Tattoo Jam 2012

It's that time of year again (admittedly later than usual) for Tattoo Jam! In fact, this post covering my experience at the convention is also later than I would have originally liked. But here we are now - let's get on with it...

Compared to the two previous Tattoo Jams I attended, I couldn't help feeling instantly that this one had so much more to see! I'm saying this as a very good thing, and part of me wishes it had run for a third day with things a bit more spread out so I could have got around it all. With it being as it was, I ended up missing out on all of the 'Battle of the Bands', most of the extreme/shock entertainers, and the awards.
Now, please don't hurt me for that last one. On the Saturday I found myself too distracted by going around all the artists, looking at their portfolios and the work they were currently doing. Sunday the awards took place while my girlfriend was getting inked, and I never pass up an opportunity to watch a tattooist at work more closely. Also, I imagine there will be decent coverage of the awards in a future issue of Skin Deep Magazine.


Miscellaneous

I'll start off by talking about a few of the smaller things at the convention, starting with the traders. I will point out that (as can be expected) there were two types of traders present: those for the general public, and those who only deal with people in the trade. I, as some of you may know, do not work as a tattooist, so I kept clear of the latter group. The other traders appeared to be very much the same ones that had appeared in the previous years I've attended, which isn't to say it's a bad thing. All the stalls generally offer good and interesting products, from alternative clothing and jewellery to art cards and reference books.

There are certain things I'm not sure if I missed. As already mentioned, I missed things like the awards and 'Battle of the Bands', but I'm not sure if there was anything else that may have escaped my attention. For one thing, I didn't go outside and in previous years there were things to see out there. The main reason why I mention this here is because on the first day I checked out the Tattoo Museum and the graffiti wall on the second floor, but I didn't on the second day. So, now I'm wondering if I might have missed something, even if it was that more work had been done on the graffiti wall.
I really enjoyed the graffiti work that I did see. I was kind of surprised, though, because when I saw it advertised I was expecting it to be spray-painting outside, like last year. As can be seen below, there was plenty of room for more work, so hopefully I'll be able to find some pictures somewhere of how it turned out (here's looking at you Skin Deep, *WINK* *WINK*).

I'm always in two minds about the Tattoo Museum, because each year it does seem to have different things on show, but it's always a bit smaller than I expect. I still find it interesting to check out. Maybe it's the use of the word 'museum' that throws me off. I might not feel the same if it were called something like: 'Tattooing Through the Ages Exhibit'. But I feel it's just me being pernickety, so feel free to ignore this.


Entertainment

Here we start getting to some of the interesting stuff. Some of the things my girlfriend and I were very excited about with this year's Tattoo Jam, besides the obvious, were the burlesque shows. I realize that sounds a little perverted, but that isn't the whole story (I'm not going to make out that it isn't a little bit of it, at least, because that would be a lie). We have both always been of a mind that burlesque is more of an artform, not just a simple case of a woman stripping, and neither of us have had much chance to experience it before. In fact, Millie Dollar's performance at last year's Tattoo Jam was the first experience I had, but I got to the stage as the show started and ended up at the back, meaning I couldn't really see. Aside from that, there was a burlesque night we attended at a club the other month, but it was filled with drunkards being idiots and (again) the performance was obscured from view.
Getting back on track, Millie Dollar was in attendance again this year, and was scheduled to do more than just the one performance this time around. I managed to re-experience the lost performance of last year because she repeated it the first time she took the stage. On the negative side, I feel this was her least favourable performance of the weekend. On the positive side, Millie did give other great performances, and I felt each one was better than the last.
The other burlesque performer of the weekend (or, more specifically, the Saturday) was Beatrix von Bourbon. No disrespect to Millie, but I will admit that enjoyed Beatrix's performances best. Millie obviously knew what she was doing, and it could be seen that she had worked hard to give good shows for the audience. This could be seen with Beatrix as well, but there was also a little something more there. This something, whatever it was, seemed to aid her in making a connection to the audience that little bit more.
I realise this sounds like I'm putting Millie down - I honestly don't mean it this way. I really enjoyed both performers and would definitely recommend people check them both out... Now!

