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MODEL: SAMMIE HOWE • PHOTOGRAPH: SCOTT COLE
 CONTENTS

56

14

20 38 70

14 REBEL INC. to produce live actions that reverberate 56 THROUGH MY THIRD EYE THE USUAL SUSPECTS
Wayne Simmons talks with some of his sound throughout a space. Through My Third Eye is a warm and 5 SATURDAY NIGHT &
favourite rebels within tattooing, artists friendly space in North London, a family SUNDAY MORNING
doing something different with their 32 THE UNINKABLES of eclectic artists combining permanent 10 THE WOMAN IN THE WOODS
114 TATTOO OF THE MONTH
inks. This month he meets Italian artist, Tattoos are so common now no one bats residents with friends from all over the
Deborah Genchi. an eyelid when they see a full sleeve or world. Greeted with a hug and a cup of tea THIS ISSUE'S
even a neck tattoo. Everyone from the Nicky Connor chats to Mowgli and Emma CONTRIBUTORS
20 THE WORLD WITHIN ex-prime minister’s wife to my great aunt about the space they’ve created…. Pascal Bagot
We’re always delving into how craftsmen Rosaline has a tattoo. But what about Kamila Burzymowska
and women design tattoos for the physical those people unable to jump on the tattoo 64 AS ABOVE SO BELOW Nicky Connor
human form. Today, meet an artist band wagon; what about the UnInkables? Wayne Simmons continues his Rebecca Givens
creating tattoos for—not real bodies—but pilgrimage, going deep into the hills to Sean Herman
Steven Guichard-Kenny
the figures of her imaginary illustrations. 38 THE FICKLE FINGER OF FATE unearth tattooers with a penchant for the
Barbara Pavone
Rebecca Givens finds out why this idea is There’s something to be said for mystical. This month he meets Porto- Wayne Simmons
accompanied by a strong message. unconventional luck. Take Marc Bonin, based artist José Mendonça.
for example. The Montreal-based COVER SHOT
26 A NEW RITUAL tattooer started out studying art, left 70 BREAKING THE SILENCE Scott Cole
We live our lives performing, from it behind to get an architecture degree, “Silence is gold,” whispers the enigmatic
going to work, to exercising daily, and added a carpentry degree on top of that Eugene Nedelko. His vibrant tattoos do
to eating, sleeping and fucking. In Body and didn’t find tattooing until an accident speak for themselves, but Rebecca Givens
of Reverbs the artist Servadio uses the nearly cost him his finger and left him wondered—what did the Poland-based
tattoo machine as a performative device homebound. ... tattooist have to say about his creations?

EDITOR CREDIT CONTROL TECHNICAL DIRECTOR ISSN 0966-4351

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S K I N D E E P M AG A Z I N E • 3
 SATURDAY NIGHT
& SUNDAY MORNING

Carola Deutsch

A Cabinet of Curiosities
“The first mistake of art is to assume
that it’s serious”
THE TRUTH LIES SOMEWHERE IN THE MIDDLE
Lester Bangs WITH SOME PARTS OF THE THEORY ROLLING
ACROSS THE FLOOR LIKE THAT BAG OF M&MS YOU

L
ast week, for the first time ever I got
asked–To My Face–what the differ- FAILED TO OPEN CAREFULLY
ence between a tattooer and a tattoo There’s something about the idea of being a
artist was. Over the years, we’ve ‘tattoo artist’ though that suggests you’re a
delved into this on and off but (personally step above being a tattooer.
speaking) I’ve never got my hammer out to I suspect the truth lies somewhere in the
nail my colours to a particular mast over it. middle with some parts of the theory rolling
The problem so far as I see it, is this: No- across the floor like that bag of M&Ms you
SION SMITH • EDITOR
body wants to be a ‘tattooer’ because it [email protected] failed to open carefully.
insinuates your skill is ‘just’ in making a tat- I know hundreds of people who are great
too… but that’s why we are all here isn’t it? tattooers but haven’t got two original ideas

S K I N D E E P M AG A Z I N E • 5
 SATURDAY NIGHT
& SUNDAY MORNING

to rub together. I also know an equal amount

of tattooers who call themselves artists who
only have to wake up in the morning to have
great idea… and then fall over their own feet
by not being able to tattoo properly. If you’re
looking for clarification on what ‘properly’
means, I’m talking weak lines, poor shading,
filling white space with some weird blue col-
our, faces that looked like they got slightly
clipped by a school bus…
But you know what… art is subjective. For
more than 100 issues I/we have said this
very thing through all the articles we have
published and yet the desire to get a tattoo
seems to over-ride getting a great one. There
is genuinely a market for Animals That Got
Clipped By A Truck. There always was and
there always will be.
On my Shelves Of Important Stuff here,
there’s one book that puts all of this into
perspective for me. It’s called Cabinet Of Cu-
riosities and it’s by Guillermo del Toro. Yep
- that del Toro… The Devil’s Backbone, Pan’s
Labyrinth, Hellboy dude.
Inside, he opens up his heart for you to
look at. There are pages upon pages of sheer Chris Rigoni

magic as you get to see concepts that worked

for his movies, concepts that didn’t… words
THAT’S WHAT AN ARTIST IS TO ME.
and images working together to force the THEY’RE THE ONES WHO BRING
movie out of the other side. SOMETHING TO THE TABLE THAT DIDN’T
EXIST BEFORE
It’s a real thing of beauty. If you care about
art and the actual creative process, grab
yourself a copy. stay hungry to improve even when you’re able to park an Audi Q8 on
More to the point (as you’ll see in that book) your drive.
I think a true artist has their fingers jacked My youngest daughter is just heading towards being 18. That means
into the creative plug socket right up to the a lot of her friends are 18 before her… and the tattoos are starting to be
knuckles. They can’t stop creating. You can paraded in front of me.
sit at a table to eat with them and see the cogs I get it. More than anybody I get it. It’s the first thing I did too… ex-
are always whirring. They’re not scrolling cept back then, you got a flash rack and in exchange for your money,
through a search engine for inspiration. Their you got a solid tattoo. These things I’m seeing now are custom pieces
minds are out in the cosmos smashing oppos- executed by people who have no right doing them. Apprentices who
ing ideas together to create something new. can barely handle the machine. Sometimes even apprentices who
That’s what an artist is to me. They’re the got bored of being an apprentice and wandered off to open their own
ones who bring something to the table that studio, ditching the challenge of being an apprentice in the process
didn’t exist before. before taking on an apprentice of their own… which is pretty much
But there’s nothing wrong with being a like getting a Gibson for Christmas and asking Robert Plant if you can
tattooer either. It’s a craft and to be great at be in his band by the end of February.
it will take you years… except at some point, I (don’t) apologise (at all) for quoting Lester Bangs yet again… but
the money will kick in and stop you being he has a good point. We’re not putting functioning hearts inside of
hungry. That’s the big hole in the floor and ribcages here. We’re drawing pictures on skin, but for crying out loud…
the difference between wanting to be a tat- pride has got to come into it sooner rather than later.
tooer and being one. If you are one, you’ll Hasn’t it? 

6 • SKIN DEEP MAGAZINE

 THE WOMAN IN THE WOODS

Getting tattooed has taught me a lot over the years

J
ust over 10 years ago when I walked
into a tattoo shop for the first time, I
had absolutely no idea what to expect.
I didn’t question the process. I just
wanted that small symbol on my leg—so I went
in, sat down, winced, smiled, parted with the
cash and that was that. A decade and hundreds
of individual tattoo sessions later, putting ink
into my body has definitely come to represent
something much more. It has undoubtedly
changed me, without me even realising it.
I could write that tattoos have made me love
myself... but it’s not quite as simple as that. I
haven’t necessarily been taught to adore my
body but rather to value its imperfections, to
not be afraid of it, own it, and find love through
that ownership. I am not sure who it belonged
to before but now I have officially claimed my
skin as my own. And not just my skin but my
journeys, my lessons, my experiences, my re-
actions, my feelings, my everyday interactions
and my memories. I have re-claimed my past,
present and future. Through vibrant images
and delicate words, they have become mine.
My photo album to hold, my story to tell.
I have learnt to not be afraid of this vessel but
to celebrate it. I have put so much time, mon-
ey, energy and emotion into decorating this
canvas that I now find myself not wanting to
hide it. I’m not quick to grab a towel in a public
changing room or hesitant to share my naked- Nomi Chi
ness online. Being bare for all to see has come
to mean nothing to me. These tattoos are not a A DECADE AND HUNDREDS OF INDIVIDUAL
safety blanket—I do not hide behind them, no…
they rip away any safety, they welcome me to TATTOO SESSIONS LATER, PUTTING INK
fight, they encourage my body to run forth into INTO MY BODY HAS DEFINITELY COME TO
a world that used to feel quite scary.
Now, I am afraid of very little. I have learnt
REPRESENT SOMETHING MUCH MORE
about my resilience, my endurance, my de- I have sat amongst buzzing machines and
termination. I have watched myself bleed floated above my own body, glanced down at
and heal, bleed and heal, time and time again. my life, the path it has taken so far and the
I have witnessed myself cry yet always smile direction it may go in the future. I have taken
in the end. I have picked myself up from pain- time out, not to narcissistically decorate my
ful lows and seen myself ride euphoric highs. person but to stop and reflect, to take stock,
I have learnt that I can do anything I put my to sit and wonder. I have learnt so much
mind to. I have been taught a great deal about about art, too much to fit into this space to-
the incredibly solid connection between the day, but mainly that—like anything else in
REBECCA RIMMER
mind and the body. this world—it means different things to dif-

S K I N D E E P M AG A Z I N E • 9
THE WOMAN IN THE WOODS

Nomi Chi

IT HAS ENTICED ME TO
EXPLORE EXTRAORDINARY
APPROACHES TO ART.
IT HAS ENTICED ME TO
EXPLORE MYSELF
ferent people. How I see the world, how I receive pain, of others and my own perceptions of myself. It has allowed
how I find tattooing, what I now think of myself… all of me to unpick my gender, my emotions, my opinions, my at-
these things are unique to me, and not another single tat- titudes, my fears. Getting tattooed has given me time with
tooed or non-tattooed person on the planet will under- incredible artistic human beings but most importantly
stand what it is to be me, and I will never them. time with myself. It has enticed me to explore extraordi-
Getting tattooed has allowed me to feel part of some- nary approaches to art. It has enticed me to explore myself.
thing. It has shaped my personality. It has encouraged me Tattoos aren’t just tattoos. And the best part is that, for
to push myself on yet simultaneously take time out for my me and for anyone else reading this, the journey ain’t over
journey. It has motivated me to challenge the perceptions ‘till it’s over. There is always still so much more to learn. 

10 • S K I N D E E P M A G A Z I N E
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 REBEL
INC.
Wayne Simmons talks with some of
his favourite rebels within tattooing,
artists doing something different
with their inks. This month he meets
Italian artist, Deborah Genchi
@debrartist / @debrartattoos

D
eborah Genchi is the perfect example of a tattoo
being the sum of its parts—the coming together
of the artist, the art and the living, breathing
canvas upon which the art is to be created.
The Italian artist works out of her own studio, DebrArt
Tattoos in Bari, located in the southern part of the coun-
try. “Exactly on the heel,” she says with a smile. “You
know it looks like a boot, don’t you?”
Style-wise, she’s coined the phrase #halfrealhalfdrawn
to describe her work and, for me, there’s so much in that:

I need to stay away

from distractions
and focus only on
their stories
14 • S K I N D E E P M A G A Z I N E
S K I N D E E P M A G A Z I N E • 15
 from the essence of the tattoo’s look—bringing together
elements of realism alongside elements of fine art—to a
much deeper reading of the words. In fact, right off the
bat I get a sense of Deborah, as the artist, breathing life
into a piece of art, giving birth to it. “I gave this tag to my
I don’t want to make tattoos because I always try to give them a realistic touch,
tattoos that look as if you could really feel them coming alive - from power-
ful and coloured flowers to an animal’s eyes, movements
like photographs, and so on. But as I don’t want to make tattoos that look
I incorporate some like photographs, I incorporate some artistic technique
into my work such as watercolour paint, sketches or
artistic technique drips—so that it looks like the painter (me in this case)
so that it looks like was still working on them, giving birth to them or plant-

the painter was still ing them under the skin. The final result looks like the
tattoo is coming out from the client’s skin, like it has al-
working on them ways belonged to him.”

