Interview with Great Tattooist – Lionel

(Lionel at Work)
Please welcome the great tattoo artist from France – LIONEL. As you cannot hold sand in your hand similarly the free tattoo artist cannot be seen tied in the chains of a tattoo studio. He keeps touring and you can find his availability list on his website. His tattoos are his reflection, making him taller than all other tattooists. His tattoos will surely bring a smile on your face as well as they will take you back to your childhood.

For me his tattoos rejuvenate the child heart lurking inside me. Let’s see what fuels the fire in him to bring out such cute masterpieces on the canvas of skin, through this interview with him.

Disha Singh: Let’s start with your first rendezvous with the art. When did it started and how?
Lionel: Hi, since the beginning and as far as I do remember, my mom brought us to see any kind of exhibitions… we were living in a poor and very industrial city but there were lots of exhibitions with free admittance and my mom always tried to make our eyes wide opened! Thanx to her! The same with music. Even if our parents were strict, we had access to art! We could draw at home and I was a very quiet boy. I could spend hours alone just playing alone and dreaming… a little bit like now!ahahahaah!

(A complete tattoo one of Lionel’s Paris Client)

Disha: Your tattoos are like a trademark for you, which are not like regular tribal or Biomech tattoos. Under what category do your tattoos fall for you and how do you get the idea of a design?
Lionel: Well I think I do something very near the person. I don’t impose anything, I just try to talk and discover the universe of the person. On through his/her belief I try to tell the story of this person on a positive way! Tattoo were forbidden in our culture, so it meant it was very interesting to my eyes when I was younger, but culturally I always preferred art history, illustration books for kids than bikers designs! My tattoos try to reflect the soul of the people who ask me a design…

Disha: What fuels the fire within you to keep going on and on? What sense of fulfillment do you get after inking a design?

Lionel: When I finish my work I discover the result which is not mine anymore! I work for someone, not really for me! It is lots of concentration, taking care on every details, then when it’s finished the design has being done by me but it is not mine anymore! I need a few days before rediscovering the tattoo I have on the picture I took… it is strange, and hard to explain because skin is an alive canvas!

(A Skateboard designed by Lionel and his four children)

Disha: Who are your main inspirations?

Lionel: My four children, my wife, the sun, the clouds, the landscape, nature, love stories, sky, books, exhibitions and a few painters artists like Cy Twombly, Georg Baselitz and Andy Goldsworthy and Thibault de Reimpré, art printings, people…

Disha: Could you please share any good or bad or some funny experience/request, you’ve encountered for a tattoo?

Lionel: Mmmh… not really! Maybe one! One old man came to me one day and wanted me to put a microscopic electronic system in the ear of his dog. So that he could follow his dog if he would be lost with a military satellite system!

(Lionel with his two children)
Disha: How have things changed regarding your inking over the years? How far would you like to take your body art?

Lionel: I am lucky. Everybody was spitting on my back for 8-9 years because my tattoos were not traditional enough and now I travel a lot, have wonderful customers and I can express myself more than in the past! People get tattooed on a younger age, their culture is changing of course and now you have lots of tattooists that specialize in one style. Then you can travel to discover the good inker!

Disha: Why do we see Lionel mostly traveling and can someone see him fixed at one stop. If yes, where? Lionel: I had a shop (OUT OF STEP, the enemy of the sun) but I felt depressed by staying in this place everyday! Before tattooing I was a professional guitarist in a punk band and I was on tour for 11 years… Then becoming the owner of a shop made really depressed… I tried two times to run my own shop but after six months I had to do the guest somewhere else!

It permits me also to have more time at home with my family and taking care of them much more. That’s also why it takes so long to answer to everybody!

Disha: Who would Lionel have been if he was not a tattoo artist?

Lionel: I was a professional musician in a punk band called PORTOBELLO BONES for eleven years. I was also organising tours in Europe for my band and some others… So I really think I would work in the music scene as music is a large part of my life!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Disha: For our readers information please tell us how much does a piece cost?

Lionel: It costs the price a customer want to spend. He has to think it is for life, he doesn’t buy a pair of shoe when he has an appointment with me. We talk and then I decide if I’m tattooing him with his budget.

(Lionel’s House)

Disha: In addition, who is Lionel apart from a being a tattoo artist?

Lionel: A normal guy who lives and dreams in the west of France, who loves life and who would love to visit India for sure!

Disha: Finally, what suggestions do you have for the newbies in the industry and especially to those who want get tattooed?

Lionel: Please take your time. Ask, watch, think, use your head and have fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thank you so much Lionel for sparing your valuable time from your busy schedule. 

Don’t forget to check out few more tattoos by Lionel at our Image Gallery.

A Cute Starry Foot Tattoo

Recently, I read that Gwyneth Paltrow has tattooed letter ‘C’ on her hip to show her commitment to hubby Chris Martin. Couldn’t she be little creative to etch something cool and more artistic!

Anyways that’s her choice but not mine. I like tattoos which have some colourful designs, whether these designs are of my kindergarten drawing books.

Well! over here the foot tattoo is inked by Heidi Serth of Art N Body Studio, whose tattoos take me back to my school days and various cute cartoon characters.

