Ana-Work
skin&paper
ana-work.tumblr.com
contact.anawork@gmail.com
All images ©Ana-Work
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Ana-Work, tattoo artist
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Joanna Świrska, tattoo artist
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Peco, Wolf Town Tattoo Parlor | Interview
Peco
Bratislava, Slovakia
info@wolftown.eu
Hello! Who are you and where you’re from?
Hi, I am Peco. I am living in Bratislava, Slovakia.
Where are you tattooing at the moment?
I am working at the best tattoo shop ever called Wolf Town tattoo. If you haven`t heard about us yet, you will be soon.
How did you end up being a tattooist?
It was a long road. I finished my studies at university. I was studying Railway transportation haha. Then I had few “serious” office jobs until I got the opportunity to step into the tattooing business. I was always active in hardcore and punk scene in Slovakia and tattoos were always around. I think everything started there.
How long have you been doing this?
Three years. I am still a newbie.
How would you describe your tattooing style?
I do mostly dot-work and black-work designs. I love doing simple and dark designs with some idea in it. Black is my favorite color, but sometimes I cheat on it with the other colors. I am in a phase “darker is better” right now. 
(Couldn’t agree more! I’m in that phase since birth ♥)
What’s the one thing you really want to tattoo but haven’t yet?
I love to do tattoos based on old fairy tales, legends and stories. There are still plenty of them I want to do.
What types of tattoos will you not do?
All nazi or racist ideology inspired motives. And I don`t like to do mandalas haha.
What’s your favorite area on the body to ink?
Probably the thigh. It is nice, big and almost flat surface and it isn’t such a painful area for the clients.
Favorite tattoo artist / mentor.
This is a tricky question. Everyday I find a new work, which inspires me. I am trying to travel and learn as much as possible. First guy who taught me how to tattoo was Stoty from Slovakia. Awesome guy and tattoo artist. And my biggest supporters and mentors are guys from my tattoo shop. I would never achieve so many things in my life and career without them.
What kind of machine do you use / prefer?
Now I am using Cheyenne thunder. It is so easy and comfortable to work with this machine and it`s great for traveling. I started with coil machines, but I was always fighting with them. I am thinking to go for a Cheyenne Pen soon or maybe try something else like FK Irons. I like the cartridge system. I work faster and cleaner thanks to it.
What’s the best tattoo aftercare in your opinion?
Clean it, dry it, put a lotion on it and cover it with foil again. Keep doing this three times per day for a few days and then continue the procedure without using a foil. It can change based on the tattoo design. But for some people, other procedures could work better. Just keep it clean.
Why do you think tattoos have started to be such a big trend nowadays, opposed to the stigma they have gotten back in the day?
I think there were better and worse times in tattoo history. I don`t think there is one right answer to this question.
Do you think it’s important to have a background in art before you start tattooing?
Everybody has some background in art since childhood. The rest depends on how we will use our talent. I don’t think you need to finish an art school to start tattooing, but it can be very helpful.
Do you think it’s important, as a tattooist to do only original and unique work?
Yes, of course. It`s question of ethic and morality for me. (♥!)
How has being a tattooist change your life?
Completely. I was an office nerd during the week and punk kid during the weekends before I started tattooing. Now I can be full-time punk haha.
What’s one of the secrets to becoming a successful artist in the tattoo industry?
There is no secret. It is the same as with everything. It can’t be just your hobby or half-time job. It must be the main thing in your everyday life. Sometimes you can even be a lazy artist, but most of the time you have to focus only on drawing tattoos, studying tattoos, re-drawing tattoos and tattooing. Then you will come home and you will spend rest of your day checking other tattoo artists work until you fall asleep. What a sweet life I have. I just love it.
Thank you for the awesome answers, Peco!
All images © Peco / Wolftown
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DŻO LAMA, tattoo artist
Joanna Świrska aka DŻO LAMA
Painter, tattoo artist, traveler, prospector
wroclaw/warsaw/cracow/Germany/Scotland/Poland
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Jota, tattoo artist
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KRISTI WALLS, tattoo artist
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A modern revival of the barbershop in Kiev, Ukraine
We are happy to see a true revival of the old style barber shops. While 50 years ago men used to go to their local barber on a weekly basis, the new barber shop tends to speak more to the modern man, the one interested in fashion and high style.
This is why we are facing a rediscovering of the manly places, which are now resurrected in different ways. The Barboss Barbershop in Kiev is one of these places that brings together the old and new both in decoration and services. They offer services like grooming, shaving, haircuts, styling and something more for a barber shop: tattoos.
