3rd travellink mag

TravellInk Mag | 3rd Edition

1

Tattoo ShopSanta Piell

TravellInkMagTravellInkMag

InterviewTattoo Artists

Frank LanatraIsaac Braham

3rd

Editi

on 2

016

Laguna Ink Festival

MusicianWe Bless this Mess

IllustratorLoish

Table of

CONTENT

WE BLESS THIS MESSMUSICAN

20

36 46SANTA PIELLTATTOO SHOP

50STREET INK EDITORIAL

15OSKAR &

GASPARFRANK LANATRATATTOO ARTIST

26 ISAAC BRAHAMTATTOO ARTIST

DirectionJéssica CostaTiago Pereira

Art DirectionJéssica Costa

RevisionRobert Rozendaal

Articles & InterviewsTiago Pereira

Robert Rozendaal

CollaborationsFemke Fatale

CoverPhoto

Rose RichardsMake-Up

Miru MornaModels

Priska Gomez

[email protected]@travell.ink

www.travell.ink32

40CLICK IF YOU SEE THIS ICON FOR INTERACTION

LOISH ILLUSTRATOR

LAGUNA INK FESTIVAL 2016

TravellInk Mag | 3rd Edition4

As you know I am a big animal lov-er! For me they deserve more respect and love... This world is so fucked up! Every day you see videos on facebook and read stories in the newspaper about abuse! Damn... I really do not understand how you can do that to a living creature.

Last week I saw a video of Taman Sa-fari in Indonesia, they drug the lions so their visitors can take pix with them..It is all about money, people pay for these shots, the owners do not care about the animals, only the money!

Dammmnnn, even as a visitor, i would never ever pay for this. You can totally tell the lions are barely awake and un-naturally sleepy. How can u take pho-tos with them at this point? You must realize this is fucked up and totally wrong. And this can’t be good for the lions as well.... Aah sometimes I hate mankind ! And money! Its all about the money....

Think before you do something! Is it ok? If not....DON’T do it, DON’T sup-port this shit!

I’m not saying that I am a saint, i made mistakes too, but learned from them.

I also hate the circus. Don’t go see wild animals ‘perform’ ,it is not nat-ural, they are WILD! If only you knew how they made animals do the tricks... Believe me.. You’d cry your eyes out.... I am so happy animals are banned from it in most countries. We are al-ready making a huge progress. Let’s keep fighting and save animals like Brutus ( read more about him below)

A year ago i went to South Africa, that time i had a really bad depression, i was so angry, sad & down and need-ed a break so i decided to go to Cape Town and Johannesburg. I wanted to avoid people and work with lions and tigers.

My friend recommended a place to me so i booked a stay there. For like 2 weeks. Then after that I was going

Ink Thoughts

By Femke FataleTravellInk Ambassadress


5

to go to Paarl and volunteer at Drak-enstein and also hang out with my friend Jon Monsoon, another animal rights fighter. He is an amazing guy! Respect.

So i arrived at the first place and they immediately introduced me to the cubs. 2 little tigers and 2 little lions. I was in love and a bit stupid as well... You’ll find out later..

They had those 4 small babies, then like 12/13 other lions under the age of 1 year. They were all separated from the mothers, which raised some ques-tions for me. I asked why they were not brought up by the parents.. Vague answers, they were abandonned by their parents.. All of them?!??? Real-ly???

Then we went cuddling them all, we fed them, swam with the baby tigers, to be honest i had the time of my life but then also not...i felt like a fraud, it didnt feel right.. I knew i was doing something i did not support....

I asked questions.. Never got real answers! They had over 200 lions but none older than 3-4... Another big alarm! Why???!!!! Sold to canned hunters????? No they said ‘sold to zoos and game reserves’ mmm are there soooo many in the world?! Do not think so...

I want to tell you this so you don’t make the same mistake like me. I sup-ported this shit by paying to volunteer there. I felt aweful.. So inform yourself before you go to a park... Research


and find out if it is ligit or not... Don’t support breeding farm that eventually sell big cats to canned hunters.

After that I did voluntary work at Drak-enstein... OMG big difference, they did not support cub handling, they only have rescued lions and tigers! All tak-en from abusive situations like zoos... No breeding big cats, no interactions. Those people are amazing!!!! They rescue the animals and give them a nice home.....

