The Inking Game: Minimalist Tattoos

[cotxpaxi.livejournal.com]

We reached out to 12 South Korean tattoo artists for this piece. Only 2 agreed to be interviewed. It was an interesting phenomenon, since all of these artists have public Instagram handles with thousands of followers and have personal contact details listed, but it seems that they still try to stay under the radar because of sporadic law enforcement crackdowns.



In South Korea, the tattoo industry hasn’t been able to flourish due to a law that prohibits artists from inking skin without a medical license. Persisting negative connotations, where tatted skin indexes criminal activity, hasn’t really helped overturn the rule either. Artists are forced to work in the shadows in order to evade heavy fines and even jail sentences. Changes are afoot however as there are now an estimated 20,000 artists and 1,000,000 inked individuals in South Korea.

Strength can definitely be found in numbers, as there are dozens of tattoo artists currently showcasing their work on Instagram with tens of thousands of followers. The pivotal power of social media, as well as the numerous celebrities who openly flaunt their tattoos are creating a generation where inked skin and bare skin are achieving equal footing.

With all the makings of a fashion statement, the minimalist tattoo seems to be the most popular choice. These small, almost ornamental tattoos with characteristic basic lines are set apart by a polished look that resonates with the clean, minimalist aesthetic that Korean fashion always seems to return to. These tattoos remind us that sometimes lack is better than excess, and that even the simplest things can deliver us rapture all the same.

MUTZINE looks into the work of tattoo artists Dogy and Horu and Hail of Heru Ink, who have talent and Instagram followings worthy of envy. They explain their distinct aesthetic, the gradual shifting stance towards tattoos in Korea, and just what tattoos mean to them.

Visit the source to meet the artists!

SOURCE:MUTZINE

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Comments

[missingmisnomer.livejournal.com]

Whoa I took a look at Dogy's ig and I'm blown away. I'm a big fan of the clean minimalist aesthetic so his work really pleases me
https://instagram.com/tattooer_dogy/

📷 (https://instagram.com/p/6-EV7crXFS/)

A photo posted by 타투어 도기 (@tattooer_dogy) on Aug 29, 2015 at 6:58am PDT

Definitely gonna follow him on there. Thanks for posting OP because I wouldn't have known about him otherwise.

[love-allure.livejournal.com]

i love the dog tattoos! shit, never really wanted a tattoo until now. i gotta get one of my dog.

[sra-interesante.livejournal.com]

i can't believe they want tattoo artists to have medical license .... that's a bit too much
but i love how they used such ridiculous law as excuse to make an statement

if i ever get a tatto it would definitely be a minimalist one ... i think no matter what they look more tasteful


the thing is i like tattoos but i have needle phobia .... i'm so lame ㅠㅠ

This was a interesting read
thanks for share op :D

[iviih.livejournal.com]

My sister was very afraid of needle (she would always freak out when taking blood off)

but she made a big tatto and was fine, she said it didn't hurt at all and handled 4 long hours!

But be sure to chose a less painful part of your body, my sister made it on her back

[ah0000.livejournal.com]

Mine is on the middle of my upper-/mid-back and it hurt so bad. I think for it to be less painful you have to do it where there is less bone. I basically had it done on my spine and it felt like a pizza cutter on my back

[thranduiles.livejournal.com]

i've been following a couple other korean tattoo artists on ig for a while now and i totally in love with this style.
i really want to get a minimalist tattoo now... too bad i have no clue what to get, where and im not even close to korea

[jrt131n.livejournal.com]

Oh wow I was just reading this on the website and I just started following Horu + Hail on instragm.

I believe as time continues on and more and more people start getting tattoos in Korea, it won't be seen as such a negative. Of course a lot of that negativity comes from the older generation, as the generation change, perception of tats will as well.

[ah0000.livejournal.com]

Awesome post/article! I love all of these. Recently I've been following this artist on insta http://instagram.com/michey_tattooofficial

[cotxpaxi.livejournal.com]

whoa i never came across this profile before! I LOVE IT! thanks for sharing!

[herocountry.livejournal.com]

these are sooo nice! can you share the artists you approached but didn't interview? i'd love to see more of this kinda style

[cotxpaxi.livejournal.com]

sure!

https://instagram.com/seoeontattoo
https://instagram.com/jinsol_tattoo
https://instagram.com/rrrrro_o
https://instagram.com/tattooxchun
https://instagram.com/tattooist_nini
https://instagram.com/playground_tat2
https://instagram.com/greemtattoo/
https://www.instagram.com/tattooist_doy
https://instagram.com/tattooist_banul
https://instagram.com/dikitattooer
https://instagram.com/tattooist_flower
https://instagram.com/tattooist_mirae/

[herocountry.livejournal.com]

omg thank you!!!!!

[ah0000.livejournal.com]

These are all so amazing!!! I love all of these

[chibi-rei.livejournal.com]

I looove Doy and Seoeon. They are so good.

[jrt131n.livejournal.com]

yeah so I pretty much just followed almost all of these people....thank you ^_^

Good ideas for future tats.

