Anna has done a bunch of work on us lately, from re-working Sabú's scruffy 1990s vampire bat into a beautiful fruit bat to a "we're the sons of the fish" mudskipper on Xavi's arm. For us, tattoos are an important puzzle-piece of our artistic self-expression. We asked Anna what her work as a tattoo artist means to her.
Sabú's reworked vampire bat - the original was done in 1996 at Sunset Strip Tattoo in Hollywood when we were still living on the streets! To be continued...
How do you feel that your work as a tattooist helps people on their self-finding journey? I believe that with every tattoo you get you discover a new part of yourself that you didn’t know was missing. Every new piece makes you more complete and helps you to become the most you that you can be. What do you especially enjoy about being a tattooist? I love meeting new people everyday and sharing my creative passion with like minded people. I enjoy working to a brief so tattooing is the perfect outlet for my art. When did you decide to become a tattooist? I was always a bit rebellious and in the country I come from tattooing has always been a bit taboo to put it lightly so naturally I was very drawn to it. Once I found out the amount of craftsmanship and creativity that goes into it I just had to pursue it further.
Anna in London.
What’s one of your favourite tattoos you ever inked? Why? I couldn’t pick just one. It’s like asking who’s your favourite child :D I do particularly enjoy pieces that I can relate to outside of the tattoo world like anything anime, video game or animal related.
Gotta love a nice anime tat!
Do you have a tattoo on yourself that carries a special meaning to you? To be honest all of my tattoos are just of things I like (anime etc) or designs made by artists I admire. Are there any aspects of being a tattooist which you don’t enjoy? Sometimes it can be hard to get an idea across with customers. It can also be quite challenging when you’re not given much creative freedom. What are some of your favourite bands / artists? Green Day has always been my top band but I enjoy anything from Slipknot to Enya. Can you give us a short feedback on how you like “Ink, Blood & Vaseline” 😁? I enjoyed it very much, it has a really cool rhythm and I love the metaphors and references used.
Anna is currently doing a Pokemon challenge - she wants to tattoo ALL pokemon!!! Definitely hit her up if you want one! https://www.instagram.com/annas.pokedexchallenge/
Many thanks to Anna for taking the time to answer these questions! She works out of Nova Tattoo Studios in Ipswich. Follow her on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anna.tattoos/
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