Another installment of the web series Ink Stories recently dropped, featuring Rodrigo Souto of Black Garden Tattoo in Central London. The Brazilian-born tattooist has made a name for himself for beautiful large-scale Japanese work. But what's particularly interesting in the documentary short is the footage of Rodrigo creating in another artistic medium, collage. I really enjoyed watching him assemble his works -- particularly against the backdrop of footage of how he builds a tattoo.

Watch the video here or below. And you can also check Rodrigo's work on Facebook and Tumblr.

While we're waiting for the premiere of Tattoo Age's highly anticipated Thom DeVita episode, check the wonderful Valerie Vargas Bonus Footage on VICE YouTube.

In this video, Valerie visits the legendary Lal Hardy, who has been tattooing since 1975, and is definitively one of the people who elevated tattooing in the UK in the 1980s. Lal is deserving of a 10-part episode because he's got stories ... lots of them. I've hung out with him until the morning hours laughing hysterically as he shared them like the perfect showman -- and as Lal says in the video, back in the day, old time tattooists had to be showmen because "you had to fight for your work, but wanted people to come for the experience as well."

Check the video and get a taste of what it was like tattooing in London's punk scene in the eighties and how Lal keeps his passion for tattooing decades later today.

Last week, we posted the trailer to the highly anticipated second season of Tattoo Age, Vice.com's video series profiling stellar tattooists around the globe.

The premier episode of season 2 is now online and features Valerie Vargas of Frith Street Tattoo in London. Valerie is renowned for doing "the prettiest lady heads in the world" -- strong pieces in which each tattooed lady has her own mood, expression and personality but are nevertheless distinct as a Valerie Vargas tattoo. In this episode, Valerie discusses how she came to tattooing and then Frith Street; how drawing with her mother as a child left a lasting impression; and how she and her boyfriend Stewart Robson are able to tattoo side-by-side at the studio without killing each other.

Tattoo Age keeps to the winning formulas of its first season: let the work speak for itself and reveal the artists the way they are in their daily lives without scripts or drama. Because the artists are so good at what they do and have their own interesting stories, there's no need to create them.

I'm looking forward to seeing the next two installments on Valerie. Vice rolls out a new episode every Wednesday.

As noted on her website, Valerie is not taking any new clients but if she has any cancellations, she lets her followers know on Twitter and then it's first come first serve for appointments. Valerie will be at the London Tattoo Convention, Sept. 28-30, and then in California at the 8th Annual Bay Area Convention of the Tattoo Arts, Oct. 26-28.

London's Somerset House is exhibiting silk paintings and photographs of Japanese tattoo master Horiyoshi III in a special series entitled Kokoro: The Art of Horiyoshi III.

The arts center describes the work:

Kokoro means 'heart' in Japanese; it is the 'feeling', the 'inner meaning' that underpins the Japanese approach not only to art, but to Japanese life as a whole. It is what makes Japan quintessentially Japanese. With this selection of paintings by Irezumi master Horiyoshi III, we hope to make you 'feel' Kokoro; leading you on a journey where the typical japanese nature and legends take life in silk paintings and photographs.

Internationally renowned tattoo artist Horiyoshi III is a great supporter of traditional Japanese culture, history and craftsmanship but yet he embraced the modern western world, observed it, understood it and changed his art, evolving but keeping it japanese; this is ultimately the power and essence of Kokoro. It is a spirit that knows no time or physical limits.

... Aaaaaand they're up.

Check Brian's photos from the London Tattoo Convention on Flickr.

Tattoo by Chad Koeplinger on Cian Wright of SwallowsnDaggers.net.

When do you people leave?

I was pulled aside and asked this, rather politely, by the night manager of the Ibis hotel where tattooists packed the bar and restaurant celebrating the end of a successful London Tattoo Convention. They'd all soon go back to their studios around the world, but as I looked at the mass of scary looking dudes beer swilling and back slapping, I knew that it wouldn't be soon enough for this frazzled hotel employee.

We weren't badly behaved. We were just intense. Three days in a place where thousands converged to feel and give pain, to preen and gawk--all surrounded by buzzing, blood and the blare of heavy metal--well, it demands a little steam letting.

The London convention is one of the world's largest. As I mentioned last week, over 20,000 people descended upon the historic Tobacco Dock in 2009; this year, however, it seemed a bit less although the organizers didn't give an official head count yet. Lines to get in still went down the block (and we won't even discuss the bathroom lines). But everywhere you looked, tattooists were working.

The artist roster was a Who's Who of Tattoo. Any type of tattoo could be had; the masters of all these styles were there and some even opted to take some appointments from the floor and not book up completely in advance. I wonder if those who managed to score time appreciated their luck.


Tim Hendricks tattoo on Sharon of Classic Ink & Mods.


The last tattoo show we attended was the Traditional Tattoo & Wolrd Culture Fest in Ireland, which felt like a mini-Woodstock. In sharp contrast, the London show was an amped Warped Tour:  kilowatts of commotion, crowds to lose your friends in, packed pubs, freakshows and Fuel Girls. The energy was just bouncing off the vaulted brick halls.

Within this historic warehouse, artists worked in a maze of glass enclosures. It was like an art zoo, where tattooists were fed cash to perform artistic feats. This menagerie was easy to get lost in, but one you want to get lost in; where you could unintentionally find a tattooer whose work you've never known before that blows you away.

This year, however, I didn't have the luxury of getting lost and making these discoveries. I stayed in my own glass exhibition space with Edgar Hoill as we sold out our massive "Black & Grey Tattoo" box sets and displayed Edgar's photography on the gallery walls.

Also with us was Lars Krutak, our favorite tattoo anthropologist, whose latest book "Kalinga Tattoo" is a stunning--and also massive--hardcover featuring photos and stories of the ancient tattoo tribe in the Philippines. [More on that book coming up.]


Indio Reyes signing his artist pages in "Black & Grey Tattoo."

Because I spent most of my time shilling books, I didn't do my usual flitting about. Thankfully Brian did, taking plenty of photos and bringing back some good stories, which he'll post once he recovers from the hand-poked toe tattoo he got from Clare Goldilox.

[I also did a hand-poked tattoo, my first tattoo ever actually. And I did it on Clare's bum. It was not my finest moment. [Although she does have a fine bum.] When I'm feeling more shameless, I may just do a post on it. Or maybe not. Needless to say, I won't be tattooing ever again.]

In fact, lots of post-convention late night tattooing takes place, and sometimes it takes place after a bottle of Jack Daniels. You know the stories of people taking a sharpie marker to draw all over the guy who passes out at a party? Ok, now imagine that with a tattoo machine.

Those stories were traded during that final convention night revelry at the Ibis bar, but no machines were whipped out and skin scratched. We left with hugs and handshakes, and the hotel employees finally got their rest.

The London Tattoo Convention made the headlines again, although less so this year, but what's out there is pretty good. Here are a few of my faves:

For their In Pictures section, the BBC has a beautiful slideshow of the event including the photo above of Martin Poole, a tattooist in Cornwall who does hand tattooing. In fact, he has done most of his own facial work. I interviewed Martin and will try to have our talk up later this week.

Cheekier photos and captions can be found on Asylum UK's The London Tattoo Convention's Best & Weirdest gallery, which also has shots beyond tattooed butts like the one below.

 

And finally, this video by the Telegraph entitled "My dad's gonna kill me - getting your face tattooed" with some excellent footage and interviews on traditional tattooing among other scenes from the convention floor. Check it below.





My thoughts on the show are up soon as well as those from Brian, who took his own great shots.