As for other performers of the weekend, I did check out Sickboy's first show. During this he held an apple in his mouth and cut an 'X' into it using a chainsaw (something that I'm sure is no easy feat, but was visually lacking), pushed needles through his cheeks and the skin on his arms, stapled paper to his body and face, and chewed broken glass. Now, I'm far from impossible to shock but I can't say I was really amazed. It could be that I've been jaded by Jackass and Dirty Sanchez. I mostly couldn't help thinking that a regular audience might be more taken aback by Sickboy's antics, but when the audience are fans of having needles stabbing and skewering various parts of their body anyway, he's probably just finding himself around and about on par with everyone else.
I also caught a solo performance by Snake Fervor, almost by accident. We happened to be checking out Tanane Whitfield's booth, then Paul Sweeney got on stage and introduced Miss Fervor. We decided to check it out while we were there, and I'm glad we did. The performance started slowly with lighting her numerous torches (some attached to her clothing, others pierced through the skin on her arms), dancing, and extinguishing them in her mouth. The highlight of her show came as a climax at the end when she performed fire-breathing. Now, when I've seen others doing this they have just blown quick balls of fire; when Snake Fervor did it she ignited the fuel she was spitting and then continued holding/feeding the fire for several seconds. I was rather amazed, and it created a stunning spectacle.

The final, and probably most popular, piece of entertainment I'll talk about was the cake fighting. There were two public performances of this (I think there might have been one on ArtistFriday, but can't be certain) and, I'll admit, I attended both. Basically, it was like ladies mud-wrestling... but with milk, flour, cake, and trifle.
The first performance, Saturday evening, seemed a little shaky. I got the impression that it wasn't really something the girls had practiced (if something like this can be practiced), and as soon as they had handed out cupcakes to the audience they just went at it. At the end of the day, I don't think anyone was complaining about it though, especially the guys. The second performance, held on the main stage on Sunday afternoon, appeared smoother. They completely played up some of the actions they were doing (e.g. pouring milk over each other, etc.), and it generally felt like an actual show. It feels a little strange to be critiquing something like this but, either way, they were enjoyable shows and the second performance was the best.

Artists

Finally, we have the artists - the element that is the whole point of the convention. This year the event seemed to have collected a larger group of very talented individuals. Each year sees the attendance of such artists, but not as many that stood out quite as much as this year. That's not to say the majority had been rubbish either. As mentioned in my post on the Manchester International Tattoo Show, I make sure to pick up business cards, flyers, etc. of anyone that stands out to me, and this year I almost got something from everybody.
We happened to come across some familiar faces while walking around. Of those we had seen in Manchester; Alex Kelly, Emma Garrard, and Johny D Matthews were in attendance. The true gentleman, Craigy Lee, could also be found working his magic. I noticed Billy 'The Bastard' Hay wandering around, though I sadly didn't see him at work this time (it may just be that I missed it). A throw-back to my visit last year, Rose Elizabeth was back, working next to the folks at ABH Tattooing - last year Rose was doing work in aid of Help for Heroes, and she did the amazing cupcake I now sport on my ankle (see below - original design by Marcus, creator and artist behind Brainless Tales).

As already stated, we came across a lot of talented artists. I definitely want to name them, but I don't want to end up overloading people. With this is mind, as I did with the Manchester convention post, here is a short list of some people that stuck out to me:
Anna Garvey
ToKo Lören
Samantha Ford
Ottorino D'Ambra
Michelle Maddison
Daz Crane
Tomasz Czekaj
Johnny Mesquita
Darryl Mullen
Matyas Halasz
Tanya Buxton
Wes Brown

While attending Tattoo Jam this year, I was hoping to get some work done, and seeing the amount of talent on show only made me want something more. Sadly, I didn't manage to get something booked in the time leading up to the event. On the Sunday I almost got an appointment with Daz Crane, but there wasn't enough time in the end. Despite this, I will be getting in touch with Daz in the not too distant future because I'm very interested in both his art and tattooing technique.
My girlfriend, on the other hand, did manage to get an appointment for a cover-up piece. Originally this was with Mikee Cue but, due to time constraints, he wasn't able to fit her in. He was nice enough to speak to his friend Ross Duncan, of whom had some free time. She had picked out a traditional rose design and he was given the freedom of picking the colours (see below).

