The Year in Review

Well inkers, we’re drawing very close to the end of the year! It’s been a massive year in the studio for us, we’ve done so much and we have so much more we want to do!

When the year started, we took on a new shop-manager and a head-artist, began body-piercing, and added new artists to the team, and that was all before the year had really even begun! After that, we really got stuck into it.

Once our team were all on the ground and running together, we started planning our year.

The first thing we did, was with our new head-artist Kris Barnas, who decided he wanted to raise some money for charity. So he attempted a Guinness World Record! Kris tattooed for 56.5 hours straight, tackling the previous record of 50-odd hours. We are still awaiting final confirmation on the record from Guiness, but aside of that, we managed to raise a massive amount of money that Kris donated 100% of to canteen for kids with cancer. Canteen are a brilliant Australian organization committed to the assistance of children battling cancer, and we were proud and so happy to be able to help these wonderful people.

Once that was done, it was time to move onto the next challenge; the Australian Tattoo and Body Art Expo. This year we made a small appearance, just Kris and Ben who went in, and we had a ball. We met some amazing tattooers, made new friends, caught up with old friends, and met a stack of new clients who are coming through the studio even now as life-long friends of the shop. We got a chance to suss it out, and work out what we think is the best approach our studio can take to really make the most of the expo. And you can expect to see the results at next year’s expo, because we’re going to be there and better-than-ever!

Then we decided we wanted to throw a flash day, and what better time to do it than Halloween? We had all the guys draw up their spookiest flash, and we ran an open-shop all day, walk-ins galore! We tattooed a stack of our Halloween designs and even ended up making a start on a sleeve or two! It was another great day where we got to have some fun and meet more brilliant clients.

After that, we decided our body-piercing could use a boost. So Ben went about compiling a catalogue of high-end, top-quality body jewellery manufacturers who have approved him to work with their stock. Since then, we have been putting out some killer body-piercings with top-quality unique jewellery every single week, and it only continues to become busier! Next year is going to be huge for our body-piercing, we want to give everyone in Fremantle the opportunity to purchase and be pierced with the best jewellery you will find in town with an experienced and educated professional.

And now here we are! The guys are all in, we already have some exciting guest-artists lined up to work with us throughout the year, our body-piercing is taking off, and the tattooing only continues to get better and better. If you thought this year was good, just wait to see what we have in store for 2016, we’ve got big plans Fremantle! We’d love for you to join the ride and watch them come into fruition.

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and enjoy yourselves over the silly season, we’ll be seeing you all next year!

Til then, inkers, Happy New Year!
-The Modern Ink Team.

End of Year Cover-up Competition!

We were going to talk about body-piercing this week, but we’re gonna hold off on that for a week or two while we finalize some exciting things, in the meantime, let’s talk about the year that was!

Well guys, its coming up to the New Year, and what a year it’s been! We have changed our team, increased the amount of content and contact we have available to our clients, and we have had another year of top-notch tattooing! We did a convention, a world-record attempt, a charity event, a few competitions, a flash day, all just dipping our toes in the pool to prepare us for our biggest year yet. We have that much planned for 2016 and were already stuck into it behind the scenes before 2015 is over.

The last thing we want to do this year is a final competition! So let’s talk about cover-ups. So many of you have a tattoo or 2 you regret, something that has made you unhappy or that you aren’t so proud to wear. A lot of our jobs consist of fixing old work, covering stuff that isn’t so great, or adding to existing pieces and giving them a breath of fresh-air. So in the spirit of giving, we’ve decided to offer a few cover-ups, absolutely free.

To enter this competition, there are a few simple steps. Head over to the top of our facebook page to see the original post: www.facebook.com/moderninkfremantle

1.    Share the post on your facebook or instagram page using the hashtag ‪#‎moderninkcoverupcomp and comment on the post tagging 4 friends so they can also find out about it.

2.     Email the studio on info@moderninkfremantle.com and include the following;
- A picture of your existing tattoo along with who did the work and where.
- A description of what you were hoping to cover the piece with if you have one.
- Your contact phone number.

Entries to the first stage of our competition close on the 31st of December. At this point our team will come together and view all of the entries, and we will select the pieces we think we can make something special from. The selected pieces will be fixed absolutely for free! As a consolation, we will offer cover-ups to any of the pieces not selected at a discounted price!

Once the cover-ups are completed, we will upload all of the pieces before-and-after images onto our facebook page for voting! The second phase of this competition will include prizes to randomly-selected voters and also to our clients who have had their work fixed!

This is a great opportunity to turn something you are unhappy with into something you can wear with pride! Dont miss out on the chance to let our artists make you feel great!

Best of luck to all of you, looking forward to seeing your shockers and making them awesome!
-The Modern Ink Team.

Artist Focus: Sanni Saar

Closing off the last few weeks of artist focus blogs is the ever-so-lovely Sanni Saar. Last but certainly-not-least, Sanni is our resident abstract and dotwork/etching artist, who executes unique and very individual pieces that are sure to impress.