16 • S K I N D E E P M A G A Z I N E
 of or, indeed, experienced myself, such an in-depth con-
sultation stage. For some artists within the avant-garde
genre of tattooing, the client’s role can be to blindly ac-
cept what the artist prepares for them. But for Deborah,
it’s the complete opposite of that.
“The clients are completely involved in my work. The
consultations are like psychological sessions in which
they tell me what the subject they want means for them.
They open up completely with me because they know
they can do it and they choose me for this reason.” Like
most consultations, there is the usual discussion around
The variety of styles that Deborah works within shows placement, but after that, Deborah needs to work on her
a breadth to her skillset, a keenness to explore the many own. “I need to stay away from distractions and focus
techniques out there in order to find the right match for only on their stories. I’m guided by instinct. I think about
each client. And yet, for me at least, what makes her style how I would like this tattoo if I was doing it for myself.
her own is a penchant for the unique, an endless quest to Then I show the client the design and if they like it, we go
do something different with her inks, to go against the straight through the session. Otherwise we apply changes
norm. I wonder how intentional this is, whether Deborah together, but 90% of my clients like the first proposal.”
sets out to be a rebel within the genre or whether it’s just It’s clear to me that Deborah is part of a new breed of art-
how she works naturally. ists bringing something of a message into their tattoos, mak-
“My art is purely instinctive,” she tells me, pointing out ing more meaningful designs as opposed to generic flash.
how she never copies another artist’s work or copies, line While I very much applaud this approach and the innova-
for line, the reference her clients bring to her. “I have al- tion it brings to the tattoo community, I put it to her that not
ways personalised and customised my works. I create them every tattoo needs to mean something—sometimes a flower
on my own, basing each design on my imagination or on is just a flower, after all. But that’s now how she sees it. 
what my clients tell me, the meaning their tattoos should “I believe every tattoo does have to mean something,”
have for them. I talk so much with my clients, listening to she argues. “It’s a matter of principle for me, in fact - I do
their stories, to their feelings, and I just sketch while think- not accept tattoos or subjects if they do not have a mean-
ing about them. This is why my tattoos are so different.” ing. Every work of art was created on a moment in one’s
This innovative rapport with her clients is clearly at the life or an emotion or an event.”
heart of all that Deborah does and, in many ways, sets her In fact, Deborah sees meaning in everything, not just
apart from her counterparts. Never before have I heard art, and not just in some abstract way.

S K I N D E E P M A G A Z I N E • 17
 I have always sought tattoo does so because it finds its own particular meaning.

to represent the Is this not a wonderful thing?” 

What’s been wonderful for me, talking with Deborah, is
surrounding reality the sense of meeting an artist at home with themselves, an
within my work artist who sees tattooing as a communal process, bringing
together in a genuinely authentic way not just the ink and
“Take for example a circle,” she points out. “The circle the skin, but the life behind such—the artist and the person
has infinite meanings. It can indicate the origin of a thou- who will be wearing their art respectively. For Deborah,
sand things and worlds, from the origin of the universe this isn’t just a case of striving to be a responsible or sensi-
to the birth of a person or animal - an egg. It can repre- tive artist, but rather the true manifestation of creativity.
sent the circle of life, accuracy, continuity, or a person can “Art is my means of communication. I have always
find his own interpretation.” For this reason, it is really sought to represent the surrounding reality within my
important for Deborah to start out with the intention to work,” she explains. “I believe that those born ‘artist’, in a
create something meaningful—both for her and the po- certain sense, have greater sensitivity to everything, de-
tential wearer of that tattoo. This is true even of the flash picting the world through painting or pencil, translating
she conjures up. “In that case the person who chooses the it onto canvas.” 

18 • S K I N D E E P M A G A Z I N E
20 • S K I N D E E P M A G A Z I N E
 THE WORLD
WITHIN brokenisntbad.com

We’re always delving into how craftsmen and women design tattoos for
the physical human form. Today, meet an artist creating tattoos for—
not real bodies—but the figures of her imaginary illustrations. Rebecca
Givens finds out why this idea is accompanied by a strong message

B
ehind the art brand ‘Broken Isn’t Bad’ is 28 age them to keep search-
year old Croatian illustrator, Sanda. With a ing for their true love and
background in graphic design, she launched never settle for anything
her new artistic project three years ago “in less than deserved.”
order to channel negative emotions,” she recalls, “I was Inspired by poetry and
quite depressed and unhappy so I started drawing and it literature, she’s always
felt like I had found myself again”. Her emotive creations on the lookout for quotes
are intended to inspire those also struggling: “Growing up and words to ‘tattoo’
is harder than we expected… life is full of surprises and across her figures. She
not all of them are pretty. Hearts get broken and it hurts.” sees both words and pic-
Her black and white line-based illustrations have a tures as equally powerful
minimalist feel to them, their aim “to focus on the self weapons: “even though
awareness, to represent our spiritual wisdom and vast- a picture may say more
ness of our inner worlds.” Despite embracing simplic- than a thousand words, when it’s combined with words it
ity, her artistic creations are simultaneously complex, leaves a greater impression and is more powerful than any
and I wondered how the tattoo industry had inspired her picture itself. The right words can inspire you to do great
Words: Rebecca Givens

work. Some of my favourite of her pieces are the designs things, they can change your perspective or express your
in which words are tattooed across the limbs of female state of mind or remind yourself of it.” With her tattooed
figures. She says these drawings in particular are “for all human body drawings, she “tries to share an important
the hopeless romantics, for the heartbroken, to encour- life lesson with others”—phrases like “I am enough” make

S K I N D E E P M A G A Z I N E • 21
THE WORLD WITHIN

a reminder for self-acceptance and self-love: onto the skin”. Sadly though, her designs be-
“every person goes through certain difficult ing taken without consent (an all too famil-
periods in their life and we all need those mo- iar tale in the tattoo world also) is a regular
tivational reminders from time to time.” occurrence and something she has to priori-
A long-time admirer of tattoos and collect- tise managing day-to-day. “When you work
ing a few herself, a large portion of Sanda’s in the artistic and creative fields, copyright
commissions are from those asking her to de- and stealing designs is definitely a huge topic
sign tattoos for tattooists elsewhere. Know- and there are still so many grey areas when
ing that often a design will make its way onto it comes to intellectual property and ethics,”
someone’s body permanently, she attempts she says. “The Internet can be quite reward-
to create figures that “would look appealing ing but also infuriating when it comes to put-
on someone’s body and be easily transferred ting your work online, it becomes an open
source basically to everybody. Many people

Growing up is harder than we expected… use social media to generate a living out of
their work, and unfortunately there are still
so many who don’t respect that and think it’s

life is full of surprises and not all of free to take just because it’s online. I deal with
art stealing and copycats on a daily basis.”

them are pretty Because of this, Sanda recently launched a

tattoo policy clearly outlined on her website,

22 • S K I N D E E P M A G A Z I N E
in which she asks for “a small contribution
payment” as a support to her and her future
art, in return for the right for someone to
have one of her designs tattooed by some-
one else at their local tattoo studio (“once a
design is purchased it is considered reserved
and it’s not available for more grabs”). She
unfortunately receives a lot of “hate” in re-
sponse to this new policy and more often
than not, designs are still taken without
permission or notification to her, the origi-
nal artists. Yet, she keeps pushing forward
through the adversity, with the best inten-
tions at heart: “I want to prevent more peo-
ple having a same tattoo, because a tattoo
should be a personal thing, something very
intimate and special for you.”
Overall, Sanda hopes that her art allows
those appreciating it to look within, “con-
nect with their inner self, cherish and accept

S K I N D E E P M A G A Z I N E • 23
THE WORLD WITHIN

The Internet can be quite rewarding but

also infuriating when it comes to putting
your work online, it becomes an open
source basically to everybody
all their beautiful imperfections and create a
positive relationship with themselves.” She is
also inspired by astronomy and many of her
pieces indeed have a “cosmic” feel to their
environment. Fascinated by the vastness of
the universe, Sanda’s illustrations remind us
that our inner worlds are equally as vast and
limitless—we all carry a power within, and mately forming positive relationship with ourselves.
often art can be the catalyst for us unlocking “We all are a little broken,” she says, “and that’s to-
that power, healing our “broken” and ulti- tally OK. Time heals all. Broken isn’t bad.” 

24 • S K I N D E E P M A G A Z I N E
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 A NEW

RITUAL We live our lives performing, from going to work, to exercising daily,
and to eating, sleeping and fucking. In Body of Reverbs the artist
Servadio uses the tattoo machine as a performative device to produce
live actions that reverberate sound throughout a space

E
ach gesture made by his hand has long-lasting sion. Those who submit to Servadio do so entirely, pro-
effect, on both the subject’s body and the ex- viding their body as tool for the artist to make his work.
perience of observers. These spectators fall Each participant loyally submits to the cause, transform-
readily into his trance, consumed by the heavy ing the process of tattooing into an art practice that ex-
mix of punctured skin and bellowing, room-filling noise. plores new territories in a frantic union of pain and noise.
The artist tests the permanence of the tattoo, playing at
the boundaries of its purpose and aesthetic. These are You continue to make artwork outside of your
not tattoos made in the likeness of subject matter or as tattooing practice, how do the two feed into each
a conformity motif to any particular style. Instead this is other? And how do you balance working between
a mark making process whereby lines are gestures of ac- daily tattooing and more research-based work?
tions performed live, without the safety of pre-planned I like to consider both practices as unique, logistically they
thought. Yet these performance traces are as significant, are very different, but they often feed into one another in
if not more so, than traditionally prepared tattoos. They new and surprising ways. Sometimes I feel as though I am
are artefacts of the lived experience, lines and marks of juggling many different realities: the performance side of
the passing of time and the evidence of bodily transgres- things, my research into trance and ritualistic aspects of

Words: Steven Guichard-Kenny

S K I N D E E P M A G A Z I N E • 27
Narrowing the spectrum to a
limited number of well-executed the tattooists that I admire
give me some sort of incli-
styles cuts off all other possibilities nation to the person they
are, by shifting my perspec-
tattooing, and my regular tattoo appointments at Old Hab- tive and teaching me something new. Brody Polinsky (@
its Tattoo in London. I also do a number of guest spots, and brody_polinsky) taught me how to keep my head together
exhibit experimental photography, painting and print- without going insane, educating me of the importance of
making; I have even created a bronze sculpture as part of being focused and calm whilst tattooing. I think this is a
my art practice. They all fall into the same universe of con- strong base that we as tattooists should give significance to,
cepts and feelings, manifesting themselves into different considering that we deliver dramatic changes to people’s
mediums. If you want to wrap it up into one neat package bodies through painful and intimate actions. I could go on
I would say I like to work on the human condition, how it forever about the many people that have influenced me
relates to its environment and the ways it can be affected but recently by being in close contact with the team at Old
by different artistic mediums. Often my subjects are con- Habits Tattoo in London I am very impressed by the indi-
nected to the area in which I live, Hackney Wick, London, viduality and creativity of each of them. Everyone there is
an ex-industrial area; a patchwork of crumbly brick walls very distinctive, each bringing something new and exciting
and barbed wire in stark opposition to the new polished to the industry. Liam Sparkes (@liamsparkesok) taught me
architecture that is taking over the area. The human con- how to dare and experiment more, how to look past limi-
dition is at the centre of my research, whether I express tations and really put everything I’ve got to create some
that into a painting or by me directly working on the skin. strong work. Duncan X (@duncanxtattoos) taught me how
to create icons, reworking imagery and subject matter over
What other tattooists do you admire that have in- and over until I found that special revelation whereby eve-
fluenced and developed your work? rything comes together and fits in one unified piece. Ryan
The human condition and my work are very connected; I Jessiman (@ryanjessiman) educated me in the importance
am interested in artists who aim to explore this aspect in of spending the right amount of time with each client, con-
their own work, those who bring new ideas surrounding necting with them on an emotional level, and how to make
humanity to tattooing/painting/performance. Many of them feel comfortable before and during their session.

28 • S K I N D E E P M A G A Z I N E
Some of your tattoos are fascinating in that they seem how narrowing down a number of techniques suddenly
to challenge the aesthetic of the medium, with some opens up new possibilities.
of your tattoos seemingly looking like they have been
made by chalk or have been shaded with a biro pen, Many of your tattoos seem to have narrative like
what do you hope to achieve in tattooing like this? properties, with each tattoo telling a unique story,
I hope to achieve a rawness in my tattooing practice, en- how are these narratives created? Do you work
hanced by many different aspects over traditional styles with your clients to form these?
and technical skills. There is a lot to say about how the It’s often a meeting point in the middle between my clients
body is marked, and the way we live our lives with a vessel and myself, it is surprising how they can sometimes em-
that can be adapted and transformed. Narrowing the spec- bed their ideas perfectly into my poetic outlook. The way
trum to a limited number of well-executed styles cuts off I build narratives in my traditional tattoos is very simple,
all other possibilities. I have chosen the non-finished, un- I would say it’s an expressionist approach: observe reality,
balanced, raw, and spontaneous aesthetic to better express filter it through my own perspective, and deliver it through
my subjects. There is something exhilarating about tattoos my graphic gestures. It’s usually nothing far from reality.
that don’t have that perfected look, instead preferring line-
work that is unrefined and full of uncontainable energy. Your Body of Reverbs installation work positions
the practice of tattooing as a conceptual and per-
Could you tell me a little about the practical tech- formative action, a ‘New ritual for contemporary
niques that go into making these types of tattoos? bodies’, can you tell me a little about the work?
At the beginning of my career I taught myself how to use As a practice I like to keep Body of Reverbs open to evolve
different techniques, and from there I wanted to put eve- and manifest itself into different realities and work with-
rything I learnt into all of my work: big lines
with a big liner, small lines with a small nee- It has no mimetic aspects;
dle, different types of shading etc. Now I have
streamlined down my techniques to one ma- instead these are marks to
chine and one needle, the rest being created by
only my hand and its gestures. It’s surprising immortalise the experience
S K I N D E E P M A G A Z I N E • 29
I missed the ritualistic aspect of
tattooing; it’s archaic nature greatly influenced the performative
elements of the work. Music also
in different mediums. It’s often the case that the work be- plays a key part in expanding my ideas, specifically experi-
comes an installation, where sound, space and the body mental, industrial, and ambient sounds.
are connected. Body of Reverbs produces many artefacts,
a work whereby the feeling of tension is used as a research With many performance art happenings and ac-
tool for creating different art forms. At Galerie M35 in tions photography serves as a product of documen-
Lucerne, Switzerland I recorded the work onto a cassette tation, a method of viewing past work from afar.
tape, its cover produced by pressing through an etching Yet with Body of Reverbs the tattoo could also be
press paper dirty with ink and blood. I wanted to create seen as a method of performance documentation.
a biological archive of the different rituals performed as Which leads me to ask, what is the function of the
part of Body of Reverbs, like if they were relics. tattoo after the ritual has completed, the sounds
have stopped, and the performance has finished?
What led you to create this tattoo and sound based A very good question, the tattoo is a trace of the experience
performative action? that happened throughout their bodies at the time of the
This predominantly started as a need for filling a cultural performance. Most of the time it materialises in abstract
gap. One of the ways I am naturally forms; scratches, lines, and dots. It has
driven as an artist is to notice a cul- no mimetic aspects; instead these are
tural lack in a practice, for example marks to immortalise the experience.
tattooing, and create art to func-
tion as its missing link. I missed the Does the performance create a
ritualistic aspect of tattooing; it’s euphoric sensation in the par-
archaic nature. I have combined my ticipant? What has been their re-
passion for experimental music and action to being a body of reverbs?
tattooing to create something new, Very different sensations have been
where sound serves to amplify the described by the participants, never
tattooing experience. I feel a con- euphoric though. The process and
nection to the artists Fakir Musa- experience is often digested a while
far, Ron Athey, Jon John, Viennese after the act, so the next time I see
Actionism Movement, who have them they will come back with spe-

30 • S K I N D E E P M A G A Z I N E
cific thoughts and memories related to that event, and
what it meant in that period of their life. I guess I chan-
nel an emotion already in them; the ritual pushes them
through the process of assimilating and discovering what
they need to do and where they need to go.

