1. In Memoriam: Graphic Artist Storm Thorgerson Undoubtedly the man who made album covers a veritable artistic force, Storm Thorgerson sadly passed away Thursday, 18 April, at just 69-years-old after a battle with cancer. Sweet, introspective…
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As one of the oldest forms of body decoration and religious art, tattooing plays a significant role in cultures all over the world. While the custom has been extensively documented, few published works present such detail as Traditional Tattoo in Japan: Horikazu and Spiritual Skin: Magical Tattoos and Scarification,…
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A conversation with Nick Schonberger on his new book
In part an examination of tattoo’s notable rising stars, Nick Schonberger’s “Forever: The New Tattoo” from Gestalten focuses on 16 of the industry’s most innovative artists. From prominent names like Scott Campbell to underground talents, the work is both a snapshot of evolving trends and a conversation with tattoo…
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Temporary tattoos with old-school flavor
For the fainthearted tattoo enthusiast, Inklings supplies authentic-looking ink in temporary form. Following in the footsteps of Tattly, the basic concept brings stick-on designs out of the schoolyard and into the realm of skin fashion. While Tattly charmingly satisfies the palate for design nerds, Inklings focuses on traditional macabre iconography with mostly black and gray illustrations. Winged skulls and drooling devils are offset by a run of art deco “Space Jamming” designs.
With a waggish degree of overstatement, Inklings’ own Dalasie Michaelis expresses the desire to “pry the temporary tattoo from the insipidness that currently binds it. Mend its disfigured little wings, rename it, and send it free into the hearts, forearms, upper arms, minds and sometimes ankles of everyone.”
Given the history of temporary tattoos, it’s no easy feat to rethink the gimmicky arcade prize, but the secret to Inklings’ success is a sense of play and rad designs. Pick up the tattoos up from the Inklings online shop, but buyer beware—even temporary tattoos can be a gateway drug toward permanent iterations.
Images by James Thorne
Hand-drawn artwork inspired by traditional tattoos and macabre iconography
Creating work dominated by occult imagery, nomadic themes and heavy linework, London-based illustrator Tom Gilmour says he finds inspiration in “black tattoo art and early 80’s skateboard graphics” to achieve a powerful aesthetic akin to something of a morbid blend of Gus Wagner and Jim Phillips. Gilmour draws each piece by hand in ink with splashes of watercolor and digital renderings to achieve certain shading effects.
While the deep gradients and heavy iconography of traditional tattoos are still very much present, Gilmour’s intricate designs tend to lean towards the experimentation of mixed symbolism for a unique depth not often seen in the flash-style tattoos from which he draws inspiration. By designing for paper rather than skin, Gilmour is free to draw without regard to certain contours or the stylistic limits of a tattoo gun, resulting in intricate detail and an unconventional use of space. The full-bleed design style, enhanced by the use of freehand script, helps much of Gilmour’s work make the leap from tattoo sketch to fine art.
Working as an illustrator by profession, Gilmour often lends his artistic abilities to various like-minded enterprises outside of his own sketchbook. Included in the impressive list of music-centric commissions is album cover art for metal band Lay Siege, T-shirt design for Cold Night For Alligators and promotional posters for international music festivals Sonisphere and Download. Gilmour takes such commercial assignments as opportunities to showcase his talents without sacrificing any style or artistic vision.
For a closer look at Gilmour’s illustrations see his personal site and design collective. To see more recent works and for the chance to purchase one-off prints see Gilmour’s often-updated blog and check out Wood & Cloud Publishing Co.
Discover the stories behind the ink
Advertorial content:
To commemorate the release of their new fragrance, Only The Brave Tattoo, Diesel invites the worldwide community of inked individuals to share their unique body art and the story behind their tattoo. Launching today, the Only The Brave Tattoo Gallery invites fans to submit pictures while browsing their brethren’s snapshots from across the globe.
Cool Hunting felt compelled to get involved when Diesel presented the concept of an online gallery, which serves as a contest for fans with the most interesting body art. For two weeks, Cool Hunting is offering its readers the chance to win a photo shoot with a professional photographer and a framed copy of the portrait, which will also appear in a special photo album on the CH Facebook page and on the Only the Brave Tattoo Gallery.
Only The Brave Tattoo is meant to embody the Diesel lifestyle, particularly that of founder Rosso Renzo, who originated the “Only the Brave” motto. The fragrance takes apple as its top note, and follows it with sage, pepper, amber, tobacco, benzoin and patchouli. The bottle depicts a black fist designed by tattoo artist Mr. Cartoon that bears the motto in graffiti lettering, as well as Renzo’s initials.
Keep track of the entries by visiting the “Only The Brave Tattoo” album on the CH Facebook page or the Only The Brave Tattoo Gallery. For a chance to win, register through the participate section. CH and Diesel will choose 20 winners, who would then get the chance to be photographed in NYC or Berlin.
A Brooklyn-based radio trio, the master of animatronics, precision art work, the history of Danish tattoos and a talk with a French fashion design icon make up our top video picks for 2011
All week we’ll be looking back on the past year of CH to resurface our favorite stories and moments. For starters, it was a great year of Cool Hunting Videos—we made some new friends in our native New York and around the globe—trekking long and far to produce our mini-documentaries about creativity, innovation and process. Below are our top five favorites from 2011:
Master music selectors Chances with Wolves gave us a look behind the scenes of their successful East Village Radio show. We spent some time with the dynamic trio—who are childhood friends—and learned about their methods and inspiration.
The godfather of Christmas, Lou Nasti is hands down the most intriguing character we met all year. We had a chance to check out his Brooklyn warehouse where he creates all kinds of magical animatronic installations for clients around the globe.
