Pluviophile (n)- A lover of rain; someone who finds joy and peace of mind during rainy days.
Storm clouds by Shannon Mcfarlene at Iron Lotus in WinnipegRealistic black and grey storm clouds by Marcin Sonski
As a pluviophile myself, I love anything related to rain and storms. The sight, sound, and smell of rain all make me feel happy and at peace. Some of my favourite art is inspired by storms and rain, and that includes tattoos.
Storm clouds by Mel Mauthe at Iron Lotus in WinnipegSkeleton enjoying the rain by Madar Norbert at Knuckle Up Budapest
As a tattoo, some common rain themes include rain clouds, storm clouds with lightning, umbrellas, and people in the rain.
Dot and line work rain by Masi in NürnbergUmbrella and storm by La Maison Hantée
Common styles include black work, American traditional, realism, dot work, and black and grey.
Black work piece by Julaika at Vienna TattooRainy day window by Pixie Cat at Art Lab Tattoo Studio
What is your favourite thing about rainy days?
Dot and line work skull and umbrellas by Jay BaldwinAngel and rain by Rat at Imperial Tattoo Toronto
There is unfortunately still quite a bit of subtle (and not-so-subtle) racism in the tattoo industry. It’s often believed that customers with darker skin are harder to tattoo, but that’s certainly not the case. Especially as body modification is such an important part of all cultures and histories, not just white ones.
Black ink is also not the only ink that has to be used on dark skin, contrary to what many believe. Darker skin can still feature bright and colourful pieces. you just have to know what you’re doing with that tattoo machine.
More tattoo artists should push themselves to learn how to tattoo different skin types, including darker skin, as the subculture of tattooing isn’t so “sub” anymore. It can be disheartening for black or tanned customers walking into a tattoo shop when all they see is flash painted on white paper, and portfolios filled with white skin, or only very dark tattoos on darker skin.
(June 2020) With the world finally rallying beside our black brothers and sisters it’s more important than ever to support black businesses, including tattoo artists.
Most people are horrified by the thought of serial killers. There have been some truly terrifying and disgusting people; people who have done awful things. So it’s normal to be repulsed by them. But some people are drawn to this darker side of humanity. Many people want to know why and how someone could take another’s life. Some also try to relate to killers and humanize them. Making them pseudo-celebrities.
Serial killer sleeve done by Jem, Owner of Dissident Art 14 in New Zealand.
Here are some of the most notorious and well-known serial killers; immortalized in skin.
Another serial killer sleeve, this one done by Rick Vicious,owner of INk-Slingas Tattoo.
H.H Holmes is one of America’s most well-known serial killers. Holmes was convicted of 9 murders, confessed to 27, but is thought to have killed up to 200. He is known for building a “murder hotel”. In 1887 he constructed a hotel full of passages, dead ends, and trap doors. People would check in, get lost and wander the hotel sometimes for days at a time before he would finally kill them. In May 1896 Holmes was hanged for his crimes.
A blackwork and terrifying Holmes done by Phil Kaulen.Dark hyper realistic Holmes and his hotel done by Anrijs Straume at Bold as Brass Tattoo.
Richard Ramírez, also known as the “Night Stalker” brutally attacked and killed people in Los Angeles from 1984-1985. He was a known Satan worshipper, known for drawing pentagrams in blood in the homes of his victims. Ramírez was charged with 14 counts of burglary, 11 sexual assaults, 5 attempted murders, and 13 murders. His youngest victim was a 9 year old girl, and his oldest were a couple in their 60’s. He was sentenced to death and was on death row for 23 years before he died due to complications from lymphoma in 2013.
Ramírez and his famous pentagram, featuring devil horns. Done by Siobhan.
Jeffrey Dahmer, known as the Milwaukee Cannibal, was an American serial killer and sex offender who raped, murdered, dismembered, and ate parts of 17 men and boys between 1978 and 1991. Along with cooking and eating parts of his victims, he also committed necrophilia on a number of the bodies. Dahmer was finally caught and convicted after a would be victim was able to over power him and call the police. In 1992 he was convicted of murder and given 15 life sentences. He died two years into his sentence when he was beaten to death by a fellow inmate.
Dahmer portrait done by Po Zhang.