Your work must create an intimate environment sonal explanation or an interview like this one. Whoever
for each participant, where you share the experi- is willing to look deeper into the work I am sure will have
ence creating art together (their bodies acting as an either positive or negative experiences, like all art an im-
instrument for the creation of sound), do you feel pression on a piece of work is subjective; people take dif-
an attachment to the participants you work with? ferent feelings and thoughts away when viewing it. I’m
Absolutely, the performance opens a door whereby an in- not trying to be prescriptive in hoping to generate any
timacy and connection can be felt. Sometimes this is easy one particular emotion.
as with some people the door is already half open, and
at other times it’s difficult to create a deep connection. I In what ways do you see Body of Reverbs developing?
would say that when I perform Body of Reverbs as part of I see Body of Reverbs developing in a way that could en-
a private session it’s easier to connect. compass more and more different art practices and forms,
in order to create a unique body of work where bounda-
How have other tattooists reacted to your perform- ries between different medias and mediums are blurred.
ative tattoo work?
In general my tattooist friends are very supportive, some What does tattooing mean to you?
don’t quite understand the reasoning at first because as Tattooing means connecting with people, travelling, and
an artwork it’s not that easy to catalogue or deliver clearly exploring the meaning of how we construct our subjectiv-
within specific known boxes. It generally requires a per- ity in relation to the world we live in.

S K I N D E E P M A G A Z I N E • 31
 Jamie Luna

32 • S K I N D E E P M A G A Z I N E
 THE

UNINKABLES
Tattoos are so common now no one bats an eyelid when they see a full sleeve or
even a neck tattoo. The tattoos transformation from an underground subculture,
through coming of age ceremony to must have fashion accessory has resulted
in a deluge of ink. Everyone from the ex-prime minister’s wife to my great aunt
Rosaline has a tattoo. But what about those people unable to jump on the
tattoo band wagon; what about the UnInkables? (Accompanied here by some
of our favourite tattoos from the last few years we found lying around…)

Nastya Vilks

M
y family are unusual; 3 of my closest rela- yet to be inked; his son is too young. My mum and dad are
Words: Matt Haddon-Reichardt • Images: as credited

tives can’t get tattooed. It’s not due to reli- in the uninkable clan as is my 5 year old daughter Isla. As
gious beliefs, ethical considerations or ar- I watch her make shapes in her mashed potatoes I think
tistic aesthetics. They have all been advised of the challenging conversation with her teenage future
by Doctors that tattooing would be detrimental to their self, when I have to tell her she can’t get tattooed.
health; potentially fatal even. Isla has a heart condition; pulmonary stenosis to be
“I always meant to get my RAF number tattooed on my precise. The valve on the pulmonary artery which takes
wrist,” says my dad with a frown as he passes me the sprouts. deoxygenated blood back to the lungs is restricted. This
Sat around the dinner table on Christmas day, of the 8 can cause a lack oxygen round the body resulting in
people tucking into turkey and cranberry sauce only me shortness of breath, blue lips and finger nail beds and
and my wife have tattoos. My brother and his partner are in extreme cases disability and death. Thankfully Isla’s

S K I N D E E P M A G A Z I N E • 33
THE UNINKABLES

Mike Boyd

For those who cannot be tattooed there

are always body art options. Psychiatric
nurse Jo Rickers discusses the impact
of not being able to get a tattoo and
what people can do to compensate.
“Being told you can’t do something is
a common psychological trigger to go
and do that exact prohibited behaviour,” Guil Zekri
explains Jo who has been a psychiatric
nurse for 20 years.
condition is mild and now as she heads can risk infection; this includes tat-
“In health care we see this all the time.
It’s particularly true when it comes towards her 6th birthday doctors are toos. In the small hours of those early
to what we call maladaptive coping confident she will not need open heart days after diagnosis I would hold Isla as
strategies; that is destructive ways of
managing stress. It’s not just restricted
surgery or any invasive procedures. she slept in my tattoo covered arms and
to people abusing drugs, cigarettes Despite her heart being stable she still smile at the irony that a tattoo journal-
and alcohol. I’ve had patients who cannot get tattooed. ist’s daughter would never be able to
use running, eating and even sex in
inappropriate ways to manage stress. The risk with pulmonary stenosis join the tattoo club.
Approaching it head on with abstinence comes from infection in the shape of “Pass me the gravy Matt,” asks my
often doesn’t work as it just makes the bacterial endocarditis. Bacteria that mum as she spoons more parsnips onto
behaviour taboo and enticing.”
enter the body through the blood her plate.
“The same is true of tattooing; suddenly
being told you can’t have a tattoo could stream can collect on the restricted My mum has recently been told to
push you into desiring it even more. heart valve. This pooling of bacteria can avoid tattoos and piercings. She was di-
Yet acting on that desire would cause
infect the heart and prove fatal. To pre- agnosed last year with neuralgia after
repercussions beyond the benefits of
getting inked.” vent bacteria entering the blood stream having a tooth extracted at the dentist.
“For anyone who has been medically and getting to the heart people with The trauma of having the tooth pulled
advised not to get a tattoo I would pulmonary stenosis have to be vigilant caused the nerve on the left side of her
recommend exploring the alternatives
and embracing body art in other ways.
against infection. Good dental hygiene, face to become enflamed and over sensi-
Henna tattoos, fake tattoo transfers, immediate treatment of infection with tive. It has left her struggling with pain
body paint all enable the skin to be a antibiotics and avoiding piercings and the feeling like something is stuck to
canvas without the risks. The plus side
is you get to change your body art when and tattoos are essential to maintain a her face pulsating. She calls it her Alien.
and how you see fit. No permanent healthy heart. Any cut or graze to the I ask her how she is feeling as I cover
tattoo means no tattoo regret.” skin which results in an open wound her glazed carrots in gravy.

34 • S K I N D E E P M A G A Z I N E
 Holly Azzara

“I’m ok but the Alien is playing up.” I ask him to warm the custard to distract him away
The neuralgia is part of a bigger picture of neurologi- from his melancholy.
cal conditions my mum has been suffering with for years. The same week my daughter was born my dad was diag-
Beginning with degeneration of the spine and a trapped nosed with leukemia; chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Nor-
nerve from years of heavy lifting as a nurse her condition mally a man in his late 60’s would die of something else be-
deteriorated into fibromyalgia and now neuralgia. When fore the leukemia took its toll but a gene depletion, which
conventional medicine failed she opted for an ill-advised has caused a rare subtype, has resulted in a vastly reduced
trip to an acupuncture clinic which left her no better off. lifespan. My dad has a mean life expectancy of 4 years.
“I didn’t realise at the time that acupuncture can actually This Christmas marks my dad passing the 5 year mark.
trigger a more aggressive response in neuralgia,” she says While his condition is stable it is only a matter of time
pouring the wine, “It’s lucky he didn’t stick them in my face.” before the medication holding the cancer at bay fails and
Her GP advised a change of medication and avoiding his bones begin to succumb to the disease. A tattoo was
needles including piercings and tattoos. firmly on his bucket list until doctors banned him. Much
“I never wanted a tattoo but I certainly wouldn’t want like Isla the risk is bacterial infection.
one now. Pain isn’t worth looking cool.” “The leukemia affects both my red and white blood
Its early days but my mum’s condition has at least sta- cells. I’m at risk of anaemia as the cancer destroys my red
bilised. Unfortunately for my dad the only way is down. blood cells and infection as my white cell count drops,” I
The main course complete everyone retires to the remember him telling me as we nursed a pint in the post
lounge for coffee and mints and the ubiquitous Christmas diagnosis pub analysis.
pudding. I find my dad staring out of the kitchen window. Leukemia’s later stages mimic AIDS; a total collapse of
“I was hoping it would snow; I’ve only ever seen a white the immune system.
Christmas when I was young.” He can’t use public transport, go to the cinema, visit a

S K I N D E E P M A G A Z I N E • 35
THE UNINKABLES

Hannah Novak David Giersch

school or pretty much do anything involving crowds and “Not really,” he says forcing a smile.
young children. He has to avoid exposure to infection and “It would have been nice but at least I avoid the pain.
people harbour infection particularly children. A busy After going through bone marrow samples I think I’ve
tattoo shop would be out of the question with all that suffered enough. Besides being uninkable puts me in
blood and plasma. Much like Isla introducing bacteria good company with Isla and your mum. Thinking about
to his blood stream by tattooing would be catastrophic. it being tattooed is getting more common than not be-
Even the cleanest and most hygienic tattoo study would ing tattooed. I guess I’m finally the rebel I always wanted
still pose a risk. Out of the 3 my dad is the most uninkable. to be,” he says with a smile before disappearing into the
I ask him if he regrets not being able to tick a tattoo off lounge grasping the after eight mints.
his bucket list. I look out the window and pray for snow. 

36 • S K I N D E E P M A G A Z I N E
 The
Fickle Finger
of Fate
There’s something to be said for unconventional luck. Take Marc Bonin, for
example. The Montreal-based tattooer started out studying art, left it behind
to get an architecture degree, added a carpentry degree on top of that and
didn’t find tattooing until an accident nearly cost him his finger and left him
homebound. That same sort of bizarre luck got him turned down by a slew of
shops until, one day, he landed an apprenticeship at the legendary Oly Anger
Tattoo. Now, four years later, he just keeps soaring higher and higher

“I
was about 21 or 22, so that Becoming a devoted collector and
brings us back 10 years, and learning to tattoo are two different
tattoos weren’t as popular beasts, however, and Bonin is the first to
as they are now,” starts Marc admit, “I never actually thought I would
Bonin, recalling the bumpy road to hold a machine one day. In high school,
his first tattoo. “I had wanted one for a I wasn’t listening much, I always had a
couple of years, but my girlfriend at the pencil and pad with me and teachers
time hated tattoos, probably more than would tell me to stop drawing because
anything.” Not that that stopped him. they could hear the noise of the pencil
“I still took an appointment behind her against the paper. That’s when I realised
back and I actually choked on the day of I wanted to do something with art, but
the appointment,” he admits, laughing, tattooing wasn’t in the plans.”
“Now I understand how much last min- “I decided to study arts in college, but
ute cancellations suck!” I quickly realised that I wasn’t going to
Bonin, who hails from the small city of make a living out of it. You either have
Joliette, Quebec, but now calls Montreal to be really good or you’re going to end
home, eventually made it to his appointment two weeks up an art teacher, which is not a bad thing, but that’s not
later. He even managed to hide the ink from his girlfriend what I wanted to do.”
for a while until, one day, she saw it. “I think she start- After a year, he switched to “something more profita-
ed crying, that’s how much she loved tattoos,” he quips. ble,” which came in the form of an architecture program.
But it was too late. “I immediately loved the feeling of it. Unfortunately, after finishing the degree, he realised it
There’s something very soothing about getting tattooed, wasn’t his calling either. Next, it was off to a carpentry
even if it does hurt.” course, which he also finished, but as you can probably
Words: Barbara Pavone

Starting slow, he first got “small letterings inside both guess, that wasn’t meant to be.
of my arms because I was still studying architecture and “I hated it!” he proclaims of the month he spent build-
didn’t really know in what environment I was going to be ing houses. “One day, I cut myself with a circular saw and
working in,” he explains. “I kept it discreet, but I definite- almost lost my finger. I needed a few surgeries and actual-
ly knew they weren’t going to be my last ones.” ly have a metal plate in. After the accident, I was off work

