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Vice Blog

LONDON - TELL US ABOUT YOUR NEW TATTOO

Quite a few of our friends are picking and moisturising freshly-inked skin following the London Tattoo Convention. We asked them to talk us through what they had done, why the did it, and how much it hurt. See photos and more below…

What did you get?
Charlotte Brady: It's based on this postcard I found in LA. She's a silent film star whose name I've forgotten. On Valentine's Day in 1920 or something she received the most love tokens of any of the other starlets. That's what all the hearts represent, I guess. I thought it was a really nice story and I liked the way that she still looked a bit sad even with all these hearts.

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How long did it take?
The outlining was about 2 hours. I kind of gave up after a bit under 2 hours of getting the shading done at the convention. I'm such a wuss.

How much was it?
This was the second sitting I've had on it. It's got a few more sessions to go yet. All together when it's done I should think it will have cost ¬£350 or so… Thank goodness for student loans huh?

Are you going to get any more?
Yeah. I already got another one since the convention actually. Once in a while I'll look at myself and be like: "Argh! What have I done? Why am I covered in drawings?" And when I'm getting tattooed I'm usually thinking: "Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! Why are you putting yourself through this?" I think it's not an addiction, but a compulsion maybe? It's certainly not rational. My mum hates them so so much, which is awkward. Old ladies give me mean looks in the street, but I think that's kind of funny. Imagine how strange all these young people with tattoos are going to look walking around with blue rinses and wrinkles in 50 years. Actually pretty awesome probably.

What did you get?
James Knight: It is an eagle and it looks scary.

How long did it take?
An hour in total.

Did it hurt?
Yep. Like being carved up by a caveman with a flint knife.

How much was it?
£250

Are you going to get any more?
Yes. Owl on a typewriter next.

What did you get?
Ben Rayner: My friend Steve Boltz was over from New York and hanging out at Frith Street and always wanted a tattoo from him so I asked him if he'd tattoo me.

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How long did it take?
An hour maybe.

Did it hurt?
They don't hurt. You're a pussy if you think they do. (DOM)

How much was it?
A ton.

Are you going to get any more?
Yep. I want a bear. Well, I want a Victorian man in a bear suit.

What did you get?
Dom Tunon: I found these old Bert Grimm tattoos associated with the Panama, which is where I'm from. So I got my friend Lina Stigsson to design something based on them.

How long did it take?
Over two hours.

Did it hurt?
I'm not going to pretend it didn't. The back of the upper arm is a pretty sensitive area. Pinch it.

How much was it?
A lot.

Are you going to get any more?
Probably.

What's the story behind the goat head?
Tony Sylvester: The goat's head was drawn specifically to fill the available space, and to add to the menagerie of totem animals that I already have depicted on me (wolf, ravens, bear, dog, monkey, deer, owl, horse, tiger). How much was it?
It was paid for in cash and a pair of egg and bacon sandwiches. Are you happy with it?
It's a work of wonderfully charming simplicity: three colours, tough thick lines, some trademark whip shading and a nice red burst. As my tattooist Bert Krak said: "It's tuff - looks like it was done in a Nordic prison." OK, so what about the heart and the anchor?
Both these were hand poked by Davide Andreoli right at the end of convention as a gift - my first ever hand-poked tattoos. They healed within 24 hours and have already started to settle into the skin and look like they've been there since my incarceration in a French penal colony in a past life. Davide is one of life's smilers and despite a complete lack of common language (his English is as good as my Italian) we've become good buddies. His style reflects his devotion to classic Bert Grimm flash, the circus & carnival, the early 20th century, Italian literature and poetry and large doses of ribald humour. -----------

Here are some other dudes we saw at the convention…