INTERVIEW - Tattoo Artists -
IVANO NATALE
GURU MARQUES
- Tattoo Shop -
ORGANIC MACHINE - Illustrator - RIK
LEE - Tattoo Festival -
LIMESTONE
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6th Edition
CONTENTS GURU MARQUES
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TATTOO ARTIST
THE END OF SUMMER
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ORGANIC MACHINE
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- EDITORIAL
IVANO NATALE TATTOO ARTIST
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TATTOO SHOP
Direction Jéssica Costa Tiago Pereira
Art Direction Jéssica Costa
Revision Robert Rozendaal
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FEMKE FATALE INK THOUGHTS
Articles & Interviews Tiago Pereira Robert Rozendaal
Collaborations Femke Fatale Hell Xis Agency
Cover Photo Rose Richards Models Inês Matos
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RIK LEE
ILLUSTRATOR
Make-up Miru Morna geral@travell.ink advertising@travell.ink www.travell.ink THIS MAGAZINE IS INTERACTIVE
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LIMESTONE
TATTOOFESTIVAL
Ink Thoughts would get more followers and likes! No thank you, that is not me! I don’t mind an occasional sexy picture but don’t exagerate! I do know sex sells but do you want to sell yourself like that? Maybe it’s just me, i am sure all of you guys do not agree with me, maybe some ladies will. Don’t know and to be honest, do not really care as i feel everyone is allowed to have their own opinion! But ladies, have some self respect, you have more to offer than a hot body! Be succesful because of you, not you nudeness and sexyness! I was watching a repeat of the MTV awards and saw some performances of Beyonce, Britney
By Femke Fatale
TravellInk Ambassadress
Tattoo Models I am not a feminist, not at all! But sometimes I wonder what goes on in the heads of other girls! Especially models and singers nowadays! Everywhere you look, you see tattooed models. It’s cool in a way! But on the other hand, i feel like the new fashion is to be as nude as possible! I mean, I like looking at pix of other models, but I do not want to see boobs and asses all the time! Someone once told me I needed to post sexier pictures, then I
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Spears...All performing like porn stars! I mean.. Those outfits, it is not even an outfit, its like they are shopping at a sex shop! And the moves.. I know men will adore it.. But... I dislike it! Totally! And those ladies are so talented, famous,... So they don’t need to be this sexy to have attention and success! This is what bothers me most of all! Why?! I wonder what is your opinion on this... I think girl power is needed nowadays! Real girl power! Not sex power! Ladies, we deserve respect and we don’t need to be nude to be successful and respected! Look at Adele and Juliette Lewis! Hell yeah! Heroes! Succesful for what they do and who they are, not what they look like!
Femke Fatale
Femke@femkefatale.com www.femkefatale.com
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INTERVIEWS WITH A DIFFERENT
VIEW SOON.
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Eric Jason D’souza
CHASING TATTOO Flash News About New Products, Books, Exhibition, Events and more
New Products
3 Section Folded Table Hustle Helper cleans, disinfects and soothes the skin. Contains Lidocaine, a powerful topical anaesthetic to help take the pain away during tattooing to go that extra bit further. You can keep using Hustle Helper as much as you like throughout the tattooing process and it will not distort the skin or effect the heal. it’s easy to apply and doesnt require diluting before use... simply pump and go! Hustle Helper is all natural, Vegan friendly and smells good! You can’t knock the Hustle!
Critical Wired Foot Pedal Electrum Premium Tattoo Stencil Remover and Skin Prep is perfectly formulated for you and your client. Easily remove improperly placed stencils without the use of excessively harsh chemicals. Use as a skin prep to remove surface oils and dirt prior to placing your stencil. Contains Australian Tea Tree Oil, a powerful antiseptic which kills many bacteria, viruses, and fungi on contact without drying out the skin. And of course it smells good too!
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New Products
Critical Wired Foot Pedal The popular Critical foot pedal is also available in a wired version, making it possible to use the Critical foot pedal with any power supply, even if it doesn’t have a wireless receiver. You can simply connect the Critical Wired Foot Pedal to your power supply with a clip cord (not included). If the cable breaks you can just swap it for another clip cord instead of having the entire pedal repaired or replaced.
