SPLICED Magazine Issue 02 Dec/Jan 2014 | Page 51

SPLICED LIFE / TATTOOS / THE BLACK LODGE'S SEAN PERRINS of old. We're doing our best to take a path filled with integrity - As Within, So Without. We want to take those things that move beneath the surface, and make them flesh, whether they're serious, flippant, or decorative. Being sometimes brutally honest with our clients both about their choices, and our capabilities, feels better than just taking the work on for the money. We love what we do, and we're (light-heartedly) serious about what we do, and our space is all about the art - it's not a funky clothing store we're running here. There will be a little blood, there will be a little pain, and through these we hope to channel something magical. We're not trying to be 'for everyone'. We're just trying to be ourselves. Hopefully this space, and this path, is one that will leave you with something that makes you a little more yourself as well. If you had to choose between a giant dolphin on your back, and a star on your chest which would it be - you have to pick one! Heh. You guys are all about the stars and dolphins. Some subconscious tattoo cravings going on over there? I'll take the giant dolphin. Shooting fucking laser beams out of its eyes as it gets torn apart fin from fin by a penny farthing riding Cthulu. Eating candy floss. ISSUE 02 Who would you love to be tattooed by? There's a list. Xoil, Wendtner, Samohin, Torres, Hooper. I really can just go on all day there. Have you ever made a mistake and not said anything? This is a trick question right? My old college teacher used to say something like - the art is not in having no mistakes, but in how you absorb them into your work, and make them art. This is all done by hand, there is no perfect tattoo, just the aspiration thereof. Lastly, some words of wisdom for people wanting to get tattooed? Don't be fooled? There is no "best artist in all the land". First off, it depends what you want to get. Choose your artist not only by portfolio, but by style. Pay well for it, because you get to keep it forever, and who the hell wants a bargain tattoo anyway? Choose a clean studio - don't get tattooed in someone's lounge, least of all your own. And find someone you can trust. I personally choose a good artist, give them a vague idea, and let them run with it however they want. Why? Because they're gonna love the fuck out of doing what they want, and it's gonna show.  51