Ted Bundy was an American serial killer and rapist who terrorized women and young girls during the 1970’s. Bundy was described as charming and handsome. He would lure his victims into secluded areas and then overpower them where he would sexually assault them and finally murder them. He decapitated at least 12 of his victims and kept the heads in jars in his apartment as trophies. Bundy was actually caught twice, escaping police and a court house, committing three more murders before finally being caught for good. He admitted to killing 36 people but it is believed he killed up to and possibly more than 100 people. He was put to death in 1989, by electric chair in Florida.
Bundy and chrysanthemum flower done by Zel Tattoo.Black and grey portrait of Bundy in court done by Steve Ropp Waynes at Tattoo World in Derry.
John Wayne Gacy, also known as “Pogo the Clown”, and, “The Killer Clown”, was an American serial killer from Chicago. He sexually assaulted and murdered 33 teenagers and young men 1972 and 1978. He was a trusted member of his community and was even involved in local politics. Gacy was also a party clown and would perform for children. He would lure his victims to his home with the promise of work before strangling them, then burying their bodies in his crawlspace. Gacy was convicted of 33 murders and was given the death sentence. He died by lethal injection in 1994 after spending 14 years on death row.
Pogo (Gacy) done by Jan Veldman at Gypsy Cat Tattoo in Winnipeg Manitoba.Another creepy Pogo done by Jonathan Hernandez at Tattoo Lab in Culver City.
Edward (Ed) Gein, also known as “The Butcher of Plainfield”, was an American murder known for exhuming corpses from the local graveyard and creating decorations for his home from their bodies. He did also murder two women, but he is not actually a serial killer; though most people include him in their list due to his macabre hobby of crafting decorations made from corpses. Ed Gein also inspired Rob Zombie’s House of 1000 Corpses and Tone Hooper’s Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Gein lost all of his family members, but it was when his mother died that he truly seemed to “lose it”. He boarded up rooms used by her to keep them in pristine condition, but quickly let the rest of the house fall into disrepair, and started filling it with macabre creations such as lamps made from bones, with lampshades made of human skin. Upon further inspection done by police, Gein had also covered chairs in human skin, put skulls on his bedposts, made bowls from skulls, masks made from female faces, and Mary Hogan’s face in a bag, and her skull in a box. Mary was one of Gein’s two victims. Other more gruesome items were also found in his home. He killed Mary Hogan in 1954, and Bernice Worden in 1957. He was found unfit to stand trial and put in a psychiatric hospital where he remained until he died at age 77 in 1984 from cancer of the liver.
Ed Gein and his creepy farm house done by Javi Aiwass.
Charles Manson is one of the most famous people on this list. He was a cult leader in California. Manson spent half of his life in correctional facilities for various crimes before trying to make it as a musician in California. He worked briefly with the drummer from The Beach Boys and recorded a few short albums of his own. Manson believed in “Helter Skelter”, a term he stole form The Beatles song. He used it to describe an impending race war he thought would happen. To start this war he convinced a number of young people to murder 7 people for him. These were people who followed his cult. Manson was charged with the murder of 2 people, and for the murder of 7 others, even though he did not actually kill them. His band of followers were known as the “Manson Family”, and they are most famous for brutally murdering actress Sharon Tate, Gary Hinman, and others. The “family” was also responsible for numerous thefts, assaults, and the attempted murder of President Gerald Ford. Manson was given the death sentence, but it was later ruled unconstitutional. He was in prison from 1971-2017 where he died from natural causes. Manson continued to have followers in prison and had hundreds of people (mainly women) writing to him.
Rob Kelly is the owner of BLACKOUT Tattoo in Hong Kong. Rob has been tattooing since 2005, and has lived in Hong Kong since 1994. BLACKOUT Tattoo was founded in 2010 and features brilliant permanent artists as well as travelling guest artists.
Realistic black and grey tiger.Realistic black and grey lion head.American traditional lady head butterfly.Black and grey Japanese Kitsune.
Rob tattoos in many styles including American traditional, Neo traditional, black work, Japanese, Chinese, black and grey, line work, realism, tribal, and more.
American traditional butterfly.Water colour dragon.Tribal chest panel.
Rob has a book of flash you can choose from, or you can book a consultation with him and collaborate on something completely original for yourself.
Blackwork half goat, half mermaid.Classic mom tattoo with a heart and dagger.Japanese lucky cat, Neko!
The shop abides by all health regulations, including using new ink and needles, so no need to worry about infections.
Blackwork chrysanthemum.Chinese dragon in American traditional style.Bright red chrysanthemum.
Rob has incredible attention to detail and will make sure you leave the shop happy and with a badass tattoo! Check out his website and set up a consultation http://www.blackout-tattoo.com
American traditional cherub and skull.Black and grey Harry Potter piece. Expecto patronum!Legend of Zelda sword.
