With the dark cold nights drawing in and frosty mornings suddenly appearing. We thought we would share some of our favourite tattoos inspired by all things winter…
Interview with Han Maude
22-year-old Han Maude works out of Jekyll & Hyde Tattoo Company in Rugby Warwickshire and creates all manner of tattoos in solid dot work. We chatted to Han about her love for Disney and what inspired her to become a tattoo artist…
How long have you been tattooing? Two years
How did you get into the industry? I became very persistent about getting my foot in the door, took my portfolio around numerous studios, until someone took the chance and saw potential in my work.
When did you get your first tattoo, do you still love it? Unfortunately, I made the same mistake as most young insubordinate 16-year-olds did, and got tattooed at 16. Luckily for me I was realised quickly that it was a silly decision and had it covered up, once I was 18. It was an upside down ribbon with some stars on my wrist, so no, I really don’t love it.
What drew you to the tattoo world? I always wanted to get into the industry, I remember being about nine and having my own play tattoo studio in my wendy shed, parents of the local area weren’t happy when their children went home covered in permanent marker. I always liked the seemingly male orientated jobs, and its amazing to see the amount of female artists pushing beautiful work out in the industry.
What inspires you? I really fell in love with Studio Ghibli, and Japanese style anime, watching the films or spending an hour here or there with my nose in the animator’s books really inspired me too tattoo pieces like this.
I also spent some time in India last year, and the beautiful artwork was everywhere. While I was there a woman did some henna on my hand and completely freehanded the design, which made this stunning piece of art.
Obviously with sea, sun and sand it didn’t last long, but I couldn’t wait to get back home and start drawing.
You tattoo a lot of cartoons and Disney are these something you love? Disney really was something I always loved, I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone who hasn’t loved Disney, in one way or another. Everyone wants a bit of sparkle in their life. And if I can be the person to do that, on someone’s skin forever, amazing! I’m a child at heart.
Anime was what really got me into tattooing, I loved it, I wanted to draw like it and produce pieces to the standard these illustrators was creating , it was 70% of my portfolio when I applied for apprenticeships.
Is there anything you wouldn’t tattoo? I remember maybe in my first year of tattooing, we had a guy come in and asked for EDL to be tattooed on the back of his head. I really couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I think I’d rather hang up my machines in a career I love than do something that could potentially cause offense or deemed racist.
Do you admire other artists? Definitely, the list goes on and on.
But a few of my favourite artists, would be Flo Nuttall, Amy Savage and Kolahari from the Circle London.
You predominately do dot work how did this come about? When I first started my apprenticeship, I wanted to do traditional and then neo trad, and then black and grey realism. I had a bit of a bad attitude, and wanted to find me niche quickly.
I saw all these amazing artists producing pieces like they had been doing it their entire life, I felt so behind. Then we had Ema Sweeney and Billy Hay guest spot at the studio, Ema is an amazing dotwork artist and I had maybe done one or two dotwork pieces and she really helped and gave a few pointers.
And everything after that started flowing, like my hand knew what it was doing before I did.
Tattoo Experience: You talkin’ to me?
In this post Anna Casey-Woodward a 24-year-old legal trainee from Oxford who spends the majority of her time knitting, baking and getting tattooed. She talks about her different experiences with getting getting tattooed by different artists…
For me, a large part of getting a new tattoo is meeting the artist and watching the illustration turn into a piece of beautiful body art. And for the most part, this has been my experience. However, there has been one occasion when poor communication with my tattooist almost led me to the dreaded tattoo regret…
Good communication with your tattooist stretches from your first email right until you are talking about aftercare. When I commissioned my tattoo, it was by an artist who I had Instagram-stalked for a long time and was in love with their style. I emailed them with a clear idea of what I wanted, where I wanted it and what my budget was. I was very detailed in my proposal and I hope the tattooist appreciated having such clear instructions. There was artistic licence and of course I wanted it in their style, but we both knew what the finished product was.
The deposit was paid, the appointment booked and the day soon came around. On the morning of the tattoo, I saw the sketch and was in love. I got to the studio and we worked around positioning the tattoo where I wanted it. Because of my career, I have to be careful that my tattoos are easily hidden and my tattooist was more than understanding about this and we got the position absolutely perfect. Then it was time to get the ink flowing! This was not going be a short tattoo, and at the time I was reasonably new to it, so I was a little nervous about managing to sit for so long. I don’t sit like a rock, as much as I want to, but was reassured by my tattooist that when it got too much we could take a little break or have some of that hallowed bactine! As a result, several hours later I had a beautiful tattoo which I adore.
