to progress. Once the trust is built you can create such an amazing experience. And I think this is why I can work on my style more and more.
What inspires you? Anything and everything.
We love how you use the natural curves and shapes of the body and nature for your tattoos, do you prefer to work freehand like this or from flash? I don’t have preferences. I enjoy the experience of it. I am always trying to suggest a freehand piece just because it flows more naturally with your body, and I can make it so it exactly fits the area you planned to get tattooed. And it’s fun! I love when my work wraps a lot so you need to move yourself to show it off. When I am adding star dust to my pieces it’s my favourite part to. It’s making it all more magical and you can feel the flow of it.
What would you like to do more of? Keep creating magic on people that they can keep for ever and all the other things that make me happy!
24-year-old tattooist Liv Frost works out of Tattoo HQ, Chesterfield, UK where she creates amazing blackwork tattoos. We chat to Liv about her recognisable style and love for patterns found in nature…
When did you start tattooing and what made you want to join the industry? I joined Tattoo HQ seven years ago in March. I had been searching for a shop to take me under their wing as an apprentice for quite a while beforehand and then I got introduced to Brenden Jones and Chris Cross the owners. Who I not only look up to as inspirational tattooists and bosses but also like father figures (I’ve got a tattoo for them on my leg saying “HQ Pops”). Truly lucky and grateful to have to them in my life and for everything they have done for me over the years.
What did you do before tattooing? Did you study art? I did an art and design BTec at Chesterfield college when I left school, specialising in ceramics and jewellery making in my first year and then textiles in my second year. Looking back at old sketchbooks and pieces drawn/made throughout this time, they all reference tattoos, whether that be the style or the history. Tattooing was something I’ve always just been drawn to and interested in. I’ve always had a strong mindset – if you want something bad enough, you have to go out and do it, regardless of what others say, you’ve got to do it for you!
How would you describe your style? What drew you to blackwork? I originally started out wanting to tattoo traditional based work, but something wasn’t quite right. I’m a lover of textures, a mix of line thicknesses and patterns. I think that’s why I use a heavier lines for the main outline of my work though as I like that bold statement that traditional work gives. When I was apprenticing I used to draw on little wooden boxes to sell and Bren and Chris suggested I tried some dotwork out on them. I loved it and I would happily sit for hours dotting away on them. I then drew flash sheets of bugs and butterflies in this style and it all started from there. Just black, dots and lines. Various textures creating depth and forever learning what liner would create the best dotted fade or how adding the smallest of line details can make such a great impact on a piece. When tattooing I only show the customer the main outline of the piece and add all the fine linework and dotwork as we go along. I find that this way, the piece flows better! Trusting customers are everything!
What inspires you and what would you love to tattoo? I love butterflies and moths, the unique prints on them and just like leaves and petals, the impressions from their veins. I love tattooing floral pieces and mandala/pattern work, I’ve found they go hand in hand with each other for creating larger scale work! Another of my favourite things to tattoo is small frilled hearts with anything inside them – often writing or something Disney related! I’d love to tattoo more large scale pieces, I’ve got a few back pieces coming up that I’m really looking forward to and this year I’m definitely going to focus on drawing up more flash sheets based around nature, patterns and of course some more Disney will pop up in there!
Do you have any guest spots or conventions planned? I currently don’t have anything lined up for any guest spots or conventions but I’m definitely going to change that! My books reopen in March so by that time I’m hoping to have a few shops booked for guesting at! I always post about anything up and coming on my Instagram and work Facebook page!
31-year-old tattooist Jonny Saunders tattoos out of Pulse tattoo studio in Banbury, Oxford. We chatted to Jonny about his dotwork swirl designs, how art relaxes him and how he chooses to decorate his own body with tattoos…
How long have you been tattooing? I’ve been tattooing professionally for four years now. I used to study art, I had private art classes with Sue Burns who is the wife of Jim Burns the airbrush comic artist. Growing up with ADHD I found nothing interested me, except art. Art was the only thing I could do for hours on end and it helped to calm me down, it still does.
What made you want to become a tattooist? I wanted my artwork to have a bigger impact than I got on paper – it’s one thing to draw on paper and frame it but it’s another to mark someone for life. I love the rush of tattooing knowing I cant make any mistakes, the whole way from the power output to my running of the machine to how deep to go and what angle, and having it all work together to create amazing artwork to last a lifetime.
You tattoo in a lot of different styles, which is your favourite? Working full time as a tattooist brings many different styles of art daily. My favourite style and the one I want to make my name for is my 3D Dotwork stippling.
What do you love to tattoo and what would you like to do more of? As I’m still fairly new to tattooing I would love to do more and be known for my dotwork paint swirls and my custom mandala geometric designs. Big plans and designs to come.
What inspires your work? Are there any artists that you admire? I get inspired by doing photography and speaking with customers and their ideas. Without sounding stuck up I don’t admire anybody. I’m a strong independent artist with my own ideas and way of thinking. I have taught myself to tattoo and because of this I have my own way of working. I have my own thoughts on how art should turn out. In truth I want to be the one other admire.
When did you get your first tattoo? When I was 22, I got a tribal rose that was for my mum as her middle name is rose, but now I have it blacked out (my mum forgives me).
You’re heavily tattooed, including your face, what sort of reactions do your face tattoos get? Having face tattoos for me has done nothing but make me so much more confident and free. I get stared at constantly and random people come up to me asking about them and I love the attention. I blacked out one of my ears as I didn’t want to look stupid by blacking out both.
What inspired you to cover your face and black out your ear? Was this a journey or more of a spur of the moment thing? For me just the look of black abstract tattoos is as deep as it gets. It doesn’t mean anything to me there is no planing when it comes to the outcome of my body art. I get tattooed by Eli who works in Brighton, I show up and get tattooed. There is no plan, I just let him go crazy and I feel that with this way I won’t ever regret my body art. To be completely free of planing or worrying about if it will come out as planned feels amazing, there is no goal and no end.