NSFW. Shibari is the ancient Japanese artistic form of rope bondage. In Japanese, Shibari simply means “to tie.”
Snake and woman in Shibari ropes done by Alix Ge in France.Blackwork woman in kimono done by Phil Kaulen at Elektrotinte Tattoo.Full Shibari back piece and octopus done by Zhuo Dan Ting at Shanghai Tattoo in China.
Shibari dates back to the 1400’s when police and samurai would use Hojo-jutsu, the martial art of restraining captives. This was used to both imprison captives as well as torture.
Woman tied up, upside down done by Alvaro Contreras in Barcelona.Delicate blackwork piece by Sad Amish tattooer at The Church tattoo in Bordeaux.Neo traditional demon woman in Shibari rope done by Wes Harrison at Black Wren Tattoo.
By the late 1800’s and early 1900’s this evolved into a new kind of erotic rope tying called Kinbaku. Today, this erotic art form is generally just called Shibari.
Red rope Shibari woman done by Clara Welsh at Evil From the Needle in Camden UK.Heart and Shibari rope by Scott Garitson at Til’ Death Denver.
The knots used in Shibari accentuate characteristics in the models body, and show sensuality, vulnerability, as well as strength. The ropes create geometric patterns on the models body that contrast the bodies natural curves.
More Japanese style piece, featuring her own Japanese tattoos done by inserseriusseries at Two Of Hearts Tattoo.Torture by Shibari done by Sergey Vaskevich in Warsaw.
Shibari tattoos are erotic and sensual, showing off the human form in all its beauty. They are often done in black work, black and grey, realism, and neo traditional styles.
Blackwork heart and rope done by Lopes Onepunch at Gone fishing tattoo in Portugal.Leg wrapped in rope by Tine DeFiore at Black Oak Tattoo in Chicago.
To see some live Shibari art please check out shibari.jp to see my favourite Shibari artist, Hajime Kinoko.
Realistic black and grey piece done by Németh S. Csilla at Deep Art Tattoo in Nové Zámky.Blackwork shibari and video camera done by Ufoo Tattoo at Kult Tattoo Fest.
J is the owner of First String Tattoo in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He works in a number of styles including black and grey, Polynesian, black work, realism, Japanese, and neo traditional.
Fantastic coverup with deer skull, flowers and a book!Massive peacock. Look at those details in the tail feathers!Realistic black and grey Japanese Kitsune and skull.Big sugar skull inspired rib panel.
He does both large and small pieces, from sleeves and back pieces to tiny one shot pieces!
Creepy crawly head tarantula.Some feathers and an awareness ribbon.Healed black and grey lighthouse.Viking themed frost giant on a bloody rampage!
You can check out his flash on his Instagram or in person and choose something cool, or talk ideas with him!
A lovely loon covering up some old script.Neo traditional lady head.Japanese koi fish as a chest panel to lead onto a half sleeve.
As well as working in Winnipeg, J also guest spots in Saskatoon at Rites of Passage Tattoo.
Neat drawn on Polynesian inspired piece.Polynesian elephant.Bright neo traditional owl!
If you’re looking to have some ink removed he can also do that for you as he does laser tattoo removal right out of the shop. If you’d rather have a piece covered up he does lots of that too.
Brilliant brightly coloured sleeve with some skulls and flowers.Healed Where the Wild Things Are themed piece.Realistic black and grey snow leopard.
He has an incredible attention to detail and is sure to make you happy with any style you choose.
Huge flower for a coverup.Fresh and healed. Sugar skull and a more nature themed skull.Healed shots of an octopus sleeve.
J is a must visit artist in Winnipeg or Saskatoon!
Candles are often seen as a representation of religion or spirituality. They can also be paired with light and dark for contrast.
Brilliant hyper realistic candles coming out of fingers, with skull and woman portraits. Done by Jak Connolly Based in Bournemouth and Manchester.Realistic black and grey candle coming out of the hand. Done by Arlo DiCristina.Large dotwork sternum candle lantern with roses and a moth. Done by Jason Call in Dallas, Texas.Badass candlestick with moths and skull. Done by Matt Adamson at King’s Avenue in New York.Spooky ghost and candle done by Teresa Sharpe at Unkindness Art in Richmond VA.
Candles can also represent honor, faith, love, wisdom, energy, and life.
