EMMA MENDES DA COSTA returns to Tappu! for a new instalment as our guest blogger. We’re thrilled to have her on board so she can share her latest ink adventures with us.
This week, Emma reports back from a wild weekend beside the seaside at the 7th Brighton Tattoo Convention, held once again at the Hilton Brighton Metropole Hotel. With huge thanks to George Green for his fine photography – see more from George’s portfolio in his Flickr account. Click the images to view larger in a new window!
The last time I went to the Brighton Tattoo Convention, it was a comparative tiddler of a show in its second year, held way up on the windswept hills of Brighton Racecourse. Last year, the convention moved to the swanky seaside location of the Hilton, and it’s a joy to see that the event has evolved into a mighty beast. It now hosts over 300 international artists, along with an amazing array of traders, seminars and live entertainment.
Marshall amps by Vicky Morgan
Tattoo artist, Vicky Morgan
As many attendees stay in the hotel for the weekend, the Magnum Opus Tattoo pre-party on Friday night was a packed-out, Sailor Jerry-soaked affair. I snapped up a ‘Heavy Punch’ – an evilly strong cocktail similar to a right hook to the face – and sipped while admiring Marshall‘s new tattoo-themed amps (see left). Marshall teamed up with 5 of the UK’s top tattooists, including Magnum Opus Tattoo‘s own Phil Kyle, and Vicky Morgan (see right) from Ghost House Collective in Derby. The result is a stunning selection of neo-traditional sound kit.
By Alex Binnie, Into You Tattoo, London
I skinned a mouse!
On Saturday, I took time out from roaming the multi-layer labyrinth of booths to take in The Valentine Art Show, organised by Ade from Nine Tattoo Studio in aid of Cancer Research UK. Scores of visiting artists donated love-themed work for the exhibition (see left) which will be auctioned off online at the end of February. That evening, I was treated to Made from the Dead‘s Mouse Anthropomorphic Taxidermy Workshop by self-taught stuffer, Tonja Grüng – I tested my vegetarian sensibilities to the limit by skinning a ripe little rodent (see right).
When Sunday rolled around, Brighton beach was bathed in glorious sunshine and the amorous atmosphere of Valentine’s weekend turned the crowd into a gaggle of loved-up loons.
Total Tattoo Competitions: Jappa, the winner of the A3 Flash Sheet category
Total Tattoo Competitions: Winner of the Ornamental category
The completed work flooded in to the Total Tattoo competitions and everyone gathered in the main bar to admire the stand-out work of the show. Jappa won the A3 Flash Sheet competition with a traditional, Eastern-infused sample of swallows surrounding a ferocious tiger (see left), but the judges were blown away by this year’s winner of the Ornamental category. The astonishing backpiece on Jonathan James (see right) was the result of more than 70 hours of hard graft by Dotwork Damian of Blue Dragon Tattoo Studio in Brighton.
Blue Dragon is Brighton’s oldest established tattoo studio, celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, and the award is proof of its consistent high standards.
I came away from the convention with handfuls of business cards, buzzing with new ideas for tattoos, and proud that the industry can be so positively represented on such a mammoth scale. Next year, I’m hoping to pluck up enough courage to get tattooed in front of a crowd, so I can leave with the ultimate souvenir.
Tappu! Tattoo Studio 