38 • S K I N D E E P M A G A Z I N E
S K I N D E E P M A G A Z I N E • 39
THE FICKLE FINGER OF FATE

questions. “There were already three artists

at the shop and there wasn’t really a place for
an apprentice, but I would go to the shop to
see him work and ask questions,” he recalls.
“He would show me stuff about machines
and tattooing techniques. Since I was off
work and I was getting tattooed every three
or four weeks, he quickly became a friend. He
sold me two of his machines and quality ink
and that’s when I started tattooing friends.”
and couldn’t do much—I was stuck at home In 2012, he packed up his bags and head-
during fall and winter—so I really threw my- ed for the big city: Montreal. Once there,
self back into drawing. One night at the bar though, he didn’t do what you’d expect. “I put
my friend asked me the magic words: ‘Why the machines aside for about a year because I
don’t you try tattooing?’ It rang a bell in my really wanted to learn in a shop,” he explains.
Marc Bonin On… Moving
head and that’s when I really got into it.” “I built a portfolio and knocked on doors and
To The Big City got turned down so many times!” But he kept
“I knew I wasn’t going to stay in From eBay To The Big Leagues going and his persistence paid off when he
Joliette. I was really motivated
to become a tattoo artist and Following that fateful bar conversation, ended up with an apprenticeship at the leg-
I knew that if I stayed home Bonin was completely sold on the idea and endary Oly Anger Tattoo.
there weren’t going to be any
good opportunities for me. “ended up buying a complete kit from eBay “I was familiar with Oly Anger and one of my
The tattoo scene is completely for $150. It was the cheapest thing I’ve ever best friends, Lydia, started working there two
different in Montreal [with]
shops everywhere, incredibly seen, but I didn’t know anything about it and or three months before me,” he remembers.
talented people always pushing was just practicing on pig skins,” he defends. “One day, a spot opened, she called me, I met
the bar and you really get to
do whatever you want, if you’re
He also started asking his tattooer, Yoan Oly, he gave me a chance and here I am today.”
creative and driven enough.” Jacques at Studio 438 in Joliette, endless Looking back at those first few months, he

40 • S K I N D E E P M A G A Z I N E
S K I N D E E P M A G A Z I N E • 41
THE FICKLE FINGER OF FATE

can’t help but laugh, “You know when they be doing what I do now.”
say the first year is the hardest? Well, it’s “I developed this style probably a year and
totally true! I think the hardest obstacle for a half ago,” he elaborates. “I was working on
me was to truly understand how a machine a sleeve and the guy showed me a reference
works and I still have a lot to learn. It’s easy that really inspired me. It wasn’t at all like
to put a needle in a tube and run the machine what I do now, but ideas were spinning in my
how they tell you to run it, but actually un- head, so I tried a couple of different things.”
derstanding how it works is a whole other “I had this image in my mind of parts of a
thing,” he declares. face only done with lines that were connect-
“I learned that every part of your setup ed, so I did some drawings and ended up with
has an impact on your work, so for me, cheap a full face and that’s where it all started. I did
equipment means cheap work. Much of the so many at first that my Instagram was pret-
new generation started with a rotary machine ty much filled with flowy line female faces,”
and doesn’t know how to tune a coil machine he laughs. “So I drew other stuff in the same
properly, but for me, knowing my craft and style and slowly adapted it to what I do now,
Marc Bonin On… the tools I work with is very important.” which has a more sketchy feel. Dotwork has
Taking Time Off also been very present in my work—I always
“When I’m off, I’m never really
off. I usually get a lot of ideas Sketchy Lines & Female Faces try to incorporate some when I can.”
during the week and, if I don't “When you start, it’s hard to really define “I’ve always loved architecture,” he con-
get them out of my head, I’ll
just keep thinking about them, what you want to do,” Bonin says, trying to tinues. “I remember, when I was a kid, my
so I try to draw as much as I pinpoint how he found his signature aesthet- mom would buy me LEGO kits and I really
can, even if it's only for me. I
also like to enjoy some time off ic. “There are obviously certain styles that enjoyed reading plans and building stuff, [so]
doing nothing, trying to clear my appeal to you most and I was drawing a lot my work has always had a geometric side to
mind, but that usually doesn't
last very long. When I’m doing
of neo-traditional stuff, then I did some geo- it. I like to play around with shapes and usu-
nothing at all, I feel useless.” metric designs, then I mixed both to finally ally add some to my designs.”

42 • S K I N D E E P M A G A Z I N E
 “Tattoo-wise, Montreal has a very tradi-
tional spirit, which I don’t really connect
with,” he admits. “Honestly, most of my fa-
vourite tattooers are from Europe and I
sometimes wish people were a little bit more
open-minded about certain things, but I guess
it’s the scene and I can’t really change it.”
Speaking of change, this past October 31
marked four years since Bonin’s start as an
apprentice (six since he first got his hands on
a machine) and, although he hasn’t been in
the industry for that long, he’s experienced a
hell of a lot of change.
“I think the saddest thing that’s happening
right now to tattooing is that it’s becoming
easier—probably too easy—for everyone to
try,” he admits. However, there’s something
to be said for natural selection. “If you’re not
in this for the right reasons, there’s a 99% Marc Bonin On…
Canadian Stereotypes
chance you’ll quit cause it’s not an easy craft,” “No, our police don’t ride
he points out. horses with red uniforms and,
unfortunately, our money
Looking ahead, Bonin is thinking about doesn’t smell like maple syrup!
making some changes of his own, including actually a DJ. We’ve been talking about doing We do love hockey too much. I
personally don’t, but we have
dabbling in fashion—“I always have a hard music, so who knows?” he teases. some die-hard fans over here.
time finding something I really like when I One thing’s for certain, though: No matter Our winters really are cold as
hell, and we do love our poutine
go shopping”—and music. “I’ve been playing what happens, Marc Bonin will always be “a and maple syrup a little bit too
guitar for about 10 years and my brother’s pineapple on pizza kinda guy.”  much — that’s undeniable.”

S K I N D E E P M A G A Z I N E • 43
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46 • S K I N D E E P M A G A Z I N E
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[email protected]

S K I N D E E P M A G A Z I N E • 47
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48 • S K I N D E E P M A G A Z I N E
CRAIG STARTIN INSTAGRAM.COM/CRAIGSTARTINTATTOOART
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S K I N D E E P M A G A Z I N E • 49
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INSTAGRAM.COM/SORRYMUMSTUDIO

50 • S K I N D E E P M A G A Z I N E
LADY CHAPPELLE LADYCHAPPELLETATTOOS.COM
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S K I N D E E P M A G A Z I N E • 51
 LAURA FIRTH INSTAGRAM.COM/L.DOT.F
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52 • S K I N D E E P M A G A Z I N E
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[email protected]

S K I N D E E P M A G A Z I N E • 53
 PAUL TALBOT INSTAGRAM.COM/KARMA.PUNK
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54 • S K I N D E E P M A G A Z I N E
PAULA CASTLE PAULACASTLE.COM
INSTAGRAM.COM/PAULACASTLETATTOOS

S K I N D E E P M A G A Z I N E • 55
 ThRoUgH
My ThIrD
EyE
Through My Third Eye is a warm and
friendly space in North London, a family
of eclectic artists combining permanent
residents with friends from all over the
world. Greeted with a hug and a cup of tea
Nicky Connor chats to Mowgli and Emma
about the space they’ve created…

T
hrough My Third Eye is the brain child of
Mowgli, and with help from fellow artist
Emma Bundonis, opened just over two years
ago. The pair met a few years back while work-
ing together at a previous London studio and when Mow-
gli decided to make the break and open up on his own,
Emma came along for the ride. They started up the shop
together with Mowgli at the helm before being joined by
friends and fellow artist they had met previously on their
tattoo journey.
Now the space is a vibrant mix of styles and artists com-
bining both traditional techniques and contemporary
aesthetics. In addition to the strong core team of resident
artists the guys are also frequently joined by fellow crea-
tives from all over the globe bringing their own diverse
and interesting styles to this small corner of London.
This destination is a real treat for tattoo fans both from
the capital and further a-field who want to expand or start
their own collection.
Firstly, Mowgli reflects on his passion for his work,
“The thing I love about tattooing is that there are no lim-
its. With corporate companies you’re made to do a job and
you know what the parameters are, when it comes down
to being a creative there are no parameters.”
Emma continues, “When we are speaking to clients and
designing we say that there are not any rules and that we
want to push the boundaries and see how far we can take it.”
The duo next explain the reasons and ideals behind
the shop: “We have to realise that every single day is a gift

56 • S K I N D E E P M A G A Z I N E
 Words: Nicky Connor Images: Through My Third Eye artists & Nicky Connor

throughmythirdeye.com
[email protected]

S K I N D E E P M A G A Z I N E • 57
THROUGH MY THIRD EYE

Tattoos on this spread by Mowgli

ThE ThInG I LoVe AbOuT To TaTtOoInG

Is ThAt ThErE ArE No LiMiTs
and that we get to do such a wonderful job why not respect a hug, we don’t pretend to be cool and we have created a
that person and always give them a solid tattoo to wear. We vibe that was quite unique between the two of us.”
honestly resonate with our clients on a different level, we Emma also reflects about the pairs working relation-
love them and respect them as people. The idea of the 3rd ship, “We are not cool, it’s chill-out music, candles and
eye (pineal gland) is that you see in the most honest way tea… quite a lot of tea. The way both myself and Mowgli
and that you respect people. We see that with them (our cli- work is that we only have one client a day, it doesn’t matter
ents) and we see that with each other and we feel that we try if it takes ten minutes or ten hours we just want to focus on
to run the studio in a way that we feel is a little bit different. the one project, and that one person and give them a really
We have both worked in more traditional kind of stu- good experience. Whether it is their first tattoo or their
dios with a different style of teaching and tattooing, when hundredth, always giving them a really nice experience.
we started working together we realised that we are the And hopefully people will also enjoy themselves while
bestest of friends and without our clients we don’t get to they are here. It is just as important for us to feel com-
do anything. You have to have a real respect for them and fortable and I think it is really important to connect with
realise how lucky we are and what an incredible job this somebody, if you are going to spend the day with someone
is to have. We treat all our clients the same, everyone gets it is really important for you all to feel comfortable.”

58 • S K I N D E E P M A G A Z I N E
 Resident artist Matt Pettis shares his humorous take me work alongside them. Everyone is so lovely and nice
on his journey to the studio: “After dating Mowgli for that it’s like working with your best friends every day.
3 months we decided to take it to the next level and he The studio is a really great environment to work in and I
invited me to work with him. It’s a very relaxed atmos- couldn’t be happier to be working here. 
phere here with an emphasis on art before anything else. “Being around artists who all work so hard really in-
Working here has certainly improved my eye for detail, spires me to challenge myself and do better with my own
working with Mowgli, Emma and
Mia has made me realise what is WhEn We ArE SpEaKiNg To ClIeNtS AnD
DeSiGnInG We SaY ThAt ThErE ArE NoT
possible to get into a tattoo.”
This is an opinion that is also
shared by Mia Leo, the fourth art-
ist that makes up the core team of AnY RuLeS AnD ThAt We WaNt To PuSh
the shop, “I knew Emma and Mow- ThE BoUnDaRiEs AnD SeE HoW FaR We
CaN TaKe It
gli before they opened their studio
and they were kind enough to let

S K I N D E E P M A G A Z I N E • 59
THROUGH MY THIRD EYE

Tattoos on this spread by Emma

We HaVe To ReAlIsE ThAt EvErY SiNgLe rything is completely organic. We had

such a nice little vibe between us, that
DaY Is A GiFt AnD ThAt We GeT To we need somebody to fit in that vibe.”

Do SuCh A WoNdErFuL JoB WhY NoT

Emma continues, “Guest artists are
always people that we know or friends

ReSpEcT ThAt PeRsOn AnD AlWaYs GiVe of friends, we just want to make sure
that everyone has got a good vibe. We
ThEm A SoLiD TaTtOo To WeAr also want to bring in different styles of
work and for them to feel comfortable
artwork. I’m constantly trying something new with my here as well. We also get a lot of artists that approach us,
drawing and designs just so I can grow as an artist, every- it tends to be a very natural thing.”
one is so talented that it really inspires me to work more.’ This is also a view that is reflected in the comments
Guest Artists are also a carefully considered addition, from the guest artists, Carlo Sol from Berlin says, “All the
as Mowgli explains: ‘If we have a guest artist, they are artists here are great craftsmen and women, plus they
a guest, like a guest in your house, it needs to be some- have a clear vision of what they do. So, what I picked up
one that we like and that we get along with and they are was defining and following a certain idea of set up for the
usually amazing artists, very dedicated and driven. They designs I do. The experience was amazing, I can only see
are always really good at their job and they are awesome it from the perspective of a guest, but it was really nice…
people. Sometimes, online, you can see an artist’s passion 14/10 would do again!”
through their work and that is why they get invited. Eve- This is a perspective also shared by fellow Berliner, Ju-