Employing combinations of clean line-work with the random textures created using dot-work and etching, Sanni only continues to increase in popularity. Her work is clean, detailed, and beautifully executed. She applies her own unique style to any piece a client request of her and the result is always impressive.

Sanni is happy work in black-and-grey or full colour, and is also very experienced with watercolor work. She is fluid in her style and willing to work with a multitude of ideas and content. She gives her own twist to anything she tackles and is constantly creating pieces you won’t see anywhere.

Sanni’s work has only become more and more popular during her time with our studio, and the quality only continues to improve. She is a unique and creative individual with a passion for her work and a personality to match it. Her clientele are always coming back to discuss their next piece with her and she continues to brand the people of W.A to ever-increasing popularity. Her abstract and twisted style is something that cannot be imitated.

You can check out more of Sanni’s work and contact her for bookings or consultations on her social media!

Instagram: @sannisaar

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sannisaartattoo

And there you have it! The final member of our team of tattoo artists. Next week we will be taking a look at the other wing of the Modern Ink team; our body piercing studio Modern Metal!

Until then inkers, have a great week and look after yourself, welcome to the silly season!

-The Modern Ink Team.

Artist Focus: Kris Barnas

Realism tattooing. It’s something you can find all over the world, an artform both popular and incredibly respected. The ability to capture life and realistic images in permanence through tattooing is a skill and a long-honed talent.

We are fortunate enough to have someone who excels in this. Kris is an international award-winner and a power-house tattooer. His work is beautiful and crisp, accurate and impressive. He manages to capture each image he tackles and his clients are always more than impressed.

Black-and-grey or colour-work, and any subject matter, Kris is the man. Be it portraiture, landforms, film and book characters, animals, the man is a wizard and will take on anything. After cleaning up across Europe and earning the respect of fellow tattooer’s everywhere, we are very proud and honoured to have him settle down with us in our studio, where he continues to meet new clients every day, already booking out months in advance after tattooing with us for less than a year.

So come and join the party, check Kris out on his social media and contact him or the studio to arrange your next jaw-dropping tattoo!

Facebook: www.facebook.com/kristattoos

Instagram: www.instagram.com/kristattooo

Next week we will be taking a look at our resident dot-master and mandala-man, Allan Tuul.

Til then inkers, stay safe, see you in the studio!

-The Modern Ink team

Artist Focus: Jaes

Next up on our team is Jaes Bidwell. Jaes is our resident old-school and illustrative traditional artist who once again diversifies and adds to our variable palette of artists. Jaes draws inspiration from folk-art, old-school tattooing, and nautical themes; he is a Freo boy through-and-through.

Jaes has been tattooing for 7 years now but is an experienced artist who has worked in creative industries for over 20 years now. His tattoo work is bold and distinctive but has its foundations in the flavour of artwork that started it all.

Jaes finds a great deal of inspiration through traditional tattoo themes, traditional folk art, occult symbolism and the rich maritime history of Fremantle, believing that the tattoo as an image is a symbol in itself that represents, stands for, or suggests an idea, visual image, belief, action, or material entity.

Jaes is proficient in cover-ups and reworks, and also loves to work in free-hand! He is constantly creating unique and original designs taking ideas from his clients and putting his own unique spin on them. He has spent years honing his craft and only continues to improve with every piece he creates.

 Check Jaes out on his social media and contact him or the studio for bookings and further information on how to get in with the salty dog himself.

Instagram: @Jaes777

Facebook: www.facebook.com/jaes777

Next week we will be taking a look at our head-artist and realism wizard, Kris Barnas!

Til then inkers, have a safe and happy week, catch you on the flip-side.

-The Modern Ink Team.

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Artist Focus: Jaz Winters

Howdy, inkers! Over the next few weeks we will be taking a look at each of our artists and their styles in depth, so you can choose the right person for the job. First up is resident neo-traditional artist; Jazzy.

Jazzy is a beast. Her work is original, bright, colourful, and well-tattooed. She is happy to tackle near any subject matter and while she revels in bold and distinctive designs she is capable of taking on nearly any job, realism, dotwork, movie and book characters, neo-trad, even trad, this talented lady is a force to be reckoned with.

Jaz has been tattooing for 6 years, and her style and quality of work only continues to develop and improve by the day. She is generally quite heavily booked, but is always looking for new clients and designs to enjoy and throw herself into.

Jaz has also done a lot of watercolour work! She implements it into her designs as accent or backing, or can do full pieces in this unique style. Her colour-work is thick, bright, and impressive, and it is what she loves.

Jaz also does a lot of cover-up’s and reworks! She has a great eye for fixing existing work or even blasting straight over it, and she is popular for this amongst her original works.

So perhaps its time you organized a consultation so you can meet the lady herself, and have a talk about your next great tattoo? We’re only ever a phone-call or an email away!