In 2010 I followed Brutus and his res-cue from the French circus!! So sad... They repeatedly hit him and abused him; they declawed Brutus and be-cause of the beatings he took his jaw was broken at an early age & they never fixed it! He has a crooked jaw now but OMG i think he looks amaz-ing!! When i saw all this on the news i wanted to see him, I fell in love with his strength, his face! What a strong beauty!

He was taken to Drakenstein to live a good life, enjoy nature and be at ease. The Brigitte Bardot Foundation, As-sistance aux Animaux and Natuur-centrum Belgium made this happen with Drakenstein Lion Park! So nice to see people work together for a good cause.

When I was there and I saw him,.. I cried!!! So happy he was finally safe! Damn! I immediately adopted him. This means I pay every year to help pay for the medical care, food,... It is the least we can do!

If you are interested In volunteering at Drakenstein Lion Park.. Visit www.li-onrescue.org.za

I recently adopted another lion called Leonidas. Leonidas had spent his en-tire life in solitary confinement in a six meter shipping container. His arrival at Drakenstein marked the first time that he was able to walk on earth, ex-perience grass under his feet and see others of his kind. Leonidas ended up in the shipping container because of the greed of a Lebanese zoo which sold him for profit and a complete disdain for his welfare.

Wanna adopt a lion? Check the Drak-enstein site as well... Make a change!

To support Drakenstein lion Park we sell prints...


7

FEMKE FATALE (model) & MIEKE DE VLIEGER (artist) PRESENT TO YOU: The TRUE LOVE print*.

Because of our mutual love for ani-mals; We will donate 5€ per sold print to Drakenstein Lion Park in South Af-rica <3

* Signed [by Femke Fatale & Mieke De Vlieger] and numbered on matte pho-to paper - UV & water resistant - A3 size For prices and other questions, please contact [email protected]

Instagram@travellinktattoo

@thesailormarc

Tag your photos with #travellink or #travellinktattoo

@alexgotza

@gurumarques

@ lu_lorammartin

New Products, Books, Exhibition, Events and more

Flash News About

Sailor Marc

CHASING TATTOO


9

Scientifically matched by Russ Ab-bott, the full line of Eternal Inks can now be displayed on a new exciting product called The Abbott Colour Wheel. Each hue has been precisely positioned for the artist’s comfort. The Abbott Colour Wheel will change how you approach your colour selec-tion, as they are presented in an easy-to-work-with way.

Guy Aitchison: “Decades ago, most tattooists had never even heard of a color wheel. To take its development this far, with a scientific approach that allows for exact color matching using specific pigments, is a testa-ment to how far we have come as art-ists in the tattoo profession and how sophisticated our tools have become. Russ’s color wheel is the kind of tool that can empower artists to over-come questions and doubts about their work and take it to the next level”

The Abbott Color Wheel kit is a sealed package that contains two pockets. One pocket holds the multi-layered color wheel device that spins on a center grommet and isolates a se-lection of useful color schemes, the second pocket contains a 12 remov-able wall decal of the color wheel for you to hang near your workstation. A color theory primer is presented on the 2 interior faces of the jacket.

The Abbott Colour Wheel - Russ Abbott

New Products


Nemesis Hexagon Foot Switch is a very stong foot pedal made from stainless steel. It also has a unique way of securing the cable to the pedal: it uses a extra strong BNC connector and the jack at the other end is em-bedded in the cable for extra strength.

RinseCup CleanUp is the safest, eas-iest and quickest way to dispose of your rinse cups. Just squeeze a bit into your cup and the water will so-lidify after 30 seconds. Once it’s sol-id you can just dispose of it, without worrying about leaking bin bags or spilling contiminated water every-where.

Enchanted focuses on the themes of Fairy Tales, Folktales and Fables. It shows tattoos, drawings, paintings, sculptures, graffiti, digital, photogra-phy, mixed media from hundreds of artists from around the world.

Enchanted Book

HEXAGON Nemesis Foot Switch

RinseCup Clean Up - 180g

New Products


11

Hell Xis Agency [email protected]

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, Exploit-ed, Adicts, Carcass, Obituary, Madball, Ig-nite, Anti-Nowhere League, The Meteors, Cro Mags among many other bands.