In conclusion, I think this year has been the best of the tattoo conventions I've attended so far. I do apologise for those I didn't mention in my list above, and there are a number of them. I highly recommend you go to the Tattoo Jam website and go through all the artists listed. It will take some time but do check out their portfolios because there is a lot of great work on show. It may even inspire you to get something done (whether more or for the first time) and/or who you want to get work from. I, personally, have made many mental notes of various artists I wish to get work from in the future. Also, Anna Garvey may be getting a request for some work from my girlfriend thanks to a piece we saw on the weekend that sparked some inspiration.
That's all I have this time around. In the not too distant future I plan on adding a 'Gallery' section to this blog, and there you'll be able to find more pictures from Tattoo Jam 2012, as well as other conventions. I shall see you all there again next year, if not beforehand at another gathering of the tattooed masses.

The Drunken Tattoo

Channel 4 recently aired a programme called 'My Tattoo Addiction', which revolved around a few different people, discussed various things about their tattoos and tattooing in general. What stuck out the most for me were the parts about a man named Matt, who has a number of tattoos that he got done as silly ideas while partying in Ayia Napa. In these parts the programme showed people getting tattoos on nights out, while drunk with friends. Also, Paul (a tattoo artist at Blood Brothers Tattoo in Ayia Napa) is interviewed for these parts, and he casually talks about the large number of people whom go to him while drunk and get work done.

Here is where I found myself getting rather annoyed. It wasn't helped when a club representative is seen telling the camera: "You definitely have to get a drunken tattoo while you're here." So, this means that this kind of thing is being promoted by people whom are paid to show holiday makers around, and advise them on the best places and what to do. Obviously I'm not saying that just because one representative has advised people do this that every single holiday representative does, but it can be assumed that more than just this one person does.
There's also a guy getting a few words tattooed on his foot (if I remember correctly, it said something like: "Stay Schemin'...Son"), and he tells the camera that he always wanted to get a tattoo but didn't think he'd ever get what he was having. I just couldn't grasp the logic in knowing you don't want what you're getting while you're getting it, but still going ahead with it. But the most annoying thing for me is the fact that the tattooists were doing the work in the first place.

I'm more than aware that different people have different moral standards, and that this doesn't end when it comes to tattoo artists (if that were the case we wouldn't have "scratchers"). While talking about the tattoos he does for young people on holiday, Paul mentions that he manages to make a nice amount of money from doing the work, which to some extent is fair enough - we all want to make enough money to keep us going and able to get/do things we enjoy.
So this is where things get a bit interesting. As previously mentioned, my initial reaction to all this was/is to get annoyed at seeing people getting really stupid tattoos simply because they're drunk and think it'll be a laugh. My initial reaction was/is to also get angry at tattoo artists who seem to have no problem in working on someone who is inebriated. But is there another side to all this?

