It’s not all just about tattoos, there
were live bands, a Fender exhibition
and several other art exhibitions. At
the London convention, there were the
fantastic Fuel Girls and some saucy
burlesque shows. Make sure you get
a good spot for the tattoo convention
award show. These are normally
categorised by size from small to full
body suits and by colour or black and
grey.
Even if you’re just
there to browse,
tattoo conventions
are a melting pot
of creativity and
inspiration - it’s not
just about tattoos
My excitement only grew after
exploring the convention, but I knew
the best was yet to come and I headed
back, ready and hyped. By the time I
returned, everything was ready to go.
I always wait for the tattooist to initiate
conversation, as I just want to let them
focus, but I was instantly at ease with
Carlos, he was a jovial character and a
real down to earth guy.
Some people bring headphones and
listen to music to get in the zone whilst
getting tattooed (tattooists do too,
so don’t get offended if they’re not
listening, they’re busy concentrating!),
others bring something to watch - I even
saw a girl take the 20th-century option
of reading a book while getting inked.
I would definitely advise a good night’s
sleep and a hearty meal beforehand.
Snacks and drinks are a must for any
tattoo session to keep your energy levels
up (cereal bars and energy drinks are
my preferred choice). My personal-best
tattoo session length was 9 and a half
hours by Emilio Winter (Instagram: @
emiliowinter1) - Carlos managed to
tattoo a client for 14 hours once before
he himself had to stop! u
£ Fender were on hand
with a range of tattoo-
artist designed editions
of several classic guitars