The fourth annual South African International Tattoo Convention, running in Joburg from 24th to 26th March and Cape Town from 31 March to 2 April, will showcase over 140 of the best local and international artists spanning over 22 countries.

A range of styles and designs will be showcased over the three days at both events, from traditional and Neo traditional through to realism, black and grey and everything in between.

For its first iteration in Joburg and fourth Cape Town instalment, visitors can expect some of the best local and international artists tattooing their art over the three-day events. Not only designed with visitors, customers and clients in mind, but the convention also aims to create a space for artists to display, admire and learn from other artists in the industry. “The SAITC inspires South African artists to progress, evolve and grow in their craft by getting a chance to share and exchange knowledge about the best practices in the arts of tattooing with people from all walks of life, all over the world,” explains Waldo del Rocca, tattoo artist and South African International Tattoo Convention founder. The convention represents an enormous amount of artistic talent, within a massive variety of styles of work.

The event welcomes tattoo enthusiasts, as well as anyone curious about tattooing, with no pressure to get involved in an inclusive and safe environment that promotes connection and support within the community.

The 3-day convention has added a variety of entertainment to its offering: As well as experiencing the best in the world in terms of tattooing there will be live bands keeping the crowds entertained such as BCUC, Ruff Majik, Mean Girls, Martin Rocka and The Sick Shop, The Man Motels, Black Cat Bones, and Da Beach Boys in Johannesburg – and Grassy Spark, Elle E, Retro Dizzy, We Kill Cowboys, The Man Motels and West Coast Wolves in Cape Town. There will also be coffee roasters, a fully-kitted beer garden and food vendors.

Everyone is welcome, including children of all ages.

“We are most excited to see our community all under one roof, celebrating our love for tattooing and all that surrounds it. The public can look forward to seeing world-class tattooing, local bands, street food and much more… with good vibes only!” – Romy van Tonder, SAITC Organiser.

Here are just 12 of the 140 + multitalented artists to take note of:

Name: Tamar Thorn

Country: South Africa

Shop: Good Things Tattoo

Name: Squid Yu

Country: Taiwan

Shop: Vise Electric

Name: Melanie No

Country: Germany

Shop: Inky und Stretchy

Name: Sean Smuts

Country: South Africa

Shop: Good Things Tattoo

Name: Aaron Carmody

Country: USA

Shop: Halo Tattoo

Name: Sabrina Sawyers

Country: Canada

Shop: Guest Artist

Name: Joey Schofield

Country: South Africa

Shop: Fallen Heroes

Name: Marigold Petros

Country: South Africa

Shop: Handstyle Tattoos

Name: Jean Le Roux

Country: England

Shop: Good Fortune Studio

Name: Homiekwun

Country: Canada

Shop: Guest Artist

Name: Taryn Nissen

Country: South Africa

Shop: True Love Tattoos

Name: Thato Mokhadi

Country: South Africa

Shop: Dipowers Ink Tattoos

For more information and to purchase tickets, click here.

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The post What To Expect at the South African International Tattoo Convention 2023 appeared first on Visi.

Cape Town-based tattoo artist and illustrator Tanya Swemmer, aka Lady Luck, chats to VISI about her influences, inspirations and how she began tattooing. 

Tell us about your artistic journey.

I’ve always been an artist in some form. I’ve been drawing and making things since I was a baby and just never stopped. Besides drawing and painting, I also enjoy three-dimensional work and studied Industrial Design before my tattoo apprenticeship.

What inspires your illustrations?

Whatever I’m consuming visually usually spills over into my designs. I tend to get obsessed with certain subject matter and will research it to exhaustion and that will lead me onto something else.

When did you realise you wanted to be a tattoo artist?

The first time I walked into a tattoo shop. I was 16 and had always said I’d be an artist of some sort until I realised tattooing was an option. I was obsessed with the idea from that day.

How did you decide on the name “Lady Luck”?

“Lady Luck” is actually a tattoo that I wanted for a long time but never got. I apprenticed under somebody called Mr Lucky, so at the time it was a nod to that.

What do you enjoy about tattooing?

I love the singular focus of tattooing, dedicating my time to getting better at one thing and the endless growth within the craft. But also clients and peers – humans are really interesting and I truly enjoy spending time with and listening to so many different people.

Do you have a tattoo that you’ve most enjoyed designing/doing?

I completed a black and grey leg sleeve on one of my oldest and favourite clients in March/April 2019. We did bi-weekly sessions for seven weeks. The frequency of the sessions gave a sense of instant gratification that you don’t usually get with larger work. The whole process was so free and gratifying.

Where do you look for inspiration and how do you conduct your research?

For the last while I’ve been looking at a lot of imagery from Japan, India and Tibet – woodblock prints, watercolours, yoga and medicine journals. I love old library reference books. I also listen to ancient history podcasts and will dig into imagery that I hear about. I love nature and gravitate towards images of plants and animals.