Brother PocketJet PJ-723 A4 Mobile Printer This Printer offers a rugged, durable yet compact mobile printing solution. It simply connects to your computer via USB, then you can begin printing. It is completely portable and fits neatly in a drawer, travel case or Sullen Blaq Paq. So it is perfect for travelling, conventions and studios! Its direct thermal printing technology ensures reliable quality, whatever the conditions or environment. Whilst printing, it also recognises change of tones, so during tattooing, you will be able to see areas that change tone/shade clearly instead of outlines. We recommend using ReproFX Green Thermal Copier paper and ELECTRUM Stencil Solution when applying the template to the skin for a cleaner and longer lasting transfer.
@ericjasondsouza
@dice_tattoos
@anselmiarianna1
@jack_galan_art
Tag your photos with #travellink or #travellinktattoo
@thesailormarc
@travellinktattoo
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Books
Tatau – Marks of Polynesia
Dan Orton - Human Skulls
Tatau: Marks of Polynesia accompanies the exhibition in the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles which was curated by Takahiro “Ryudaibori” Kitamura, the master tattoo artist and author. The exhibition and catalogue explores the beauty of Samoan tattoos as well as the key role they play in the preservation and propagation of Samoan culture. Tatau : Marks of Polynesia showcases the work of traditional Samoan tattoo masters alongside that of younger practitioners working within and influenced by the tradition today. Both the traditional tattoo and its more contemporary manifestations have helped to create and affirm identity for new generations of Polynesians and others living outside of Samoa.
These unique designs are to be used as an artistic guide to help you develop your own creative ideas. Danny Orton has shot the skull from various angles and in varying lighting conditions, giving you the opportunity to adapt and shape the skulls into your own ideas and own designs. Use the individual inserts as a quick reference when working on your tattoo by placing them next to your working area or use them for your designs by taking individual inserts and combining them together.
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Advertise Here Contact
advertising@travell.ink
- TATTOO WORLDWIDE -
Events
Hell Xis Agency HELL XIS was created in 2007, where they have been organizing several concerts over the years with names recognized at world level as Agnostic Front, DRI, Exploited, Adicts, Carcass, Obituary, Madball, Ignite, Anti-Nowhere League, The Meteors, Cro Mags among many other bands. Hell Xis Agency Presents info@hellxis.com www.hellxis.com
October
08 Mata Ratos @ Associação Alter-
nativa Stronghold - Caldas da Rainha
07/08 Trinta & Um + Granka-
po + Backflip + Hills Have Eyes + Push + Reality Slap + Miss Lava + TBA @ Associação Alternativa Stronghold - Caldas da Rainha
November
05 Primal
Attack @ Oeste Under-
ground Fest - Malveira
19 Angel Crew + Ignite + Cockney
Rejects + Judge + No Tuning Back + Discipline @ The Sound Of Revolution Fest @ Eindhoven - Holland
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Exhibition
Too Ambitious for a Lazy Guy Continuing the conversation with Gabriel Gozzer of Organic Machine We stumbled on “Too ambitious for a lazy guy�, which aroused our curiosity. A creative event that demonstrates a very personal vision that is transmitted in each character and composition.
How and why you had this idea to create this event? I was feeling some emptiness with my daily life inside tattooing, always with some ideas in my head which I wanted to paint and tattoo, but always without time to draw those ideas and not even to tattoo them. Because I was fillling my schedule with a lot of ideas
and tattoos requested by customers, I was becoming less creative. So I got the idea of taking some time to work on my own sketches and ideas and then show them all together in an exihibition(instead sketchbook or catalogue), cause that kind of presentation is a different approach from what people and clients are used to see inside a tattoo studio. It was just something that I felt like I wanted to do, and I did it. I think it`s part of the ambition in life to find what makes you feel complete. Tell us the concept of the exhibition and what you intend with this project? It`s an occasion to show many sketches that I`ve been working on and a small amount of paintings too. Related to some toughts I had, the el-
ements and themes I used can create different feelings for the individual, always with some concept behind the tattoo. Like trying to read the tattoo looking on it as if it was a poem. But for sure it depends on the point of view of each other, some can be enjoyable only by the asthetics and the shape too. The tattoo itself as a piece of art can vary in it`s many ways of interpretation, always depending on the individuals state of mind at the time. Why “Too ambitious for a lazy guy�? The idea of this quote came when I watched the latest Kurt Cobain documentary and something similar was mentioned and I tought to myself it sounds funny but at the same time I identified myself with it. Sometimes I feel like I have too many ideas and have the will to start some projects, but in the end I am very lazy and always take ages to finish all things that I want to see happening. Do you feel that it is important to have more events like this? I think it`s important for everybody to develop ideas that come to mind, events and anything that sounds new and make a difference to the daily routine, these kind of things help us to keep moving with will and passion. Yes, it’s important!
