MY STYLE:

In interviews I often get asked what style I tattoo in and still don’t know how best to describe it!

I started tattooing at a time when all tattooers had to be good all rounders; doing any design people would ask for. We obviously had our preferences and hopefully we got to do some of those tattoos regularly, but we still enjoyed doing a variety of work. I have developed through various styles over the 20+ years I have been tattooing. I think there are elements of those still visible in my style today. I went through the new-school movement and was at the forefront of the realism movement in the UK for a number of years. I really felt as I watched the realism work age in my clients skin that it was missing some strength, especially when looking at it on the scale of the whole body and it took me a number of years to tie all the loose ends together and develop the tattoo style I have today.

I love nature based tattoos, and even nature based with a mythical twist. I also have a huge passion for Japanese tattoos. I have visited Japan several times and always find it incredibly inspiring and intriguing. I feel that when it comes to how well any particular style of tattooing fits on the body, the Japanese have cracked it! The strength, flow and structure of a Japanese bodysuit can’t be beaten in my mind. So they are all the influences that have come to my style of tattooing. I feel the Japanese influence gives it enough strength to hold up when viewing the whole body from a distance, with a flow that compliments and fits the body. The realism influence gives the tattoo enough delicacy to be viewed closely and complexity of colour that I love. The new-school element is still visible in my choice of lining which is another way of adding strength and depth to a tattoo. It took many years to develop this system and I am really happy with how it fits and lasts on the body.

And most importantly it allows that structure and style to permeate all subject matters that my clients throw at me. It keeps me constantly inspired, challenged and intrigued by my clients amazing ideas. Allowing my clients personality to shine through, not my design personality overpowering theirs. This is really important to my body of work and the connection I have with my clients.

So, how would you describe my work? Client led, nature based, Japanese influenced, bespoke freehand tattooing! A bit of a mouthful!

YOUR IDEAS:

I LOVE your ideas and references. I want to know the thoughts behind your tattoo and any possible future plans for other work. It all helps me to get a bigger picture of you, what you are about and how you see your body. Most importantly your tattoo should represent YOU, so the better I can get to know you, the better the tattoo will be. I’m a visual person so it really helps me to have some pictures to work from, anything you like. Maybe your tattoo is to represent you family, children, favorite band, travel adventure, poems, religion or inspired by an artist! Anything goes!  I will use what you show me as inspiration but I won’t copy a design exactly. This is for my own artistic integrity, out of respect to the other artist and client, but also if you have found the design online then so will other people! It’s useful to send me pictures of any existing tattoos around the area we are working next to. And if it’s a cover-up or scar cover-up, these photos are very useful. If you don’t know what you want, don’t worry! I am very good at getting to the bottom of what you like and don’t like. I will tease it out of you, it’s in there somewhere and we will find it and come up with the best design together!

Something that is essential to all the tattoos I do is that it will work if it is extended. The scale of the piece and the design flow options have to be right. Eg: if you want a lower leg sleeve then the layout and scale has to work in case you decide to have a full leg sleeve, a backpiece, foot, even a bodysuit! It’s important that the piece works as a stand alone tattoo, but can be extended seamlessly. If I don’t do that I am doing my clients a disservice. Many people don’t stop at one tattoo and I don’t want make it clumsy when extending. That’s why, if we can tackle each tattoo in as big a section as possible it gives the best results. So rather than trying to finish one piece then add the next one, we would be better to plan the whole piece then work through it in stages. That’s also why it’s important if you have plans for other work to let me know, it may be that we can have better tie-ins and flow-throughs if this is planned in advance. Or even the merging of some ideas to make a better and more cohesive tattoo.

THE DESIGN:

Firstly it’s important to know that I freehand all my work. I do this because it is truly the best way to get the design to fit and flow around the body. Also rather than you telling me your ideas and me drawing when your not present, we get to work on the design together until we are both happy with it. Ideas often come from this process that wouldn’t have been possible if I was designing the tattoo alone. It’s more of a collaborative process, I LOVE that and so do my clients. I feel that it is essential for you to be involved in that stage of your tattoo.

Anyone who has been tattooed by me will know that I design the piece in a particular order. I figure out the size, shape and flow of the piece. Then the areas for the main focal points, adding in smaller details and background later. I use different coloured pens to help me with this; yellow, orange, red sharpie, then blue pen to get the final lines. There will be backwards and forwards to the mirror to check how the design is going, sometimes drawing standing and sometimes sitting or lying down. This takes time, but can’t be rushed. Often all the drawing and lining can be done on the first sesssion. But if the tattoo is very large, then the main focal points are completed in the first session, the lesser details and background are added later. Or we may draw on day one and line on day two, especially for clients flying in who want to get the most tattooing done in each trip. If you would like more info on how to be tattooed over multiple days, email Victoria at the email address below.

THE TATTOO:

I design in an orderly fashion, and I tattoo in an orderly fashion. Firstly the lining, the shading, then colour. And even the colours have an order! This is so that as we go session by session, especially on larger pieces, the aging process works with the design of the tattoo. If we colour the background first, it has time to soften and age a little by the time we get to coloring the focal points. Many people get excited to colour the focal points in first. If we do that, they will soften as the sessions go on and if we do the background last, that will appear crisper, sharper and brighter. The aging process works against the look we want for your tattoo. There’s a method to my madness!

You may like to visit pain free tattooing to prepare for your tattoo session.

How long your tattoo will take is very often impossible to guess. There are so many variables, many of which are out of my control that make a huge difference by the end of the tattoo. Things such as how big the tattoo is on one persons body compared to another, one persons arm could be similar to another’s leg! Details in the tattoo, how well the client sits, how well they heal, how well the ink goes in varies a lot from person to person and they all make a difference. Enjoy the journey. Appreciate each session with the challenges and changes it brings.

Thanks for looking and hopefully I’ll see some of you soon for your own bespoke tattoo!

If you would like more information on how to book, please don’t hesitate to contact my PA Victoria (info@UN1TY.tattoo)

If you are interested in the scar cover-up work I do you can find more information in this blog healing past wounds, covering scars successfully with tattoos.

All the best, Jo x