Hell Xis Agency

Events

Pack specially created for the care of your tattoo in two stages ( WASH + PROTECT), thereby minimizing the risks of allergies, secondary infec-tions and common reactions occur-ring after subjecting the skin to a tat-too. Tattoo care in two steps: Wash the tattoo Tattoo Soap and protect Tattoo Balm ointment, with high Dex-panthenol content (5%). The cream promotes skin regeneration and re-lieves itching and discomfort related to mild irritations, moisturising skin and embellishing tattoo colours over a lifetime of care.

One of the leading specialists in black & grey shares his secrets with you on this DVD; Tommy Lee Wendtner is known all over the world for his realis-tic fantasy and horror tattoos. In this seminar Tommy will show you how to emphasize anatomical features, con-touring and shading. Lee shows the viewer an in-depth approach to his work, so audiences will miss noth-ing!concepts taught in the Match Made in Hell seminar through the de-sign, conception, development, mod-eling, and collaborative process of an illustrative tattoo.

Skun Care

Balm Tattoo Kit

Match Made in Hell Tattoo DVD

Dvd


15

Have you ever imagine if tattoos had life and could move through your body? The project Ink Mapping, the collective Oskar & Gaspar, two twin brothers and a crew of 10 people, with the idea of doing something different with videomapping, giving us a new perspecive about tattoo and body art, showing all the beauty in it. It is ba-sically giving life to the drawings and body art. The tattoo is mapped, the

peice of art start interacting with the others and with the persons body. “A small empty tattooed star can be a hole entry for a galaxy, an eye, a mon-ster egg or whatever our imagination tell us.”The first exhibition of this pro-ject is held in Lisbon, Portugal. It is very interesting. To see more of their work, visit the official site. - www.oskar-gaspar.com -Look at the video tattoo here:

Get a Look

Oskar & Gaspar


SHOPPING TIPS

Strapped Briefs Disturbia

18,71€

Quartz Crystal Stud EarringsDisturbia53,68€

Coven DressDisturbia56,23 €

Kids pink long sleeveLiquorbrand34,90€

Wishbone Heavy Sole BootIron Fist57,25 €

Satanic CatsLiquorbrand

34,90€


17

SHOPPING TIPS

OLA Flag - TankOne Love Apparel

23,99 €

Hip Pack Black F-BoneLiquorbrand34,90 €

Snake CharmerLiquorbrand24,90 €

V-LOGO black Loose Riders

24,90 €

Genuine DevilHotrod Hellcat55,90 €

OLA Pom - BeanieOne Love Apparel

18,99€


Unveiling a new way to work, create and study, Moleskine today launches a specially designed notebook, pen, and app that work in tandem to in-stantly digitize notes and sketches made on paper, creating digital text and images that can be edited and shared immediately with a phone, tablet, or laptop. The new Smart Writ-ing Set is a system made up of three elements that make it possible to edit and share what you create on paper in real-time without taking a photo, up-loading files, or scanning documents. The new set of tools builds on the legacy of Moleskine, which was born as a celebration of the small black notebooks used by thinkers, artists, and writers of the past who wanted

to create freely in the streets, at cafés or when travelling far a-field. The Smart Writing Set was developed for today’s digitally connected creative professionals, knowledge workers and students who want to take ad-vantage of the creative and learning power of developing ideas on paper first.

The Smart Writing Set is available for purchase online at moleskine.com/smartwritingset on April 6, 2016.

New Products

Moleskine unveils the Smart Writing Set


19

TAKE PART HERE


TATTOO ARTISTFRANK LANATRA

TRAVELLINK


21

How did you discover the art of tat-too?

When I was a little kid I would al-ways get the temporary tattoos at the amusement parks. That was re-ally when I started to notice them and think they were cool. At the time, tattooing was illegal in NY and very underground, so there wasn’t much exposure to them other than that and the few people you might see with them.

At what age did you start tattooing?

I began my apprenticeship in the Spring of ’97 and did my very first

tattoo on November 5th 1997. I had just turned 21.

How was your learning process?

My learning process was your tra-ditional old school apprenticeship.It was just legalized and shops were just beginning to open up. I appren-ticed in one of the first legal shops in Brooklyn and I learned from guys who were working out of their kitch-ens and houses prior. At the time no one was really using mags and the guys who taught me hadn’t even heard of em. It was Flats and round shaders. It was chewing up skin and learning the hard way.


How would you describe the work you do?

I describe my work as Illustrative Cartooning. My primary focus is good character design and strong narratives.

What is your greatest source of in-spiration?

