How long have you been doing this work?
I have been tattooing for four years now.

Amanda Ruby, article and photo gallery in Tattoo.1 Tribal #67

Look at Amanda Ruby’s tattoos, visit the tattoo gallery

[ This interview was collected on February 2012 – Ed. ]

Who taught you?
I did an apprenticeship at Squidink Tattoo under the guidance of Robin Reeve-Jones, although I think you teach yourself as everyone tattoos differently!

Are there any tattoo artists that you consider as your mentors or major influences on your career?
Not really, I’ve just admired many artists from afar but none have particularly influenced my work.

What was the first tattoo you ever did?
The first tattoo I did was a butterfly on a friend of mine. I still see her and the tattoo still looks fine!

And what was the first that you got on your own skin?
My first tattoo was actually a colour butterfly too! It’s now covered up as it was 20 years old and didn’t look good.

What inspires your art?
I love Tibetan art, Victorian art and just beautiful shapes I see in anything.

How much does the person getting the tattoo influence your creation?
People tend to let me do my own style.
They give me an idea eg. a skull, but just say ‘Do what you want with it’ so let me do my own creation. People come to me for what i do so thats what they get!

How important are the colours and machines in the creation of a tattoo?
I don’t use colour much as I prefer black and grey.
My machines have different uses, some are harder hitting, some softer, so depends on the design, detail etc. as to which machine i’ll use.

Can you briefly describe your technique?
I like to combine realism with pattern work so hopefully produce something unusual.
I use smaller needles, long tapered with fine pins, they work for my style.

What do you like best about your job?
I love creating the design then seeing it come to life on the skin, it takes time and patience but it’s worth the end result!

What are you working on at the moment?
I’m booked up for 10 months so have lot’s to work on.
I’m doing a convention this weekend so it’s a skull and a Geisha I’m working on at the moment!

What is your philosophy?
You need to work at what you do to succeed, things don’t just come to you, if you put the work in you will see the rewards in time!

AMANDA RUBY
@ Squidink Tattoo
Folkestone, Kent (England)
official website: www.amandaruby.com

Amanda Ruby is a British artist who is constantly evolving.
After serving her apprenticeship at Squidink Tattoo, Amanda made a successful debut on the Black and Grey tattoo scene. In her own words: «You need to work at what you do to succeed, things don’t just come to you, if you put the work in you will see the rewards in time!». Her passion for Tibetan and Victorian art leads her to look for new combinations and compositions. She skilfully blends dotwork and pattern work and the result is magical tattoos, which let her strong personality and spirituality shine through. Looking at her work, you cannot help but compare it to a mandala design. Amanda says: «I like to combine realism with pattern work so hopefully produce something unusual. I love creating the design then seeing it come to life on the skin, it takes time and patience but it’s worth the end result!».

Read the whole interview with Amanda Ruby Tattoo Artist

How long have you been doing this job?
It’s about twenty years since I first picked up a tattoo machine.

Michele Turco, article and photo gallery in Tattoo.1 Tribal #66

Go to Michele Turco tattoo photo gallery

Who taught you?
Everything I’ve ever learnt about this art form is the result of hard work and a whole lot of passion.
I’ve never taken lessons from anyone else, so you could say I’m self-taught.
In fact many people are surprised when I explain that I actually use SKIN as my canvas.
When I’m preparing the images I make use of computers and the photographic technology we have available today.
It’s essential to start with a great photograph if you’re going to create a realistic tattoo!
After that, the work starts to come to life on the skin itself, I don’t usually make up sketches on paper.

Are there any tattoo artists that you consider as your mentors or major influences on your career?
The tattoo world is constantly moving forward.
There are definitely lots of very skilled artists already on the scene, and there are many more up and coming artists who look really promising.
It’s still important to find inspiration in every little detail, which is something that can help us to develop.

What was the first tattoo you ever did?
My very first tattoo was a Libra star sign symbol, which I did on a friend of mine.

