Silencia!!

Gnar: Hey there Silencia!! Thank you for taking the time to do this
interview with us!! Can you tell us about how you got into tattoos?

Silencia: I've pretty much always been into them.  When I was a kid,
I'd always draw my future self with tattoos, wear temporary tattoos,
and draw on myself with pens/markers.  Because I was a kid, my family
didn't think much of it... until I got older.  When I would still draw
on myself as a teen, that's when I started getting the "only gang
members and drug lords get/have tattoos" speech.  The speech was
comical because I knew that if I had the energy, I could tear their
argument apart.  But they're my family.  I love them - even though
they're still very stubborn with their old-fashioned ideals.

Gnar: There are a lot of families that are old school about that it sucks. Hopefully that will get better over time. Do you have any ideas or plans for your next few tattoos yet?

Silencia:  Of course.  I'm getting started on some extensive leg work.
I could share the ideas, but then I'd have to kill you ;)

Gnar: Ah!! lol Totally understandable. :-)  Do you have a favorite tattoo artist or parlor?

Silencia:  Ryan Mason from Scapegoat Tattoo will always be my
favorite.  When I started getting work done by him, his wait was only
two weeks.  Now, to get an appointment with him is CRAZY.  Because
I've been going to him for years and have the honor of calling him a
friend, I get squeezed in okay.

Over the years that I've known Ryan, he's always blown me away by
remembering the little things we'll talk about during our
appointments.  He's kind of gossipy, so it's always cute when he
starts tattooing and asks random questions like, "soooo... how's the
love life?"  Haha.  He's also pegged my tastes.  If I present him with
an idea for a tattoo, but have no image references for him, he's
always managed to come up with the perfect drawing.  An example of
this:  I really wanted a sheep in wolf's clothing, but I could not
find an image of a sheep or wolf that I was happy with (heck, even
"wolf in sheep's clothing" produced shitty search results).  Ryan
finally sketched it out for me, and I literally gasped at how perfect
the drawing was.  I adore that silly, talented man.

Gnar: That's so amazing!! A awesome artist is always worth the wait. Do you have any plans or goals for later in life?

Silencia:  Later in life, I picture myself being a crazy, heavily
tattooed, cat lady whose muu muus are dyed black.  You might think I'm
joking, but I'm not.

Gnar: Haha that's hilarious, but awesome!! :-) What do tattoos mean to you?

Silencia:  People always want to get philosophical when it comes to
tattoo meanings, and it's always fun to see how disappointed some
people get when you explain that you got a tattoo "just because."
Although all of my tattoos have some sort of meaning, or they depict a
passion of mine, it's fucking exhausting to talk about them all of the
time.  A friend of mine (who is also heavily tattooed) and I would
joke about making t-shirts that read "it means courage" just to get
those what-does-your-tattoo-mean askers off our backs.

Gnar: I agree it's bogus! Tattoos are amazing! So they don't always have to have a meaning. Do you regret any tattoos you have?

Silencia:  No.  Tattoos will always mark some sort of memory, and
sometimes, that memory is the only beautiful thing about it.  I've
never picked a tattoo off a wall, or modeled something after what I
saw on someone else.  Even though I'm not the same person I was when I
first started getting tattooed, the tattoos I got when I was 18/19
will always remind me of being 18/19.

Gnar: Agreed! Do you have any shout outs before we wrap this up?

Silencia:  I generally feel that shout-outs are kind of silly, but I
appreciate invitation.  Thanks for the interview, Gnar.  Keep up the
awesome blog!

Tarion!!

Gnar: Hey there Tarion!! Thank you for taking the time today to do this interview!! Can you tell us about how you got into tattoos?

Tarion: Tattoos are something I have loved since I was a little girl. For me they always represented individuality, being able to think for yourself and not just follow the crowd. I started begging my parents for one when I was 14. Of course they said no I tried again when I was 16 and eventually got my mom to agree to let me get one when I turned 18. I think she was hoping I would get over it by then. Needless to say I didn't and it was my parents 18th birthday present to me. I know tattoos are fairly commonplace now days and they don't really mark someone's individuality as much as they used to but I love having the choice of what I put on my body and why. It's a personal thing for me. I love being different, thinking differently and not conforming to society just because everyone else does.

Gnar: Gnarly!! Do you have a favorite tattoo artist or parlor?

Tarion: Yeah Danny from Voodoo Ink. He's amazing with color. His website is www.voodooinksa.co.za

Gnar: Excellent!! :-) Do you have any goals for later in life?

Tarion: Well at the moment I am focusing on my burlesque troupe Circus Gothica. I've always loved dancing and being able to do that and be sexy at the same time is a winning situation for me

Gnar: That's really gnarly!! Do you have any plans or ideas for your next few tattoos?