For the artist, it will be bringing in a lot of work, most of which will be small designs and won't take very long to do. Each piece will probably be relatively cheap, but when it's multiplied by the number of people coming through the door, the takings will soon add up. Due to this, it's not really surprising why some people are willing to work with people in this state. But I still can't help thinking about the fact it doesn't help the artist in pushing their boundaries, etc., and I imagine it will often lead to the majority of people either living with something they regret or seeking another artist to cover up the work anyway.
It could be thought that tattooists begin doing this kind of work at holiday destinations (as shown in the programme) because, maybe, they aren't making enough to make ends meet during normal working hours, or something along those lines. The problem is that this is seen to not always be the case. Matt went to Dave Fleet (Abracadabra Tattoos), a well known cover-up tattoo artist, to get something to cover a tattoo on his chest advertising a party-boat website. When attending one of his sessions, Matt turns up tipsy/drunk and Dave continues with the session anyway. He does this despite stating to the camera that it is troublesome to work on people who have had too much to drink because they can be more boisterous, and are more likely to move around. Admittedly, the possibility of picking a bad design wasn't a factor in this case, but there is still the problems Dave stated, and the issue that alcohol thins the blood - so the customer may bleed more and cause less of the ink to stay in the skin, meaning further touch-ups may be required.
I'm certainly not saying that Dave Fleet is on par with tattooist who will do anything they're asked by a drunken, holidaying customer. One of the first things he states at the start of the programme is that his studio would never do the kind of work seen on Matt's body as a result of him getting tattoos while drunk in Ayia Napa. I was a bit surprised, though, that he continued with the session instead of rearranging the appointment so Matt could return when he's sober. That could just be me being nit-picky though.

While writing this I have also been trying to think of a positive way to look at it from the perspective of the customers, but I can't think of anything. Maybe they'll feel less pain. But that is of little consolation when they're spending money on something that does hurt (whether you can handle the pain or not), leaves them with something that could be really stupid (due to picking it while drunk with friends), and it may not even heal properly because alcohol has thinned their blood and from poor treatment of the tattoo during the rest of the night.

In all honesty, I really don't know exactly what to think about it all. I know my instant reaction to this kind of thing isn't a happy one, but I do know there has to be other sides to it as well. I also know some people would argue that as long as everyone is happy then it really shouldn't matter. This is true. Problem is, there are going to be times (and I imagine more times than not) these people will look at their tattoos at some point and wonder why they got them.
I would like to point out here that I am aware this isn't the case every time - some people may pick out something they've always wanted while drunk, or just happen to find something they will also be happy with later, and everything pans out alright. I am more specifically referring to the types of things seen on 'My Tattoo Addiction'. But then, even from that programme, it could be that some or maybe a lot of the people shown will still be happy with their choices in years to come. I kind of find it hard to imagine though, but that could just simply be that I am biased because I know it's not the kind of thing I would do - we are all different though, after all.

Tattooed People Discussion

To start off I just want to say this isn't going to be one of those "Tattooed people should be accepted in society, etc" articles (although I firmly believe they/we should, but it's to be expected when coming from someone with tattoos).

Today I picked up the latest issue of Skin Deep Magazine, as I am one to do (and so should you - go get it now!), and found (editor) Sion Smith's opening article rather thought provoking. Sion mentions he was watching TV, and (in the fictional show) a character states to another that "...everybody's got a tattoo these days!" This reminded Sion of a statistic he had heard, claiming that one in 12 people in the UK are tattooed. This is where we get lead to the point of this post...

The aforementioned statistic spurs Mr. Smith on to ask the reader whether it is right to count people who have simply walked into a tattoo studio and picked some little design they think may look cool off the wall. He argues that these people, when put against others who travel around the world and spend huge amounts on a tattoo, are simply doing it for fashion. This is a point that I agree with, but I feel the argument doesn't fit the situation.

The context the discussion has been brought up in is that of a survey asking whether someone has been tattooed. Under this line of questioning, there is no arguing that these people must be included - no matter what the design or the reasons behind it, they have been tattooed. What Sion has brought up, though, is an interesting thought, and somewhat of a pet peeve of mine: Who can really claim to be tattoo enthusiasts?

I've known a few people, and seen a lot of people, who have just wanted something tattooed as more of a fashion accessory. Obviously they wouldn't put it this way, but it's true. I also know that some of these people would be likely to say how much love they have for tattoos, yet not have any knowledge or care about it as an artform. What's really sad is that there's sure to be some people with a small flash tattoo and/or a bit of off-the-wall tribal, of whom will think of others with a lot of ink to be "freaks", and may even be abusive towards them. But I digress.

