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At the moment we are in a new era of younger tattooists coming to the fore, but it is also nice to know that we still have many stalwarts of the UK tattoo industry still alvie and kicking. Sadly, some of the older generation of tattooists are starting to slip away and retire but the UK tattoo legacy is left to...
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Over the years and with the insurgence of tattoo studios in virtually every town, some owners have worked hard to get the feel and mix of artists right within their studios. Some have succeeded; some have failed with spectacular results. Real Art Tattoos in Leicester must have the perfect recipe book. Here you...
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Tattoos are a growing trend in Britain. In the last 10 years the industry has moved dramatically into the mainstream. The amazing talents of tattoo artists have decorated the bodies of billions of people around the globe. The choice of having a tattoo is a major decision and shouldn’t be contemplated in haste....
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It was at the 3rd Durham tattoo party that I managed to catch up with the guys from Draconian Tattoo. I arranged to head up to the wilds of Scotland to find out what they had been up to since our last meeting over 7 years ago.
I arrived in the North of Scotland, Aberdeen to be precise, early one Saturday...
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After spending a few days in New York prior to catching the train to the Paradise Gathering, I thought, after getting all the usual tourist attractions under my belt, it was time to do some work. So on a lovely sunny day in September, I took a stroll into the East Village area of Manhattan. It wasn’t too long before I...
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On a recent trip to American to attend Rick Harnowski’s Convention in Green Bay, I was really looking forward to meeting many of the top named artists that Rick had got together for the convention. One of the ‘names’ that I was particularly interested in talking to was Cory Ferguson. I have been a great fan of his...
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The studio actually opened for business at the end of August 2004. There was no big fanfare or celebration, mainly due to the fact that it should have opened in early May! This was entirely the fault of the guys who were supposed to be doing the refit work. I think they must have got through most of ‘The Big...
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Tattooing these days is so diverse it can be very difficult for artists to come up with tattoo designs that are innovative or refreshing. Every now and then a tattooist seems to appear on the scene that has that ‘extra special something’, you know what I mean; the guys that puts out work that makes you go ‘Wow!’ Well...
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By the time you read this article, Halloween will almost be upon us and the shops will be full of ‘horror’ themed fun for you to buy and discard a week or two later. For a lot of us, the fascination with horror runs a little deeper than that. So it made perfect sense to accept the invite to come visit the guys and...
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Mention the word ‘Mantra’ and most people who are interested in tattoos and body art will immediately think of the extremely successful tattoo convention held at the Cheltenham Racecourse.
The Mantra International festival of Body Art is widely recognised as one of this country’s premier tattoo...
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Divine Canvas is a totally new studio, with two of the industry’s most passionate and committed artists at the helm, set on making Divine Canvas a studio that produces and pushes tattooing further than ever before.
What can I say about Xed Lehead? This man has single-handedly brought the Geometric tattoo to the...
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When I had arranged to visit Eternal Tattoos in Dorking, my first thoughts were, ‘Dorking, That’s that huge town by the side of Heathrow airport. It’s going to be fun trying to find the studio in such a big place’. I was in for a big surprise. Dorking is one of those places that has a big reputation for a very small...
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You can pretty much guarantee if you have been to a Tattoo Convention in this country over the last few years, you will have undoubtedly seen Carl working away, putting his own brand of ink into people. Carl has to be one of the hardest working tattooists in Great Britain. When he’s not at a show, either tattooing or...
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It’s a soggy and foggy London morning, he’s sharply dressed, and putters up to the shop on his treasured Lambretta scooter. Helmet, goggles, tattoos… except that the hundreds of hours of tattoos hide underneath a cool conservative shell, out of sight. “Good morning love, how are you today? Should we get a...
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Keeping the work good but not too serious...
If you have ever been to a UK tattoo convention, the chances are you will have seen the Priestley brothers from Skinshokz tattoos. You won’t have missed them. Roy is the spiky punk-haired smaller of the two brothers, always with a smile and a welcoming demeanour and...
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Pretty much from the first day that I stepped into the Skin Deep office I ran into the All Or Nothing gang (photographically anyway), by literally tripping over a huge pile of photographs and artwork sent in by the ‘Main Man’ behind this project – Brandon Bond. Brandon has managed to open a Tattoo studio and art...
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Start of the next story! The second studio, TATTOO MEDWAY LTD, located in Gillingham High St. About 4 miles from MEDWAY TATTOO & PIERCING CENTRE, opened in spring 2001. Another long series of trials and tribulations. This time I decided to let the landlord convert the shop, to my design, and I would pay...
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It is quandary as to how some tattooists can uncover their niche so early in their career. Mike DeVries fell in love with colour portraiture from the off and took to it like the proverbial duck to water, producing dermal décor that is phenomenal both in its prolificacy and excellence. Seminars, books and instructional...
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Whilst working at the London Tattoo convention last year, I noticed a couple of chaps walking around with some fantastic back pieces. No surprise there, I hear you say. But these two works of art were outstanding and to me, shone out from the crowd.
I made it my mission to find out a little more about...