And what was the first that you got on your own skin?
A little elf on my calf, which I later got covered up.

What inspires your art?
Personally speaking, I see tattoos as Life and Heart.
My task is to convey people’s emotions on their skin… so that every time they look at their tattoo, they can relive that particular moment of their life.
Every single person is unique and so they all deserve a work of art that has been designed especially for them.
So I think I can say that what I try to do every day is translate words and feelings into images.

How much does the person getting the tattoo influence your creation?
When a client comes into my studio to get a tattoo, we spend a lot of time looking for images to focus our ideas on what the client has in mind.
It’s quite a long, hard process, because we’re not always able to explain to someone else what we want to get and how we want it to look!
So you have to decode that idea and find some basic images to refer to.
Once I’ve got an idea of the subject, and the various emotions behind a particular piece, that’s when the creative process starts for me.
Obviously my job is to advise the client which parts of the body are best for their tattoo, as well as the size or adjustments that have to be made to achieve the best possible effect on the body. So I’d have to say that the clients undoubtedly influence my creations, but they also give me plenty of room to express my art, which is ideal.

How important are the colours and machines in the creation of a tattoo?
The colours are fundamental when you’re producing a tattoo, as is the choice of the machines according to the type of work you’re carrying out.
In fact, so far I’ve designed my own machines, which I’ve built myself to include all the features I find essential:
- Power Liner Tattoo Machines for the outlines
- Big Magnum Tattoo Machines for the colouring
- Cut Back Shader Tattoo Machines for the shading.

Can you briefly describe your technique?
My technique is the result of a great deal of research and knowledge about the area of skin to be tattooed, which I’ve acquired through experience over the years.
These days many artists think they’re working on a canvas and they sometimes forget that it is still somebody’s skin. So it’s important to remember that everybody’s skin is different and consequently every tattoo has to be tackled according to the type of skin, using the appropriate machine setting.
To create a realistic tattoo I tend to use the machines as if they were “paintbrushes” in some areas, or “airbrushes” in others, in that way I can distribute the colours as I tattoo, overlapping them as much as possible, to create a tone on tone effect, which is how you get highlights, depth and so on.
In other words, what we call a three dimensional effect.

The larger the area to be tattooed, the more closely you have to study the position and choice of subjects, as if it were a story, which has to be easy to read and understand. Clients often have some great ideas but they find it hard to fit the various pieces of the puzzle together.
I really like that part of the creative process, when the client and I reflect on the best way to recreate a specific story.
What do you like best about your job?
Without a doubt the biggest reward I get in my job is the smile of a satisfied client when they see their finished tattoo.
It’s that split second when they look in the mirror and you see how happy they are to have achieved that dream.

What are you working on at the moment?
For a while now I’ve been working on a special project involving LEAVES.
As some of you know, every leaf or flower has its own special meaning: love, friendship, happiness or sadness, and so on.
So I have suggested that my clients choose a flower or a leaf to express whatever emotion or feeling they had in mind.
Obviously, not everybody wants a floral motif as part of their tattoo but it is quite common for little details to be added while you’re working on a piece, from one session to another, in each case representing particular feelings that come up.
At the moment I’m working on a lot of large tattoos, pieces that take several hours to complete, which is why I haven’t posted many photos in the last few months… but you’ll soon see an exclusive gallery dedicated to this project!

What is your philosophy?
I believe my philosophy is not to get stuck in a rut but to carry on growing day after day.
You never know all there is to know, you have to keep on learning… I don’t think you ever stop learning!
It’s no consequence that the name of our studio means “One thing leads to another” (Da Cosa Nasce Cosa)!!