I suppose (as with most things) it's all subjective, but I would consider a real fan of tattoos to be able to see them as art, be interested in the process, put thought into what they're getting, and care about the quality of the work they are getting. I even know a couple of people that don't have any tattoos and have no desire to get any, but I would consider to be real fans of tattoos (or at least more so than the type of people previously mentioned) - this being because they can appreciate the work and show genuine interest in learning the tattooing process.

Obviously, with what I've said above, I'm not trying to take anything away from Sion Smith's article (I thoroughly enjoyed it and the rest of the issue. I'm sure you are as well, now that you've bought a copy. Right?). I'm also not trying to say I know who is and who is not a true fan of tattooing - it is all subjective. I just thought it interesting to ponder. I'm sure there are one or two people who would claim I'm not a real fan, and there is no way I am trying to claim to be the biggest - I know better than that.

Manchester International Tattoo Show 2012

So this year I attended the Manchester International Tattoo Show as part of my birthday celebrations (and, obviously, because I have a great interest/love for tattoos). For the past couple of years I have attended the Tattoo Jam, but for some reason things changed this year and I found the convention in Manchester fell over my birthday (NOTE: I will still be attending Tattoo Jam later this year).

I will admit that I never really thought about attending the Manchester International Tattoo Show before this year. This isn't because I didn't think it would be enjoyable or anything like that, but because I only had the time and money available to attend one convention a year and so I picked the Tattoo Jam - A) it's the biggest UK tattoo convention, and B) it was falling over my birthday (killing two birds, and all that...). Now, enough about my reasons and more about the actual event...

One obvious aspect of tattoo conventions that I absolutely love is the chance to see such talented artists of the medium. It's something that can go without saying, but I love being able to watch these people work, see their portfolios, and (when they aren't busy) get to meet and chat with some of them. I make a point of collecting business cards of any artist/studio I get impressed by when looking through their portfolios and/or watching them work - this I do whether I already know them or have previously picked up their card somewhere else.
One thing that really stood out while doing this in Manchester was that there seemed to be a few there that didn't have portfolios, and quite a few artists had portfolios that were only filled with illustrations. I will admit that in the latter case they presented impressive artwork, but it wasn't showing their skill with tattooing (as there is an obvious difference between creating artwork with a pen/pencil on paper and with a tattoo gun on skin).
I won't go on to list every artist that impressed me at this convention (seeing as most did), but I will name a few in particular (obviously including links to their sites):
- Ste Cairns
- Richard Guy
- Billy 'The Bastard' Hay
- Aga Mlotkowska
- Ania Jalosinska
- Craigy Lee
- Shane Baker
- Johny D Matthews
- Lee Brown
- Emma Garrard
- Claire Hamill

For the most part, I felt the entertainment for this convention was well chosen. The musical stylings of Jemma Krysa and Sam Draisey provided a pleasant soundtrack while looking around. They were a bit of a contradiction though to the music played between acts, and more so to the music played for the dance acts - these being the only acts I can't really comment on because I don't really have an interest in it, and so didn't go to watch them perform.
Finally (not counting the awards) were the trapeze artists - these were the performers that did actually draw me away from the tattooist, and they were very impressive. I can, sadly, only give an opinion based on what I saw at this convention because I've never seen trapeze artists before, but their routines seemed very well choreographed and showed a lot of skill.

There were, as can be expected, trading stalls for patrons to browse and buy from. Obviously, I am not talking about the trade-only suppliers - however much I love the idea of being able to buy the equipment and become a tattooist, I hate the idea of 'scratchers' and would not want to become one. Most of the traders were either selling clothing or jewellery, and all of which I found myself attracted to. It was kind of a shame there weren't a few more to increase the variety a bit though. But then, as with the entertainment, it's not really what the convention is about.
One other thing I'd like to mention here is that at one of the tattooist's stalls they were selling comic books. I will be the first to admit that I am a geek, and upon seeing them I did search through and make a purchase. I bring this up because I think (and I may be a bit bias here) that a comic retailer would go down rather well at these conventions. At the end of the day it is another form of art, and I've noticed over the years there have been an increase in comic related tattoos (of course this could be more to do with the success of comic book film adaptions such as X-men and Batman). Either way, it's just an thought.