A personal note of what people can find in this event. We already did the event, and it was funny, surrounded by good people, some beer, wine, good music, plus the designs on the wall, good talks about the drawings, feelings and opinions of the people that visited, it was a great sunny
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SHOPPING TIPS Animal Hospital Liquor Brand 56,60 €
Nightshade Kimono Disturbia 27,99 €
Deaths Breath Platform Iron Fist 24,50 €
Melissa Swing Cherries The Green Cherry 38,50 €
Oracle mini backpack Disturbia 53,06 € Fiesta shopper The Green Cherry 12,50 €
Oracle Mini Backpack Disturbia 29,45 €
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SHOPPING TIPS Eat My Dust Hotrod Hellcat 49,90 €
Ftw Jacket Disturbia 32,99 €
All Seeing Backpac Disturbia 57,79 €
Lupine Shirt Disturbia 34,18 €
Death Dealers Liquorbrand 24,90 €
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GURU MARQUES TRAVELLINK
TATTOO ARTIST 20
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How and when did you discover your passion for drawing and consequently for tattoo? I remember the first thing I learned to draw by heart. Donald Duck! I was about 5 or 6 years old. I just tried to copy those old Walt Disney comic book characters and I don`t know why. I just did it, especially when I had nothing to do. As I grew the subjects would change but the feeling was always there. Tattoo wise, it was one day in the mid 90´s, before going to the movies. I stopped at a magazine/cigars shop and started flipping through the pages of a tattoo magazine. That night I didn´t talk about anything else, other than tattooing, and a friend of mine
said he would show me a magazine he had at home the next day. That was the begining. I saw a portrait tattoo of a Native American man with a landscape beneath him and as if he was in the middle of clouds done by French artist Tin Tin. It just blew me away. The magazine was from 1994 and I had no idea things like that were even possible. I think that my passion for black and grey tattoos started that day. Since I was to young to get tattooed at that time, I tried to go along with any of my friends who were getting tattooed, some with my designs, and try to soak in as much information as I could. I got tattooed in 1998 and needless to say it was definitely something that changed my life. But everything changes the moment you start to tattoo.
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Tell us a little about your learning process and its importance. I´d say I had a traditional learning/ apprenticeship process but that was shortened due to other events. I started in my hometown Faro and the owner of the shop I was at, also had a shop in Lisbon which I would eventually end up. So I did the cleaning, the sterilisation, the drawing, learning about the tools and everything else that is usually done and had no idea how long it was supposed to take. But that didn´t matter. I was also given a few books and magazines with the purpose to learn about the history of tattooing, where it came from and who made it happen. A few months into the apprenticeship they tell me I´m to move to Lisbon at the end of the year and continue as an apprentice. After 3
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or 4 months living in Lisbon one of my fellow artists from Germany had a bike accident. He had planned to go back home later that year and I was to take his place. Well... I took his place earlier than planned. After that I was tattooing every day, but believe me, the learning never ends. And that is the most important thing. I cherish, admire and respect everyone who helped and supported my decision to become a tattoo artist. It´s not easy. And I didn´t say anything about the drawing and going by the shop everyday just to be noticed or even have the chance to become an apprentice. To me it just isn´t enough to say “I wanna be a tattoo artist” and that`s it, you have earned a chance to be an apprentice. It just doesn´t work like that. I see to many newcomers going for the shortcuts or the easy ways. I admire the “old TravellInk Mag | 6th Edition