You mainly focus on grayscale designs. Why is that?

My brain can be quite scattered, so it helps to have my focus narrow slightly. I used to put as much detail as I could into each design, but I’ve been trying to strip away what I consider unnecessary in my work, to express the image as plainly and as beautifully as I possibly can.

What are your plans for the future?

My plans for the future have always been to just put in work, learn as much as possible and enjoy the slow process of learning – there isn’t really an end point. My plan was to travel and tattoo abroad but it seems home is the place for a while at least. Besides tattooing, I’ll be working on some three-dimensional work and entering more of the fine art space… but that’s all an idea for now.

You can find Lady Luck at @tomb_tattoo in Cape Town and follow her on Instagram, here.

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The third annual South African International Tattoo Convention, running from 29 to 31 March 2019, sees 90 tattoo artists from 15 countries come together in Cape Town.

A range of styles and designs will be showcased over the course of the three days, from Brooklyn-based Jenna Bouma’s handpoked creations to local artists like Matthew Oldfield (who will also be joined by Palm Black Tattoo Co. colleague Ninjabreadboy. Read our recent interview with Ninjabreadboy).

Here, in alphabetical order, are just 10 of the 90 multitalented artists to take note of.

Alex Muller

2. Alice Carrier

3. Bob Geerts

4. Byron Barker

5. Darryl Hart

6. Fernando Mardo

7. Jenna Bouma

8. Matt Cannon

9. Matthew Oldfield

10. Mo Ducommun

The South African International Tattoo Convention will be held at The Lookout, V&A Waterfront, Granger Bay, Cape Town from 29 – 31 March 2019. Doors open from 5pm until 10pm on Friday, from 11am until 10pm on Saturday and from 11am until 9pm on Sunday. Ticket prices: R195 (Friday); R280 (Saturday); R240 (Sunday); R590 (full weekend).

For more information, visit southafricantattooconvention.com.

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Ahead of the annual South African International Tattoo Convention in Cape Town, to be held from 23 – 25 March 2018, we caught up with local tattoo artist and illustrator Richard Moir, aka Ninjabreadboy, about the hand poking technique, favourite tattoos and what’s next.

When did you realise you wanted to become a tattoo artist?

I’ve always liked line-based illustrations and how lines and dots create texture instead of using colour to define shapes. I first saw tattoos in skateboarding magazines as a kid and that’s the first time I remember appreciating the artwork, along with graffiti and skateboard graphics. 

Handpoked for Rene #handpoke #sticknpoke #stickandpoke #avotattoo @palmblack_tattooco

A post shared by ninjabreadboy (@ninjabreadboy) on Feb 21, 2018 at 12:16am PST

What do you love about tattooing?

I generally have quite a short attention span and get bored quite easily. I used to work as an illustrator in an advertising agency, which had me in front of a computer all day and I’m not really the type of person who deals with that very well. For me, tattooing is a medium that suits my illustration style and visa-versa. It’s also a way of achieving a “final” result in a relatively short time, which I find really satisfying.

For those that don’t know, what is the difference between hand poking and traditional tattoo methods?

In my mind it’s just a different way of doing things. It’s sometimes a bit of a controversial topic and everyone has their own opinion. Basically it’s just that I don’t use a machine and do what the machine does by hand. Everything is done dot-by-dot, which I’ve found can have its own unique outcome if certain things are taken into consideration.

Handpoked for Shaun #handpoke #sticknpoke #stickandpoke #kudutattoo @palmblack_tattooco

A post shared by ninjabreadboy (@ninjabreadboy) on Jan 23, 2018 at 7:17am PST

Why did you choose to focus on the hand poke technique?

Initially it was a medium that I was interested in because my illustration style seemed to suit the medium. Later on, the medium started influencing my illustration style and the pieces I started concentrating on and enjoyed doing became more natural imagery that I could create using different textures. Doing this by hand meant there was less “structure”, creating a more natural and less line-based image, if that makes sense. 

Do you have a tattoo that you’ve most enjoyed doing? If so, which one and why?

It’s not necessarily a certain design that I like most. There are too many to mention but it’s mostly to do with the experience or the satisfaction that comes with trying something new. 

Palm tree handpoked for Sam #handpoke #sticknpoke #stickandpoke #palmtreetattoo @palmblack_tattooco

A post shared by ninjabreadboy (@ninjabreadboy) on Sep 25, 2017 at 2:30am PDT

What’s next for you?

Not sure, maybe the Tattoo Convention will instigate something. I work at an amazing shop [Palm Black Tattoo Co.] with some great people so I can’t imagine myself being anywhere else right now, but I would like to do a bit of travelling in the near future and hopefully do some guest spots overseas.