Animators and Character designers are my biggest source of inspiration. The artists of Disney, Pixar, Dream-works, etc. are really what drives me and keeps me striving to grow.It’s their level of technicality and artistry that I hope to achieve one day.

Is music important in your creative process?

Well I spent most of my life as a mu-sician, so music is very important to me. Sometimes it helps with the cre-ative process and sometimes it just distracts. It all depends on what I’m doing or where my focus needs to be.

Do you remember any work that gave you more pleasure in creating and making?

Music. Writing and playing music was something euphoric for me. I spent 7 years in a band and had op-


23

portunities to play on stage in front of thousands of people. That was prob-ably the only thing that can surpass the feeling I get when creating or de-signing my characters.

What was the strangest work that someone asked you to do?

This is always a difficult question for me. Probably one that always stands out is a young girl who had me tattoo 3 small lines on the side of her finger so she could count them because she suffered from severe OCD. She would cut lines into the side of her finger to count and now she could just count the tattooed lines instead.


Which country marked you the most to visit as an artist?

Right now I enjoy visiting the UK the most. They seem to have such a huge appreciation for what I do out there and it really makes me feel special to receive that kind of warmth and love from the Brits.

We know that soon you will be present at a seminar, what can people expect from this event?

I do a lot of conventions all year long and its one of my favorite things to do. As far as seminars, I don’t have one fully planned yet, but what I am putting together will revolve around the art of character design and illus-tration. I will focus less on tattoos and more on the art behind it.

As a form of expression of art, we feel that is important that the artist must have the free-dom to define the work that he will tattoo, to be able to create the most creative piece pos-sible. What is your opinion about this?

I find that to be very true. At this point in my career, the only clients I take on are the ones who don’t care what or how I design the piece. There main goal is just to collect from me and that is an amazing feeling.

What is your perspective for the future of the tattoo and what do you think of this new gen-eration of tattoo artists?

You know, to be honest I’m just excited to see where it goes. I don’t really try and speculate what will happen. I feel too many people have opinions on where the tattoo industry is go-ing and I prefer not to be one of them. I’m just

enjoying the ride and focusing all of my energy on just becoming a better artist. I think the new generation of artists are so strong and are really helping to bring our industry to a new level. I think this generation is one that finally realizes it’s about sharing knowledge not hording it. That is the key to the future of tattooing.

Any advice that you wanna give to people who are now discovering the art of tattoo?

My advice to anyone interested in tattooing is to focus less on the actual technicality of tattooing and focus on the study of art. Your tattoos will only ever be as good as your art. Tattooing is a medium and can be learned and practiced, but understanding of lighting, perspective, values, color theory, anatomy and other aspects of art that take years to master. The lack of understanding of these fundamentals will always re-flect in your tattoo. Remember, Tattooing is just a me-dium, how you use that medium is the art form.


TATTOO ARTISTISAAC BRAHAM


27

How old were you when you touched for the first time on a tattoo machine?

I was 21 when I touched a machine for the first time. I was studying graphic design at that time, maybe i was a little old to start in the world of tattoo, but I think “ it’s better late than never” , and ever since that day I haven’t stopped tattooing.

How was your learning process and who was your mentor?

The process was relatively easy be-cause I already had the foundation, i studied design and art, i only had to learn the technique and get familiar with the machine and voila! My first teacher was a guy from my town called Omar Martinez, after that i visited the United States and I went to Dallas Tx. I learned with Angel Azul, an excellent artist in the realistic style tattoo, i also took seminars with many artists when-

ever I could, but I’m still learning, I am a learner and i’ll always be.

How did you find out that this was what you wanted to do with your life?

I realized when I opened my studio, In-deleble Tattoo, there began the real commitment, there began this love and respect for what I do and I learned to see it as my lifestyle and a way to bring up my family, that mixture art, commit-ment and permanence convinced me forever.

Who were your biggest influences? Do you have any artist you wanna refer?

My biggest inspiration is the Mexican culture, colors and shapes, characters and parties in Mexico, i have everything here for inspiration, a world full of colors and traditions. I am not of those who see much TV shows about tattoo or buying magazines or anything, what inspires


me more is art in general, the engravings of José Guadalupe Posada, the murals of Diego Rivera, graffiti, illustration, com-ics and art toy, my biggest influences are “Saner” in graffiti, jeremy Fish in illustra-tion, and tattoo, the work of Luis Bonilla and Jorge Membreño of Costa Rica, they really inspire me and they are really good friends.