school” apprenticeship and many things about it. Basically, show you want it. Prove you want it, and work for it. Work hard for it. Everything else will come when it´s supposed to. How did you decide to become a professional tattoo artist? I decided I wanted to be a tattoo artist the day I got my first tattoo. I was sure my professional life would have something to do with drawing in some way but wasn´t sure what it would be. The tattoo artist was finishing a piece before tattooing me and, as I was waiting, It sunk in. I said to myself: “I want to be a tattoo artist”. I love everything about it. Your dressed as you like, you listen to music all day, you get to travel and if you´re not tattooing, you´re drawing or painting. It can´t get any better than that. TravellInk Mag | 6th Edition
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If you could refer 3 people who have been a source of inspiration for you who would they be and why? I´d love to refer more than 3 because there are so many good tattoo artists that inspire me. But I´ll give you 3. The first is Tin Tin, for obvious reasons. He does many styles of tattoos and is well known for that. I respect the artists who go for one style of tattooing. But that´s just not for me. Robert Hernandez. His work is mind-blowing since the beginning and he still does things no one else can do. He can do these weird textures and his contrast is just insane. Plus he is a beast when it comes to drawing and painting.Filip Leu. I have a hard time choosing words to say something about him. He´s been on the top of the game for so long. A true inspiration. You’re an artist with a wide range of styles, and it was something that you improved over the years. What made you want to explore beyond just one or two styles like so many other tattoo artists do? It´s just the love and interest for so many styles and things tattoo related. I love an old school piece as much as a portrait or a traditional japanese dragon and so on. I honestly can´t tell you which one I prefer. The possibilities are endless. Sometimes it´s hard to know when to back down and when to leave your comfort zone. You can leave it but try not to lose sight of it.
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Taking into consideration that you’re an artist with several years in the business, a lot has changed over the years in the world of tattoo, what is your view on this? I could write a book on this question alone but I´ll keep it short. In addition to all I´ve said about the apprenticeships these days, even people that have been tattooing for a few years seem to not quite know what or why they´re doing what they´re doing. Some started because of the money they think they are going to make. Others think they´re going to be some kind of tattoo rockstar. Dumb ones think both. I think this mentality stems from the tattooing reality shows. And now we also have new companies and brands who don´t even have any tattoo artist working with them and they´re endorsing artists. Really?!? And they sell everything to everyone. Money is all they see. Also, all these new products. It´s like everything I´ve used for the past 10 years isn´t good enough anymore. Different products to put on after you tattoo. A thousand soaps and lotions, 3 for before you start tattooing and 5 after you´ve finished. Even vaseline now has 100 products to be compared to. Don´t even get me started on those things they call machines nowadays. I just try to keep it simple. Somethings I can understand, others I can´t. But all of this money making, corporate shit that´s going on is a bit out of control and if I can support tattoo artists that build stuff, that’s what I´ll do. I TravellInk Mag | 6th Edition
feel good when I buy Products made by tattoo artists for tattoo artists. Changing the subject a little, MUSIC! What are your roots and your tastes, what inspires and helps you in your creation process? I was a teen in the 90´s so I was fortunate. The whole grunge scene, the heavy metal scene with Metallica, Pantera, Sepultura and, of course, Rage Against the Machine. They all had awesome albums coming out. Then came the Nu-Metal scene. I loved it all. I started playing in a band at that time. Today I listen to all those things and tons more. So many different styles that I usually would´t listen to back then. I can go from Frank Sinatra to Lamb of God to William Elliot Whitmore and end with Clutch in an afternoon and I´ll have a smile on my face the whole time. Any personal note you wanna leave? I love what I do and I do what I love. I wish everyone could do the same. Be happy.
