Walking works of art: Ink devotees showcase skin covered in beautiful and bizarre designs... and even go under the needle at annual tattoo convention
- Starting today, more than 300 tattoo artists from around the world are showcasing their intricate tattoo designs
- The colourful celebration of body art runs all weekend in East London's Tobacco Dock
- People from all walks of life showed off their eye-catching ink, from avant garde pensioners to breastfeeding mums
From entire torsos covered in sprawling rib cage designs to bald heads inked to look like skulls, this year's London Tattoo Convention didn't fail to shock - and inspire.
Starting
today and running until Monday, more than 300 tattoo artists from
around the world are showcasing their body art in 26 halls at the event,
held in East London's Tobacco Dock.
People
from every walk of life flocked to the convention - from avant garde
pensioners to breastfeeding mothers and everyone in between - and took
on brave inkings they will bear for the rest of their lives.
Starting today and running until
Monday, over 300 tattoo artists from around the world are showcasing
their body art in 26 halls at the event, held in East London's Tobacco
Dock. Here Model Mz Bones displays her brightly coloured body art
Hardly an inch of this man's back and shoulders hasn't been infused with vivid colour in this Eastern inspired design
Elegy Ellen, of Sweden, poses at the International Tattoo Convention in London displaying a full body of ink
People
at the heavily-photographed convention were more than happy to flash
their inked flesh - and prove just how tough they were to endure hours
of painful needlework to get the designs.
Everything
from Oriental designs of blue dragons curling around limbs, to more
delicate cherry-blossom tree patterns, were on display.
No body part was spared, as people had their heads, faces, fingers, inner thighs and toes covered in vivid designs.
Tickets
to the event - which also features live music and competitions - cost
£20 to £75, and a huge queue formed around the corner from the entrance.
Scroll down to see the weird, wacky and wonderful designs from the most skilled tattoo artists in the world...
A man receives a huge piece of artwork across his back at the convention, where 300 artists are showcasing their body art
People at the heavily-photographed
convention were more than happy to flash their inked flesh - and prove
just how tough they were to endure hours of painful needlework to get
the designs, including one woman who lay in just a black thong to go
under the needle
This man
(top) opted for a wacky moustache to match his lively facial tattoos,
while another (bottom) has the back of whole head inked to look like a
grimacing skull
A woman
shows off an arresting back tattoo featuring a woman's face wreathed in
hair, chiffon and pink roses (top); a leather-clad pensioner shows off
his legs covered in swirling tribal tattoos and ink covering his arms
and torso, up to his neck
Under a long-sleeved shirt (and
gloves) you'd have no idea this man bore such complex and haunting
artwork featuring snarling vampire beauties, a skull and mysterious
hooded faces on his body chest, abdomen and even on the back of his
hands
A blonde (top) and a brunette (bottom) both grin as they showcase their colourful arm tattoos
An artist is photographed drawing the outlines of the tattoo and carefully copies the design onto this woman's thigh
Large,
sweeping tattoos which reached up the neck and over the face and head
were seen on plenty of men - who also sported extra piercings and large
ear 'spacers' designed to enlarge the hole pierced ears
The pain in this undoubtedly tender area is apparent on this man's face as he has a rose inked on to the side of his neck
An explosion of colour trickles down the back of this woman, who appears to be surprisingly serene during the process
Glistening pots of colour sit waiting to find their homes under the skin of tattoo-loving humans
A woman stretches out on her stomach
and displays an astonishingly detailed equine design etched artfully on
her back and shoulders
Nothing about this scenario - in which
artists tattoo a man's head using traditional Samoan method - looks
anything short of agonising
A couple pose with their child in a sling on her mother, one of the many parents who took their children along for the event
This woman tenderly cradles her child
as she breastfeeds during the convention, and showcases a bold chest
tattoo featuring Latin script
A man has his upper arm tattooed by a buxom blonde, who herself has arms covered in ink
One man
displays two teardrop tattoos under his eyes (Top) while another sports
large dots on brow bones where eyebrows should be
Two men show off their extensive chest designs, which feature humans, mystical beasts and scrawled writing
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