Harriet is a good friend I've had for a few years now. I've always wanted to ask her what it is about tattooing she loves, i was lucky enough to grab a interview with her over the weekend...
Hello Harriet, could you please introduce yourself and tell us allittle about yourself?
Hello! I live in Eastboune and have worked part time at Pistols Tattoo Studio since September 2009 and started tattooing in January. I love taxidermy's, antiques and oddities but I also have a soft spot for technology and am a bit of a nerd with an Internet addiction.
Could you tell us how you first started getting into tattooing and what first attracted you to it?
For me it was when I got into alternative music, all the people in my favourite bands had tattoos and I wanted to be like them. Luckily I wasn't old enough when I first had an interest or I'd have some serious regrets! Drawing has always been the one thing I've been good at and enjoyed. After quitting my art foundation year because it just wasn't what I wanted to be doing, I was made redundant at my job at a music store. I had a conversation with a friend about what to do with my life and he pointed out how stupid it was that I wasn't already trying to be a tattooist and it all came from there. I started drawing and drawing and ended up here.
You use allot of bold shading and simple line work in your tattoos, do you find this is a style you really enjoy or more of a style people tend to stick to lately?
I do think there is a lot of generic old school stuff out there that's just being rehashed again and again, and I do like to try and put a bit of a twist on designs to make them my own or more up to date, but at the same time, I don't like to change them too much as the classic designs are that for a reason. I've recently been trying more to get my work to look a lot less fussy. I have a habit of adding too much detail in, and while it's good for some things, designs can sometimes look a little crowded. Drawing a really nice clean simple old school design from scratch is far harder than it looks. I tend to stick to this style because I enjoy it and I love tattoos that look like tattoos.
What inspires you when drawing or designing a tattoo for a customer?
I'm sure anyone who looks at my drawings can tell that I'm a big fan of animals. Anyone who asks for an animal tattoo is my new best friend. While looking at other tattooists' work is important, it can lead to your work just looking like a rip off of someone else's. I like to use reference from Victorian illustrations, as well as visiting museums, galleries, and of course zoos. I take a lot of photos and draw inspiration from everything around me. The most important inspiration is the customer them self though, and I will try and come up with a design that suits them and their personality.
Do you feel being a women tattooist you have a different outlook on a piece your tattooing?
I guess to an extent it may affect my work a little. I've always found it hard to draw things that look fierce and angry as opposed to cute and fluffy. I'm definitely not a typical girl though, so I'm much happier drawing skulls full of black shading than flowers and hearts.
Some of your designs are very different and have allot going on, do you like more epic looking tattoos or do you like to push yourself when doing a piece?
I tend to draw something and just keep adding to it. I love looking at my own tattoos and getting lost in them noticing all the little subtle touches. I think bold simple designs look great, but something that people notice something new in each time they look at it excites me a lot more.
What are the low points about being a apprentice?
The biggest low for me is definitely the steep learning curve. You can pick up a pen or a pencil or any type of drawing implement and if you can draw, you're pretty likely to be good at it straight away, or at least after half an hour's practise. Tattooing is nothing like that. Suddenly you're unable to draw a straight line and it feels like you're five years old again. It's really frustrating, but it gives you the motivation to keep at it and not just get lazy. That and scrubbing tips!
What other things could we find you doing when your not tattooing?
I'm usually working at my part time job at a video game store, playing Pokemon, knitting or just hanging out with my friends and boyfriend.
What would be the "perfect" tattoo for you?
This changes all the time. I go through phases of things I would love to tattoo. Right now I would love someone to let me do a panther on them. The sort of tattoos that excite me though usually contain animals, skulls or anything anatomical, clouds/smoke and lots of black shading with yellow in there somewhere. I also love owls. They have infinite possibilities and are just so much fun to draw!
Is there any design you've had major trouble with yet?
The hardest one I've done so far is definitely the Black Flag logo on a girl's ribs. I completely underestimated how hard ribs would be to tattoo, and especially something with straight lines and a lot of black!
Are there any hints or tip for people looking to get into tattooing?
Draw, draw and keep drawing. Also get tattooed a lot by people who's work you love. Watch what they do and you'll learn a lot. Just being in a good tattoo studio can be so inspiring. Expect a lot of people to say no without even looking up from the desk, but be persistent and don't let it knock you back. A lot of it is being in the right place at the right time and knowing the right people, but most of all you have to really want it. If you want it to happen enough, it will.
And last of all , whats the best way of getting a tattoo from yourself.
You can email me at the_logic_of_crocodiles@hotmail.com or if you're local you can pop into the studio in Eastbourne and say hello!
Head over to Harriet's blog to keep up to date with her goings on and to contact her about getting tattooed.