How do you describe your work?

My work can be defined as a new school or full of color, I like to represent Aztec gods, sugar skulls, revolution characters in my country, urban characters, animals, tacos and a little of everything, my work is a mixture of culture and cartoons that represent what I like personally.

Is there any style that you do not like to do?

When I started i did all styles, but even-tually i made the decision to focus more

on the new school, it was what filled me the most, but if you ask me, tribal tattoos, I made a lot for many years and they are a bit boring, I respect it a lot because they demand precision and technique, but per-sonally they are not my thing.

What kind of music motivates you?

I like cheerful and happy music, reggae, instrumental, for example Golden Ganga from Mexico, Sublime, Slightly Stoopid, Rebelution and the Green they are always in my playlist and when drawing or work-ing I prefer intrumental music, Wax Taylor, Nujabes , Fat Jon and Suchlike.

What is your biggest dream as an artist?

My dream is that someone will see my work and know just by looking that I did it, to have my “signature”, my mark, some-thing from me, dont know if that day will come, but I’m working hard, and hope-fully i can reach it one day, but even if i


can’t, at least i’ll die trying and that is a point in my favor.

What do you think about the tattoo industry today?

The industry is large and uncon-trolled, is no longer what it was when I started, everyone wants to be a tat-too artist but has lost the magic of being an apprentice, everything is immediate, the media have found a good deal and have made tattoo a fashion and have created rockstars, but everything’s not lost, there are young tattoo artists, very interesting true artists that the only thing that interests to them is to express and create, there are new styles and our


31

tools get more sophisticated every-day, I remain out of this revolution, I prefer to dedicate myself to my work and let the world go round.

Would you like to leave some person-al note for those who are now discov-ering the world of tattoo?

To study, to learn, to ask, but above all to draw a lot, to stop looking out-side and look inward, we all have a way of interpreting our reality, we all have a creative side to be discovered, to respect what they do, take it se-riously and responsibly and never stop growing, dont copy anyone, tear down their idols and never give up, no limits!


ILLUSTRATORLOISH


33

How did you start your career as an artist?

I’ve been drawing my whole life, and I guess without realizing it, I started my career as a teenager (16 years old) when I started posting my work online. I did study anima-tion, but the work that I do to pay the bills is mostly based on the kind of art I did in my free time and shared on the internet. By the time I graduated animation school, I was already getting job offers to do free-lance illustrations and character designs. I did “officially” start when I registered as a freelancer in 2010.

Your works show us female characters in different environments and states of mind, what is your inspiration in the creation pro-cess?

I usually want to capture a certain kind of mood, usually something peaceful and harmonious. I like creating characters that look like they are at peace with their envi-ronment, and in control of their own world. I want people to get that feeling from my art.

Speaking of inspiration, is there any artist that you have followed his work and that has been important in your growth as an artist?

I have a lot of artists that inspire me enor-mously. My main inspiration is Alfonse Mu-cha (has been my main inspiration since I was a teenager), but I also love the art of Bao Pham and Andrew Hem, amongst many others.

What is your opinion about the art of tat-tooing? Do you have any tattoo?

I personally don’t have a tattoo but I think tattoos can be incredible. I especially love black and white tattoos that do incredible things with linework. My favorite artists who make great tattoos are Nomi Chi and Natalie Hall.


Tell us a little about the connection that exists between your work and tattoo, you think it would be easy to adapt one of your works in a tattoo?

I think that would be really hard actually. My work is very painterly - it’s shaded like a painting, which is really hard to translate into a tattoo - you have to get the values just right. It’s also tough to get the colors right - my work has very vivid, bright colors. I have seen some beautiful tattoos of my work, so it is possible, but very hard.

Is there any music inspiration in your creat-ing process? Tell us about it.

Music is not often the inspiration for me, but it is a really important part of my process because I need to listen to something when I work. When drawing, I want the mood of the music to reflect the mood I’m trying to create in my art - peaceful, melancholy, re-laxing. I like to listen to bands like Sufjan Stevens and Bombay Bicycle Club.. but sometimes I need something more upbeat and feminine like Grimes!

What is the best experience you’ve ever had as an artist?

That was when I did a kickstarter cam-paign for my artbook (The Art of Loish) and it went more than 10 times over the funding goal. That was incredible! I felt so supported and appreciated. The project was a great success in terms of positive feedback from my followers.