60 • S K I N D E E P M A G A Z I N E
kan: “I started working at Third Eye because the Team design through to its completion, the artists work togeth-
invited me to work there and I always come back because er with their clients to really create unique and meaning-
I love it here. The most important thing is feeling at home ful pieces, in an environment where they feel both com-
and working with friends and hard-working people. The fortable with and confident in their chosen artist.  The
team treats their clients very well and that’s something atmosphere amongst both the artists and the customers
you don’t find in a lot of shops. They’re also happy to try is so friendly and relaxed it’s a pleasure to be in the studio.
new stuff and that’s very important – don’t be boring. As a tattooist it’s also incredibly inspiring to be around
Working there reminds me to try new things and I always such great artists.”
get awesome clients here in the UK with new ideas. I work Hannah Willison adds, “This is my favourite studio for
a more organised way at Through My Third Eye and also, sure, it has real good vibes and is super chilled. It’s always
it gives me the feeling being part of a creative and more a pleasure to be there, everyone is super lovely. The music
growing art and tattooing scene. It’s very lovely.” played is always good too. I’ve learnt a lot from the artists
A great opinion of the studio is given by Chinese artist here. Everyone is inspired and driven to push themselves
Anki Suen: “When I was working there they were giving as artists, so working in this environment has inspired
more than just providing the basic materials of a tattooist and influenced my work.”
needs. The most important thing to attract me is every- This is a view also echoed by Croatian artist Lina,
body is peaceful and true. In this shop you can only see “Being in contact with such talented people on a daily
people who want to make their artworks better and bet- basis has inspired my work. The studio is a great place
ter. Seriously, it must have added more inspiration and for exchanging ideas and finding different directions in
skill to my work when working with the different style of which the designs can go. This studio is one of the best
the artists everyday.” I’ve ever worked in, the positive energy there is amazing.
But it’s not only far flung artists who come an spend Other than being amazing talents, the people are funny
some time with the crew. UK artist Josh Peacock reflects as hell and I just have a blast every day working there. I
on his time at the shop” honestly can’t wait for my next guest spot there in a few
“The standard of work by all of the artists and guest art- months, because they always welcome me with open
ists is phenomenal.  I regularly recommend my friends arms and treat me like family.”
to the guys at Third Eye as their styles and abilities are Finally, receptionist Clemmie also reflects on the stu-
amazing.” As does former work colleague Chris Morris dio, “Through My Third Eye is a beautiful studio, with
who also likes to drop by from time to time for a spot, “I beautiful people on the inside and out. The positive ener-
think it’s the priorities of the artists that stands out for gy and transcending level of commitment to quality and
me; everyone at the studio is en-
tirely dedicated to the experience If We HaVe A GuEsT ArTiSt, ThEy ArE A
GuEsT, LiKe A GuEsT In YoUr HoUsE
that their client has throughout
the process. From the concept of

S K I N D E E P M A G A Z I N E • 61
THROUGH MY THIRD EYE

Matt Mia Matt Mia

Mia Matt Mia

Matt

We also really understand the permanence of tattoos, we

get so many first tattoos, they have come for a tattoo and
that is wonderful and so amazing if you can make it work
and give them a great experience. It is their day, for any-
body that is getting tattooed, it’s an occasion. Guess what
you’re going to have that for the rest of your life! I can take
a day to make sure it’s perfect for you.”
Emma continues, “One thing that I really did not want
to do was to give the idea that things are being churned
out. I really need to take my time, partly because I get

WoRkInG ThErE ReMiNdS Me To nervous, so I need to feel comfortable with the clients and
of course they need to be comfortable as well. I tend to do
TrY NeW ThInGs AnD I AlWaYs a few designs for people and it is a lot and I really want to

GeT AwEsOmE ClIeNtS HeRe (In

focus on them and give them that time here. It should be
an occasion for them.”

ThE Uk) WiTh NeW IdEaS Mowgli concludes with a short but sweet reflection on
the team he has curated, “I adore them all, they are very
unique designs have attracted the most amazing clients kind humans. Everyone we have got here is because they
and guest artists. It’s a family that is forever growing and are really good people.”
evolving and that is something pretty special.” And good people they all are. In a relatively short space
Emma reflects on the dynamics in the studio, “I think it of time they’ve created a little family in their small corner
is just a nice balance between us, you have a male and fe- of London that reaches out much further–globally even–
male team and we just helped each other out. And I think creating opportunities for collaborations and guests
it instantly makes people feel more comfortable, espe- spots both long haul and short, adding to a network of
cially with female clients. contemporary creatives that continue to evolve and ex-
“We have always said that the customers come first, pand the ever expanding melting pot that is tattooing and
and we are so grateful that we can just tattoo. Whether we doing so with creative originality and integrity but above
had a little bit of script or get to do something we really all a real awareness and respect for those who choose to
want to do we are just grateful to have the opportunity. wear their tattoos. 

62 • S K I N D E E P M A G A Z I N E
Wayne Simmons continues his pilgrimage, going deep into the
hills to unearth tattooers with a penchant for the mystical.
This month he meets Porto-based artist José Mendonça
mendonzafuturo
I believe that there is
energy that you might not
be able to see all around us

M
y first real introduction to the occult came the time). Yet the Gnostics, those free-thinkers within
through a born-again A-Level Religion the early Christian church that my A-Level RE teacher
teacher and his talk of the Gnostics. Sure, told me about, those guys were the genuine article, the
like most kids growing up in the 80s, I’d real deal. Their story ignited within me what has become
watched a few horror movies and read about Ozzy Os- a lifelong fascination with all things mystical.
borne – the unwitting poster boy for Satanism at the time José Mendonça hasn’t mentioned the word ‘gnosis’
– biting the head off a bat and making funny signs with once during our conversation and yet I’m still very much
his hands. And, okay, there was that one kid in school reminded of Gnosticism when looking at his work. The
who scratched out an Ouija board on the desk with his 27 year old Porto-based artist doesn’t consider himself
compass and got into a whole heap of trouble over it. But religious at all never mind Christian, although he does
none of that, I soon realised, had anything to do with real very much believe in the right of those who are to express
occultism - it was all just theatre or teenage rebellion or themselves freely. “Personally, however, I choose to ac-
sensationalist journalism (of which there was much at cept that there are no perfect religions or ideologies,”

S K I N D E E P M A G A Z I N E • 65
A S ABOVE, SO BELOW

And I believe that tra bit of welly into looking for it. They also believed in
a sort of dualistic nature to all of life – the mind and the
everything you need body, the spiritual and the material, the light and the dark
– and that’s something else José seems to echo within his
is inside your own art. Take those temples he draws, for example. Could they
be seen to celebrate one of the most fundamental Gnostic
mind and it will make principles of all – the idea of pure spirit housed within the
anything possible limits of flesh, and its potential to evolve?
“As in architecture, my temples are beautiful on the
inside and simple on the outside,” he explains. “They
he goes on to say. “I believe that there is energy that you have giant domes and mighty shapes, transmitting good
might not be able to see all around us. And I believe that energy.” José talks of this in terms of hidden knowledge,
everything you need is inside your own mind and it will perhaps embodied within the inner parts of his temples.
make anything possible.” “It’s in part this sublime message I try to conceal or trans-
It’s one of the most fundamental aspects of occultism mit in my work.”
he’s captured there, the idea that salvation or enlighten- This idea of the ‘inner shrine’ or adytum, of course, is
ment doesn’t come from some external god or saviour, not particular to Gnosticism alone. You see it within a
but rather from within your own self. Rather interest- wide variety of occultic and esoteric thought and prac-
ingly, it’s also something the Gnostics believed: that the tice, both ancient and modern alike. Central to this kind
quest for hidden knowledge begins within as opposed to of work is the use of symbology, something else that José
without; that it’s accessible only to those who put that ex- has embedded within his art.

66 • S K I N D E E P M A G A Z I N E
S K I N D E E P M A G A Z I N E • 67
A S ABOVE, SO BELOW

I want my art to have a message

beyond the aesthetic, for my
tattoos to evoke curiosity through
these mysterious symbols
“I do use a lot of symbols,” he says. “I want my art to turing that moment within a tattoo is incredibly power-
have a message beyond the aesthetic, for my tattoos to ful in and of itself, and therein lies the ritual. Of course,
evoke curiosity through these mysterious symbols. I want that isn’t always going to be the way the client sees it. “As
to awaken the search for knowledge but I try not to target much as I would love that everyone would experience it
any one specific group or religion or any sort of elite. My as a transcendent moment,” José concedes, “most people
main goal is to be atemporal as much as possible and I be- only appreciate the aesthetic side of tattoos.”
lieve my style evolves based on that.” For José, these concepts he talks of go beyond tattoos,
The concept of ritual is another basic building block they’re at the centre of all artistic expression. And while
within occultism. It’s one that many spiritually inclined tattoo art makes up the most of what he does, he doesn’t
artists – both exoteric and esoteric alike – have practised see himself confined to – or indeed constrained by – tattoo-
for many, many years. You can see it very plainly within ing alone. He worked in graffiti once upon a time and, mov-
more tribal art forms and it remains a central part of ing forward, is keen to broaden his horizons even further.
many cultures even today. However, it’s not something He’s recently launched his own jewellery collection and is
José feels a need to explicitly integrate to his own set-up. keen to stress that there are more projects in the pipeline.
“I look at tattooing as a ritual in itself,” he explains. “It’s “I relish the mysticism in all art,” he tells me. “There
almost as if you are gifted with something that will leave are no limits of expression or concepts to follow. For me,
a mark over a moment or a phase of life on your skin.” The the drawing of energy is at the centre of everything artis-
experience of creating that mark as an artist, then, of cap- tic and expressing that is one of my passions.” 

68 • S K I N D E E P M A G A Z I N E
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70 • S K I N D E E P M A G A Z I N E
BREAKING THE
SILENCE
“Silence is gold,” whispers enigmatic tattoo artist Eugene Nedelko,
aka ‘Dusty Past’. Admittedly his vibrant tattoos do speak for
themselves, but Rebecca Givens still wondered—what did the Poland-
based tattooist have to say about his illustrative creations?

@dusty_past • etsy.com/shop/PRINTKIOSK

S K I N D E E P M A G A Z I N E • 71
BREAKING THE SILENCE

A
man of few words, a man of great tattoos. Meet recommend you check out the conventions over there
cool, calm and collected tattooer, Dusty, who which continue to be regarded as some of the best in Eu-
has been tattooing for six years now, currently rope. Kraków, Warsaw and Katowice especially are home
working at Green Rabbit Tattoo in Katowice, to some of my favourite tattooists: “in such a small city
Poland. He humbly and simply describes his own style as we have so many awesome, niche tattoo artists,” agrees
“just me trying to be creative and enjoy the process”. Cre- Dusty. “Here in Poland there are a lot of creative people,
ating something “not seen before” is always a firm ambi- a lot of tattooers making different styles. Like anywhere,
tion of his with each tattoo he makes–an approach that there are some conventions that are good, and some not–
will never run out of steam, one he calls “neverending... Kraków is my favourite!”
at least for now, I can’t see the end of it!” One of the most striking aspects of Eugene’s art is his
If you don’t know much about the tattoo art coming extraordinary use of colour–some shades I don’t think
out of Poland right now and you’re looking for a crea- I’ve seen in any tattoo before. Is this down to special inks,
tive destination for long-weekend city break, I strongly blending, some sort of wizardry technique? “Just prac-

72 • S K I N D E E P M A G A Z I N E
BREAKING THE SILENCE

tice,” he replies, “I don’t use one concrete brand of ink, Despite the little negative space, these creations still pop
and I rarely blend them as there are so many cool colour off the skin and appear to stand the test of time. “[Tat-
palettes out there now... that being said, yesterday I didn’t toos] can be done in various ways, still be cool and still
have the colour for broccoli so I did end up blending!” heal well,” he explains. “For now, I do leave little spaces
Dusty’s final tattoos retain all the cleanliness and crisp- of clear skin here and there, but half a year ago I would
ness of his digital work, adorning the skin like printed have rarely done that. I enjoy to do things that break all
stickers. He admits that his creative process is by no the rules of classic tattooing.”
means strictly influenced or driven by digital technology: As an artist playing around with the rules and breaking
“I have tons of sketchbooks, I draw everything on paper boundaries, I’m sure this tattooist could have a lot more
but (unless it’s a painting) I will do a digital variation. It’s to say about tattooing today. But, if you do wanna know
good for [clients] to see the difference.” It’s refreshing more about the real Eugene, the voice behind the silence,
to see so much block colour, in small tattoos especially. then (in his words not mine)... “come and get tattooed!” 

74 • S K I N D E E P M A G A Z I N E
 STRANGE
DUST
Co-owner of the studio Black Horns in the french city of Lyon,
Florian—Strange Dust—is enjoying what he has achieved so
far. From cabinetmaking to tattooing, the young man ‘mad for
drawing’, found the perfect job to live his passion and develop his
dark universe. Depicting fascinating wildlife on his customer’s
bodies seems like an endless exploration for him. Working without
colour, he simultaneously maintains the flame of a ‘school of
black’ whose popularity has recently been stretching further
from his initial circles—extreme music, gothic culture, etc-, and
especially in Lyon, probably the occultest city in France…
@ strange_dust @strangedust @ blackhorns_tattoo

C
an we get back to your professional
background, which initially, if I
understood correctly, doesn’t have
anything to do with tattooing…?
I chose very early to be a manual worker,
and at 18 years old I studied to become a cabi-
netmaker. I wanted to make furniture, I liked
the artistic side of it. I loved so much carved
furniture, very kitsch, a little bit baroque… I
wanted to create things. Unfortunately, these
kind of made-to-measure objects are still
very expensive and I realised things were
harder than I expected… especially since Ikea
appeared. As a conclusion, this profession is
dying. As I couldn’t emancipate myself in this
field, I decided to change.

Were you drawing simultaneously?

Words & Portrait: Pascal Bagot

I always did. One of my motivations to study

cabinetmaking was the six or seven hours
of drawing lessons every week. After furni-
ture, I moved to wood sculpture. I like this
material because of its definitive aspect.
Once you’ve worked on it, you can’t go back.