[nana-the-dwarf.livejournal.com]

Always wanted to try becoming a tattoo artist. I have no idea where to begin though.
I'm not really into these minimalitic style though.

[cotxpaxi.livejournal.com]

i never considered getting a tattoo or tattooing, but i liked what Horu said about many tattoo artists these days also being professional illustrators. That transition makes sense to me and I guess if I get better at drawing I would experiment with down the line!

What style do you like?

[nana-the-dwarf.livejournal.com]

Ah, it's hard to chose! If I had to pick one specific one would be realism, definetly. I also love blackwork, traditional and also the ilustrative styles.

Some of my favorite tattoo artists are Niki Norberg, Cody Eich and Ondrash.

[921227.livejournal.com]

I like the minimalist style -- it's pleasing to the eye and delicate, I would def get something like that rather than a really big piece
Are Horu and Hail women? Their style seems pretty feminine

[krunkri.livejournal.com]

Horu is a girl and Hail is a dude, they're a couple!

[iviih.livejournal.com]

I liked big and colorful ones, but I would make a minimalist because they are also pretty!


http://seoeonmo.blog.me/ makes pretty tattoos!

https://instagram.com/seoeontattoo/


Sol tattoo also makes small and pretty ones! Her cats tattoos <3


(http://pt-br.tinypic.com?ref=21edzlu)

http://blog.naver.com/cat0157

https://www.facebook.com/soltattoo

https://instagram.com/soltattoo/



But I wonder how many years until those tattoos fade?

And I wonder if they might blur after some years ?

Because it happens, lettering (if the font is too small) they might blur and you can't read anything (happened with a friend)

[in-noctem.livejournal.com]

Omg this is so cute.

[cotxpaxi.livejournal.com]

the fading, blurring of the thin lines is definitely a concern of mine. i feel like a lot of people aren't briefed about that when they get them? but on the topic, you know who keeps his tattoos looking damn fresh? Miyavi, omg his tattoos are my all time fav.

[kittyboo17.livejournal.com]

No matter how many times I see Miyavi's tattoos I'm always amazed at how fresh and clean and also original they look

[meriumi.livejournal.com]

Despite being more of a minimalist than a maximalist, I do have to agree on Miyavi's tattoos being wonderful and a source of inspiration (as the artist himself as well, although I'm not loving where he's been going with his music for a long time now). I know the big brush stroke kanjis he got some years ago divided opinions, but I found those to be stunning, perhaps some of my faves of his, and they seem to bind the previous work together rather beautifully.

[achan123.livejournal.com]

tattoo cat looks like it had too much coffee

[cotxpaxi.livejournal.com]

all of your comments made me smile, but this one straight up made me crack up laughing!

[jasmineakaiumi.livejournal.com]

Sol is a great artist! A he, though :p I have tattoos by him

[kittyboo17.livejournal.com]

I think I just went through the whole insta of the first person you linked, so many nice tattoos *-*
there are definitely some I wouldn't mind having myself

[in-noctem.livejournal.com]

I love all of their designs tbh but there's just something about Horu & Hail's feminine designs 😍😍😍 that's too bad that Diki didn't want to be interviewed, I found them through Jooyoung and I love their style. It's very interesting.

[belintuchiha.livejournal.com]

one of my favorite tattoo artists is the girl you'll always see on my icon O/

[cotxpaxi.livejournal.com]

who is it!

[belintuchiha.livejournal.com]

Hwang Jimin, though she's been keeping her profile low in the tattoo department the past year.

[achan123.livejournal.com]

jeez op,
these are some really cool ideas that you have for ur articles!! :D

[achan123.livejournal.com]

i think if a tattoo is too minimalistic, it might look like a prison tattoo... :[

[chibi-rei.livejournal.com]

I follow a few artists on Instagram and I'm so in love with their styles. I wish I knew what I would want as a tattoo because I would totally go to them. I have about 2 weeks until my trip so I'm hoping for some inspiration.

[modernelegance.livejournal.com]

Loooooove minimalist tattoos! I especially enjoy geeky ones like the nautilis shell on this (http://illusion.scene360.com/art/75069/scientific-tattoos/) page.

[pineepie.livejournal.com]

https://instagram.com/seoeontattoo/ is really great!!

[jrt131n.livejournal.com]

I only have one tattoo, but I want to get more. I think I might do a cover up or just leave the one I have. As a dark skin person I have to really do a lot of searching for tattoo artist that can work well on darker skin tones.

A lot of these artist that cotxpaxi posted above are styles that I would love to get. Its just all about finding the right artist.

[kittyboo17.livejournal.com]

thank you for the article OP. I've been running around with the idea of getting a tattoo for a long time but not precisely knowing what or how I want it so this article is giving me some nice extra ideas.

[seulgibear.livejournal.com]

i love tattoos so much, even if i haven't had the chance to get one yet (i'm so undecided i'm scared to regret it quickly), but i do have the design for one right now, so maybe it will happen soon.
these minimalistic tattoos are gorgeous! this style and dotwork are my favourite tattoo styles. thanks for this post and for introducing these artists. i'm going to spend the rest of the night swooning over them.