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How did you discover your passion for drawing? I started drawing in elementary school and it just came natural. I guess I couldn’t pay attention to my teacher back then so I had to find my escape. Images spoke louder than words to me so I started scribbling till it became drawing and many years later turned into tattooing. What led you to become yourself a tattoo artist? Ever since I can remember I’ve always been attracted to art on skin. I must have been 10 when I saw my first tattoo in person and I knew it would have been just a matter of time before I got my first piece done.Had no idea how painful it would have been tho. I started drawing on my friends and myself with a ball point pen, I remember people lining up for it,good memories! Years later I got my first tattoo as a teenager,hated to sit for it but nowadays I still say: it hurts so good! Even tho my heart told me to become an artist my head was telling me different so I finished school and started working as a salesman with my dad until I couldn’t take it anymore! After all if I could do well at what I didn’t like I could have tried and done better at what I enjoyed doing so it took off from there. I gotta thank my father if I took that step since he was the one pushing me towards what I liked the most.
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How was your learning process, and your personal journey? My journey in the tattoo world started at the age of 22. I set up my first station out of my garage,tattooing my friends,like many others in the industry.I loved it but I knew I had to get out of my neighborhood if I wanted to take it to the next level so I started traveling. The UK and the USA where the first countries I visited outside of Italy till I eventually found some shops to work out of.I must have been fired a dozen times because of my attitude back then,I wanted to improve so much that I would sacrifice time and money to do it and the second part wasn’t really part of my employer’s plan. I moved on to better myself putting my tattoos as the centre of my life,without caring much about anything else that came with it (back then nothing good) other than getting better at what I do. At some point I returned back to Naples for a couple months to see my family and that’s when I saw a post on good old Myspace from Goodfellas tattoo by Steve Soto saying they were looking for new artists so I gave it a shot and tried to guest spot out there. The first time I talked to Steve on the phone I didn’t know what to say ,I knew his work and respected everything he did till that point of his career, I just kept it simple and he said I could go to his shop,later on we laughed about it since he told me he never even answers his phone
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and that post was put online months before I called,so I guess I was lucky. I’ve been busting my ass since day one and it wasn’t gonna be any different at GoodFellas Tattoo.
Beautiful black and gray pieces and realistic images, smooth and clean. That’s what you always wanted to do or was a style that has grown over time?
I hardly ever took a day off the first year,it’s been amazing and a big part of my life not only as an artist but also as a person,I found and additional family at GF and I will always feel part of it.
I always had a thing for black and grey but it took a lot of tattooing in different styles before I could focus on one thing only. I’ve always loved the look of B&G ,that’s one of the reasons why I moved to Cali in the first place,most of my favorite artists where tattooing out there,I wanted to watch and learn,not an easy transition tho. I started studying photos from the 40’s and 50’s to understand more about contrast,I would practice drawing everyday ,I came from a graffiti influ-
I’m back home now here in Naples where I opened up my dream place: ThyGALLERY studios,along the coast of Pozzuoli, but the UK and the US are still part of my reality as I spend 6 months a year over there.
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enced way of drawing so I had to fight my instinct in order to make my pieces look realistic other than cartoony. We know that you are originally from Naples in Italy, rich in culture and art in general. Was it an important element in your development as a tattoo artist? Naples raised me and it is one of the richest cities I know when it comes to art and architecture but I had to get out of it to learn more about tattooing as all the artists out here were either bad artists or they were doing styles I couldn’t relate to. In terms of art in the city of Naples there’s a lot but I didn’t really appreciate walking by a medieval castle or a baroque
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church before I dedicated my life to art,I’d prefer getting in trouble as a kid.Now I have to say my hometown has influenced my art a lot.I can walk places and take my own references of baroque style churches,statues ,all kind of religious art together with street art and if you look at my work that’s exactly what I do. I tend to build a story thru dark images,religious images,sometimes showing the dark side of religion,other times I work on street icons or images that recall that lifestyle and add my own twist to it. Even my shop looks like that ,the whole place is 5000 sq ft,part of it is an art gallery and the vibe is more similar to a museum, while the tattoo rooms are private and have a street look. TravellInk Mag | 6th Edition
think music and tattoos go together so well and they meet in a tattoo shop at some point! I remember the first time I tattooed Fieldy at Goodfellas I couldn’t believe a member of KORN wanted to get work done from me and knew who I was. Even here at ThyGALLERY studios we’ve had a few musicians coming thru and it was exciting to tattoo some of those I listen to on a regular basis. Do you remember any memorable moment that you have had in your career you wanna share?