What is your biggest goal in life?

I’m not really the type of person to have big goals. I just want to live a happy and peaceful life - it’s more like a long-term goal that takes lots of small steps every day to get there!


MUSICIANWE BLESS THIS MESS


37

How did you discovered the world of tattoo?

It was really funny because when I was about 10 years old my mom arrived home with her 1st tattoo, she showed me and in that moment i knew i was going to cover my body with those “skin drawings”. And when I was 17 I got my first tattoo and I really en-joyed all the process, so I thought: “I like arts and drawing so maybe i’ll like to do tattoos” and that what I do for living since i’m 18 years old. Beside music of course.

When did you realize you wanted to be part of both music and tattoo worlds?

Pretty much when I started doing both of them, because I only do things that I feel love with. So for me those 2 worlds are connected by love. And I found that tattoos and music have so much thing in common, the more you practice and focus the better you

get. That is the magic formula to everything we do in our life.

How was your learning process as a tattoo artist?

I started tattooing in my mother place for one year, I was searching for information everywhere and af-ter a while I got invited to join Mon-sters Family, a tattoo shop in Por-to, where Carlos Martins gave me some really good advices. And it was in Monsters Family when i first felt that i could really be a tattoo artist.

How would you describe the style of work you do as a tattoo artist?

For me its really hard to label my style because is a work in pro-gress, but i have some influences in the traditional, old school tattoo in one way and in the other hand that graphic, sketch style.


Tell us about your career as a musi-cian, what inspires you, what are your roots, what drives you?

A lot of stuff happen meanwhile in my life as a musician, I started with clas-sical violin when i was 9. And since that time music is an adventure for me. But I think that my punk rock roots are the ones that I feel more. Punk rock influenced everything in my life. D.I.Y. Music, Tattoos and Skateboard-ing. Three of my greatest loves were brought to me through Punk rock! But for this project, We Bless This Mess, I got some influences in the Folk Amer-icana and Country Music, and I found a “new love”.

“We Bless This Mess”. How did this project born and why this name? Tells us about the musical style.

When I started to write WBTM’s songs i didn’t knew what was coming, I was just making those songs for myself and for my friends. It was the most simple way to express myself and the

message I want to bring to people, that this life is amazing and we really need to pay attention to this moment, this breath, this great opportunity of being alive.

How do you associate music to tat-too?

I try to do the best I can to associate those two things, some times I get overloaded with work but I think I’m learning how to balance things so I can do both things in a professional way for many years to come.

It can be said that are two types of art that are easy to reconcile?

Yes they are, because both of them are expressions of yourself that you show to the world, through skin or though sound. And I have a similar approach to them. But even when I’m doing tattoos I can’t stop listening to music and be thinking about music. My head is like a little radio always playing songs and ideas for me.


39

Tell us a little about the last experi-ences you had thanks to music. Best trip or a show that you remember.

In this first year of WBTM I had amaz-ing experiences, I did more that 50 shows in a little bit more than one year and that was unbelievable.I played in Brazil, and that show I’ll always re-member, it was so intense; Germa-ny and UK as well so I can really say that the Universe is giving me a hand. Restless Tour was a great experience

where I got so inspired by every-one, great musicians, great vibe and amazing shows. In the end of the day I can say to myself that i love my life, and I mean it.

What is the future of “We Bless This Mess”? Any plans for the future?

I’m working on a lot of new songs because I want to record my first al-bum. I’m focusing on learning some stuff about music business so I can understand how the Music world works. I want to do things right.

Would you like to leave some per-sonal note for people?

Live your life, one day at the time. Be-cause they will come one day at the time. Don’t rush and don’t be lazy. Find your balance, create a plan and stick to your plan. Enjoy every mo-ment, because they’re all important someway and somehow. It’s this mo-ment that leads you into the next one.


