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Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaleditions.com/i/76572
:the thrill of permanent Tattoo lingo Scratcher: Someone untrained who tattoos from home Freehand: Refers to work that is drawn on rather than stencilled on Tickles: Refers to it hurting Old Skool: Traditional-styled tattoos New Skool: Traditional ideas made modern There's something about French men, they don't mind crying in front of each other. They sobbed with their mates right there!" After the graphic art studio she was employed with went bankrupt, Tracy made the move to London. It was here that she "stupidly" got a little tattoo on her back "just to know what it felt like". When she returned she tinkered with the idea of tattooing, but as it Tracy Brechelt – The Addict TRACY BRECHELT'S RAGLAN TATTOO studio, Designs from the Back of the Fridge, was inspired by her first studio. Located on the Raglan wharf next to the trawlers ice making machine the beautiful little room overlooking the ocean provided a calm setting for an inhospitable practice. She's now in a studio at the end of Main Street, but the quirky business name remains. As you can expect the competition in the Raglan tattoo market is small. There is one other artist in town, Simon Te Wheoro, who takes care of the more traditional ta moko designs, and Tracy's customers tend to be the "tattoo virgins, beautiful bodies travelling the world who know what they're looking for". "During the World Cup I had a lot of traffic travelling around in campervans," Tracy says. I remember three French men came in early one evening wanting a Kiwi fern on them as a memento I suppose. was a very male- dominated industry the doors were constantly shut in her face. One day she saw an ad in the Waikato Times put in by tattoo tutor, Byron Vodone, a cosmetic tattooist from Brisbane. Fourteen years later Tracy has lost count of the number of people walking around with her designs on their bodies. Initially her own body served as her practice canvas. In fact all of her tattoos, except one have been drawn by her own hand, which is amazing when you consider she faints at the sight of needles. "You have to be in the right mindset to tattoo," she explains. "If someone is having an off day I'll send them home and tell them to come back another time. Sometimes when you're body is tense it's hard to get the ink in. Your body naturally wants to reject anything that goes in." Tracy's goal is to develop her own unique style that people will come to her for specifically. "I love drawing flora and fauna. Nature inspires me and capturing an emotion in art. I do a lot of vanity tattoos for people who've lost a partner or baby. For me to be involved in that is huge. People find the process therapeutic. It also releases endorphins, that's the addiction factor." Tracy often has people come into her shop looking for an apprenticeship. Here is the advice she offers: • • • Keep drawing everyday. I do life drawing classes to keep myself fresh so I don't get stuck in my own style. Practice lettering especially. I get so many people who come in wanting lettering on them. Determine what you like drawing and then step outside your comfort zone and build your repertoire. • Have good people skills. Carrying a conversation over a few hours can be hard. • And maybe learn another language. Crikey, if I knew German I'd be a much better tattooist. 30 | www.hermagazine.co.nz