SKiN&BoNE

Nordic Tattoo Mag #36

2012-03-02T06:26:00.000-08:00

When Nordic Tattoo Mag asked me to do an interview it was sort of like a "hat trick", getting in all three Scandinavian publications within a year :-) Even more impressive is the fact that the 3 magazines all have their specific styles and prefer to avoid publishing work which has been shown in the competition's.
The thing that makes this extra special is that it is the first article for the new shop, Skin&Bone. So it could lead both new and old clients to the new location.

Bodyfication : Ink and Lifestyle Magazine #3

2012-03-02T06:01:00.001-08:00

When Kent Renaker asked me about being featured in his new Scandinavian magazine "Bodyfication" I had to be honest and tell him that Scandinavian Tattoo Magazine had interviewed me already. At this point I figured my chances of getting in dim... but Kent just looked at me and said, "Well, I'm gonna do it better" :-)
Kent had originally started STM as well as organizing some of the first and best conventions in Scandinavia... then mysteriously he dropped out of the tattoo scene for 10 years. Now he was back with a project... Bodyfication, a magazine concentrating more on the art, culture and debate surrounding tattooing than just on the superstars. Something tattooists would read rather than just flip through

It's good to have someone like Kent back and I'm very happy that he was there to support my work :-)

Scandinavian Tattoo Magazine #91 2009

2012-03-02T05:33:00.000-08:00

When Scandinavian Tattoo Magazine asked me about submitting some photos for an article my only stipulation was that the article be written by "Travelin' Mick". Mick is a freelance journalist and tattoo anthropologist who's articles are the backbone of STM. When not covering conventions, he can generally be found treking through some tropical jungle trying to document the last glimpses of tribal and tattooing culture. Not only is Mick a good friend, he is also one of the people I consider knowledgable enough to come with good questions :-)
You can also check out Mick's own homepage at: www.travelinmick.com

Tattoo Planet Article from the Neatherlands

2012-03-02T02:55:00.002-08:00

The latest issue of Tattoo Planet in Holland just published an article on my work written by my friend Dr. Lars Krutak. The article is a re-write of a piece Lars had published in Tätowier Magazin from Germany a few years back... however contains a few new photos (unfortunately many with the same photo captions) . Lars writes mostly about my work in experimental archaeology and bringing cultural tattooing back to life.
I just wanted to thank Tattoo Planet and Lars for showing an interest in my work.

You can also read the origial version in English at Lars' homepage www.larskrutak.com here:

http://www.larskrutak.com:80/articles/Colin_Dale/index.html

En fanget Solsorts Sang

2012-02-26T02:18:00.001-08:00

Mørk Ånde i det grønne Krat.

Den ensommes Åsyn kranset af blå

Blomster, det gyldne Fodslag

Døende under Oliventræet.

Natten letter på drukne Vinger.

Ydmygheden bløder stille som Dug

Der langsomt drypper fra den blomstrende

Tjørn. Lysende Armes Forbarmelse

Omfavner et bristende Hjerte.

Hugin & Munin... Odin's 2 Ravens

2012-02-22T13:50:00.002-08:00

It seems that birds are becoming popular tattoo motifs... although in the realm of Nordic tattooing Hugin & Munin reign supreme. Hugin (Thought) and Munin (Memory) were Odin's companions who soared throughout the worlds with a watchful eye and reported back to the All Father.
Although I still do the more graphic Viking depictions, I've also been experimenting with a looser heraldry style which I can play with a little more. Here are a few examples from 2012

All of these designs are custom made... please do not copy

Thanx - Colin

Only one Raven, as his other shoulder blade was already taken.