View more of Ninjabreadboy’s work at behance.net/ninjabreadboy or follow him on Instagram.

The South African International Tattoo Convention runs from 23 – 25 March 2018 at The Lookout at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town. The event will run from 5pm until 10pm on Friday, 11am until 10pm on Saturday and 11am until 9pm on Sunday. For more information and to buy tickets, visit southafricantattooconvention.com.

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Virtuoso tattoo artist Scott Campbell has collaborated with Hennessy on the design of the latest Very Special Limited Edition 2016 bottle.

Highly acclaimed not only for his work on skin but also his skilled watercolour painting, graphite drawings and sculptures, Scott’s design for the latest edition of Hennessy’s ongoing series of urban artist collaborations features a one-of-a-kind blend of “tattoo magic” and the multi-sensorial appreciation of Hennessy.

Scott travelled to the home of Hennessy in Cognac, France to experience first hand the creative penmanship of James Hennessy – the second generation visionary and traveller – to get a sense of his personal and artistic style by perusing his notes, drawings and journal.

The design is based on a pair of wings that are symbolic of travel and freedom. It also features intricately decorative elements incorporating Hennessy Very Special’s iconic three stars and a silver and black motif. Emblazoned on the label is the quote “Love without hesitation”, which speaks directly to Hennessy’s motto that strives to encourage one to push personal limits: “Never stop. Never settle.”

Scott’s style embodies a picturesque combination of ancient cursive with a modern execution, serving as a visual metaphor for how Hennessy honours their own craft as purveyors of fine cognac.

Hennessy Very Special Limited Edition is available from select retailers for R399.95 (750ml). For more information, visit hennessy.com.

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Fabric dolls covered with tattoos are some of this fine arts graduate’s stock in trade.

The online shop descriptions read: “A beefy tattooed man”, “A curvy tattooed lady wearing red pants”. Together, those descriptions wouldn’t sound out of place in a novel about the nocturnal activities of sailors. Dolls would certainly not be first to come to mind, but, then again, Boston-based artist Mimi Kirchner’s hand-made toile-covered creations depicting circus performers, pirates and more are anything but typical.

“With the tattooed men, there’s this bar that we like to go to and there’s this waitress there who has this big tattoo on her back, and I was thinking to myself, that would be fun, to make a doll with a tattoo,” says the artist.

Prior to following her passion for dolls, Mimi graduated from Carnegie-Mellon University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts, after which she got into pottery and spent the next 20 years “distracted by clay”.

“When I started making cloth dolls, there was this instant gratification; I could make one in a day instead of a month, and then I realised I had 500 dolls waiting to be made,” says Mimi about her line of dolls, which includes the cutest poodles, pugs, fish and owls in addition to the mysterious tattooed characters that caught our eye.

Find Mimi’s work on Etsy here.

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The new rockabilly-inspired Dakota Lee is more than just a tattoo parlour. Designed by Tristan du Plessis for studioA, it also features a retail space, art gallery and bar area.

“Our inspiration was to create an approachable tattoo shop, while still staying true to its roots, a place where someone would feel comfortable coming in for their first tattoo, or their tenth,” says Tristan.

As he wanted to create a space that would evolve over time, Tristan decided to cover the walls in chalkboard paint, allowing artists and patrons to sketch their latest tattoos or thoughts on the shop’s walls. “This store is an eclectic mix of tattoo culture,” says Tristan. “From the art and books to the vintage barber chairs, it’s all held together with a very subtle contemporary design aesthetic.”

Dakota Lee is located at Shop 7, Design on Appel, Appel Road, Kramerville. It’s open on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 9am until 6pm and Thursdays to Saturdays from 9am until midnight.

Visit studioa.co.za for more information.

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Lees in Afrikaans.

Raoul Goetze is a multimedia designer by training, a tattoo artist by day, guitar player for psychedelic rock’n’roll band Wild Eastern Arches after hours, and between all of that he produces visual art, prints, drawings and etchings. His stunning intricate mandalas, which he sketches and laser-engraves onto mahogany wood, have caught our eye.

“I specialised in graphic design, which taught me the discipline of design layout, conceptualisation, attention to detail, striving for perfection and making something visually attractive. However, I longed for hands-on design using only a pencil and piece of paper. This is why I chose wood – to get my hands dirty again,” Raoul explains. He is also inspired by the ritualistic spiritual background behind mandalas, and is fascinated by the balance and detail in their construction.

We’ve seen them, we’ve touched them, and we’re captivated by their eclectic influences and the way they draw from the different creative disciplines in which their creator immerses himself. According to Raoul, they are a point of departure for future projects that will concentrate on visual and functional designs. We’ll definitely be keeping a look out for more from this maestro.

raoulgoetze.com, 084 089 6601, raoul.goetze@gmail.com

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