After our recent collaboration with Parlour Tattoo we just had to share the journey of how we took a beautiful and intricate tattoo design, and transferred it onto one of Shoreditch’s most sought after walls.
Lara, a talented tattoo artist at Parlour Tattoo designed this colourful piece with our very own Sophie transferring this onto one of our walls – promoting the ever-growing approachable parlour located in the heart of Shoreditch.
What Inspired you to do this piece?
“Well I was given this brief by Lara as its one of her traditional designs so I had no say in what I was going to paint however it is a really great example of Laras workings.”
Was it challenging?
“Yes I did find this one more challenging as it’s not the sort of thing I would usually paint nor the type of thing I would like to paint either however, It’s really beneficial and good practice to paint pieces that are outside of usual style.”
How was painting the fine details of the flowers?
Although the design was quite simple it was different to the type of image I would usually paint which made it slightly more challenging. It was important to maintain really strong, steady hands to keep the fine lines looking sharp and precise. For example it can be a very similar process to tattooing, involving transferring the detailed and patient skills of a tattoo artist onto a wall. When you use a solid colour and fade the dark one into it, it can be very similar to the way in which tattoo artists blend their colours too, you’ve only really got one shot to get a smooth clean line. It’s basically a collab between two different forms of artists with the aim to create something that would never really be done normally
We then spoke to Lara about her inspiration behind this piece because we just had to know more!
Lara, what inspired you to create this design, is it already on someones body?
Yes it’s on someones body and it was designed a couple of years ago when I was sketching. It was in spring and I was living in a nice apartment with massive windows with a big desk where I would always do my designs and sketches. I had a really nice view of lots of trees and flowers and it just came together through various drawings.
Why did you pick this design in particular to display on the wall?
At the moment so many people are getting flower tattoos, it’s really popular. So much so that one of the photos I posted on Instagram of a tattoo I did recently got a really high number of likes so we thought that picking something that was trending would be the best means of promotion. It’s also a really great representation of my style so anyone who sees the design that wants to come in for a tattoo can expect that style from me.
How long have you been a tattoo artist for?
For around seven years, I was studying fashion design in Milan and whilst realising that the fashion industry wasn’t right for me after some work experience, I went to several tattoo conventions with my boyfriend and I was so amazed by everything there. I just knew I wanted to try it from that point forwards.