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I first came across Chris Govier’s work whilst covering the first Dragon Inkfest in Swansea a couple of years ago. His portraiture work stood out from the crowd and his attention to detail is second to none. At the time Chris was working for another tattoo studio based in Swansea, but has since moved to Alun Gregory’s...
At the moment we are in a new era of younger tattooists coming to the fore, but it is also nice to know that we still have many stalwarts of the UK tattoo industry still alvie and kicking. Sadly, some of the older generation of tattooists are starting to slip away and retire but the UK tattoo legacy is left to...
Over the years and with the insurgence of tattoo studios in virtually every town, some owners have worked hard to get the feel and mix of artists right within their studios. Some have succeeded; some have failed with spectacular results. Real Art Tattoos in Leicester must have the perfect recipe book. Here you...
It was at the 3rd Durham tattoo party that I managed to catch up with the guys from Draconian Tattoo. I arranged to head up to the wilds of Scotland to find out what they had been up to since our last meeting over 7 years ago. I arrived in the North of Scotland, Aberdeen to be precise, early one Saturday...
After spending a few days in New York prior to catching the train to the Paradise Gathering, I thought, after getting all the usual tourist attractions under my belt, it was time to do some work. So on a lovely sunny day in September, I took a stroll into the East Village area of Manhattan. It wasn’t too long before I...
On a recent trip to American to attend Rick Harnowski’s Convention in Green Bay, I was really looking forward to meeting many of the top named artists that Rick had got together for the convention. One of the ‘names’ that I was particularly interested in talking to was Cory Ferguson. I have been a great fan of his...
The studio actually opened for business at the end of August 2004. There was no big fanfare or celebration, mainly due to the fact that it should have opened in early May! This was entirely the fault of the guys who were supposed to be doing the refit work. I think they must have got through most of ‘The Big...
Tattooing these days is so diverse it can be very difficult for artists to come up with tattoo designs that are innovative or refreshing. Every now and then a tattooist seems to appear on the scene that has that ‘extra special something’, you know what I mean; the guys that puts out work that makes you go ‘Wow!’ Well...
By the time you read this article, Halloween will almost be upon us and the shops will be full of ‘horror’ themed fun for you to buy and discard a week or two later. For a lot of us, the fascination with horror runs a little deeper than that. So it made perfect sense to accept the invite to come visit the guys and...
Mention the word ‘Mantra’ and most people who are interested in tattoos and body art will immediately think of the extremely successful tattoo convention held at the Cheltenham Racecourse. The Mantra International festival of Body Art is widely recognised as one of this country’s premier tattoo...
Divine Canvas is a totally new studio, with two of the industry’s most passionate and committed artists at the helm, set on making Divine Canvas a studio that produces and pushes tattooing further than ever before. What can I say about Xed Lehead? This man has single-handedly brought the Geometric tattoo to the...
When I had arranged to visit Eternal Tattoos in Dorking, my first thoughts were, ‘Dorking, That’s that huge town by the side of Heathrow airport. It’s going to be fun trying to find the studio in such a big place’. I was in for a big surprise. Dorking is one of those places that has a big reputation for a very small...
You can pretty much guarantee if you have been to a Tattoo Convention in this country over the last few years, you will have undoubtedly seen Carl working away, putting his own brand of ink into people. Carl has to be one of the hardest working tattooists in Great Britain. When he’s not at a show, either tattooing or...
It’s a soggy and foggy London morning, he’s sharply dressed, and putters up to the shop on his treasured Lambretta scooter. Helmet, goggles, tattoos… except that the hundreds of hours of tattoos hide underneath a cool conservative shell, out of sight. “Good morning love, how are you today? Should we get a...
Keeping the work good but not too serious... If you have ever been to a UK tattoo convention, the chances are you will have seen the Priestley brothers from Skinshokz tattoos. You won’t have missed them. Roy is the spiky punk-haired smaller of the two brothers, always with a smile and a welcoming demeanour and...
Pretty much from the first day that I stepped into the Skin Deep office I ran into the All Or Nothing gang (photographically anyway), by literally tripping over a huge pile of photographs and artwork sent in by the ‘Main Man’ behind this project – Brandon Bond. Brandon has managed to open a Tattoo studio and art...
Start of the next story! The second studio, TATTOO MEDWAY LTD, located in Gillingham High St. About 4 miles from MEDWAY TATTOO & PIERCING CENTRE, opened in spring 2001. Another long series of trials and tribulations. This time I decided to let the landlord convert the shop, to my design, and I would pay...
It is quandary as to how some tattooists can uncover their niche so early in their career. Mike DeVries fell in love with colour portraiture from the off and took to it like the proverbial duck to water, producing dermal décor that is phenomenal both in its prolificacy and excellence. Seminars, books and instructional...
Whilst working at the London Tattoo convention last year, I noticed a couple of chaps walking around with some fantastic back pieces. No surprise there, I hear you say. But these two works of art were outstanding and to me, shone out from the crowd. I made it my mission to find out a little more about...
I first came across Chris Govier’s work whilst covering the first Dragon Inkfest in Swansea a couple of years ago. His portraiture work stood out from the crowd and his attention to detail is second to none. At the time Chris was working for another tattoo studio based in Swansea, but has since moved to Alun Gregory’s...
