Roll up your sleeves. Source: HeraldSun
THEY’RE needle-slinging artists, body canvas masters, shooting smart blasts of brilliance nobody surpasses. You think you’ve seen skin sleeves meaner than these? The most supremely pretty ink this city’s ever conceived.
The Herald Sun Department of Internet brings you some of Melbourne’s most spectacular tattoos; the culmination of countless ours of work from tattoo artists whose veins run with ink.
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By Justin Acca of Devils Ink Tattoo, http://ift.tt/1r2dRUN Source: Supplied
A generation ago, a parent might have a fit if their son or daughter expressed an interest in becoming a tattoo artist, then synonymous with uni dropouts, crime association and dark designs worthy of the occult.
Now perceptions are a bit different.
Justin Acca of Devils Ink Tattoo in Newport, an ink artist for 14 years, combined a lifelong passion for drawing with formal training at the VCA and more short courses at tech schools.
Now he specialises in full-sleeve and full-back or front tattoos, meticulously inking inch by inch to form spectacular scenes on clients’ blank-canvas skin.
By Victims of Ink, Chapel St, http://ift.tt/1r2dRUO Source: Supplied
“For a back piece it can take seven or eight sittings, and each of those is a three or four-hour session,” he said.
Full sleeve tattoos take a similar amount of time and become a pressure test in patience and stamina.
Clients can have exacting standards and specific designs to work with. But often the topic is left to Mr Acca.
“If I can decide on the topic, normally I go with mystique, the unknown and darker themes,” he said.
By Victims of Ink, Chapel St, http://ift.tt/1r2dRUO Source: Supplied
“They tend to be darker themes.
“After doing it for long enough, you start to stylise everything you see.”
But what about the pain?
“For every tattoo, I talk to my client first,” Mr Acca said.
“I ask if they’re in good health, if they’ve ever had a tattoo before and know what to expect.
“Sometimes (the pain) doesn’t come up.
By Justin Acca of Devils Ink Tattoo, http://ift.tt/1r2dRUN Source: Supplied
“But for some of those large pieces you really need someone who’s in optimum health to get through it.
Normally, Mr Acca said, a person committing to a large full-back or full-front tattoo has the passion to get through it no matter what.
“They tend to be a specific type of person, and they have the determination to get through it,” he said.
By Justin Acca of Devils Ink Tattoo, http://ift.tt/1r2dRUN Source: Supplied
“Definitely there is a need to take care of my clients with each tattoo and help them get through it.”
But sometimes it can get a bit much and, to get them through the process, over-the-counter painkillers are needed to give clients a boost.
“But I only recommend that sort of thing when it’s really called for,” Mr Acca said.
By Mr. All One of Tattoo Magic, http://ift.tt/1r2dV79 Source: Supplied
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By Sean Jackson of Tattoo Magic, http://ift.tt/1r2dV79 Source: Supplied
Sean Jackson of Tattoo Magic in Fitzroy, a tattoo artist with two decades’ experience, said one client coming in for his first tattoo opted for a full-back mural featuring a tiger.
“Nowadays I find people are a lot more educated about what they’re doing and they’re more likely to be serious about it straight away,” Mr Jackson said.
“If they want that, we then explain the process and that it’s a commitment.
By Victims of Ink, Chapel St, http://ift.tt/1r2dRUO Source: Supplied
“That then acts as a filter for me to see how serious they are. It can be frustrating if they get halfway through it and don’t complete it, there’s a lot of pink not filled in.”
All-up, one big tattoo can take months to complete.
“Some of the bigger pieces have 40 to 80 hours of work in them,” Mr Jackson said.
“And most clients have work done on them on a regular two to three-week basis.
By Mr. All One of Tattoo Magic, http://ift.tt/1r2dV79 Source: Supplied
“I have one client from Tasmania who comes in every day for work to be done.”
As for designs, many clients are happy to let to artist
“Some come in with almost no idea,” Mr Jackson said.
“They might say they want Japanese style — it can be as vague as that.
“Some people come in with a specific idea and we draw (a design) for them.”
By Dave Mcaleese of Chapel Tattoo Source: Supplied
Dave Mcaleese, who has been working as a tattoo artist at Chapel Tattoo Melbourne for 12 years says the industry is ‘booming’.
“These days people know more about quality tattoo ideas, so you get to tattoo a lot better quality designs,” Mr Mcaleese said.
”Traditional tattoos are popular at the moment... they usually take 2-3 hours, and are the majority of the work I get asked to do.”
Want to show off your #MelbourneInk? Hit us up on Twitter @theHeraldSun or instagram
Iconic imagery of Melbourne in a tattoo. By Dave Mcaleese of Chapel Tatoo. Source: Supplied
By Geordie Cole of Tattoo Magic, http://ift.tt/1r2dV79 Source: Supplied
By Sean Jackson of Tattoo Magic, http://ift.tt/1r2dV79 Source: Supplied
By Joy of Ink Studio, www.joyofink.com Source: Supplied
By Mr. All One of Tattoo Magic, http://ift.tt/1r2dV79 Source: Supplied
By Mr. All One of Tattoo Magic, http://ift.tt/1r2dV79 Source: Supplied
By Joy of Ink Studio, www.joyofink.com Source: Supplied
By Jarrad Serafino of Victims of Ink, Port Melbourne, http://ift.tt/1r2dRUO Source: Supplied
By Joy of Ink Studio, www.joyofink.com Source: Supplied
By Mr. All One of Tattoo Magic, http://ift.tt/1r2dV79 Source: Supplied
By Victims of Ink, Chapel St, http://ift.tt/1r2dRUO Source: Supplied
By Dave Mcaleese of Chapel Tattoo Source: Supplied
mitchell.toy@news.com.au
Twitter: @MitchellToy
With Brendan Casey (@BrendoHeraldSun)
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