Okay let me come back from my childhood wonderland… Guys lemme tell you something about foot tattoos:

• It is painful to get tattoo on your foot especially your ankle.
• Tattoos on feet are less durable because of the greatest amount of physical “abuse”, which cause the tattoos to fade faster.
• Foot tattoos are difficult to maintain.

Check my Tatts – Lindsay Lohan

After getting popularity for her nude photoshoot Lindsay Lohan is chasing this popularity by hosting a photo exhibition inspired by her three tattoos i.e. “La Bella Vita”, which means “beautiful life in Italian,” on her back, the word “breathe” and a star on her wrist.

The purpose of the exhibition is to show the “mood” behind each of LiLo’s tattoos. The designs will be presented in the form of photographs “hand-selected” from photographers Zach Hyman, Donna Santisi and Gus Freedman.

New York Post has reported that the exhibition will we organised in New York at the Sky Terrace of her midtown Atelier building on Thursday.

Via: Ninemsn

Tattooed Stars make their mark

Today, I found something for you in my mailbox. ABC News had compiled some of the world’s biggest celebrities and their tattoos, along with some background information that was presented in form of a slide show.

You may click here to view the slide show.

A True Graphic Designer Tattoo

We are always in a search of a tattoo, which reflects at least some portion of our personality or has some significance in our life. Ragnar Freyr got this square tattoo inked at Eternal Tattos in Clawson, Michigan. It was his first tattoo.

He said, “Being a graphic designer I work a lot with squares and as a modernism enthusiast I just had to get one.”

For him, “It’s also a great conversation starter.” And he explained it further by saying, “at one party a girl asked me if it was a real tattoo. I said yes and she replied: “That’s soooo weeiiird!”

He was mocked at when he asked the guys at tattoo parlor for a simple filled square on his forearm. However, he is satisfied and loves his cool tattoo!

A look at Manic Tattoo Studio

Manic Tattoo Studio is owned and operated by tattoo artist Chris Oppenheim. There are other artists also available here to provide you with their services. You can etch as well as poke yourself at Manic.

Chris has been tattooing since three and a half years.

When we asked him to throw some light on the Manic Tattoo Studio he replied:

“Manic tattoo is a relaxing, clean environment with flat screen tv’s, digital portfolios, and thousands of designs to choose from. Manic also has quality merchandise and specializes in body piercings. Manic tattoos is located at 2821 Churchville road in Churchville Maryland. Chris and the artists at manic will design any custom piece and portraits are also available.”

You can have a look at a few more Tattoo works of Chris Oppenheim of Manic Tattoos at our gallery or you can click here.

FORGIVEN-PUNISHED Tattoo

These are Allen Falker’s hands, who is a tattoo artist, body piercer, keen photographer and a suspension practitioner. He has recently started doing Laser Tattoo Removal and says following about his new profession:

In July of 2007 I started my new career as a laser technician specializing in pigment reduction and tattoo removal. Ironic? No not really. Why did I chose laser tattoo removal as my next profession? It was actually the next logical step. There are so many people with tattoos that need to be fixed. Honestly I think most people with multiple tattoos want something fixed, reworked or changed. Although I’m happy to do total removal, my true goal is to lighten existing tattoos to create new canvas for the people that want or need a change.

His new business is called ‘Fade Fast‘ and looks forward to have main focus on it in this New Year.

Not Tattooing but Laser Fingernail Etching

Today, my friend Scott sent something amazing… You might have heard and seen of fingernail tattoos but now there is a new way to adorn you fingernails i.e. with Laser Engraving.

Yes, Martin and Bre showed their latest “new year project” of engraving fingernails on Make thus giving a new idea to the people.

They have shown process of laser etching on a video which seems to be pretty painful process but really is not. They have made use of 25W engraving laser to do the fingernail etching with the help of a computer controlled plotter-type device with their hand restrained inside it during the procedure. (Source: Modblog)

They chose calender as their design and look forward to cut each growing month as it passes.

Ruler Tattoo

Mikey Sklar has an 8″ ruler tattooed on his right forearm. He uses it to measure everything from measuring PVC diameter to wire lengths as told on Scienceblogs.com.

He is in embedded hardware design and spend his time doing experimental building, transportation and energy these days, therefore, the tattoo gets used daily, he said.

Kat Von D Sets Guinness World Record for Tattoos

Kat Von D makes her way into the Guinness Book of World Records for inking most tattoos in a 24 hours period.

On Friday noon she sat down for a contineous session of 24 hours to ink 400 tattoos at her High Voltage Tattoo parlor. Without food… without cigrette… and with just three breaks… she made the Guinness World Record for a cause as the money collected on the event will be donated to Vitamin Angels. The tattoos cost 20 bucks, and every 20 saved 80 kids from going blind. 400 x 80 = 32,000 kids, she said.

“During the entire 24 hour period, i never ate, and kept my consumptions of liquid to a bare minimum, to make sure i wouldnt have to stop tattooing to go to the bathroom at any point. i put on nicotine patches, so i wouldnt take any cigerette breaks. And during the entire 24 hours i took a maximum 3 breaks of no more than about 3 minutes, to drink an energy drink closer to the end, and to change into sweats at another point and stretch my hands which were starting to ache pretty fuckin bad.”

She also Apologized for inconvenience and Thanked all for being so supportive in realization of this record.

(Photo of the LA tattoo by Ali Miller for LAist.com)

Congrats Kat! 🙂