Now to my less positive experience. This was a more impulsive tattoo, I was away on my honeymoon, but I still told the studio what I wanted and the tattoo was some four days later. It was something I had been thinking about getting for quite a while and I had a Pinterest board full of ideas. I had been assigned an artist who was guesting from over 4500 miles away, and I was really keen on the idea of getting art done by someone who I would probably never get the chance to see again.
I got to the studio, and had to wait a good half and hour before the artist was ready for me. During that time, I did a brief sketch of what I wanted (as I liked parts of several different illustrations I had found and wanted to put them all together) and collected my thoughts. When the tattooist was then free, I talked to them about that I had drawn and showed them my inspiration (I really am a terrible artist!). We had a quick discussion about bits of my idea that would not work as a tattoo and ways they could be substituted. The artist then disappeared for another forty five minutes and eventually reappeared with a sketch. They showed me the sketch and… well… I wasn’t sure.
It was obvious in that moment that the tattooist and I hadn’t been on the same page when we started. I went ahead despite my reservations, and the first part was soon done. We then started to talk about colours, and the situation didn’t really improve. I had ideas, they had ideas, and they didn’t match. I didn’t feel that comfortable talking to the tattooist as I felt they weren’t really listening. The tattoo went ahead as they had suggested and about half an hour later it was finished. Throughout the tattoo, the studio was playing floor-thumpingly loud music. As a result, there was not much of a chance to talk to the artist and I didn’t have a chance to say when the pain was too much. It hurt, and my leg bled. None of my other tattoos had ever bled outside of the studio, and this one bled all night. Did I go back to talk about after care and what to do? No, because I didn’t feel comfortable enough to go back.
However, there is a happy ending. The tattoo healed well and the next tattoo I had framed it really well. I was saved from that gut-wrenching feeling that a tattoo wasn’t quite what I had wanted, and I wasn’t sure if I really wanted it. My next tattoo is just under a month away, and I will be chatting my way to another wonderful piece of body art.
Have you had the same experiences as Anna? Has how an artist talks to you changed how you feel about a tattoo?
Apprentice Love: Luke Oakman
We chatted to Luke Oakman a 24-year-old tattoo apprentice about his developing style, inspirations and how he started working at Edshead tattoo studio in Chelmsford, Essex…
How did you start tattooing? Tattooing was something I’d always wanted to do towards the end of school and college, I just never really took the leap towards chasing an apprenticeship at that point as I was never confident enough to take chances. After being told enough times over the years following college I was ‘a wasted talent’ because I did nothing with my art, I decided to pull together a portfolio and just go for it. I’m now well into my apprenticeship at Edshead and looking forward to where tattooing takes me!
How long have you been tattooing? Coming up to nine months now. Which is the first time I picked up a machine to use it, I did a little shark tooth on my leg.
What did you do before, do you have a background in art? The only background in art I have is college, I did my A Levels in art and photography, the only things I truly enjoyed at school. Right out of college I got a job in IT, which I did for too long! I got settled into that routine until the end of 2012 when I decided I needed a big change in my life, so I set myself a new target and began building up my first portfolio.
How would you describe your style? I guess I would fall under neo-traditional. It’s hard not to label a style of tattooing, I just call it my work and hope people like it really.
How has your work evolved/developed since you started? I drew a hell of a lot during my apprenticeship, I was trying to develop a style ahead of tattooing in an attempt to make my work recognisable in some way. My work has slowly got more detailed through the months I added more linework as I began to feel more confident with lining my tattoos, which is a direction I knew I wanted to make from the start. I just had to hold off until I knew it was something I could execute properly I guess.
What inspires you? Easily nature, I’ve always watched a lot of David Attenborough documentaries, my grandad started off that obsession long ago! So now when I don’t know what do draw the first thing is normally an animal of some kind.
Do you admire any other artists, do they influence your work? I admire too many artists to list them all, mainly tattooists these days. I’ll list my top five in no order for anyone that somehow doesn’t know these names/lives under a rock:
Robert Borbas
Kate Gill
Antony Flemming
Natalie Gardiner
Antony Cole
They’re all well known artists and their work speaks for itself really. Their styles among others have definitely influenced my own work and I’d love my work to go in the same direction.