Any artist you wanna refer to as a personal influence? Steve Soto ,Carlos Torres,Victor Portugal and my best friend and great artist Riccardo Cassese. Are you influenced by music in your creation process? What are your preferences and tastes? I can’t draw or tattoo without music or some sort of soundtrack. I love hip hop in particular,Notorious BIG and 2Pac are still my main inspirations and recently The Game became one of my favorites,but I go from Funk to Rock to old school rap,it depends what kind of mood I’m in and what helps the flow. I
The first time I got awarded at a tattoo convention on my second year of tattooing. I remember the year before they wouldn’t even let me enter my piece on stage ,it sucked! The crazy thing is that I thought I did a good job….The year after I got 2nd place best of show,it meant the world to me at that time.To be honest in these past 12 years there are a lot of things that changed my career but for some reason I tend to look back and remember my very first achievements. What is your opinion about the tattoo”industry” these days? It elevated artistically but it lost in terms of values.What I mean by that is that the quality of artists is at its highest in the history of tattooing but because of it being so much out there many others are trying to feed off of what we do or
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get in the industry for the wrong reasons. I focus on bettering myself as an artist,but I see too many people trying to feed off the industry or set their priority backwards, success and notoriety are a result of good work not the goal to begin with.In this industry ,whether you’re an artist,an organizer,supplier or a aftercare company you gotta deliver quality! Would you like to leave some personal note? I would like to thank you first of all for this interview and for taking interest in my work and to all of those reading this I hope you can see how much I love and respect tattooing and hope to see more people who feel the same way about it.
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RIK LEE
ILLUSTRATOR 34
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When did you found out your vocation for drawing? Ever since I was a kid, I loved drawing. My Dad used to bring home these huge sheets of paper from his office and I’d spread them out on the kitchen floor, creating these epic spaceship battles. Later, I moved on to drawing skateboard graphics and then I started sketching women. I guess I’ve always just drawn what’s on my mind! And, I was always okay at it too. Or at least, I was a lot better at art then math or football. So that’s how I got into art and that’s why I’ve stuck at it.
and imagery that reflect and categorise particular eras, genres and sub-cultures. I enjoy the symbolism of certain objects and the narratives you can achieve through combining and / or juxtaposing these objects. At university I did a process based thesis focusing on the illustrative portrait
We were able to find in your work the admiration for the female body with several references to tattoo, mixing colors, shadows and darker elements giving harmony to your creations. Tell us a little about the concept of your work. There are recurring themes in my work that influence the objects I illustrate. I’m fascinated by icons TravellInk Mag | 6th Edition
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work of old masters like Gustav Klimt and Egon Schiele. Around the same time I discovered Art Nouveau and later 1950’s / 60’s pin-up girl illustrations. Over the years I’ve tried to combine these classical influences with my modern interests like skateboarding, tattoo art, punk rock, teen angst and graphic design. I like to focus on the contrasts between my mediums, past and present subcultures and social trends with a regard for design. Each illustration tends to be a clash of elements and influences that I attempt to present in one cohesive and visually attractive composition. Sometimes the thematic influences are quite obvious, like with a lot of the tattoo and tattoo related culture stuff I’ve been drawing lately. In other cases the correlation of objects is less clear, but for me all the objects have
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their place and reason for belonging in the artwork. Who are your biggest artistic influences? I always find that a difficult question. It’s super broad for me - there’s so many artists who inspire me. And of course, the inspiration does not stop at other artists. My friends and our day to day lives are a constant source of inspiration. Have you ever seen one of your illustrations tattooed on someone? What do you feel about that? I have. Many, many times. There’s mixed feelings to be honest. Ultimately, I’m flattered that someone likes one of my pieces so much that they get it tattooed. If someone takes the TravellInk Mag | 6th Edition
time to ask my permission first and then seek out a tattoo artist who can recreate the work competently, it’s great. However, often they do neither. Unfortunately, it’s something I cannot really control. I just hope that people are respectful of my art, the art of their tattooist and of their own bodies, seeing as they’re the one’s who’ll wear that tattoo. For those who are interested, I discuss my thoughts in more detail on my website FAQ (www.riklee.bigcartel.com) Do you feel that music is an important element in the creation process? Tell us about your tastes and what inspires you. Most definitely! I always listen to music while I work. I also find that the
particular music I’m listening to while drawing directly influences my work. I enjoy few things more then putting on good music, drinking coffee (or something stronger) and drawing for hours on end. My musical tastes are pretty broad. I’ll listen to almost anything from punk rock to classical film scores. Currently I’ve been listening to a lot of Guided By Voices. What was the best experience you had as an artist? I enjoy travelling with my art. Recently I had the opportunity to travel to Israel, hosting drawing workshops for disadvantaged children in community centres, orphanages and hospitals throughout the country. I worked in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Gaza and the
West Bank with awesome kids from a wonderfully diverse mix of backgrounds and cultures. I had no teaching experience, so I was definitely out of my comfort zone, however fortunately the kids were always super enthusiastic - it was an incredibly humbling and rewarding experience. What do you do when you’re not drawing? Any hobby? I surf almost every morning. I also have a beautiful wife and 2 amazing dogs who all keep me busy! What is your greatest wish for the future? I hope to be able to continue doing what i love and to be surrounded by people and things that I love. I hope to keep making art and to get better at it. And I hope my work helps to inspire some people and to make them happy.