Hugin & Munin... I've been dropping my grey shading and working more with straight black for the etching technique found in old wood block prints

Hugin... Munin still to come, so stay tuned :-)

A one shot Raven ... drawn to fit around some older work and complete a half sleave

New Projects for 2012

2012-02-19T12:49:00.002-08:00

When I started Skin&Bone 2 years back there was always the worry that I would be able to get it up and running. Moving locations is always risky and starting a new shop under a new name even moreso. However it seems that this has actually worked to my advantage... as while I've lost alot of walk ins, my regular clients and others who know a little about tattooing have tracked me down. As a result I've been kept busy with mostly large scale projects without the 6 month waiting list filled by smaller pieces :-) The smaller pieces have now actually become a welcome diversion rather than a distraction and I can find more time and inspiration for everything as a result :-)
Here are a few of the larger pieces I've started in 2012. I will be posting more photos along the way as they progress:-)
Enjoy - Colin

Start of an Yggdrasil (World Tree) Backpiece... still need to add the roots.

Single dragon full sleave... there is going to be a Rune text in this one.

Full leg sleave... with 4 dragons eating their own tails :-)

Year of the Dragon... hand tattooing :-)

2012-02-11T14:21:00.001-08:00

   As long as I am on the subject of dragons, it just wouldn't be complete without showing a few versions done by hand.. The Vikings were known to be tattooed... how and what is uncertain however. Simple petroglyhs, gripping beasts, bound runes or Urnes style dragons is anyones guess. However, if you "Really" want a traditional piece this is the way to go.
   Anything I do with machine can technically also be done by hand... the only difference being, "Time". Generally dragons done by hand take me from twice to three time longer than a similar size done by machine. It is also for this reason that I tend to design my hand tattooed dragons more simply.
These are a few examples of dragons done while travelling, in one shot. As always, they have been drawn freehand on the body (no stencils or photocopy machines out in the bush) Please respect the individuals wearing them by not copying the work
   Thanks - Colin

Tattooing by hand at Lejre: Archaeological Research Center

Triskel Dragon: Lejre, Denmark

Dotwork Dragon: Borre, Norway

Close up

Rope Dragon: Florence, Italy

Cobblestone Dragon: Cobh, Ireland (12 hours)

Year of the Dragon 2000 :-)

2012-02-08T13:49:00.000-08:00

Due to the digital age and moving I've lost alot of my photo archive in the last few years. However while cleaning up I ran across some hard copies of these two and scanned them in :-) They are both "Freehand" (so please don't copy) and done just using a 3 liner... back in the last "Year of the Dragon" 2000
My, how times have changed :-)
Enjoy - Colin

Year of the Dragon

2012-02-07T14:52:00.001-08:00

I've been so busy the last couple of years that I've lost sight of the big picture. Between travelling, setting up the studio and trying to get a decent homepage, I haven't had time to stop, think and reflect on the experiance. I'm hoping that this blog will not only let me to share what has been happening at Skin&Bone, but will also help me to organize and guage my own progress at the same time :-)

As we have now entered the Year of the Dragon, I figured the best way to start this was to show some of the first dragons I've tattooed this year :-)

Enjoy... and stay tuned - Colin

Freehand Honey Comb Dragon... done over 3 sessions

Freehand Cobblestone Dragon... done over 2 sessions

Freehand Rope Dragon... done over 2 sessions

As always... my dragons are drawn on the body "freehand" to best conform to the individuals form and musculature. These are not pieces of Flash to be copied :-( If you wish for something of your own I would be happy to do it... but please respect the people who wear these tattoos and have allowed me to photograph them

Thank you - Colin

Erika from America

2012-01-19T14:56:00.000-08:00

Erika from America is fast becoming our Artist in Residence here at Skin&Bone and will be here again in March. It will probably be one of the few time you see colour work at Skin&Bone :-) Erika is the owner and operator of Art&Soul Tattoo in Los Angeles but has been a frequent flyer to Danmark for over 20 years. Being the owner of a large street shop means that Erika can work in almost any style... however she tends to gravitate towards Traditional American (from her homeland) and Japanese (from her Asian roots). Although Erika tends to be booked up several visits in advance... we will to be seeing more of her in the future. So if you have an interesting project and are patient enough you will be rewarded.

You can contact Erika at tattooco@aol.com

or see more of her work at http://www.artandsoultattoos.com/#/erika-stanley/4513854175

Erika has openings January 22-25 and will return to Denmark on the following dates:
March 3 - May 21, 2012
June 21 - July 4, 2012
July 14 - October 2012

Please contact her if you would like to book something for any of those time periods.