When talking to the iconic French fashion designer and founder of APC you never know what to expect. We had the unique opportunity to sit down with Jean Touitou in NYC and got some insight into his take on clothing, business and religion.
On a trip to Copenhagen we were welcomed into the city’s most famous tattoo parlor to get educated on the history and progression of the artform. Jon Nordstrøn, author of the book Danish Tattooing, broke down the long evolution of tattooing from its nautical roots to the more complex modern iterations.
We spent the afternoon with Kim Rugg in her London home and studio talking about her work re-imagining newspapers, comics, stamps and cereal boxes using their existing form while rearranging their content. The amount of precision and time her pieces take is truly mind-blowing.
A featured artist talks music, food, fashion and skateboarding
by Frank Galland
Founded by Aaron Broudo, Brooklyn Night Bazaar brings the inspirational energy and madness of Southeast Asian night markets to a 40,000 square foot former carpet warehouse on the Williamsburg waterfront 15-17 December 2011. Broudo partnered with Ken Farmer, creative director of Nuit Blanche New York, to bring their Brooklyn audience a few evenings of beer, music, artists’ wares and skateboarding with the holiday season in full swing.
We caught up with one of the bazaar’s featured artists, Brooklyn-based Canyon Castator, whose work spans oil on canvas to human tattoos. At the bazaar he will be showcasing his selection of DIY tattoos in his new zine “Ink on Skin.”
It’s a 64-page book, conceived and designed in a collaborative effort, documenting my un-surveyed works. The images presented come from four years of tattoos by my group of friends and me. The book at once exposes a clandestine culture of DIY tattooing, and the evolution of technique and subject matter.
I bought the original tattoo machine back in Boulder, Colorado. I lived with five dudes at the time in the quintessential skate house. I think we all threw in like $12 or something. No one knew what to do with the thing. We just kinda went for it. The first couple were really rough. The machine would break down and you would be left with a half way done Bart Simpson or a banner reading “skate and des”. Really good stuff. The brief stories in the zine touch on that original uncertainty. I’ve always drawn, and these silly tattoos were just another medium to experiment in.
When I was invited to participate as a vendor in the Bazaar, I wanted to display the recently completed zine, but I also wanted to set the tone for the person passing by. I’m not a tattoo artist, I’ve never worked in a shop or gone through the proper channels to apprentice or study tattoo arts. The environment I was most accustomed to during this time was the essential dingy basement, full of trash, half eaten pizzas, beer cans etc. I’m using my vendor space as an installation that pays homage to that original aesthetic. Come in, have a drink, watch me give Stick and Pokes to willing friends and pick up a zine.
There was a Bazaar in October earlier this year at the DeKalb Market . I wasn’t involved, but it was crazy. Amazing turnout. I’ve never seen that many people in downtown Brooklyn.
Essentially, it is extending the forum for growth and marks a confluence of Brooklyn’s cultural vitality. The use of Williamsburg’s fleeting waterfront warehouse space is the perfect setting for this cultural collaboration.
I recently participated in the Carsten Höller installation at the New Museum, an unbelievable and ambitious project which came together due to the hard work of some incredibly talented people. Afterwards I was put in touch with Ken Farmer, the creative director of Nuit Blanche New York. He was interested in getting some of Brooklyn’s finest to skate the half pipe each night before it was transformed into the performance space. I’m more or less organizing who will be skating.
There’s a wide array of participating artist and vendors, anyone can apply for a space, but the majority of the participants were pulled from the organizing teams creative network. You’ve got design from Windowfarms, curated classics from Kill Devil Hill and original works from local artists like Anton Zolotov and Colin Snapp.
I’ve always recognized skating as a form of artistic expression. It’s rad that the Bazaar is utilizing an art piece, as a shared space for skateboarding and music. Its always been unclear to me where the line is drawn between the three genres anyway.
Part of the motivation for the night market is the desire to make room in the city’s nighttime cultural landscape for a little innovation. The Bazaar runs from 5 p.m. to midnight, giving you time to head to the bar afterwards.
Each night of the Brooklyn Night Bazaar will feature a different live act including James Murphy, Fucked Up and The Hold Steady. For tickets visit the event page.
Tiny ink-inspired tapestries from a needlepoint ace
Passing her needle through cloth instead of skin, Ontario-based artist Ursula Thompson creates tiny sewn canvases inspired by classic tattoo designs. The self-taught Canadian “Thread Wizard” hand embroiders bright red roses, ships, anchors and skulls, creating beautifully shaded needlepoint tattoos sure to make even Sailor Jerry proud.
Thompson sells the needlepoint tattoos online through her Etsy shop. Just like tattoos, prices vary depending on complexity, but typically span $60-100.
Light up your skin with a tattoo inspired by Marcel Wanders’ intricately designed lamps for Flos
Creating a true “only in New York” moment during the upcoming ICFF happenings, Flos has teamed up with one of the city’s top tattoo artists to celebrate Dutch designer Marcel Wanders‘ new lamp for the renowned Italian lighting specialist. The event marking its launch will leave a few lucky guests with a permanent entry stamp, as tattoo artist extraordinaire Scott Trerrotola applies one of three custom-created tattoos, each modeled after previous designs Wanders’ made for Flos.
The three designs on offer during “Get Lit, Get Ink’d” are interpretations of Wanders’ Skygarden, Can Can and Chrysalis lamps—the latter two just introduced at the recent Salon del Mobile in Milan. The tattoos will be done by appointment only, at the Flos showroom in SoHo on 15 May 2011. To make an appointment, call +1 212 353 1383.
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