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TravellInk Users Tattoo Artists
Nejc Spawn Vitor Cordeiro
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ORGANIC MACHINE TATTOO STUDIO 42
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Tells us a little about your career as a tattoo artist. I started to be an apprentice working with Hélder Oliveira, I was 17 years old at the time, taking a “traditional apprenticeship” on his busy shop located in Setúbal’s downtown. Later I had to do some changes in life and I founded Framed Fabula with Vanda Enoch and Sue BlueCherry. An awesome step for my life, mind and future self. I was lucky enough cause I had the opportunity to know and meet very good people due to the Portuguese tattoo world, like, Johnny, Diogo, Marc, and more. Spending some time with all this tattoers taught me a lot, made me grew inside the tattoo and as person. While I was working at Framed Fabula, I started to travel a lot, and it was the moment I really started to see what was going on. I found my way and the art I wanted to work on and the peace I wanted. After I discovered this, I decided that it would be better to do something private, more flexible works, with more things inside the art world and not just about tattoos… Organic Machine was born. How did you come to the conclusion that you had to open your own studio? I think it was a result of many beliefs and livid moments, but at the end the best conclusion was that an independence and a quiet life really tastes the best. TravellInk Mag | 6th Edition
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Do you feel that somehow was one of the biggest challenges in your life? It was always with a lot of pleasure and love mixed, so I can’t measure if it was a big or small challenge, the will and all the great people surrounding me, helped, always making everything easier. How would you describe the environment of your studio and what kind of concept you intend to pass to the people? A wide space, relaxed, and random at the same time, that can only be behind closed doors. Very peaceful envirement with people tattooing or noisy with people recording videos for music sessions, or some exhibition full of beers and friends on Sundays, probably some more to come that we don’t even know it yet. Like a “evolving metamorfosis”, never limited and ever changing. A working machine, but organic, growing to different ways, a plant that can be cut and can grow again, the only fuel is love. For now the “cabin crew” of that weird moving castle is me, Francisco Fieo and Inês Lopes working with tattoos, Vito Schmid and Hugo Martins working with some projects with photography, video and music. We have some other things going on like selling some t-shirts of underground brands, some independent music albums being sold, little sculptures done by Setúbal street artists, and some more ideas to come… poems and comics have been written there, and those projects are still in progress on very low profile level.
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There are many people who regularly choose to go to people who tattoo in an amateur way at home or in places without the necessary hygienic conditions, what is your opinion on this subject. It`s not the shop or working environment that defines a good or a bad tattoo artist. As long as both, the artist and the customer are aware of the responsibility and risk that comes with the act of working on another human body/skin and create a safe and healthy workspace, it`s alright to tattoo in an “amateur� way. What kind of works can people expect in your studio? Some bold black lines defining the designs to make them look solid and vivid throughout the years, and the
rest goes with the flow between the tattooer and the clients taste/wish. If the customer just gives us freedom to develop our own ideas or choose from a flash that we painted or a theme that each of us likes to explore and evolve, it feels like heaven!! What is your greatest wish for the future of Organic Machine? To stay the way we are, to just keep evolving and progressing with my friends and appreciate what life has given us so far. To keep feeling blessed how we feel nowadays, doing something funny that makes us smile and also can pay the food and bills every day. Some personal note you wana leave? Enjoy this ride on earth.