You can also add her at:

www.facebook.com/artandsoultattoo

Or her shop in Los Angeles at:
www.facebook.com/artandsoultattoos

Guest Artist Cy Wilson

2011-12-12T11:42:00.000-08:00

Cy Wilson's work is Avant-garde in the truest sense of the term. Cy is a former French Graffiti artist who has turned his energy onto canvas and skin. His motto is, "canvas, skin, streets" and he "attacks" each of these with equal abandon. Cy is one of the leading artists in the new Art Brut style of tattooing which has been sweeping the French underground scene. Spontanious, energetic and experimental... his work has to be seen to be believed.
Cy will be doing a Guest Spot and Exhibition of recent artwork at Skin&Bone from Jan. 23 - Feb. 4. 2012
Reception: Thursday the 2nd of February from 18:00 - 22:00

Cy can be contacted at cyface3@gmail.com
www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=157628924312915#!/profile.php?id=100000463227789

Books and gifts

2011-12-12T11:37:00.000-08:00

Books currently available at Skin&Bone (while supplies last)

Latino Art Collection... New release by Edition Reuss, Tattoo-Inspired Chicano, Maya, Aztec and Mexican Styles, www.editionreuss.de 750kr
Colour Tattoo Art... New release by Edition Reuss, all the best in Comics, Pin-up, Manga and New School tattoos, www.editionreuss.de 750kr

Chinese Tattoo Art... New release by Edition Reuss, Traditional and Modern tattooing from China and Taiwan, www.editionreuss.de 750kr

Black & Grey Trilogy… Monster tome by Marisa Kakoulas and Edgar Hoill, 3 books... 10 kilos, www.editionreuss.de 2000kr
Black Tattoo Art… The Bible of Black Work, www.editionreuss.de 750kr
Tattoo in Japan… Old masters combined with the newest artists, www.editionreuss.de 650kr
Kalinga Tattoo… New release by Lars "The Tattoo Hunter" Krutak on traditional tattooing in the Phillipines, www.editionreuss.de 750kr
The Tattooing Arts of Tribal Women… Lars Krutak’s first publication, www.larskrutak.com autographed 350kr
The Gentle Swaztika… The classic which started the reclaimation, by ManWoman, www.manwoman.net autographed 200kr
Tattooing Traditions of Hawaíi… Tricia Allen, http://thepolynesiantattoo.com autographed 350kr
Polynesian Tattooing Today… Tricia Allen, http://thepolynesiantattoo.com autographed 350kr
Gereratio Aequivoca… sketchbook by Lionel Fahy, http://el.fahy.free.fr limited edition 350kr
Affleure de Peau… Art photographs of body modification by Claire Artemyz, www.artemyz.com 200kr
Conserving... photos of conserved fish, animals and humans (including tattooed flesh) from some of the most famous collections in the world, www.editionreuss.de half price!!! 350kr
Vintage Tattoos... A sourcebook for old-school designs and tattoo artists, 120kr
Tattoo Tarot... 76 cards / 76 artists. Book and deck, 500kr www.tattootarot.com
Danish Tattooing / Dansk Tatovering... By Jon Nordström, 485kr ww.nordstromforlag.dk

... and remember we also have gift certificates for those wishing books or tattoos in the New Year
Merry Christmas - Colin, Nanna & Loki

Bizarre Magazine

2011-10-27T15:03:00.000-07:00

Yes, it is a Hat Trick this month... all the travelling, tattooing and interviews I've done this last year all seem to have coincided in November :-)
When Denise from Bizarre Magazine contacted me about an interview I was a little scepticle to say the least. Bizarre is generally known for their graphic photos combined with tabloid captions. I was a little worried that they would misrepresent my work... especially with experimental archaeology, as some sort of extreme and bloody ritual. However after talking to Denise and later meeting her in London, I could see that her questions were out of genuine interest and not focussed on gory details.
Despite this I only submitted photos showing my work and not the clients faces (most of whom are friends). Despite also sending photos ot the techniques and process close up, they still chose to show the end results and only talk about the process. The cropping of the photos could have been a little better... but with such limited space I am more than please to be featured as "Inking Icon # 14" in Bizarre's monthly column on tattoo artists :-)