Tarion: Tons lol! I'm busy extending and re-coloring my half sleeve/shoulder, after that the sky is the limit. I love Danny's work so I think I'll be going to him for a lot more all I can tell you is it will be vibrant!

Gnar: Fantastic!! Do you have any shout out or thank you before we wrap this up?

Tarion: Big ups to all the South African SGs and the girls from Circus Gothica. They keep my life very interesting

Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Tarion-Suicide/147950221908228?ref=ts

Circus Gothica group:

http://www.facebook.com/groups/125223582252

Tootie Suicide!

Gnar: Hey Tootie!! Thank you for taking the time to do this interview with us today!! Can you tell us how you got into tattoos?

Tootie: Ever since I was little I wanted tattoos. I would get the fake ones out of gumball machines and stick em all over me.. Then when I was older I would draw all over myself with pens and markers lol. Then in high school it was carving something small, into my arm and pouring ink into it .. I think that I did it maybe twice because it hurt so bad .. Haha prison tattoos how gross!

Gnar: Haha that's crazy!! Do you have any plans for your next few tattoos yet?

Tootie: Yes! Most def.. One of my first tattoos was this shitty heart on the inside of my left wrist, but it hurt so bad and I was such a baby through the tattoo that the artist hurried, and now it looks like a melted gummy bear haha. It was my first tattoo .. Yes I was that much of a baby back then. I wanna get it fixed, and darkened with small amounts of filigree going around the wrist and the sayings "Once upon a time" and "Happily ever after "

Gnar: That's awesome!!! I love that idea!! Do you have a favorite tattoo artist or parlor?

Tootie: Rock City in Rockford IL was my fav for a second until one of the artist there misspelled a bible verse on my forearm. Just my fucking luck right.. But there is this one artist in Rockford her name is Dawn and she is amazing. She's done a lot of my work and here in Chicago my new artist is a girl named Sam at Mastermind ink she did my friendship tattoo and hopefully will be doing more of my work

Gnar: Wow!!! Where you able to get the misspelled tattoo fixed?? 

Tootie: No and the cover up fucking sucked as well.. People grab my arm all the time and are like "what is that?" and my reply is "biggest mistake I made at 19" I found a laser removal place and its about 150 a session and it will take more the a few sessions to get it off .. Its funny cause there is only one day a month that they do it. Like bad tattoo day, and all these people flood in this high class plastic surgeons office with bad tattoos . That's how I imagine it at least.

Gnar: That sucks!! I agree it's so easy to get a bad tattoo, but extremely hard to fix or remove it! Do you have any goals or plans for later in life?

Tootie: Call me old fashion but somewhere later in life I want marriage and kids. I def can't have a kid now .. Haha shit I can barley take care of myself, and I don't like anyone enough right now to marry them but I'm def a hopeless romantic and that is what I want.

Twitter: Tootielaamazing

Exning!!

Gnar: Hey Exning thank you for taking the time today to do this interview! Can you tell us how you got into getting tattoos?

Exning: I got into tattoos when I was a baby girl. My mom has a few and I snuck out when I was 14 and got some of my own (two poorly done stars on my stomach). I've never felt comfortable in my own skin, and when there's ink of it, I feel so much more at home with myself. There wasn't anyone I specifically looked up to, but I always knew I wanted to be covered and hide my skin.


Gnar: Very awesome!! Do you have any plans for your next few tattoos yet?


Exning: Oh yes haha. I was a gypsy girl with a doctors mask on because im allergic to everything to cover the rest of my arm that's empty, possibly in a bubble as well. Seahorse and jellyfish on my leg, a shit load of cats, my two bunnies, portrait of my mom, the chemical symbols for coffee and lithium, and...so much more and not enough skin.


Gnar: I love the doc mask idea and the story for that!! Very awesome!! Do you have a favorite tattoo artist or parlor?


Exning: When I was younger, we only had one tattoo shop/piercing shop where I would go to get my piercings (Inkredibles in El Centro, CA). They were always really sweet to my mother and I and when I started getting my tattoos they would always do them for really cheap. For me personally, I'm really shy and don't like talking all that much while getting tattood or before hand, and they are good about that. I've been to other places as well that are great (Marks of Art in San Jose, CA) but I don't live there anymore heh


Gnar: Very awesome!! Do you have any goals or plans for later in life?


Exning: I'm coasting right now. I work with mentally disable adults and my aunts my boss, so I can express myself however I want (I'm very lucky). I plan on a few body modifications other than tattoos. I'm in the process of stretching out my lip. After that, who knows


Gnar: Do you have any shout outs before we wrap this up?


Exning: Just to thank you for interviewing me  It makes me happy people are still fascinated with body art and to bring more awareness helps out the culture. And hello to all the SG members hehe

Juturna!!