Designed by Workshop Dmitriy Grynevich, the space brings together the elements of a hair salon and a tattoo salon in contrasting colors that manage to give cohesion to the entire place.
One corner of the salon is dedicated to trimming beards and grooming hair and another to tattoos. Even though the tattoo salon is separated by the rest of the place through a glass cube, it still integrates in the salon atmosphere.
Unique furniture pieces spruce up the salon and give a modern vibe. Tree stumps are painted in black and yellow and used as tables, black and yellow director chair for waiting customers, all up against a gray concrete floor.
All the décor is built focusing on contrasting colors: yellow black and green that are mixed in with the industrial gray of the walls, ceiling and floor.
Scroll down for inspiration:
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JACA, tattoo artist
Jaca
Traditional tattooist
Toulouse, France
jacatattoo1@gmail.com
All images © Jaca
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MxM, tattoo artist
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Best of 2015 | TATTOO
The year is almost over and we decided to make a Top 10 tattoo artists of 2015 to remind ourselves and you about the awesome tattoo artists we had on the site this past year, regardless if they were up-and-comers or not.
This top is not intended to be a ranking order in any way.
To view last year’s top 10 click here.
Top 10 Tattoo Artists 2014 | The VandalList
MxM Tattoo – Maxime Buchi – Sang Bleu London
Emily Rose Murray, tattoo artist
Private studio, Melbourne AUS.
Alexander Grim, tattoo artist
ST. Petersburg, Russia
Sasha Masiuk, tattoo artist
Tattooer. Traveller. St.Petersburg, Russia
Anki Michler, tattoo artist
Hamburg – Tattoo Freestyle
Joanna Świrska
Wroclaw/Warsaw/Krakow/Germany/Scotland/Poland
Ana-Work
skin&paper
Peco
Bratislava, Slovakia
Inez Janiak
Lodz, Poland
Bumpkin Tattoo art/tattoo studio
Veľké Kostoľany, Slovakia
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Jen Tonic, tattoo artist
Jen Tonic
Inkers Paradise | Stuttgart | Germany
Jen@inkers-paradise.com
All Images & Design © Jen Tonic
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Pengi, tattoo artist
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Alex Petcu, tattoo artist
Alex Petcu, Black Ink, Romania
- Hey Alex! Where are you from?
Hey there! I am from Romania, Voluntari.
- Where do you work at the moment?
I work at Black ink, Bucharest.
- When were you first interested in tattoos? /How did you end up being a tattoo artist?
First time I got interested in tattoos.. well it’s been such a long time I cannot recall exactly. I didn’t always want to be a tattoo artist, actually it was my decision after I finished Architecture studies at the University in Bucharest.
4.How long have you been doing this?
Tattooing was my main focus for the past 7 years, but my first tattoo was 14 years ago.
- What do tattoos mean to you?
Tattoos are a collaborative process between me and the people I work with.
- How has being a tattooist change your life?
It gave me the chance to live and struggle with drawing and to submerge into my creative self.
- How would you describe your style?
Can’t really define it, but I would say the collaborative process is a main feature.
- What’s your artistic creation process?
Trying to meet and get to know “the collector” and then the personal struggle with myself and my life.
- Do you think it’s important as a tattooist to do only original and unique work?
As a tattooist it’s not that important, as a tattoo artist it is important to express yourself.
10. What was your first tattoo?
An Aztec mask on a good friend.
11. Who are your favorite fellow tattoo artists / mentors?
In the last period of my life I started to see and appreciate the work behind everything rather than follow some artists. Still looking for mentors, I have so much to ask.
12. What type of tattoo will you not do?
I will not do work that doesn’t get my full attention and interest.
13. What’s the best tattoo aftercare in your opinion?
Love and attention.
14. Why do you think tattoos have started to be such a big trend nowadays, opposed to the stigma they have gotten back in the day?
Tattoos are such a big trend now because of money and the illusion of a better life.
Thank you, Alex!
All Images & Design © Alex Petcu
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Chisato Chavo, tattoo artist
Chisato Chavo,
On The Road, From Tokyo Japan
chavoxchavox@gmail.com
All Images & Design © Chisato Chavo
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Julian Hets, tattoo artist
Julian Hets
Tigerstyle
Hamburg – Germany
Website: www.julian-hets-tattoo.de
All Images & Design © Julian Hets
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NADi, tattoo artist
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Haunted Hands, tattoo artist
Haunted Hands
by Lisa Cardenas
Tucson, AZ.
