Women who will ink you
By Jess McCabe | 11 July 2008, 17:58
There’s an excellent feature in today’s G2 about female tattoo artists.
It includes an interview with Kat Von D, of LA Ink fame. But also women tattooing in this country. Such as Saira Hunjan:
“All my friends were going off to retail and to banks,” says Hunjan. “I got out the Yellow Pages, went through a list of all the tattoo shops in my area and called every single one of them.” She was met with a resounding no from everyone apart from Barry Louvaine, at the House of Living Art in Tooting. “He was the only guy that said to me, ‘OK, but come in with your mum!’” She did as he asked, with her mother tagging along willingly, assuming her daughter was just going through a phase.
Actually, there’s been an annual convention for female tattoo artists in the US for 13 years - the next one is Orlando, 2009. But Googling produces more stuff like this patronising collection of “women’s tattoos”, than this.
None of my three tattoos (done in London and California) were inked by women.
Photo by ekai, shared under a Creative Commons license
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Rachel said:
My tattooist is a woman. She's great too. Her work is brilliant, and I wouldn't go to anyone else. Yeah, she's expensive, but tattoos are permanent and she wouldn't be able to charge what she does if she wasn't worth the dough.
Posted on 11 July 2008 at 8:53 PM
Jack said:
Both my tattoos (my back piece and my sleeve) were done by female artists. I didn't deliberately seek out women for my work, but in the nearly fifteen years since I started getting inked I've seen more and more women working in the industry which is a fabulous thing.
Posted on 11 July 2008 at 10:43 PM
Saranga said:
Can anyone reccomend a tattooist in the Norwich or London area? Preferably Norwich. I've finally decide don something but am a bit stuck for where to go as the one place I trusted shut down a few years ago. :(
Posted on 12 July 2008 at 2:22 PM
Emma said:
Saranga - I can't help with Norwich, but in London, I'd recommend Flamin' Eight on Kentish Town High Street.
Posted on 13 July 2008 at 8:13 PM
Hazel said:
Flamin' Eights in Kentish Town is wonderful. They did my engagement ring and were lovely.
Posted on 14 July 2008 at 11:03 AM
Paul said:
Saranga - IntoYou in Farringdon is an excellent tattoo studio, often cited as the best in London or the UK. They have an excellent female tattoo artist called Lucy as well. If that's not recommendation enough, they tattooed Alexander McQueen, Keith Flint and Britney Spears!
Posted on 14 July 2008 at 11:43 AM
Jess McCabe said:
I'm afraid I don't have any personal recommendations - my first tattoo was done by a big Italian, who's book was full of METAL tattoos on members of Italian METAL bands, so unless that's the kind of thing you're after... My second was done in Berkeley, so not much help. And the third was done by an amazingly talented tattooist called Javi, but unfortunately the studio closed down and I'm not sure where he is working now. I've heard good things about Into You, the Family Business and Evil From the Needle. But I don't know about anywhere outside London...
Posted on July 14, 2008 4:03 PM
Hazel too said:
I have to put in a word for George Bone who has been tattooing in my neck of the woods - Hanwell in west London - for 32 years.
Posted on 15 July 2008 at 12:17 AM
Saranga said:
Thanks for the reccomendations guys!
Posted on 15 July 2008 at 9:39 AM