76 • S K I N D E E P M A G A Z I N E
I thought I would be able to make more
creations but, then again, I realised it was
far too rigid for me. I needed to draw and to
express myself. I made a pause which lasted
four years and I survived doing small jobs. I
got enough time to think until I realised one
morning that I had only one life to live. At 23
years old, I got back to my studies.

Drawing studies?
Yes, I went to Emile Cohl, one of the best
drawing school in Lyon. It was a dream I had
since I was a child to go there. They were just
opening a new section, street-art oriented,
for students to become muralists and do
big frescoes on buildings. I did three years
there, during which I studied hyperrealism
and trompe-l’oeil (an art technique that uses
realistic imagery to create the optical illu-
sion that the depicted objects exist in three
dimensions - helpful Ed).

What memories do you keep from these

school works?
It wasn’t my style. I was much more into
American comics. I liked authors with a very
specific approach, like Mike Mignola and
Hellboy. But later I enjoyed more freedom.
For my degree, I remember doing a project
about the ‘Bête du Lyonnais’ which is very
similar to the one of the ‘Bête du Gévaudan’
(a famous French story about a mysterious
beast devouring humans between 1764-67 in
Auvergne) but which happened to be earlier
and that nobody knows about.

S K I N D E E P M A G A Z I N E • 77
After classes and eight
What goal did you have when you joined
hours of drawing, I the school?
would get back to it in I wanted to get the proper tools to do my stuff.
In my head, things have always been very clear.
the evening until 2 am Whatever happened, even if I had to cope with
small jobs, I wanted to develop my style and
my dark universe. I was strongly determined
to achieve that. After classes and eight hours of
drawing, I would get back to it in the evening un-
til 2 am. It was visceral to me, even if I wasn’t very
ambitious. My dream though, since I was a kid,
was to do concept-art, for video games or films…

How did tattooing come in?

During my last year at school, I had the chance
to work during week-ends as an apprentice in a
shop in Lyon called Small Tattoo. It’s been four
years I’ve been working as a professional tattoo-
er. Tattooing always attracted me. It was part of
my world, made of metal music, gothic culture…
and people around me had some. But I didn’t
really like what I saw until I stepped into social
networks where I discovered more relevant
styles, artworks which had nothing to do with
Japanese, tribal, etc. I was really into etchings at
the time - my first graphical inspiration. As it be-
came more popular I realised that it was possible
to do it too and I decided to give it a try.

Was it easy to adapt?

My drawing was not right for tattooing. Too

78 • S K I N D E E P M A G A Z I N E
I always had in my drawings
this obsession for a perfect
black, I wanted it to be
the blackest possible

thin, too little - then, I had to adapt it to the skin canvas. It

took me some time to find the balance. I would look a lot
to French tattooer Maud Dardeau’s skin works. I had never
seen that before, that breadth. Then, I evolved to some-
thing more illustrative, which is what I’m doing today.

Why did you choose to work only in black?

At that time, when I started, there wasn’t a lot of black work
going on. It came through the influence of artists like Jean-
Luc Navette (french illustrator, former tattooer, also from
Lyon). But I loved that! I always had in my drawings this
obsession for a perfect black, I wanted it to be the blackest
possible, with nuances in the textures. I tested everything
to achieve that. Indian ink, painting, etc., until I realised

S K I N D E E P M A G A Z I N E • 79
 that I could do it with my coloured pencil, and by varnish- evolved. I have some at home, especially small snakes.
ing my drawings it would provide a similar rendering, with One of my passions was to recreate little ecosystems in
more nuances in my lines, and more diversified shapes. On terrariums - 100 % natural and autonomous, with insects
skin, black seems to be something very simple to do; but in eating droppings, lizards, geckos, etc.
fact, it is the most difficult thing. But I’m now starting to
get solid black which stands. What other references are important for your inspiration?
Films like Alien which my father let me watch it when I was
The animal world is a strong source of inspiration for you… only six, the Dracula from Coppola. I love David Cronen-
Yes, since I was a kid. I always had better connection with berg for example, The Fly specifically. It makes me sad too
animals than humans. I like to bring human evocations but I like melancholy. I’m very pessimistic by nature and I
to my animals, whether it is in the morphology, the eyes, think that it helps me to handle it. I love Existenz and Naked
etc. When I was living in the countryside, I used to spend Lunch. Films by Christopher Nolan. I’ve been moved a lot
most of my time with them. From that period comes my by the folklore of things like Dracula, I was very much into
love for creatures, the European folklore, vampire stories it when I was a teenager. I liked the gothic culture, were-
and werewolves. I especially like bats, millipedes, I’m fas- wolves, vampires… I’ve seen and read everything about it!
cinated by insects in general. They don’t have a lot to envy (laughs). It’s really my culture, I woke up during that period.
from humans, even though we might think we’re more
A ‘school of black’ which is now not only restricted to
metal-heads and goths appears to have developed
There are some through the years. How do you explain that appetite?
interesting mixes It pleases me so much. Some years ago, people would
look at us in a strange way but now, yes, my customers
operating right are opening themselves to that. Sometimes, I even ask
now, in the hip-hop myself, “What are they doing here!” There are some in-
teresting mixes operating right now, in the hip-hop cul-
culture, the street- ture, the street-wear world and the street culture in gen-
wear world and eral. It is getting closer to the dark culture that you can
the street culture witness through more dark tattoos, even creepy ones.

in general Even though you like to draw with pencils, you’re using
digital tools. Is it compatible?
I was very reluctant to use them, like a lot of us, but I
completely changed my mind. I started using Cintiq
from Wacom. At the time people were laughing a lot at
me, but now I notice that most of them are into it. I’m
working now on iPad Pro, it’s a great tool. It is right that
it allows some people to ‘cheat’, but personally, I feel like
I’m working on a sheet of paper. I draw the same way.
Of course, it has less charm than a traditional tool but
I think it is important for our generation to master the
digital aspect. To me, it is a productivity tool, allowing
me to produce prints and that kind of stuff. It is also use-
ful for tattooing, it allows live experimentation, instant
intervention done in a very intuitive way. It allows peo-
ple to have a preview of the project too. But you cannot
satisfy yourself with it. It is important to maintain the
connection with the old traditional way.

How do you see your work evolving?

I’d like to make it more complex and do more elaborate
compositions. I was satisfied until now with simple ones
to train my hand, but I’m starting to get bored. The next
step will be more ambitious, with more symbolic and
occult things, in which people will be able to find them-
selves. I’d like also to get closer to things like HR Giger’s
- organic and alive. I think my drawing is still too rigid. 

80 • S K I N D E E P M A G A Z I N E
 dver ti s e in
to a

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SERPENTS of

BIENVILLE
serpentsofbienville.com seanherman.com theserpentsofbienville SerpentSean

This issue, Sean Herman pulls the covers back on some of the myths
and legends that inspire him pretty much on a daily basis…

S
weat glistened from the explor- the mist, to disappear forever. Bienville
ers’ brows. The heavy salts were and his serpents sealed their fate with
constantly dripping into their the sacred oath forged in flesh, ink and
eyes, and with the intense glare blood. From the initial prick of his skin,
coming off the glassy waters from which he swore to share their future, to have
their canoes were floating, their vision was their remains forever lost and deprived
completely obscured.  As they would row, honour and recognition, to fall and disap-
wiping their salt crusted brow to gain back pear into obscurity in flames and ashes.
perception, the travellers detected a dark How did Bienville get there?
and distinct movement in the distance.  January 31, 1699, explorers Pierre Le
It seemed the haints were slowly float- Moyne d’Iberville and Jean-Baptiste Le
Words/Images: Sean Herman All tattoos and artwork by Matt Stebly

ing their way, ready to glide right through Moyne Sieur de Bienville dropped an-
them. The men are haunted by complete chor off the southern tip of Alabama. The
stillness, complete silence. Both parties elder, Iberville already earning a name
are frozen—the explorers watching in as a sea-fighter in the French wars with
fear, the ghosts staring emotionless. From England, his younger brother Bienville
the stagnant reflection of the gulf waters, one canoe glides had been officer of a battery on board the ship which Iber-
to the front of the idle fleet. A man in a French uniform ville commanded during the wars. Once the wars ended,
stood tall, being the vessel’s only passenger. As he glided the brothers were sent into the gulf of the Americas to
across the water, his uniform fell off his skin and shattered continue further conquest for France. Bienville was just
the glass of the bay. The explorer was covered, from head sixteen years old. France had laid claim to this vast terri-
to toe, in the marks of serpents, wrapping around his body, tory comprising three quarters of what is now the United
down his arms, guiding this canoe, guiding him toward the States, and named it Louisiana after their king.
native ghosts that lie in the distance. The explorer made Andre Penicaut sailed with Iberville to the French
the choice to become one with the ghosts, become lost in province of Louisiana in 1699 not returning to France un-

82 • S K I N D E E P M A G A Z I N E
THE EXPLORER WAS COVERED, FROM HEAD TO TOE, IN THE MARKS OF SERPENTS, WRAPPING
AROUND HIS BODY, DOWN HIS ARMS…

til 1721. In those twenty-two years he saw and document- With this description we see the creation of a myth, a leg-
ed the explorations. He began his writing in Louisiana and end of savage natives, blood thirsty, murderous; natives pil-
finished upon his return to France. As a ship carpenter, ing bones, creating a morbid mountain honouring death. At
Penicaut was chosen as a member of several key expedi- least, this is what the legend wants us to believe and think.
tions, giving his first hand accounts of these explorations, These legends that are created, perhaps to justify a geno-
in a very objective way. Penicaut helped to build the first cide, or to create a swell of pride in the explorers ego, grow-
post in Louisiana, at Old Biloxi, and the second post on the ing to mythic proportions for everyone in the story.
Mobile River. Here we have Penicaut’s account of his first In becoming the founder of Mobile, New Orleans, and
sight traveling into Mobile Bay, other surrounding cities, Bienville became an icon in his-
“When we disembarked, we became terrified upon tory. He became the subject of heroic mythology,
finding such a prodigious number of human skel- though some truth definitely could be found
etons that they formed a mountain, there were in these tales. Bienville had the reputation
so many of them. We learned afterwards of knowing the natives, mastering the
that this was a numerous nation who, be- lingua franca of the lower Mississippi,
ing pursued and having withdrawn to called mobilien; he was without doubt
this region, had almost all died here of the only governor of a colony in New
sickness; and as the manner of savages France to speak to the Indians with-
is to gather together all the bones of the out an interpreter. He pushed indi-
dead, they had carried them into this anisation so far as to tattoo himself
spot. This nation was called Mobila, with a serpent, as mentioned earli-
and a small number of them survive. er, which wrapped around his body.
This island is covered with two kinds of The explorer Bertet de la Clue not-
trees, cedars and pines, which are very ed how the southern North American
fragrant. M. de Bienville, the brother of M. natives had “their skins covered with
d’Hyberville, who commanded us, named it figures of snakes which they make with
Isle Massacre on account of all these bones.” the point of a needle. Mr. de Bienville who is

S K I N D E E P M A G A Z I N E • 83
84 • S K I N D E E P M A G A Z I N E
 …GUIDING THIS CANOE, GUIDING HIM TOWARD THE NATIVE GHOSTS THAT LIE IN THE DISTANCE

the general of the country has all of his body covered in this ened bone, they prick to blood, following the pattern; after
way and when he is obliged to march to war with them he which, they rub on the pricked place with a powder of the
makes himself nude like them. They like him very much but colour asked by the one who gets that mark.”
they also fear him.” Mythology gives way to few truths, and with the na-
Some believe Bienville was tattooed by the legendary tives who tattooed Bienville, digging deeper reveals that
lost Mauville Indians, in order to become closer with the the mountain of bones was in fact a burial mound that
Indian population and earn their valuable trust. had broken open during a hurricane, but it horrified the
Fellow explorer Henri de Tonti spoke of Bienville, say- crew so much that they set sail up the Mobile River and
ing, “An officer (Bienville), a man of breeding whose name entered the Mississippi/Alabama/Louisiana Delta Gulf
you would recognise, who, as well as an image of the Virgin Coast Region in horror.
and the baby Jesus, a large cross on his stomach with the Massacre Island, now modern day’s Dauphin Island, has
miraculous words which appeared to Constantine and an continued to have it stories and tragedies that followed in-
endless number of marks in the savage style, had a snake habitants for decades as it continually changed hands from
which passed around his body and whose tongue pointed the Spanish to the British. A light house was constructed in
toward an extremity which I will leave you to guess.” 1834, only to be blown up by its own Confederate forces to
Henri de Tonti went on to give descriptions of these keep the Yankees from spying. A new light house was built
tattooing practices. “These ornaments or marks of honour in 1873, along with a beautiful two-story southern colonial
are not printed without pain; for a start they draw the pat- structure. Tragedy struck again in the great hurricane of
tern on the skin; then, with a needle or a small well-sharp- 1906, completely destroying the keeps beautiful home, and

S K I N D E E P M A G A Z I N E • 85
 MYTHOLOGY GIVES WAY TO FEW TRUTHS, AND WITH THE NATIVES WHO TATTOOED
BIENVILLE, DIGGING DEEPER REVEALS THAT THE MOUNTAIN OF BONES WAS IN FACT A
BURIAL MOUND THAT HAD BROKEN OPEN DURING A HURRICANE

taking the lives of the keepers with it too. In 1919, the light vered. In the 1980’s brought a new fight for the residents,
of the lighthouse was extinguished for two nights. When the moving sands of the Gulf. With the sand shifting under
trying to figure out why the light remain out, a landing them, the island began to migrate, and the people again
party found a log recording that the keeps left to pick up witnessed the destruction of what they have built.
supplies from nearby Fort Morgan, but they never reached Since childhood I can remember people talking about
the shore. The light was extinguished in 1970, and the old how our local towns were being passed over for programs,
wooden keepers house was burned by vandals in 1976. opportunities, and just suffering bad luck. From hurri-
The inhabitants continued to try to build different set- canes to financial depression, the American deep south has
tlements, even constructing bath houses and a large board- had a fair share of heart aches, and this becomes reflected
walk on the south side of the island in the 1920’s, touting in the tall tale stories told by the people living in it. I grew
the island as “The Atlantic City of the South”. With an up loving to hear these tales that followed the abandoned
opening of a base during World War II, we see a hay day for beach front buildings that we spent our long, sweltering
the island. It’s inhabitants had military housing built, and hot, summer afternoons playing in. The term “Southern
even a school with forty students enrolled. A subdivision Gothic” becomes fitting the more you hear these dark,
followed in 1953, and a bridge touted the “Three Million morose tales of an area, or an island that just can’t seem
Dollar Bridge” followed. Golf courses, hotels and casino’s to escape it’s name. Could this be a population down on
followed. The island hit its peak in 1968, when hurricane its luck, or could it be something more, maybe a curse put
Camille came, followed by the closing of the radar base in on by the natives for disturbing a sacred burial mound? If
1971, the population began to drop. The school enrolment we step back from the beauty of tall tales, and really take a
dropped, the casino’s closed, and the bridge was destroyed more scientific look at it, could there be an eternal struggle
by Hurricane Frederic in 1979, but the residents perse- of humanity fighting their fear of impermanence?