Gnar: Hey Juturna thank you for taking the time today to do this interview! Can you tell us how you got into getting tattoos?

Juturna: I was first influenced by my older brother, because he started getting a lot of piercings and tattoos when I was pretty young. I used to think it was really cool to copy everything he did. When I was 14 I discovered Suicide Girls and that was also a huge influence for my piercings and tattoos. I think that Suicide Girls had a big part in how I look and who I am today. When I was 15 I got my first piercing, at 17 I got my first tattoo, and I have not stopped since then!

Gnar: That's awesome!! They can be very influtential. They inspire a lot of my work as well! Do you have any goals or plans for later in life?

 Juturna: I'm working on that right now. I'm kind of having a quarter life crisis haha. I really want to go to makeup school, but it's too expensive, so I am thinking about going back to college and getting a degree. I hate school though!!!

Gnar: I know exactly how you feel I've already gone to college once and graduated, but changed my interest. How do you like modeling so far?

Juturna: I love it !!! I wish I could do it more often. Being in front of the camera is really fun for me.

Gnar: Excellent!! :-) Do you have any shout out before we wrap this up?

Juturna: Yes! I would love to be in a tattoo magazine so if anyone has the hook up, come find me on Suicide Girls. 

Juturna Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002214557912

Elisha Schmidt!!!

Gnar: Hey Elisha thank you for taking the time today to do this interview! Can you tell us how you got into getting tattoos? 

Elisha: Well thank you for asking me, my mother actually got me into tattoos she always told me to get tattoos instead of piercings. Which everyone thinks is strange because a tattoo is for life but you can take piercings out.

Gnar: That's very fantasticating actually!! Do you think tattoos helps you in model industry or doesn't? 

Elisha: It helps in certain aspects and helps that I have images that show my tattoos so when photographers contact me they know what I have. If I try to find work though a lot of companies really frown on tattoos unless they are willing to cover them up in post processing.

Gnar: Yea I agree tattoo is the new big thing in modeling, but is still taking awhile to break through. It might just take some time. Do you have any plans for your next tattoos yet?

Elisha: I have been thinking of a couple of different ideas.. Not 100% sure on any of them yet but I do know it will be going on my ankle and I possibly might get another on my back.

Gnar: Excellent!!! Do you have a favorite tattoo artist or parlor?

Elisha: Yes! Actually it's the place I've have my most recent work done and it's called karma tattoo and piercing my artist is the owner Pat.

Gnar: Very awesome! Do you have any goals or plans for later in life?

Elisha: I would really love to work only a couple days a week then model the rest of the week. I am a veterinary assistant right now and love my job but modeling is something I would love to do more it's my passion.

Gnar: You should totally model more if you get the chance cuz your work rocks!! Anyways do you have any shout outs and or thank you before we wrap this up?

Elisha: Thank you so much! I would like to thank Paul venomous(www.paulvenomous.com) he really got me back into modeling. I would also like to thank all the other great photographers I've had a chance to work with.

Reekie!!

Gnar: Hey there Reekie!! Thank you for taking the time to do this interview with us!! Can you tell us about how you got into tattoos?


Reekie: I started liking tattoos when I was very little. My cousin was the first to influence me into tattoos. She had all these tattoos and I just really enjoyed looking at them. Ever since then, I have always liked that alternative style and I have always wanted to get tattoos of my own. In college, I met this gorgeous alternative tattooed woman. Her tattoos were more interesting and they expressed something about her. I got to thinking that I really didn’t want any tattoo; I want it to express something about me or a time/part in my life. I started coming up with designs in summer of 2009, around the time I joined SG. SG was my next big push, I just saw all these beautiful ladies with tattoos. Which led me to the thought, what would I like on my body?

Gnar: Do you have a favorite tattoo parlor or artist?

Reekie: I only have four tattoos for now, and three of the four tattoos were done by the same artist. I really like his work. So as of now I have a favorite artist and I will go to him until I am not in the area anymore. His quality of work is great, and the price is reasonable. I hope to get more very soon; they are just not in my budget right now. 

Gnar: What are you goals or plans for later in life?

Reekie: My plans later in life are to be a Graphic Designer. I want to move out of the area to find a new place, anywhere but here. Once I have a stable job I want to continue getting tattoos and eventually have a half-sleeve.

Gnar: What are your favorite kinds of tattoos?

Reekie: It’s kind of difficult to pick my favorite kind of tattoo. Like I said before I like meaningful tattoos. I like when the person can talk about them or at least tell me the reason they got it. I think one of my favorite types of tattoos are sleeves or just big correlating pieces. I like seeing so many smaller tattoos in a certain area, to where they become one big piece It’s interesting to see how it all fits together, what the theme of the sleeve is or if it even has a theme at all.

Twitter: @ReekieSG