All Images & Design © Haunted Hands
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Caroline Friedmann, tattoo artist
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Phil Wilkinson, tattoo artist
Phil Wilkinson
Manchester, UK.
All Images & Design © Phil Wilkinson
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Caro Wilson Tattoo | Interview
I loved Caro‘s work since I first saw it and I was extremely happy that I got the chance to talk with her a bit and (to no surprise) find out what an amazing human being she is. Here are a few things that I got to ask her and her future guest spot dates & places: (By the way, she is definitely in my Top 3 Tattoo Artists to Get Tattooed By asap ♥)
Tigerstyle Tattooing in Hamburg, Germany 22.-27. feb
MUbodyarts in Dijon,France 7-12. march
Deuil Merveilleux in Bruxelles, Belgium 15-19. march
1. Where are you from?
Currently I live in Berlin, Germany.
2. Where do you work at the moment?
In Berlin, I regularly work at Toe Loop Tattooing. I also regularly guest at Deuil Merveilleux in Brussels and at Tigerstyle Tattooing in Hamburg, and I will work at MU body arts in Dijon for the first time in March 2016, which I am very excited about.
3. How did you end up being a tattoo artist?
I fell in love with a tattooist and he asked me to tattoo him and everything started there. Some friends asked me to tattoo them afterwards, which I thought was crazy of them. But I was so intrigued by the impenetrable intimacy that each tattoo creates and I basically wanted this link to people, so I did it.
4. How long have you been doing this?
My first tattoo I did in 2007 and once I finished my studies in 2009 I pursued my apprenticeship seriously.
5. What do tattoos mean to you?
Tattoos can be completely absurd and dead serious – and everything in between. I think what I value most is that it makes me ask myself questions which push me to become more authentic. I see tattoos as a tool for transformation, whether on the inside or the outside.
6. How has being a tattooist changed your life?
In some way I feel like tattooing has come to me to fulfill the wishes I had towards life but didn’t know how to realize. It has given me a craft. And the possibility to meet and take care of people and touch their most intimate. I was always scared that I could choose a profession that ultimately might not make sense in this world. Although tattooing might be absurd, it is the
only thing that to me makes sense of the world.
7. How would you describe your style?
I do graphic and mostly abstract blackwork. Sometimes bold, sometimes minimal, sometimes organically textured, but always approaching the body as a three-dimensional surface in movement.
8. What’s your artistic creation process?
The whole process is based on dialogue, I want the people who I tattoo to be involved as equals so they can really own their tattoos. We meet at my house and I discuss the project over coffee and then I design directly on the body with felt-tips.I ask that they take the time to reflect for at least one night and depending on the outcome, we either meet again for another design session (and another one, and another one..if necessary) or we make an appointment to tattoo.
9. Do you think it’s important as a tattooist to do only original and unique work?
I think it is boring to copy somebody else’s or my own work, but in the course of history tattooing relied a great deal on reiterating the same signs over and over again. But no matter what the design is I believe that every tattoo is original and unique through the person wearing it.
10. What was your first tattoo?
Three dots in a triangle shape on each side of my ankle, which I now also wear on the top of every finger. It is inspired by an artist who worked in my hometown when I was a teenager. They worked a lot around the sign for visual impairment – three black dots on yellow ground – and they would often put the phrase “are you blind, too?” somewhere on their artwork. I really liked this question because it is not blaming everybody else for being blind, but questioning one’s own blindness. I can be quite a know-it-all and it reminds me to stay humble and challenge my own beliefs and convictions.
11. Who are your favorite fellow tattoo artists?
I generally like people who have a distinct style and also a certain conceptual approach. I love how Amanda Wachob develops art-pieces with and around tattooing that are actually relevant artistically. Colin Dale inspired me a lot with his research into ancient tools and techniques like skin-sewing. Also I feel very close to Touka Voodoo, Clare Deen and Noel’le Longhaul because I think we have a similar approach to the transformative power of body modification and the personal bound to the people we tattoo. I love anything heavy black and stuff that ignores boundaries on the body.
12. What type of tattoo will you not do?
By principle I will not tattoo any racist, fascist, sexist and other hateful symbols. Also, if you need a last-minute tattoo, I am not really the person to go to.
13. What’s the best tattoo aftercare in your opinion?
It depends on what you get. But always wash your hands before you touch it!
Thank you Caro! Much love! ♥
Caro’s Instagram
Caro’s Facebook
carowilsontattoo@gmail.com
All Images & Design © Caro Wilson
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