Michele Turco – Da cosa nasce cosa
Cittadella 34, 29121 Piacenza (Italy)
+39 0523 305302; +39 338 5220157
www.tattoodacosanascecosa.it

“Da cosa nasce cosa” is the name of the studio di Michele Turco’s tattoo studio, where this self-taught Italian tattoo artist has made the profession his life. Together with his wife Chiara Manzini, who is also a tattoo artist, and his colleagues and friends, he creates a friendly atmosphere to welcome people who have taken the major step towards expressing themselves with a piece of tattoo art.

It is as a result of this relaxed atmosphere that Michele can establish a special rapport with his clients, he becomes almost a confidant or counsellor as he operates the machine is his informal way. Michele tells us: «My job is to transfer people’s emotions onto their skin… so every time they look at their tattoo, they can relive that moment in their life. Every single person is unique and deserves to have a tattoo that has been designed especially for them. What I do every day is translate words and sensations into images.»

He works in the realistic style with an amazingly skilled hand, and pays particular attention to his equipment. «The colours are fundamental, as is the choice of the machines depending on the work you have to do. These days a lot of artists think they are working on a canvas, forgetting sometimes that what we have before us is still skin. It is important to remember that everyone’s skin is different and every tattoo has to be carried out using the appropriate machine settings». After years of experience, Michele has designed his own line of machines and coil – Power Liner, Big Magnum and Cut Back Shader – and also distributes Dino Casarin’s Rotary Tattoo Machines.

Read the whole interview with Michele Turco Tattoo Artist

At the Nevada Johnny tattoo studio in Berlin we found the artist Jessica Mach, a new talent who has only been expressing her creativity through a tattoo machine for three years now.
Her work looks like a patchwork, cleverly combining differently sized subjects to obtain a harmonious, lively, colourful effect.
Jessica: «The most mentionable thing about my technique is the way I do the design. I use all the materials I find in my workroom; all kind of pencils, brushes, spray cans, paper clippings, my computer, my own photographs, even the rest of the coffee in my cup. The picture grows in the process, most of the time I don’t have a complete picture in my head beforehand. After this procedure I only “copy” myself by doing the design again on someone’s skin. I learned to draw in a tattoo-able way, so most of the time I think already how I will tattoo the piece when I do the flash.»

A self-taught tattoo artist, Jessica captures her passions in her work. Everything around her can become a source of inspiration. She loves nature and animals, she likes to observe and listen: «I want the customer to work his head a little bit for something that will always be a visual part of himself. So I try to figure out the character of the person, his feelings he wants to put in the tattoo.»

Read the whole interview with Jessica Mach

Find Jessica Mach tattoos, visit the tattoo gallery

How long have you been doing this work?
I started tattooing about three years ago.
I have my own shop in Berlin now, together with Peter Aurisch. The name of the shop is Nevada Johnny.

Who taught you?
I learned mostly by myself.

Are there any tattoo artists that you consider as your mentors or major influences?
There are a lot of great tattoo artists all over the world, but it’s important to create your own style and take ideas from everything around you instead of copying other colleagues.
You can learn a lot by watching other tattooists while they work – that improves your own technical skills. That’s why I had a great time working at AKA Berlin as a resident for two years.

I got to know a lot of individual tattoo artists from all over the world, everybody with his unique special style and way of tattooing. Having a big network in the world of skin art is the best way not to get stuck at just one level, it’s the best to reach a higher and higher level.
And also for getting invited to great tattoo shops in other countries, where you can tattoo very different customers too. By the way, customers can also teach you a lot

The most important thing is to keep alive some old and basic rules for creating works on skin, so they stay pretty for a long time. For example a good and balanced contrast with bright and dark colours or using a bold outline for the most important parts of the picture is what I find necessary.

What inspires your art?
There is at first my love for all that is given by mother nature, I mean all the animals on the planet with all the art in their ways of living. Everything that grows out of the ground, the weather… And another point is the way you look at things when you go out for a walk in the city where you live.
Living in Berlin is sometimes more than inspiring. All the interesting people, buildings, street art, the whole feeling makes my brain create ideas nearly by itself.

