www.reneeruin.com

Saturday, August 13, 2011

Featured Tattoo Artist | Guen Douglas

Photo by Rémi Thériault

Name: Guen Douglas
Age: 32
Location: presently Rotterdam, The Netherlands

What attracted you to tattooing?

"I always wanted to find a job in the arts that could be lifelong and give me the opportunity to travel. I had already been getting tattooed for a number of years and had a few friends that tattooed, it just seemed like a perfect fit for me. It took me a long time to get into it but I'm glad I didn't give up on it. I am so lucky to do this work."

How did you get into the industry?

"I tried to get an apprenticeship for years but eventually after asking and asking and drawing, painting and putting together a portfolio I found a place that would take me as an apprentice."

Photo by Rémi Thériault

Was it hard to find an apprenticeship?

"It was, at the time (between '96 and '05) many places would shy away from hiring women (or hiring too many! many places already had a girl working and figured that one was enough ha-ha) but I was lucky to find an apprenticeship at a time when the industry was changing and more opportunities were made available for women."

How many years have you been tattooing?

"I started my apprenticeship in June of 2005 and after 2 years of nothing but kanji and small black tattoos I started tattooing full time in May of 2007. So it'll be 5 years of full time tattooing this upcoming May."

What inspires you?

"I find inspiration everywhere! books, movies, cooking, photography, fashion, history, music.... just life."

Who are your favourite tattoo artists?

"My favourites are Seth Wood, Lus Lips and Rachi Brains."

How would you describe your tattoo style?

"Eclectic ha-ha, I would say it's illustrative but heavily influenced by traditional tattoos."

What have you learned in your years in the industry?

"Some, but not nearly enough. I feel like I am and will be perpetually an apprentice. It's funny how the things you learn in tattooing are so intertwined with your regular life. This job has helped me stay focused, be attentive and have patience."

What advice do you have to people considering careers in tattooing?

"Don't bother ha-ha. No, really I can't crush people's dreams if they are dead set on doing it, but I think now you have to have to have more raw talent to succeed than before. The market is over saturated and the new tattooers that are starting out and doing well are ridiculously good. If it's not something you are willing to invest all of your time into I would say not to bother."

What are some of the best things you have experienced as a result of your career?

"This career is taking me to places and introducing me to things I could only dream about. I've lived in Canada, The Netherlands and soon to be the UK because of tattooing and I'm excited to see where it might take me in the future."

Where do you currently tattoo?

"I'm currently tattooing at 25 To Life Tattoos in Rotterdam, The Netherlands and starting January 2012 I'll be working at Magnum Opus in Brighton, UK."

Contact Guen below:
guendouglas@gmail.com

www.guendouglas.com
www.25tolifetattoos.com
www.magnumopustattoo.com

Photo by Rémi Thériault

Friday, August 12, 2011

ZANA BAYNE FALL/WINTER 2011 LOOKBOOK

Who's that Girl? - Sara Fabel

24 year old Finnish, Sara Fabel first grabbed by art when I caught a glimpse of her artwork then I saw her and low and behold I find myself looking at not only a talented young girl but a gorgeous one at that. Sara lives in Auckland, New Zealand and juggles working in a bookstore with graphic design. She also manages a property back in her homeland of Finland.

Sara is obsessed with everything horror and gore and is equally fascinated with the end of days, doom, destruction and stories of damnation. Yet, Sara is also a qualified Primary School Art Teacher. I wish my art teachers back in school were even a slight bit like Sara! Sheesh!

What was growing up like for you?

"Oh god, Terrible. I was always the odd one out. School was torture even tho I loved learning new things, studying was great; it was the fellow students that got under my skin. Later in life that became the reason why I wanted to become a teacher... so supply a safe haven, or even just a classroom where all the misfits could gather."

Do you see you yourself as a model?

"I’m really not sure. Maybe.. perhaps. I enjoy it, but I’m not a professional model even tho I have years of experience. I do it to promote myself and my art, meet new people and make great connection in the industry."

When did you become involved with modelling and what do you love about it?

"I started modelling around the age 17. I did few commercials, music videos, campaigns, and moved into doing few catwalks and then just working with few local photographers in Finland. Now it’s more about the connections... I’m older and now know what I want, I understand how to take advance of the great opportunities that modelling can bring. And in a way knowing those options makes it so much fun as every shoot I know I’m taking some form of step forwards in my career."

"I do get a lot of attention through my modelling. Often it is guys messagin me with “OHHH FUUUCK I was like looking at your pics and then I saw your illustrations and I was like WOW”. Then I know the pictures served their purpose. But yes. I do get a lot of those useless “YO shorrty imam thinking u sexy hawwwwt”-comments (I actually did miss type the “comments” as vomments, with I thought was fairly nifty... vomiting comments haha, definitely suits the things they say).
All in all, I’ve had so much bad things and some fairly disgusting comments come out of my modelling that I don’t let it get to me. Especially when it comes to boys."

Where do you draw your inspirations in life?

"Horror, gore and little life experiences that are often in fairly religious nature even tho I’m not religious. As you might see I use a lot of religious symbols and mythology in my art."

Who is Sara Fabel?

"I wonder.. I have not yet to find that out myself. I thought I had a clue until I met somebody here in Auckland that really challenged the way I thought about things and myself. Maybe one day I’ll have an answer to that question."

What are the qualities you look for most in friends and lovers?

"Honesty. I’m brutally honest even tho it sometimes means giving bad news instead of faking good ones. Also I adore my friends that want to be my friends because they genuinely appreciate me as a person and not because of some make believe status/image. I like things most people don’t and finding people that share at least some of those things is quite rare. In regards of boys that changes... I believe in opposites attracting. I have been asked multiple times what is my type in regards of boys. I don’t think I have a type or qualities that I’d prefer, besides honesty. Love happens, in my case it happens rarely. I’m just very picky."

Who is your style icon?

"I don’t really have one. I get fairly busy to even take time off to observe the fashion big league."

Are you a fashion brands girl or do you just wear what you like or what’s comfortable?

"Both. I’m a sucker for brands, but lately due travelling a lot I’ve been trying to keep my selection of garment down to minimal. That often means ether investing in brands or buying really cheap clothing that I can just throw away after a while."

What do you admire most in other women?

"Strong will, determination. Smarts, I love smart women, women who study and can back up their believes and thoughts with solid facts."

What would you like to do in the future?

"Tattoo, get extremely good with it.. Be happy, find love, have a family. Basic things."

What’s your take in life and what advice would give any of your fans?

"I actually got it tattooed on my stomach “To thy own self be true”. Lies will come back to you, big and small. Also in another note if you pretend to be somebody you are not you’ll surround yourself with people that start appreciating you for the wrong reasons. We all have our little oddities in our personalities and things we adore and might be ashamed to like. BUT then again there is always somebody else who likes the same things and how else are we ever to find our true soul mates than just letting everybody see who we truly are. I learned this the hard way, maybe that’s why I try to stick to it."