86 • S K I N D E E P M A G A Z I N E
 breaking down and reforming, retreating to the marsh on its
“Life is expressed in a perpetual sequence of changes. backside, rebuilding in a new place, giving and taking. An is-
The birth of the child is the death of the baby, just as the land lets the surge flow through it, breathing with the storm,
birth of the adolescent is the death of the child.” never foolish enough to imagine it can block it.  Think of
– Arnaud Desjardins Muhammad Ali fighting George Foreman, the way Ali hung
back on the ropes. In short, the island survives through a pri-
The “Isle of Bones” is what is classified as a barrier is- mal rope-a-dope, an ancient and time-tested technique.
land; which are long, narrow, offshore deposits of sand or Since homeowners don’t like to be told that their back-
sediment that run parallel to the coastline, serving as pro- yards are migrating, they draw lines in the sand.  But the
tection for the shore from hurricanes. They are separated ocean doesn’t care about lines. The residents on Dauphin
from the main land by a shallow sound, bay, or lagoon, pro- believed in straight lines, suburbia, surveys. But no matter
tecting vital wet lands. Barrier islands also operate as a type how much sand they pile, and how many of BP’s millions
of dune system, dunes that were recorded to be massive in they use, they can’t change the fact that they just happen to
the times of Bienville, are now in modern days falling into have built their homes on a living island.”
small hills. Some beliefs are that these islands migrate, Houses built on a living island seldom stand long. Next
depending on storms and environmental conditions. Is month we are going to look deeper at what happens when
modern society fighting a losing battle against this natu- we try to create stability on impermanence, and how
ral migration? American essayist and nature writer, David our cultures love for oil almost destroyed it all. Could a
Gessner visited the island when writing his book, “The Tar- “cursed” island come by from the brink, even as oil began
ball Chronicles” and he made the following observation, to flow ashore? Are we here left to fulfil the oath made
“Barrier islands migrate. They move, and grow, most often with that sacred sacrament tattooed on Bienville so long
shoreward. This is happening constantly, but particularly ago. Make sure to pick up the next issue of Skin Deep, and
during storms. The way an island handles a storm is through learn more about how you can help change these environ-
a kind of elemental judo, letting the water rush over, its sands ments for the better, even in your own backyard. 

S K I N D E E P M A G A Z I N E • 87
88 • S K I N D E E P M A G A Z I N E
 CEZANNE
TATTOO
CONVENTION
5-7 October, 2018
Edition 5

C
ontinuing our European Tour of all that is great and good in
the world of tattooing, this issue we bring you Scenes from
the Floor of the Cezanne Convention (that’s in France, just
in case you don’t get out much) and as we seem to be do-
ing a lot recently, returned wondering why there are so many exciting
new artists on the scene and where the hell they came from.
Ours is not to reason why however… ours is to parade as many of
them in front of your face and hope you find inspiration and a differ-
ent road to go down with your future choices…
A full artist list from the show can be found here: conventiontattooaix.fr

S K I N D E E P M A G A Z I N E • 89
C E Z A N N E TAT T O O C O N V E N T I O N

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S K I N D E E P M A G A Z I N E • 91
C E Z A N N E TAT T O O C O N V E N T I O N

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S K I N D E E P M A G A Z I N E • 93
C E Z A N N E TAT T O O C O N V E N T I O N

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S K I N D E E P M A G A Z I N E • 95
The UK’s favourite tattoo magazine is
available on iPad, iPhone and
Android devices

www.skindeep.co.uk

CHOOSE YOUR WEAPON

Skin Deep is available on iPad, iPhone,

Kindle Fire and a mix of other Android devices.*
* To see if your Android device is compatible with the app, download the free issue.
Shot at Cezanne Tattoo Convention
Adam Hodgson
Adam Hodgson

Dale McGovern
Dominic Graham

98 • S K I N D E E P M A G A Z I N E
Dek Kent

Georgia Jay
Dek Kent

S K I N D E E P M A G A Z I N E • 99
 Georgia Jay

100 • S K I N D E E P M A G A Z I N E
 Joe Dickinson

Jon Potter

John Williams
Joe Dickinson

S K I N D E E P M A G A Z I N E • 101
 Katy Sarsfield

Ryan Sharp
Laura Lowe

102 • S K I N D E E P M A G A Z I N E
 Romi

John Williams

Robert Sedgebeer

S K I N D E E P M A G A Z I N E • 103
 Rafał Traczyński

Romi
Steven Mostyn

104 • S K I N D E E P M A G A Z I N E
Robert Sedgebeer

Mike Laycock
Martin Smith

S K I N D E E P M A G A Z I N E • 105
Ryan Sharp

Paul Rogers

Nick Devine
Trawa Tattoo

106 • S K I N D E E P M A G A Z I N E
 studio listings ELECTRIC ARTZ TATTOOS—GLASGOW

Tattoos by Delboi, Chris Dreadfullrat AND Paul Rogers

504 Duke Street, Glasgow, G31 1QG
Tel: 0141 556 4455
Email: [email protected]
@electricartz @electricartztattoos

s c otl an d w es t m i dla nds

no r th er n ir el an d eas t m id la nds
TJ's Tattoo Studio - Kilmarnock Joker Tattoo Studio - Belfast
e ir e so ut h w est Tel: 01563 551599 Tel: 02890 314 280 & 07803 628967
www.tjs-studio.co.uk www.jokertattoo.co.uk
n o rt h w e st c hanne l is la nds

no r th eas t sou th eas t

wales e ast

If you would like to be listed in the Skin Shots directory, contact

Sarah on 01244 886029 or email [email protected]
Full details available on www.skindeep.co.uk/advertising Dark Angel Tattoo Studio - Belfast State Of The Arts Tattoos- Dungannon
Tel: 0289 022 0750 Tel: 02887 238232 & 07864256026
www.darkangeltattoos.com www.stateoftheartstattoo.com
SCOTLAND EIRE

Elgin High Street Tattoos - Elgin Jack's Tattoos - Portadown Nine Lives - Bray
Blue Box - Dunfermline Tel: 01343 544919 Tel: 0283 839 8790 Tel: 00353 1276 1592 NINELivesTattoo
Tel: 01383736829 | 07837 902352 ELGIN HIGH STREET TATTOO SHOP. Jackstattoos Portadown

ADDICTION TATTOO AND PIERCING – BANGOR

bushman Ink - Whitburn Plus 48 Tattoo - edinburgh

Tel: 01501 228086 Bushman Ink Tel: 0131 553 1116
Tattoo & Piercing Studio dominikaszymczyktatto

Tattoos by Rebekah, Piercings by Greg

10a Quay Street, Bangor, County Down, BT20 5ED
Tel: 07769 532 606
Email: [email protected]
Creation Tattoo - Dunfermline The Ink Minx - Montrose addictiontattoobangor
Tel: 01383 622912 Tel: 01674 678989
www.creationtattoo.co.uk Ink Minx Tattoos

S K I N D E E P M A G A Z I N E • 107
DIRECTORY

NORTH WEST

Electric Kicks - Pontefract Naughty Needles - Bolton ABH Tattooing - Scunthorpe Made from Beyond Tattoo - Hartlepool
Tel: 07725 029567 ,/ www. Tel: 01204 493529 , Tel: 01724 856689 Tel: 07553 913171 /
electrickickstattoostudio.co.uk www.naughtyneedles.co.uk , Abh Tattooing Scunny , made from beyond tattoo studio

Evolve Tattoos - Lancaster Obsidian - Wallasey-Merseyside Black Label Tattoo Studio Paradise Tattoos & Body Art Studio
Tel: 01524 66437 Tel: 0151 630 5613 ,/ 21-23 BRIDGE STREET • LOCKWOOD Ltd - Halifax Tel: 01422 300920
,Evolve Tattoo Studio www.obsidiantattoo.uk HUDDERSFIELD Tel : 01484 306201 , Paradise 2 Tattoo Studio

Evolved Tattoo Resident Needle Tattoo Studio - Stockport Garghoyle Tattoos - Elland Rumple Ink Skin - Middlesbrough
bowness-on-windermere Tel: 0161 406 0576 ,/- Tel : 01422 373 666 Tel: 07850 250029 /-
Tel: 01539 447714 www.residentneedle.co.uk , GarghoyleTattooStudio , Rumpleinkskin Tatts Middlesbrough

INKDEN TATTOO STUDIO—BLACKPOOL Skin Fantasy - Burnley Gothika Tattoos - Redcar Second 2 None - Rotherham
Tel: 07851366835 ,/ Tel: 01282 424566 , Tel: 01642498572 / Tel: 01709 380069 & 07879 268745
www.skinfantasyburnley.co.uk , Gothika TattooRedcar , Simon Secondtonone Grayson

. .

HELLO SAILOR—BLACKPOOL Tattoo-Zone for Steve Tat 2 Ltd - Preston Ian Petrie Tattoo Artist Talisman Tattoo Art Studio - York
Tel: 01253 752032 ,/ Tel: 01772 556785 Tel: 01652 651700 Tel: 01904 636462 /
http://hello-sailor.org/ www.stevetat2ltd.co.uk www.tattooartistsscunthorpe.co.uk , Talisman Tattoostudio

SKINZ TATTOO STUDIO — LEEDS

Kellys Tattoos - Chester Wild Rose Tattoos - Manchester

Tel: 01244 376800 ,/ Tel: 07706 593081 ,
www.wildrosetattoos.com
NORTH EAST

Tattoos by Mr Lee, Jamie Steward, Von Ryan, Judd, Gemma Taylor. Piercing & Laser
Removal by Emma. Station Buildings, 318-322 Stanningley Road, Leeds, LS13 3EG
Tel: 0113 204 7848 [email protected] •
Mad Tatter Designs - Manchester 2001 AD Tattoo Studio - Leeds ,@SkinzStudio /@skinztattoostudio
Tel: 07803 525321 /
, Mad Tatter Designs
Tel: 0113 240 3412 ,/
www.2001adtattoodesign.com www.leedstattoostudio.com

108 • S K I N D E E P M A G A Z I N E
SUNDERLAND BODY ART TATTOO & BODY PIERCING STUDIO

Living Colour - Cwmbran The Tattoo Shop - chepstow

Tel: 01633 867676 Tel: 01291 628620
,/ Living Colour Tattoo

BEN HANDS, ABIGAIL ROSE, TAT2STE AND HOLLY TARRENT

Piercings by Charlie Wilson. Laser Tattoo Removal Available
12 Stockton Terrace, Grangetown, Sunderland, Tyne & Wear, SR2 9RQ Tel: 0191 565 6595
[email protected] • www.sunderlandbodyart.com
OPEN TUESDAY-FRIDAY 9.30am to 5.30pm • SATURDAYS 9.30am to 5PM • CLOSED
SUNDAYS, MONDAYS & BANK HOLIDAYS Physical Graffiti - Cardiff Tribal Dragon Tattoo Studio -
,sunderland body art Tel: 0292 048 1428 ,/
www.phyicalgraffiti.co.uk
aberaeron Tel: 01545 571140
, Tribal Dragon tattoo studio

TWISTED FATE – DONCASTER

Pleasure or Pain Productions - Aberdare Wrexham Ink - Wrexham

Tel: 01685 875252 ,/ Tel: 01978 290876 ,/
www.pleasureorpainproductions.co.uk www.wrexhamink.com

PURPLE MOON TATTOOS — CONNAHS QUAY

Tattoos by Lauris Vinbergs
81 St Sepulchre Gate , Doncaster, DN1 1RX
tel: 07514481866
[email protected]
,Twistedfate Doncaster ,Lauris Vinbergs Tattoo
/Lauris_Vinbergs