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LIMESTONE
TATTOO FESTIVAL 46
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The Foundry Tattoo & Eikon Device Inc. are proud to present the inaugural Limestone City Tattoo and Arts Festival taking place at Four Points by Sheraton in downtown Kingston, September 17 & 18, 2016. This family-friendly event will include more than 40 tattoo artists attending from across Canada, the USA, and beyond. Set up in a convention-style setting, the Limestone City Tattoo and Arts Festival will provide the opportunity for attendees to get tattooed on site by artists specializing in wide variety of artistic tattoo styles. There will also be tattoo related merchandise, prints and original artwork available to view and purchase from many of the attending artists. The festival will be a great opportunity for tattoo enthusiasts and those curious about
the culture to be immersed in the sights and sounds of tattooing for the weekend. Andrew Ottenhof, owner and tattoo artist at The Foundry Tattoo, along with long time friend Ashley Silversides envisioned hosting an event where they could share their love for tattoo culture and arts with their home community of Kingston, Ontario. To help realize their vision, Andrew and Ashley approached homegrown Kingston tattoo supply company Eikon Device Inc. With strong ties to the worldwide tattoo community, as well as the Kingston business community, Eikon was a perfect partner and supporter to help bring such an event to the Limestone City. “This is an event that is centred around community and bringing the tattoo culture
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The Limestone City Tattoo & Arts Festival is the latest addition to Kingston’s portfolio of premiere cultural events and is a vehicle for showcasing tattoo art, a form of art that knows no boundaries and transcends all demographics.
city and its many attributes, but also to welcome some of the most talented artists in the tattooing community to our home. We are proud to be a part of this festival and look forward to sharing it with Kingston and the tattooing community.” -- Dean Byrnes, President of Eikon Device Inc. Like the limestone bedrock of Kingston’s historic buildings, the inaugural Limestone City Tattoo & Arts Festival is an event built on local heritage. Tattooing has long been a part of Kingston’s cultural landscape; from the classic street shops to today’s custom private studios.
“Kingston has always been home to a vibrant and artistic culture making it the ideal backdrop for The Limestone City Tattoo & Arts Festival. For us, it is important to not only showcase our
“The real surprise about Kingston, is that against the backdrop of our long history, diverse architecture and natural beauty, Kingston is a very innovative, creative and young city, full of
to a larger audience. It is for everyone, young and old, male or female, tattooed or not, everyone is welcome. Tattooing is an art form that bridges many cultural and social gaps and the festival will bring people from all walks of life together under the banner of tattooing,” says Ottenhof.
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makers, artists, brewers, chefs... and tattoo artists are a significant part of that culture,” says Murray Matheson of Kingston Accommodation Partners. “This first Limestone City Tattoo & Arts Festival will really bring the maker movement of Kingston to the attention of Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and points between.” The Foundry Tattoo is owned and operated by tattoo artist Andrew Ottenhof in Odessa, Ontario. The Foundry Tattoo is heavily involved in annual art exhibitions, tattoo conventions and events celebrating the art and culture of tattooing. Ashley Silversides has been involved with the tattoo community for years travelling to conventions helping long time friend Andrew run The
Foundry Tattoo. Both Andrew and Ashley love the freedom of expression that comes with tattoo and arts culture. Eikon Device Inc. has been a part of the Kingston community for more than 20 years, manufacturing specialized equipment designed to meet the needs of tattoo artists. The company has grown into a full service tattoo supply company with over 45 employees, operating out of a 26,000 square foot facility in Kingston and with more than 30 distributors worldwide. Despite the many changes in the tattoo industry in the last few years, the team at Eikon has remained just as passionate and dedicated to the art of tattooing as the day the company started.
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The End of Summer
Photos: Rose Richards Model: InĂŞs Matos Make-Up: Miru Morna Accessories: The Green Cherry 52
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