Can you briefly describe your technique?
The most mentionable thing about my technique is the way I do the design I think. It can arise in many different ways. I use all the materials I find in my workroom; all kind of pencils, brushes, spraycans, scraps of paper, my computer, my own photographs, even the rest of the coffee in my cup.
The picture grows in the process, most of the time I don’t have a complete picture in my head before. I always try not to stop myself by thinking too much about what I do, I do it intuitively. Like others maybe love to work with the science of machines, building them or using only special stuff, I have my passion totally in the creation process.

What relationship is there between your art of painting and tattooing?
After this procedure I only ‘copy’ myself by doing the design again on someone’s skin. I can totally concentrate on the handcraft of tattooing. I learned to draw in a tattooable way, so most of the time I think already how I will tattoo the piece when I do the flash. I can use the needle like a brush or a thin pen
I want parts of the tattoo to look like I worked directly on the skin without preparing anything.

How much does the person who asks for the tattoo influence your creation?
A lot, in most cases. I want the customer to work his head a little bit for something that will always be visual part of himself. So I try to figure out the character of the person, the feelings they want to put into the tattoo. One customer has a story to tell or a personal background, another one just wants to get a nice piece of art. I like both kinds of reason.

What was the first tattoo you created?
It was a panther’s head on my father’s upper arm.

And what was the first that you got on your own skin?
I was 14 years old and I got one of those ugly baby-devil-designs from the 80s

What are you working on now?
Currently I’ve started to cooperate with Peter Aurisch, we do designs together and tattoo them also together on the same customer. We had a lot of emails, where people wrote us that they would love to get a tattoo done created by both of us. We thought it was a good idea

What is your philosophy?
Not all the tattoos you get in your life will you love forever, as much as you did in the moment you got them done. But tattoos have a special talent; tattoos are like scars, they remind us, that the past was once reality

Jessica Mach – Nevada Johnny
Berlin (Germany)
www.machenschaften.com

March 30, 31 and April 1, 2012
location: Messe-Frankfurt (Fair Grounds)
Hall 5.0, Frankfurt (Germany)
info: www.convention-frankfurt.de

One of the best tattoo conventions ever!
The success story of Europe’s largest tattoo convention continues in 2012.
March 30 and 31, and April 1 will be the three fantastic days of the 20th International Tattoo Convention held in Frankfurt, Germany.

Every year this historic German event attracts a host of international Tattoo Artists including some of the best Ink Masters from around the globe, from famous and world-renowned artists to fresh new talents.
At Frankfurt 2012 you can find over 700 tattoo artists and our very own Tattoo Idea stand. If you’re planning a visit, come and say hello!

INFORMATION
Information hotline for visitors and ticket reservations:
+49 (0) 160 9242 89 68 or info@convention-frankfurt.de
www.convention-frankfurt.de

OPENING TIMES
• Friday, March 30 – from 3 pm to 10 pm
• Saturday, March 31 – from 12 noon to 10 pm
• Sunday, April 1 – from 12 noon to 7 pm

TICKETS
• Admission: €20 per day
(Incl. €1 per ticket for the Bears Heart Foundation in Wiesbaden)
• Free admission for children under the age of 12 and disabled visitors

To avoid disappointment, and because of the high demand for appointments with the numerous artists, the organizers recommend that you arrange a date and time for your tattoo work directly with the tattoo artists (all contacts on Frankfurt’s official website).

However, the 20th Frankfurt International Tattoo Convention 2012 has a huge number of excellent tattoo artists – that’s why the organization is sure that you will find your ‘own’ artist, who will be happy to grant your wish with a great piece of art.
So come on over to Frankfurt 2012 and get your tattoo!

