Around the World in Eighty Tattoos

 I love tattoos. I think we're moving into a new tattoo era which is more about art and self-expression and less about 'a mark of a gang' tattoo prestige. I'm the generation who got taught by Lena Dunham to own my body and learn to love the bits I hated by turning them into works of art.

Unsure if the influence was actually Lena Dunham or a really incredible girl in my school who I obvs only looked at, silently, in awe- shout out to you Caroline Ward- you got a beautiful arm piece just after leaving school and I just though absolutely YES, you know?

 Don't think we ever actually spoke..I still remember how you did that talk about Stephanie Meyer's Twilight books when we were all sixteen, before they were even a thing and I went to a book shop and bought the first book that very same day. You can be my cult leader any time...

Anyway doesn't everyone struggle with body positivity? But I can never stop bubbling over with joy when I think about tattoos. I'm not stereotypically beautiful but images and art tend not to have one solid line of 'what is beautiful' like Western beauty standards so when my skin gets endowed with them I can get that same burst of joy...

I got my first tattoo after attending the Rio Paralympics. I got my second as a stop gap after planning to get an extensive piece but then my friend's funeral was on the same day as the appointment and well, you up there, you ruined it! Six months later I got my first fun tattoo, less of a statement, more of a companion (not any less pretentious than a huge leg piece mind you).

When I travel for myself and not sport anymore (and have made an extensive fortune....) I plan to do a tattoo crawl and get a tattoo from each of my favourite artists. Should maybe credit my fav Aussie mechanic Mikey Winter, who travels the world with the team and stops off to get a tattoo at each place he goes...think Mikey may actually be my fav mechanic ever.

My first I got in my hometown of Glasgow (31/12/16)- creds to Kym at custominctattoos

My second was in my birthtown of Manchester (18/12/18)- creds to racotattoo

One day, I'm going to call the trip 'Around the World in Eight(y) Tattoos'-- *there are actually ~21 examples here*.

CANADA- Toronto

Jess Chen is an artist that has a range of different styles- to me, she's the one who can do these epic free full body florals and she is second to none, she also does tiny, cute fruit and flower pokes for those not so keen on the biggest tatt commitments.

Rat666tat is so astonishingly good at custom tatts, is there anything they can't do.  To express my individual soul and get some incredible colourrrr I'd go here!

SOUTH KOREA- I first got instagram solely to look at tattoos and all of the ones I was obsessed with continually came from South Korea- I'm unsure if they have finer needles, different and specialist ink or if I'm just the KPOP lover but for tattoos.

If I am so lucky to need a Tokyo Paralympic tattoo I want it to be Poly_sj who does it. They run a tattoo shop in Seoul. My first stop tattooing around South Korea because look. 

Tattooist_Dahh has so many different styles, focused on small intricate pieces playing with perspective. They use blue a lot (my fav colour) and landscapes but not always. Honestly, I would get all of the tatts that they have ever done. Too many to choose from, I just can't.

For highly stylised, with hints of tradition but modern colour intensive work it's Pitta_kkm... so bright...so detailed.

Incredible use of colour and incredibly realistic landscape shots daldam_ is just... how intricate can you get?!

Abstract human portraits and cartoon style or abstract scenery M_Tendo is your gal. Nothing has a face but everything is so identifiable? So INKcredible. Has this light blue that is everywhere in her work like a signature:)

USA- NYC

Eva is better than Van Gogh himself...she also does incredible original pieces...anything..everything..

The artist who really represents my brain if it was to be splatted against my body: julianllouve.

USA- CHICAGO

Keara McGraw was just meant to tattoo. I love her single colour linework, perfect chaos- intricate interlinking drawings of beautiful things. Her feathers and petals are just out of this world. Would just let her have my arm for doodle practice any day.

SPAIN-MALLORCA/ USA-LA

There is nothing Adamexiste can't do. Best at naturalistically capturing the unnatural- best at portraits?

BERLIN- there are too many in Berlin...

For motion, coffee cup, paint brush swirl, black, thick statement strokes, symmetry in the faux-accidental  I need heloise_florent.

I need to make a billion trips to Noiia Berlin and to Unikat Berlin- to all of their artists and residents..ever employed?

AUSTRALIA- MELBOURNE

For circle-line-triangle geometry, colour popping flowery beautiful complexity it's all about Luca. 

HUNGARY- if I get a piece by Balazsbercsenyi I'll need to be put into the Gallery for Modern Art.

INSTANBUL- hakandik paint mee. 

The colour work and accuracy when doing Munch lookalikes but for me that's the most beautiful sunflower field I've ever seen in reality or in tattoo: Ayhankrdg

ITALY- for watercolourrr, 3D blocking can't quite describe the beautiful style- Luca <3