Tattoo Special
DIRECTORY
■ Old Town Tattoo 49 Blackfriars Street, Old Town 0131 556 0345, www.myspace. com/oldtowntattooscotland
SKIN DEEP Current Tattoo Trends
■ JAPANESE TRADITIONAL
GLASGOW ■ Terry’s Tattoo Studio 23 Chisholm Street, Trongate 0141 552 5740, terrystattoostudio.com Venerable family-run business going back over 50 years; the original Terry established the International Tattoo Artist’s Association in the 70s, and son Stuart now looks after the shop.
■ Forevermore 202 Hope Street, city centre 0141 332 9340, glasgow.forever moretattoo.co.uk
when it comes to residents, you should be sure to ask for Paul.
■ Chameleon Tattoo 6B Glasgow Road, Paisley, 0141 889 8866, www.tattoochameleon.co.uk Chief artist Leon has been going since 1993, when he started in his father’s Australian studio. Now firmly established in Paisley, Chamelon offers tattooing and piercing in a bright, modern studio. No appointment necessary – just arrive when you’re ready. ■ Custom Inc. 214-216 Kent Road, Finnieston 0141 249 9949, www.custominc.co.uk Home to respected resident artists Foot In Mouth and Billy The Bastard,
As well as traditional tatts and piercings, OTT also offer Micro Dermal Anchor techniques that allow piercings and jewellery to poke out from under the skin.
■ Red, Hot and Blue Tattoo 1a Brougham Place, Tollcross 0131 477 7753, www.redhotandbluetattoo.org.uk With a personalised design ethos, this is one of the best places in town to come if you’re after something uniquely ‘you’. Tattooist/owner Paul Slifer’s Sailor Jerry designs are also quite, quite beautiful.
■ Venus Flytrap Tattoo 50 Candlemaker Row, Old Town 0131 220 4971, www.venusflytraptattoo.com
Well-respected establishment with strong links to Glasgow’s music scene (several artists are also musicians), and occasional ‘guest artists’ from other cities who pop in from time to time.
■ Bodyline 5 Dixon street, city centre 0141 248 4966, bodylinetattoo.com A popular shop, Bodyline is found just round the corner from the St Enoch subway station, and offers a full consultation before any work – be it pre-existing, custom or cover-up. ■ Kaya 113 Dumbarton Road, Kelvinhall 0141 339 6171, www.kayatattoos.co.uk
Heartily recommended by local folks, Kaya also likes to offer its customers the occasional guest artist – although 16 THE LIST 8–22 Jul 2010
this much-loved studio is also involved in off-beat international skull-decorating charity scheme The Sugar Project.
EDINBURGH ■ Studio XIII Gallery 3 Jeffrey Street, Old Town 0131 558 2974, www.stxiii.com A studio-cum-gallery (tattooists’ non- skin-based artwork hangs on the walls) that also moonlights as a shop for mystic/occult items.
■ Tribe 47 West Nicholson Street, Southside, and 80 Broughton Street; also, 1 Bank Street, Glasgow, 0131 622 7220 / 0131 622 4554 / 0141 337 1940, www.tribetattoo.co.uk Spanning both cities, Tribe offers all the standard tattoo and piercing options, as well as tattoo removal for those who have had second thoughts.
The capital’s leading specialist on oriental designs, it’s located on one of the most alternative-friendly streets in town, with Deadhead Comics, occultist store Black Mausoleum and clothes shops Electric Cabaret and Underground Nation all within spitting distance. ■ Bills Tattoo Studio 73 Elm Row, Leith, 0131 556 5954 So old school it doesn’t even have a website, Bills (with a defiant lack of apostrophe) gets by on very healthy word of mouth, offering a straight-to- the-point service on a first come, first served basis.
Detailed, elaborate and vividly coloured scenes featuring warriors, waves, koi fish, geishas, dragons, cherry blossoms and Kanji characters (Japanese lettering) are the mainstay of this genre. Don’t worry, they’re a world away from the once-beloved Chinese symbols, speculated by many to be the tattoo artists’ joke at the expense of clueless punters, and all secretly reading ‘chicken fried rice’. ■ SAILOR JERRY
Mermaids, ships, anchors, roses, swallows, pin-ups, flags and scrolls. Images are boldly outlined and almost cartoon-esque in their simplicity. This old-school style is called after legendary tattoo artist Norman ‘Sailor Jerry’ Collins, exposed to traditional Asian tattoo imagery while sailing with the US Navy. He made his name, and the style named after him, inking sailors on shore leave in Honolulu. And yes, the rum’s his too. ■ REALISM/PORTRAITURE
This style has grown in popularity in recent years due to advancements in tattoo technology. Designs are usually exact copies of photographs and done in black and white – or a heavily detailed reproduction of a work of art. ■ SATURATED COLOUR
Lush reds, deep greens, glossy yellows – tattoos have come along way from murky blue-green scribbles. Instead try butterflies, peacocks and lighthouses with colours you can almost dive into. (Lindsey Johnstone)