For the updated list of tattoo artists, artists’ contact details and more information visit the official website of the 20th Frankfurt International Tattoo Convention 2012:
www.convention-frankfurt.de

Location: Ergife Palace Hotel – Rome (Italy)

info: www.tattooexporoma.com

This year come and visit one of the most longed-for tattoo convention all over the world: 13th Roma International Tattoo Expo from 4th to 6th May 2012 at Ergife Palace Hotel – Via Aurelia 619, Rome, Italy.

Don’t miss the chance to meet lots of tattoo artists coming from all over Italy and the World willing to share with you their creations, such as Low Rider Tattoo and Rock of Age from America, Master Horiyoshi from Japan, Frith Street Tattoo and The Family Business from London, La Bottega dei Tatuaggi from Italy.

During the whole event:
Andrea Rock by Virgin Radio and burlesque shows.

On Friday 4th and Saturday 5th May:
live music with the acustic duo MiTZi and TANK, a cover band from Milan which will play for you the milestones of rock music.

About 230 among tattoo artists, exhibitors for tattoo supply, clothing and piercing, as well as music and tattoo shows create an explosive mix that aims to improve the previous record of 12,000 visitors in 2011.

OPENING TIMES
Friday 4th May – from 1 p.m. to 12 p.m.
Saturday 5th May – from 12 noon to 12 p.m.
Sunday 6th May – from 12 noon to 10 p.m.

TICKETS
€15

GALLERY Internationale tattoo expo 2011

Did you loose this opportunity??? No panic, there are many other offers ready for you!!!
Click here!!!

Choose your language

1 How long have you been doing this work?
I’ve been doing this work for 18 years. I started at 17.

2 Who taught you?
Well, for one year I did all tattoos by myself manually (with needle and thread).  In 1995 I met Carlsten Kazim Salahor, who asked me if I would work in his tattoo studio. The studio was named “TattooJitsu”, which was among the very first tattoo studios in Turkey. Kazim introduced me to the tattoo machine and thus encouraged me to use it. I remember his words: “If you want to learn you should tattoo…”.

3 Are there tattoo artists that you consider your teachers or reference points?
Since tattooing wasn’t spread out in Turkey in those days at all, there weren’t any tattoo artists I could possibly consider as teachers or landmarks. But the immediate artists, who most encouraged and influenced me in my very early years were my parents.
My father is a painter Selim Cebeci and my mother Zerrin is an illustrator. Tubes of oil paints, turpentine smell, gouache paint, photography, art movies and music surrounded me since the very beginning of my existence. My parents were constantly producing art or and discussing art with friends at our home, which is today my studio.

4 What inspires your art?
I studied Illumination-Miniature and Calligraphy Design at the Mimar Sinan Art Institute in Istanbul. During my education I started to see many similarities between tattooing and traditional crafts, such as calligraphy and miniature (*). Both, calligraphy and miniature had grown my vision. The traditional arts discipline, the power of fiction, the craft aspect and the mythological and cultural mysterious side connected with tattooing and influenced my techniques in particular for lettering tattoo and painting.
[ * Ottoman art (or Turkish art) has a long tradition of illuminated miniature illustrations and calligraphy, fine arts which survived longer here than in Europe. The Ottoman artists wanted to hint at a transcendent reality with their paintings so they stylized and abstracted every subject they depicted – NdR.]

5 How much does the person who asks for the tattoo influence your creation?
We are speaking about every detail before we make any decision. When it comes to present the project, I can perfectly answer their expectation.

6 What was the first tattoo you created?
And what was the first that you got on your own skin?
I made a “yin yang” on my upper left arm, continued the very next day, with the word “dimensions” around it and the following day I circled all with flames and made it look like the sun. It was the logo of the very first rock band I was playing in.

7 What are you working on now?
During the time remaining from illustrative projects and my family I am mainly engaged in making music and keeping a healthy life.

8 What is your philosophy?
It isn’t important what you do, but how you do it.

Go to Emre Cebeci tattoo photo gallery

—

Emre Cebeci – Cebecizade
Istanbul (Turkey)
www.cebecizade.com