Tattoo Revolution Magazine

2011-10-27T14:29:00.000-07:00

Neil Dallywater is the "Wonderboy" of the tattoo industry. Former editor for Skin Deep Magazine, Neil personally invited Pat Fish and I to attend Skin Deep's "Tattoo Jam" in Doncaster last year. Unfortunately Neil resigned his position mere weeks before the convention, so I never got to thank him. We caught up again in London where he talked about starting his own magazine... yeah sure, with so many others on the market already?
But Neil not only lands on his feet... he bounces back, with a vengence :-) Within a year he had created one of the most popular tattoo magazines in Britain and was named Tattoo Journalist of the Year!!! Neil's Tattoo Revolution Magazine just celebrated it's first anniversary... and what better way to commemorate this than to come back to where it started :-)

Neil interviewed me when he drove over to Ireland to visit the Traditional Tattoo Festival in Cobh outside of Cork. Despite me babbling for at least an hour, Neil was able to make coherant sense of it all... including my noticable Danglish grammer :-) Issue #12 is on sale for the month of November or can also be downloaded online :-)
Thanks and happy anniversary Neil!

Tattoo World Book

2011-10-27T14:00:00.000-07:00

Marisa Kakoulas is known for her "monster tattoo tombs" on Tribal, Colour and Black & Grey Tattoo Art, featuring some of the best and most innovative artists in the world today. Tattoo World is a condensed version of these plus more... at an affordable price.
My work was previously featured in Marisa's "Black Tattoo Art" by Edition Reuss and I'm very proud to have made the cut and gotten mentioned in "Tattoo World" as well :-)

Robbers and Thieves

2011-10-27T13:48:00.000-07:00

Attention:
Just Back from Sweden the other day only to discover our flat had been broken into once again!!!! Sometime between the 21-23th of October. The got both our home and shop laptops as well as the camera this time :-( Lost all of our photos and video clips from the last year. What is the use of making copies if they just steal the backups and the backups of the backups?
Any info or help would be appeciated if you got old photos of Loki's globetrotting, tattoos I've done or important e-mails regarding appointments.
Thanxox - Colin, Nanna & Loki

Dmitry Babakhin

2011-10-27T13:44:00.000-07:00

Just wanted once again to than Dmitry for coming to guest at Skin&Bone. It is nice to see someone work with te traditional motifs but who has developed their own recognizable style as well.
Here is a peak of some of the work he did while he was here. I'll post other work he's done while at Skin&Bone when I get a chance :-)

Sorry, we didn't get your tattoo finished Dmitry... but now I have an excuss to come to St Petersburg :-)

Tahitian Tattooing At Skin&Bone

2011-10-10T00:46:00.000-07:00

Dmitri Babakhin from "Bang Bang Custom Tattoo" in St. Petersburg, Russia
http://www.babakhin.com/
Through my years of travel I've met and befriended many traditional Polynesian artists from Samoa, Tahiti, Hawaií and New Zealand. Dmitry Babakhin is "Not" one of these :-) Dmitri comes from St Petersburg Russia... which is as far away from French Polynesia as you can get. Despite this "handicap" Dmitri had a burning desire to specialize in the Polynesian style. As the Polynesian style has blossomed over the years, Dmitry has been at the forefront... and by specializing where there are no others, Dmitry has acquired more experience at large scale Polynesian tattooing than most native tattooists have. So if you have ever wanted a Polynesian tattoo but couldn't afford the ticket to Tahiti, here is your chance to get something from a Master and Ambassador of this style. Dmitry will be a guest artist at Skin&Bone from the 14th - 24th of October… so contact him immediately if you are thinking of a tattoo babakhin@gmail.com or babakhin.mailto:babakhin.2@mail.ru