With everything I've mentioned above, the highlight of the weekend for me was on the Sunday, when I was able to get a new tattoo on my birthday. On Saturday, while looking around, my girlfriend and I noticed there was one stall with a little bit of decoration but remained un-manned for the whole day. We later thought to check out what the decoration/posters were advertising. It turned out that Tattoo UK would be setting up shop there the following day and would be offering to do tattoos in exchange for donations for Children With Cancer. With us both being people of whom constantly crave new tattoos, it being my birthday, and always happy to be helping a charity, we decided to show up first thing the next day and attempt to get signed up for some new ink.
Now, to pause for a second, I actually have plans for tattoos that I want that will collectively cover most of my body, and with being a fan of so many tattooists I came to decision (at some point) that I would dedicate my left leg to being a 'collection' area so that, over time, I could attempt to get some work by as many of my favorite artists as possible. This idea went into practice last year when I had the opportunity to get a tattoo by Rose Elizabeth and become a member of The Cupcake Club - a group that do cupcake tattoos in exchange for donations towards the Help For Heroes charity. For this, I decided to get the Count Cupcake design, as drawn by Marcus from the daily online comic: Brainless Tales.
Jumping back to the present, it actually turned out that we would some of the last people to get inked at the Tattoo UK stall that day. Both of us decided to go for tattoos of swallows - I went for a more realistic design in black-and-grey (as seen below), while my other half went for a brightly coloured, traditional design. The guys were really run off their feet that day, and I greatly appreciate the help and patience Kathy showed us in organising our appointment and drawing up our stencils. Also, I absolutely love the work Klarysa did with our tattoos - they came out far better than we had envisioned, and I really hope we get to catch up with her again at the Tattoo Jam.

To close, I would like to say that I'm aware that I may have sounded somewhat disappointed about some things at the Manchester International Tattoo Show - this really hasn't been my intention. I absolutely loved every minute of the event, whether watching someone creating an amazing tattoo or just relaxing on a bean bag (NOTE: Every convention should have a resting area with giant bean-bags!). I plan to return next year, but until then I shall be waiting excitedly for the Tattoo Jam in October. Hope to see all you tattoo enthusiasts there!

Welcome to my World!

Greetings one and all!

Firstly, I should give a bit of information about myself. I am an amateur sound designer, currently attempting to get my foot in the door to work with films and games. I have had the good fortune to be involved in a couple of small film projects (e.g. Wind-up World Films's Men Can't Make Beds), and some independent game developments (e.g. 4th Wall Games's Droggon Attack). Also, over the past few months I found myself to have become a member of the independent game development team: Lost Key Games, of whom met and collaborate over the Internet from multiple countries. We recently released our first game: Cubey, of which can be purchased from Desura.

Secondly, this blog isn't really aimed to give updates about the things mentioned above - I already have a blog that is dedicated to the sound work I do, which can be found here. The point of this blog is simply to act as a way for me to talk about other elements of my life, though nothing too personal. For example, in a few weeks I will be attending the Manchester International Tattoo Show, and I can imagine this will be something I would like to discuss and share my experiences of. I love tattoos and the art of tattooing. I am currently the proud owner of 5 tattoos, and have plans for what I would like to get to cover about half of my body. Also, I have so far attended the Tattoo Jam convention the past two years (with plans to be there this year as well), and I'm hoping the Manchester convention will be an equally enjoyable event.

I do hope that people will find my mindless ramblings to be of some interest. I encourage anyone to leave comments or get in touch if you'd like to ask any questions, etc.

Here's to whatever is to be posted next!