Reykjavík Grapevine - 11.12.2016, Qupperneq 44

The R
eykjavík G
rapevine
B
est of R
eykjavík 20
16
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Thinking of getting a tattoo?
Then you better also get used to
answering the same questions
over and over again. “Yes, it hurts.
Yes, it does last forever. No, it
doesn’t mean anything. Yes, it
will be there when I’m 70.” Trust
us, it’ll be never-ending. But
whether you’re ready for some
dandelions-turning-into-birds
on your wrist or a full-color por-
trait of Páll Óskar on your back,
we at Grapevine have some advice
for you. Get creative, for one. And
have fun. And go to one of these
places…
YOUR “REMEMBER REYK-
JAVÍK” TOURIST TATTOO
Reykjavík Ink. In Reykjavík for
your buddy’s bachelor party, and
want to get some ink to com-
memorate it? Reykjavík Ink is a
solid bet. It has good artists, a
good location, and can do most
any style you want.
BLACK AND GREY REALISM
Sindri @ Íslenzka Húðflúrsto-
fan. Black and grey realism is one
of the trickiest styles, but Sindri’s
work is remarkable. This is a guy
who knows shading—you defi-
nitely won’t end up on “Tattoo
Nightmares” if you get a piece
from him.
JAPANESE STYLE
Svanur @ Tattoo & Skart .
Svanur’s been tattooing for
ages, and it shows—he’s a mas-
ter of large Japanese pieces. If
you’re looking to get that koi
half sleeve or dragon back piece,
he’s your guy.
TRADITIONAL
Dagur @ Bleksmiðjan Húð-
flúr. Dagur’s traditional work
is spot on. Go to him for ships,
sparrows, and all your other
old-school imagery.
ICELANDIC-STYLE
Jason @ Reykjavík Ink. Ja-
son has mastered the “Icelan-
dic” tattoo—I’m talking about
vegvísirs (that compass thing),
runes, mjölnirs (Thor’s ham-
mer) and other Viking tropes.
While those tattoos often feel
a bit tired, Jason’s work makes
them feel fresh—and if some-
one can do that with something
ten centuries old, they are defi-
nitely impressive.
COLOUR REALISM
Sindri @ Íslenzka Húðflúr-
stofan. Wait didn’t he just win
black and grey? Yeah, but this guy
is seriously a master of realism.
It’ll look like you printed out a pic-
ture and taped it to your arm—it
might be a little bit more painful
than that though.
NEW SCHOOL/
ILLUSTRATIVE
Marlena @ Sweet Hell & Sig-
rún @ Bleksmiðjan Húðflúr.
Here’s a tie: both Marlena and Sig-
rún are new-school queens. With
bright hues and crazy drawings,
they know how to ink a statement
piece. If you’re looking for big co-
lour, go here.
NEO-TRADITIONAL
Búri @ Íslenzka Húðflúrsto-
fan. Búri is a great all-around
tattooer (check out his black and
grey and watercolour work as
well), but neo-traditional is where
he shines the brightest.
GEOMETRIC/DOTWORK
Wojciech @ Sweet Hell. Dot-
work is an art in itself and Wo-
jciech clearly knows what he’s do-
ing. His work is just so incredibly
detailed that one must assume
the man has some amazing eye-
sight (and motor skills).
WATERCOLOUR
Marlena @ Sweet Hell. Marlena
not only knows colour, but she’s
also a painter, so her watercolour
works look natural and flowing.
Light and beautiful, she has a real
eye for this trendy style.
WALK-INS
Irezumi Ink. Irezumi Ink takes
walk-ins any day of the week so if
you’re dying to get that script on
your arm right now, it’s the place
to go.
PIERCINGS
Tattoo & Skart. Tattoo & Skart
has a crazy amount of body jew-
ellery—everything from Christ-
mas-themed navel rings to plugs
in any size that you could want.
Sesse the piercer is also super
nice and will make you feel com-
fortable (even if she’s about to put
a needle through your tongue)!
DERMALS
Bleksmiðjan Húðf lúr. Der-
mals, otherwise known as sur-
face piercings, are notoriously
tricky, so you want a piercer that
knows what they are doing. You
don’t want to get nasty scars from
those hip piercings, right?
TATTOOS
Go Forth And
Get Inked
Words HANNAH JANE COHEN
Photo ART BICNICK