EXPO TATTOO LAGUNA

INK FESTIVAL


41

The first edition of the convention was held with the aim of spreading body art in the city of Laguna, in Mexico there is still much taboo about tattoo, compa-nies do not give you work if you have tattoos and many people judge you as delinquent . That is why this event was created, to help the culture grow. La-guna Ink Fest was in Torreon Coahuila, a city north of Mexico, on 9 and 10 of April.This year the event was better than the last one, with a tattoo area, skate, merch selling, motorcycle exhibition and a stage. The environment was all about art .At Laguna Ink Fest were present about 60 artists from different parts and coun-tries, like Luis Bonilla of Costa Rica, with his amazing new school, Jose Mota port Rico Ortega, Federico Ruiz, Screech McKraken, a Mexican pride in the neo traditional and also Jorge Membreño of


Costa Rica, and all members of Broth-erhood Ink crew.The convention bet in local talents from diferents styles like ska, rock and punk. Also have the presentation of a band of Guadalajara Mexico called Golden Ganga, a fusion of reggae and rock and they are growing a great rep-utation in the Mexican scene.

At the skate park, the boys of “Alame-da Skate” doing tricks, an exhibition of motorcycles by “custom motors” and also an act of MMA fight in charge of the Cobra school, known school of this city. And ofcourse the tattoo con-test.


43


45

TravellInk Users

Tattoo ArtistsALEX GOTZA

ERIC JASON DSOUZADAN ARIETTI


SANTA PIELL TATTOO SHOP


47

TravellInk had the pleasure of having a quick conversation with the tattoo artits Neto, Guru, Spawn and Vitor from Santa Piell Tattoo Studio about how they met and their personal views about Tattoo these days.

How you guys met and why you decided to open the studio together?

Neto: Well, Spawn already knew Guru, I met Guru becouse he did my first tat-too in 2000, then i went to Brazil and returned to Portugal seven years later, I went to a shop where Guru use to work at the time, but he went several times to Algarve in the south of Portugal to work in another shop doing some kind of a guest spot, but more often, so I tried my luck to be a full time tattoo artist in the first spot. I met Spawn when he was tat-tooing a Darth Vader head on his knee many yers ago. You could actualy see the pain in his eyes. hahaa We met Vi-tor because Guru already knew him, so Guru at the time was the one who knew everyone and made the connection beteewn each other. HAHAHA. But I al-ready had contact with Vitor a few years earlyer when we were still in Brazil at a tattoo convention, we talked later about our goals and ambitions, so years later we all got toguether and it made perfect sense to open a tattoo studio.

How did you guys realize that this was what you wanted to do professionally for the rest of your life?

Spawn: I can only speak from myself, i realized I did not want to work. HAHAHA. I wanted to draw and paint. Of course

Guru Marques

Spawn

Vitor Cordeiro


you have to pay bills at the end of the month and you have your responsibil-ities, but if you run after it in a pas-sionate way, you can reach it so I am grateful to be able to do what I love and get paid to do it. HAHA Back in the days it was different, it was “out-law”. I remeber seeing Guru tattooing many years ago, some friends of mine got some ink from him, that inpired me, it was something out of the ordi-nary and that’s also what fascinated me. But like i’ve said, today is very dif-ferent, since everyone has tattoos and there are even reality shows about it.

What is your opinion about reality shows about tattoo and the banali-zation of something that for us is art?

Guru: I think it opened some doors and closed many others, there are good

Spawn

Adail Neto


49

things and really bad things about it. I have to say that it demystified a bit the concept of “tattoo” but on the oth-er hand made a lot of people to think that they allready knew what tattoo is. Today its so easy to find and buy tattoo material, which makes a lot of people that do not know what they’re doing to acquire this same materi-al and already consider themselfs as tattoo artists and in my opinion and in the opinion of a real profession-al, there are many people who do not realize what tattoo is, what its about, it almost seems like they just stum-bled in the world of tattoo, like forcing they’re way into this “industry”, by cre-ating new products such as machin-ery equipment or creams, etc. Fifty years ago people used adhesive film after getting tattooed to cover it, to-day you have a million different prod-

ucts replacing the film, so they say. I stick with my own methots.

Vitor: “Tattoo Age” and “Tattoo Wars” in my opinion were the tv shows about tattoos that caught my attention the most, becouse of the artists or just because I identified with art and its purpose, it was more directed to the tattoo concept and to the community, it wasnt some kind of novel or some-thing with drama. HAHA. But i dont feel much interest in the rest of this type of tv shows.

You can expect a really good vibe in the studio and an exquisite artistic range amongst artists. You can catch a glimpse at our website at Travell.Ink

The interview with the artists of Santa Piell continues in the next edition ....

Guru MarquesVitor Cordeiro


Photos: Rose RichardsMake-Up: Miru MornaModel: Priska Gomez

Video: Tiago Cruz

Street Ink

3rd travellink mag

Documents