Dripping black candle with spooky witch hand. Done by Akos at Adorned Empire.Death moth, rose, and lantern with candle. Done by Fraser Peek from Chatham, England.Neo traditional skull and candle with lots of gold. Done by John Mendoza in Mexico.Black candle dripping over a small skull. Done by Pari Corbitt.Linework candle done by Tine Defiore at Black Oak Tattoo.
Candles are often accompanied by flowers, skulls, moths, and books.
American traditional candlestick with butterfly. Done by Cedric Weber.Terrifying skull and candle done by Gara in South Korea.Beautiful candle with pink roses done by Kaitlin Greenwood in Perth.Hyper realistic candle, book, and skull. Done by Ryan Mullins who works out of New York and New Jersey.Bright neck piece with roses and a lantern done by Ulysses Blair.
Candles dripping with wax can also be in remembrance of a deceased person.
American traditional candlestick with dotwork crescent moon. Done by Devx Ruiz.Neo traditional female portrait with dripping candles. Done by Hannah Flowers.Candle with lots of red. Done by Kevin O’Connell at With Love Tattoo in Brisbane, Australia.Blackwork candle with lots of light! By Scott Move at Parliament Tattoo. London UK.Candle, skull, and book done by Xabier Barreiro at Black Poison Tattoo, Ourense, Spain.
When done as a tattoo, they are most often done as realism, neo traditional, or American traditional. Black and grey is also a popular option.
Another spooky witch hand with some bright neo traditional colours. Done by Emmanuel Mendoza.Bright purple candles done by Helena Darling at HFX Tattoo in Halifax Nova Scotia.Realistic portrait mixing black and grey with colour, and geometric pieces. Done by Kyle Cotterman.Badass neck piece done by Sergey Vaskevich.
The werewolf myth dates back thousands of years, in numerous cultures; but it became most popular between the 16th and 19th centuries. These stories grew so popular that it seemed almost every town in Europe had its own werewolf tale. Books such as Discours de la Lycanthropie published in 1599, described werewolves as “men so denatured, that they have made bastards of their first origin, leaving this divine form, and transforming themselves into such an impure, cruel and savage beast.”
Brilliant neo traditional sleeve by Matt Curzon at Tattoo EMPIRE in Melbourne, Australia.Classic American traditional werewolf and moon by Dan Gagné at Loveless tattoo in Montreal.
Another term for werewolf is lycan. Lycanthropy, then, is the change of man or woman into the form of a wolf, either through magical means, so as to enable him or her to gratify the taste for human flesh, or through judgment of the gods in punishment for some great offence, as put by Sabine Baring-Gould in his 1865 book The Book of Werewolves.
Fantastic forearm piece by Darnell Waine in Los Angeles.Crisp half sleeve by Chris Ramirez.
When sideshows were a popular part of circus life, people with hypertrichosis were often branded as werewolves.
Absolutely terrifyingly realistic werewolf by Paul Acker at The Séance Tattoo Parlor in Bensalem.
Popular werewolf movies include An American Werewolf in London 1981, The Wolf Man 1941, The Curse of the Werewolf 1961, and The Wolfman 2010.
Black and Grey Wolf Man portrait by Lea Vendetta.Fantastic realistic and dark werewolf from An American Werewolf in London by Javier Rodriguez Immortal Art Studio.Haunting werewolf from An American Werewolf in London by Joe K Worrall in the U.K.Professor Remus Lupin from Harry Potter in the form of his werewolf, done in watercolor and sketch style by Russell Van Schaick Orlando, FL World Famous Tattoo.Terrifying realistic black and grey piece also from An American Werewolf in London by Matt Perlman Aces High Tattoos West Palm Beach Fl.A big and bloody wolf man by Elen Soul.
As a tattoo, werewolves are often done in black and grey style, realism, neo traditional, and American traditional.
Skeleton and werewolf by Chris Thompson at 522 Tattoo.Dark werewolf head with red moon by Alex Werder at Good Fortune Tattoo.Angry looking werewolf stealing a woman away, by Hilary Fisher White in Brooklyn.Blackwork werewolf with crescent moon and bones done by James Armstrong at Holy Mountain Tattoo.Big and bold neo traditional werewolf head done by Jan Veldman at Gypsy Cat Tattoos in Winnipeg.Midway transformation piece by Jonathan Penchoff.Fierce and realistic looking werewolf head by Jordan Baker at Penny Black Tattoo.Werewolf looking to party done by Noelle Lamonica at Black Cobra Tattoo Club.