Lejre Archaeological Research Center 2011

2011-07-08T13:15:00.000-07:00

We will once again be attending and tattooing at The Lejre Archaeological Research Center from the 9-17th of July using Traditional and Prehistoric tattooing techniques

Traditional Hand Tapping at Skin&Bone

2011-07-02T01:51:00.000-07:00

Aman Durga Sipatiti is a Mentawai tattooist from the island Siberut in Indonesia. Durga is one of the new artists instrumental in spreading and continuing the traditional tattooing culture of Siberut and neighboring Borneo. Aside from the traditional hand tapping of his ancestors, Durga is also adept with a tattoo machine... tattooing images of deities, heros and other spiritual figures from Indonesian folklore. Bold Tribal or softer cultural designs, his work has to be seen J
Durga will be at Tattooing at Skin&Bone from the the 1^st-9^th of July www.skinandbone.dk

You can also see documentaries of Durga's work to hold the Mentawai tattooing culture alive here:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmZm3wGs_Gk http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nd_MSm28gbg

Total Tattoo Article

2011-05-09T14:46:00.000-07:00

The latest issue of Total Tattoo has an article on the Iceman Ötzi by my friend Claire Artemyz. Claire and I visited the Ötzi Museum last Fall at which time I did some acupuncture tattoos using bone needles in the forest close to the site where Ötzi was found... some of these photos are also included in the article :-)

Ötzi was uncover the same week that I immigrated to Europe... 20 years ago :-)

I also want to thank my good friend Kai Faust for arranging the event and Sabine and David for making it a success :-)

2011-05-06T15:30:00.000-07:00

Durga will be at Tattooing at Skin&Bone from the the 1^st-9^th of July www.skinandbone.dk

You can also see documentaries of Durga’s work to hold the Mentawai tattooing culture alive here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmZm3wGs_Gk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nd_MSm28gbg

"Supernatural"

2011-04-17T07:23:00.000-07:00

Off to Paris on Tuesday... have a group exhibition at Gallery Le Cerisier together with Claire Artemyz, Jérome Bouchez and Altone Mishino

Copenhagen Ink Festival 2011

2011-04-14T14:41:00.000-07:00

Just a quick note... I wanted to thank my clients who showed up at the Copenhagen Ink Fest to support me and the new shop. We won 1st and 2nd place in "Tribal/Celtic" as well as 2nd place in "Most Weird" (I guess I can now add "Extreme Tattooing" to the resumé :-) An added bonus was that the 1st place was for a piece I started tattooing by hand about 11 years back :-) Cultural Tattooing Kicks Ass!!! I also wanted to thank all the cultural and hand tattooists who worked at Skin&Bone the week up to and following the convention. The sharing of ideas and working together (sometimes on the same tattoos) was inspiring and I hope we all get to do it again sometime... different styles, same family :-)

Add caption

Exhibition at Skin&Bone

2011-03-30T15:09:00.000-07:00

Skin&Bone is pleased to announce the return of the French Photographer Claire Artemyz.

The exhibition, “Memento Mori” will explore the images of life, death and spirituality in the style of the 16^th Century “Vanitas” paintings

Claire’s previous exhibition, “Affleure de peau” was a huge success and we are looking forward to her return after a year and a half.

A limited number of Claire’s book, “Affleure de peau” will be available for purchase, showing examples of work from many of her exhibitions over the years.

http://www.artemyz.com/

Opening Reception: Thursday the 7^th of April from 18:00-22:00

Skin&Bone Gallery

Jægersborggade 47/49

2200 København N

Traditional "Hand Tapping" at Skin&Bone

2011-03-18T17:20:00.000-07:00

Skin&Bone is pleased to announce the arrival of some "Very Special" Guest Artists. The studio which is known for its cultural and hand tattooing will be having 3 specialists in "Hand tapping" from 3 separate islands in the South Pacific.