What kinds of things do you like to tattoo? Birds, just putting it out there. I love birds. Anything nature based is right up my street, but I’ll enjoy most tattoos that I can use my own style with.
Can you tell us about your own tattoos? I don’t have a lot of tattoos when I think about it. One arm and stuff all over my legs. Only a couple have any meaning, it’s more art appreciation for me now. If I can give an idea (if any) to a tattooist I admire that I know they’ll enjoy doing, that’s when the best tattoos happen.
I got my first one at 22 by Ant Cole which was a kestrel perched on a compass. The arm isn’t far off a full sleeve now by him, I’m super fussy with who I get tattooed by and waited until I found an artist I knew was perfect for me, and Ant is beyond good. It’ll be finished when I can afford to fill the gaps!
Will you be at any conventions or doing any guest spots? I just finished a guest spot at Rock’n’Roll in Dundee. I was doing a tattoo trade with Daryl Watson, so it was just by chance I was lucky enough to work there for a few days as well. I don’t have any plans just yet as I’m still an apprentice. But one thing I know for sure is I want to travel, so when I’m able to I’ll be on the road seeing new things and meeting new people. With any luck!
Interview with Tattoo Artist: Charlotte Ross
Tattoo artist Charlotte Ross is currently travelling around the UK guesting at different studios. We chatted to her about her tattoos that resemble paintings, her love for birds and her own tattoo collection…
How did you first start tattooing? When I was studying at university we had to do a work placement course. Having the opportunity to create our own placements, I managed to organise mine in a tattoo studio. I would help out, clean, ask questions, watch the tattooists work. By the end of it I didn’t want to leave! The owner of the studio asked to see my portfolio and then offered me an apprenticeship. I then began my apprenticeship in my final year of uni.
Do you have a background in art? What did you do before? I have six years studying art after leaving high school. Two years at college and then four years doing my BA Honours Degree in Fine art at university all before starting tattooing. I have now been tattooing over seven years.
How would you describe your style? I find it hard to describe my own work. I get put in the ‘watercolour tattoo’ bracket, but my work isn’t quite as soft as most watercolour tattoos are. When painting I don’t just use paint. All my art is done with layers of watercolour paints and pencil. So I can build strength where it is needed which gives a nice contrast between strong and soft areas. I tend to just say I do ‘painterly’ tattoos.
Have you always worked in a watercolour style? How did this develop? I feel like I’m just at the beginning of it developing. I’m at the point where I love the subjects I am getting and I’m confident in my tattooing ability, but I can see my work evolving and I’m excited to see how it grows.
Even though my work isn’t traditional there are still fundamental rules in tattooing that I still apply, so that my customers get a nicely healed tattoo. I have spent a lot of years doing a bit of everything in tattooing, which I believe every tattooist should do. And this has taught me the importance of lines, using the skin tone and contrast between light and dark. It’s that understanding that has helped to translate my paintings into tattoos.
What inspires you? Nature inspires me. I grew up in the country with a gardening family. So I’ve always been surrounded by nice gardens filled with lovely flowers, fields and animals.
You draw and tattoo a lot of animals, are these your main inspirations? Birds are my main love/inspiration. I love everything about them and have since I was young. If there is ever a moment where I don’t have something to draw up for a tattoo and I’m feeling uninspired, I’ll turn to researching birds to paint. I look at anything from bird books, to watching bird documentaries, or I turn to my own birds! Having domestic birds that I can closely watch and photograph is the greatest thing to keep me productively painting. My two birds are the best!
Is there anything you would love to tattoo? More birds! I would love to have some budgie tattoos to do! But birds and flower tattoos and I’m happy!
Can you tell us about the tattoos on your own body? I have quite a few pieces that I love and quite a few I’m not so bothered by! I wish I was a little more patient when I was younger, so I have a couple laser projects! Some of the ones I absolutely love are, my portrait of my dog Max, done by Marcus Maguire. My countryside rib piece including birds, rabbit and a wee mouse was done by Sarah Carter. I have a portrait of Marc Bolan on my thigh by Emma Kierzek and I love the side of my neck which is a rose with a locket in it by Steve Vinall.