Tattoos by Mick & Luke

78 HIGH STREET, CONNAHS QUAY, CH5 4DD
Tat2 Station - Newcastle-Upon-Tyne Viking Tattoo Studio - Tyne and Wear Tel: 07756 808884
Tel: 0191 232 8491 ,/ Tel: 0191 420 1977 ,/ [email protected]
www.tattoostation.co.uk www.vikingtattoostudio.co.uk , purplemoontattooshotton

SOTA CUSTOM TATTOO — LLANTWIT MAJOR

Twisted Arts Studio - Skeeby Wiseguys Ink - Rotherham

Tel: 01748 822100 ,/ Tel: 01709 820192 ,/
www.Twisted-Arts-Tattoo.co.uk www.wiseguysink.co.uk
WALES

Tattoos by Matt Faulkner

1A Barons Close House, East Street, Llantwit Major,
Vale of Glamorgan, CF61 1XY
Valonia Tattoos - South Shields Lasting Impressions Tattoo Studio Tel: 01446 795785 [email protected] ,/ SOTA Tattoo Co.
Tel: 07794 045917 ,/- - Pontypool ,
www.valoniatattoos.co.uk Tel: 07783 608782 & 01495 751337 www.sota-ink.co.uk

S K I N D E E P M A G A Z I N E • 109
DIRECTORY

WEST MIDLANDS

Lucky 7s - Droitwich Rendition - Nuneaton Tattoos By Kirt - Solihull

Bespoke Ink - Birmingham Tel: 01905 774740 ,/ Tel: 02476 325656 Tel: 0121 7447572
Tel: 0121 474 3711 , bespoke ink www.lucky7stattoo.co.uk , Point Made Tattoo-Studio Nuneaton www.tattoosbykirt.co.uk

Big Wills Tattoos TEL: 01543898766 Mwilx Tattoos - Telford Scottatattoo - Worcester Tattoos by Tony - Birmingham
,/@ BIGWILLSTATTOOSTUDIO tel: 01952 587841 ,/ Tel: 01905 748818 , Tel: 0121 477 5995 ,/
WWW.BIGWILLSTATTOOS.CO.UK www.bossink.co.uk www.scottatattoo.com www.tattoosbytony.co.uk

Dermagraffix - Halesowen Native Elements Art & Tattoo Studio Tailored Tattoo and Piercing studio The Faceless Tattoo Company - Erdington
Tel: 0121 585 7690 Coventry - Swadlincote Tel: 07568 347 663 Tel: 0121 537 3151 & 07934273089
Tel: 0771 256 5729 ,/ , Tailored Tattoo & Piercing Studio ,/- thefacelesstattoocompany

INK CRAZY TATTOO—SHREWSBURY

Fallen From Grace Tattoo - Tamworth Nevermore Tattoo Parlour - Daventry

Tel: 07949 741 684 ,/ Tel: 01327 876350 /
www.fallenfromgracetattoo.co.uk , Nevermore Tattoo

Main Artists - Sean Pascoe & Chris | Piercings by Sean & Chris
17, Castle gates, Shrewsbury SY1 2AB
Tel: 01743 367045
, pasctattoo , ink.crazy.tattoo / pasctattoo
Jacks Shack Tattoo Studio Worcester Opulent Ink - Wolverhampton
Tel 01905 29458 ,/ Tel: 01902 424834 Www.inkcrazy.co.uk
www.jacksshackworcester.co.uk www.opulentink.com

NEW INK TATTOO STUDIO—WOLVERHAMPTON BIG WILLS TATTOO STUDIO—LICHFIELD

Big Wills Tattoo Studio, 15 Eastern Avenue

Trent Valley Shops, Lichfield, WS13 6TE
Aritsts - Craig James, Dan Ball, Tel: 01543 898766
1 Pendeford Avenue, Claregate, Wolverhampton, WV6 9EG [email protected]
tel: 01902 753613 Email: [email protected] ,big wills tattoo studio /bigwillstattoos
, @craigjamestattoos www.bigwillstattoos.co.uk

110 • S K I N D E E P M A G A Z I N E
 TEK TATTOO—HINCKLEY ALL 1 TRIBE—LEICESTERSHIRE MY TRUE COLOUR—DERBY

All 1 Tribe, 6 Adam & Eve Street, Market Harborough LE16 7LT Tattoos by Karl Ormond,
01858 434241 [email protected] Den Tattooist, Heather Griffin
Tattoos by Leigh. Piercings by Lou ,/ All 1 Tribe Piercing by Mr. Parris
155 Uttoxeter New Road, Derby, DE22 3NP
www.all1tribe.co.uk Tel: 01332 492059
Tel: 01455643425 [email protected]
, Tek Tattoo Hinckley ,/ mytruecolourtattoostudio
/ tektattoo PULSE TATTOO & PIERCING—NORTHAMPTON
TATTOOS BY TOMO—SMETHWICK

Tribal Images Tattoo Studios - Hanley

Tel: 01782 268691 ,
www.tribalimages.co.uk
Tattoos by Andy X Edge, Simon Walden & Niall Barton.
EAST MIDLANDS Piercings by Charlii, James & Alana, 12 & 15 St Peters Walk, Northampton, NN1 1PT
Tel: 01604 627228 [email protected]
, pulsetattooandpiercing / pulsetattooandpiercing
www.pulse-tattoo.co.uk Tattooing & piercing by Tomo, Steve
& Rob. Laser removal available
107 Three Shires Oak Road,
MAD TATTERS TATTOO & PIERCING Smethwick, West Midlands, B67 5BT
Tel: 0121 429 1566 ,
76 Inc - Leicestershire [email protected]
Tel: 01858 468173 ,/ www.tattoosbytomo.com
www.76inc.co.uk

Mad Tatters Tattoo & Piercing Studio, 28b Market Street, Wellingborough NN8 1AT
Art Biggs Tattoos - Leicester 01933 805413 [email protected] Aritists - Thor, Nat & Leigh-an Punctured Skin - Frome
Tel: 07940 144564 Tel: 01373 463538 /
,/ art biggs ,Mad Tatters Tattoo and Piercing
SOUTH WEST

Dezired Inkz - Nottingham Medusa Tattoo Parlour- Dr Feelgood's Tattoo Studio - Poole Steelhybrid Tattoo Studio - pool
Tel: 01773 711 633 ,/ Nottingham , Tel: 01202 674838 ,/ Tel: 07948 562 555 ,/
www.deziredinkz.co.uk Tel: 01159 272083 07821 706495 www.drfeelgoods.co.uk www.steelhybrid.com

Ink Kings Studios home of Kirituhi Tattoo The Tattoo Shop - Grantham East Looe Tattoo-East Looe Tat-2-U - Bristol Tel: 01454 320532
ilkeston - Tel: 0115 9324602 Tel: 01476 978493 , Cornwall www.tat-2-u.co.uk
,/ www.ink-kings.com www.thetattooshopgrantham.co.uk , Tel: 01503 265 757

S K I N D E E P M A G A Z I N E • 111
DIRECTORY

SMOKING GUNS TATTOO STUDIO

Ink Fact - Hackney, London Needlework Tattoo - Godalming

Tel: 02085 333334 ,/ Tel:01483 410000 ,
www.inkfacttattoo.com www.needleworktattoo.com

Smoking Guns Tattoo Studio, 2 Horsemarket, Kettering NN16 0DG 01536 601235
[email protected] Aritsts - Mark V, Mcilvenny, Abbie & Billy
,Smoking Guns Tattoo Studio
MARLOW TATTOO LOUNGE Ouch Tattoos - Essex
Tel: 01628 473979 Tel: 01992 711917 ,/
, MARLOWTATTOOLOUNGE www.ouchtattoostudio.co.uk

TWO MAGPIES TATTOO STUDIO - GLOUCESTER Asgard Piercing & Tattooing - Southampton
WWW.TWOMAGPIESTATTOO.COM ,/ Tel: 02380 231140 ,
[email protected] www.asgard-bodyart.co.uk
Mettle Nettle Tattoo and Piercing Old London Road Tattoos - Kingston
studio Tel: 01245600133 upon Thames Tel: 0208 549 4705
,/www.jeffwharnsby.co.uk www.oldlondonroad.co.uk ,/

AXIOS TATTOO—HOVE

Buddie's Premier Tattooing - Clacton-On-

Sea Tel: 01255 433755 ,
www.buddiestattoos.com
The Ink Captain's Tattorium - Exeter
Tel: (01392) 200111 ,-
www.inkcaptain.com

Tattoos by Ade Stacey and Nigel Palmer

1 Hove Park Villas, Hove BN3 6HP
Tel: 01273 736255 ,/
[email protected]
Diamond Jacks Tattoo Co - London www.axiostattoo.com
The Tattoo Studio - Bristol Tel: 0207 437 0605 ,
Tel: 0117 907 7407 www.diamondjacks.co.uk
www.tattoo-bristol.co.uk
STUDIO 69 TATTOO & PIERCING—LONDON
SOUTH EAST

Double 7 Tattoo & Piercing - milton keynes

Andy Barber's New Rose Tattoo Studio Tel: 01908322077 ,/
- New Malden, Surrey , www.double7tattoo.co.uk
www.andybarberstattooandpiercing.co.uk

Tattoos by Desmond Byrne, Stefan Kyriacou & Nico Lanio

Piercings by Ruth & Alex
Laser tattoo removal also available Tel: 0208 531 4947
6 Chingford Rd, Walthamstow, London, E17 4PJ
, Studio 69 Tattoo and Piercing
FireFly Tattoo Company - East Sussex
Avalon Tattoo - Essex Tel: 01708 716 887 Tel: 01323847434 www.studio69tattoo-piercing.co.uk
, www.avalontattoo.co.uk www.fireflytattoo.co.uk ,

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NUTZ TATTOO & PIERCING STUDIO—WARE TRUE WILL TATTOOS—DORKING

Paradiso Custom Tattoo & Piercing Woody's Tattoo Studio - High Wycombe
LONDON TEL: 07952 633736 Tel: 01494 464023 ,
,/paradisocustomtattoo/ www.woodystattoostudio.com

Tattoos by Nutz & Jackie. Piercing True Will Tattoos

by Jackie Tel: 01920 469721 5-6 Beare Green Court
27 Church Street, ware, Old Horsham road, Beare green
hertfordshire, sg12 9eh Rh54sl 07896 298833
www.nutztattoo.com Tattooing by Dee, Sophie and Rosie.
, nutz tattoo Piercing Tattoos- Crawley Underground Tattoos & Piercing - Watford Piercing by Gemma. Tues-sat 10-5
Tel: 01293 618811 Tel: 01923 288447 ,/- And we are an all female studio
HAPPY SAILOR TATTOOS—SHOREDITCH ,Dave.How , Jeep Bluezone www.undergroundtattoos.co.uk
EAST
WANDERLUST TATTOOS—CROYDON

Pride Tattoo & Piercing Studio - London

Tel: 0208 981 5503 ,/ The Ink Room Tattoo Studio -
www.pridetattoos.webeden.co.uk Woodbridge tel: 01728748125 ,
www.theinkroomtattoostudio.co.uk
Tattoos by - Tota, James, Ana
Piercings by Tota, manager: shane PIERCING & OTHER
17 Hackney Road, Shoreditch
London, E2 7NX Tel: 020 7033 9222
,/ happy sailor tattoo
www.happysailortattoo.com

Red’s Tattoo Parlour - Colchester

Tel: 01206 766606 ,/ Jenny Clarke Design Tel: 02034905978 ,/
www.redstattoos.co.uk Tel: 01509 264 110 www.wanderlusttattoo.co.uk
www.jennyclarkedesign.com

O W C A S E
Pain Divine - Croydon
Tattoo Crew, KINGSTON-UPON-THAMES, LONDON
Tel: 02082 867757 • www.tattoocrew.ink to SH
Tel: 0208 686 6136 , , Tattoo Crew London
st u d i o
your
www.paindivine.co.uk

here fo r a
at p ri c e
Phoenix Rising - Chesham
Tel: 01494 792392 ,
Tattoo Studio 149 - London
Tel: 020 8544 0304 /
,tattoo studio 149
gre
www.phoenixrisingtattooshop.com

call sarah
8 86 029
01244 eep.co.uk
ind
sarah@sk
Pictures of Lily - Bedfordshire Tattooing at Gunpoint - Hove
Tel: 01767 318109 ,/ Tel: 01273 206226 ,
www.picturesoflily.co.uk www.tattooingatgunpoint.co.uk

S K I N D E E P M A G A Z I N E • 113
 TATTOO OF THE MONTH

by Matt Buck

Man… I love this tattoo and I have no down to it. The script is good ’n’ solid @he_draws
[email protected]
idea why. I know I don’t need a reason - it’s not doing anything too fancy that
instagram.com/noidolsnyc
to dig something so much but Matt will disappear by 2020. Lines, lines,
Buck has stolen my heart this issue. I lines everywhere holding the white
guess the fact that this guy has some space perfectly in place.
meat on his arm helps give it the gravi- Look at it long n hard and maybe
tas it demands but more than this, its you’ll see what I see… the lines are
interesting. I’m so tired of boring tat- just letting the white space do all the
toos when there’s no need for them to work. Many try and many fail to pull
be that way. There’s a whole novel in this off daily.
this single image if you choose to get Kudos. A serious win for tattooing.

114 • S K I N D E E P M A G A Z I N E