Lawrence Ah Ching: a Tufuga from Samoa http://www.myspace.com/lesegaulatatau

Brent McCown: Maori and Samoan specialist from New Zealand http://www.tattootatau.at/

Jeremy from Monkey Tattoo in Borneo http://www.myspace.com/monkey_tattoo

They will have overlapping visits here in week 13, 14 and 15 (from the end of March to the second week in April)... so if you want a chance to get a traditional piece, be quick :-)

Art Brut at Skin&Bone

2011-03-16T17:13:00.000-07:00

Lionel Fahy from "Out of Step" in France is one of the leaders in the Art Brut style of tattooing which has been sweeping the French underground scene. The term Art Brut was originally used by Jean Dubuffet to describe art which is beyond normal aesthetics. To some, the spontaneity and energy of this style is often mistaken for being simple or crude... while nothing could be further from the truth.

Along with fellow artists, Yann Black, Cy Wilson and Noon... Lionel has developed a complex series of iconagraphical images which reappear throughout his work and speak as loudly as any Old School motif from a bygone age.The nievity of subject matter combined with bold graphics is contrasted by the spontaneity and experimentation of technique used... bringing these otherwise flat figures to life. Words just cannot describe his work!

　When not travelling, tattooing, producing art or playing in his band... Lionel is found at home with his family, wife and 5 children, who are generally credited with much of his inspiration :-)

Lionel will be in Scandinavia from the 31 of March until the 11th of April and will be a Guest Artist at Skin&Bone in København www.skinandbone.dk

Lionel can be contacted via his homepage at http://el.fahy.free.fr/

Polynesian Tattooing at Skin&Bone

2011-03-16T17:07:00.000-07:00

Rory Keating www.gurutattoo.com has been a friend for many years and due to his computer illiteracy I'm really looking forward to having him here so that we can catch up and work together... because he is useless at answering emails :-) Despite this handicap Rory has become one of the leading artists in Tribal & Blackwork. Rory was apprentised under the tutorage of Leo Zulueta and since that time has tattooed the likes of Tommy Lee, won the TLC's "Tattoo Wars" and been featured in Marisa Kakoulas' book "Black Tattoo Art". Rory's work has a mix of Indonesian and Polynesian influences... and rather than steal, he creates original designs within this framework. The Neo-Tribal style hit the world like a bomb in the 90's... unfortunately there were only a handful of artists worldwide doing good work. Rory is one of these, both before... and after. Rory is a person I would want as a friend even if he had never picked up a tattoo machine :-)
Rory will be attending the Copenhagen Ink Fest from the 1st-3rd of April and then extending his stay until the 7th at Skin&Bone
Rory can be contacted at rory@hoboes.com

Dmitri Babakhin from "Bang Bang Custom Tattoo" in St. Petersburg, Russia
Through my years of travel I've met and befriended many traditional Polynesian artists from Samoa, Tahiti, Hawaií and New Zealand. Dmitry Babakhin is "Not" one of these :-) Dmitri comes from St Petersburg Russia... which is as far away from French Polynesia as you can get. Despite this "handicap" Dmitri had a burning desire to specialize in the Polynesian style. As the Polynesian style has blossomed over the years, Dmitry has been at the forefront... and by specializing where there are no others, Dmitry has acquired more experience at large scale Polynesian tattooing than most native tattooists have. So if you have ever wanted a Polynesian tattoo but couldn't afford the ticket to Tahiti, here is your chance to get something from a Master and Ambassador of this style. Dmitry will be a guest artist at Skin&Bone from the 31^st of March until the 7^thof April… so contact him immediately if you are thinking of a tattoo babakhin@gmail.com One week only!!!www.myspace.com/babakhintattoo

Tattoo Art by Colin Dale

2011-02-19T15:55:00.000-08:00

Skin & Bone is a combination gallery and tattoo studio. The gallery will exhibit art and ethnographic handicrafts related to tattooing, while the studio will have Colin Dale tattooing alongside various guest artists throughout the year. Through his years of travelling and tattooing around the world Colin has had the pleasure to meet and work alongside a wide range of tattoo artists and experts working in ethnographic and other specialized styles. Amongst these friends, we hope to have hand-tattooists from Borneo, Polynesia and Japan as well as some of the world's leading artists in Blackwork and Dotwork coming to visit. Check the homepage http://www.skinandbone.dk/ to see some of the work