Check Jazzy out on her Instagram @Jazzytattoo.

Next week we will be talking about our old-school salty dog, Jaes.

Til then inkers, keep it real.

-The Modern Ink Team.

For info about tattoos visit our website:

http://www.moderninkfremantle.com

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Halloween Flash Day!

This coming Halloween, Saturday the 31^st of October, we are having a flash day at the studio! Our artists are hard at work preparing some killer designs that we know our clients will love, the only thing missing now is you!

A flash day is an amazing opportunity for our artists and our clients! Our artists prepare several designs they would love to tattoo and we spend a whole day taking walk-in clients on these designs for one-time only prices!

This is a great chance for us to meet new clients and have some fun, while tattooing designs we love! Halloween only becomes more popular every year in Australia, why not swing by the studio to get a tattoo and celebrate the spookiest day of the year!

Kris will be doing horror portraits and horror realism, Jaes will be pumping out old-school bangers, Jaz has some beautiful neo-trad designs ready to roll, Allan will be pumping out dotwork and geometric designs and Sanni will be bringing her unique style to the table too! We are a full house this Halloween!

Studio doors open at 10am and close whenever we stop, first in first zapped and requests available!

Looking forward to seeing you all there, inkers!

The Modern Ink Team.

For info about tattoos visit our website:

http://www.moderninkfremantle.com

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I’m getting tattooed, what do I need to do?

Hey there, inkers!

So last week we discussed aftercare and maintenance procedures for your new tattoo, but another thing we are frequently asked about in the studio is how to prepare for a tattoo!

So here it is, short and sweet, your go-to list on how to be prepared for a tattoo be it you’re first or you’re fiftieth!

                                           Tattoo’s all made by Jaes Bidwell.

So first up, the day before. No drugs or alcohol! Alcohol can thin the blood and complicate the tattooing process. It may result in us needing to stop tattooing before the piece is actually finished also.  We will not work on anyone under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

Make sure you eat decent food the night before and the morning of! Your body needs fuel to heal and your blood sugar needs to be capable of handling the mild-shock of being tattooed! Make sure you stay hydrated and maybe even bring a little sugar with you for during your tattoo, we don’t recommend being tattooed when you are dehydrated and hungry!

                                                    Watercolor Piece By Jazzy.

We’d like you to arrive 10-15 minutes early for your booking! This gives us an opportunity to discuss and confirm the final design, placement, and colour palette, and to complete your consent paperwork before we begin tattooing. It makes the process less-rushed and means we can take our time with you properly without delaying our next booking!

And that’s about it! Eat well, no partying, hydrate, and be on time, and we will take it from there. Make sure after the tattoo is complete you look after it like we discussed in our previous blog, and you’’ll be fine!


Any other questions or queries, we’re only an email away.

Happy tattooing, punks!
-The Modern Ink Team.

For info about tattoos visit our website:

http://www.moderninkfremantle.com

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So I got tattooed, now what do I do?

Tattoo aftercare is crucial to guarantee your work heals the way we put it in. Good aftercare and maintenance is the best way to make sure that your tattoo looks as great as it possibly can, and is also very important in guaranteeing no infections or complications during your healing!

                               

                               Realism portrait tattooed by Kris Barnas.

Tattoo aftercare involves a few different factors. Initially, it is important to make sure of the following:

-    Sunlight can be your tattoos worst enemy! Avoid exposing it to excess sunlight that can be be both painful and damaging to the healing piece.

-     Getting the tattoo wet. Water can affect the healing of the tattoo and the vibrancy of it, so when washing it, it is important to make sure it is not exposed to more water than necessary, and keeping it out of chlorinated or sea-water is a must for the first few weeks!

-    Scratching or picking at the tattoo when it is flaking or itching can also damage it and have a negative effect on how well it heals. Yes, it will itch! No, you can’t scratch it!

When it comes to the aftercare itself, there are 2 main things that are important to administer daily:

-    An aftercare ointment applied in very thin amounts over the entire piece will keep it moist, and protect it from infection or irritation. This must be done for the entirety of the healing, so the piece should always have a thin layer of aftercare over it to make sure it never dries out or becomes irritated!

-    Washing the tattoo using a relatively basic, chemical-free soap will clear away any dirt from the open tissue and prevent it from building up or becoming infected.

Aftercare packs available in-studio after your tattoo!

At Modern Ink, we have the Numb-Skulled and Redemption lines of organic soap and aftercare ointment available for purchase at very affordable prices. The products are long-lasting, tested and proven to actually encourage good healing and are developed solely for the use of tattoo aftercare. The next time you are in our studio, ask us about the products and how to use them, we can give you a crash-course in good aftercare and make sure that your tattoo looks as great as it possibly can!

Til next time, inkers!
-The Modern Ink Team.

For info about tattoos visit our website:

http://www.moderninkfremantle.com

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