As a visual representation of our concept, the language of skin, we
commissioned Aidan, an 18-year-old tattoo artist, to adorn a leather jacket
with his art. It’s easy to overlook that leather is indeed skin, too. Through an
insightful interview with Aidan, we delve into the canvas of individuality in
tattoos, exploring the unique canvas of both human skin and leather alike.

What inspired you to become a tattoo artist?
What inspired me to start tattooing was that I have been drawing almost all my life. I have tried so many other things to do including
graphic design but it still didn’t quite suit me. It wasn’t until my girlfriend once said that tattooing would suit me well, that I started
to think about it more and more. Once I got a tattoo machine for my birthday, I just started!

Which style of tattoos do you prefer and why? Is there a story behind it?
The style I tattoo in doesn’t really have a name, a lot of people say it looks like cyber siglism but I don’t know. I actually like that
there isn’t a real name behind it. I prefer this style because I really came up with it myself, I prefer it because it’s really just nothing.
They are just some shapes that I think suit different parts of the body.


























How would you describe your artistic process when it comes to designing tattoos?
The process I always follow for my tattoos simply starts with looking for a nice fit with a body part. Then I draw lines that follow the
curves of the body and I keep adding things to them. Sometimes I do that first on the iPad and then print it out and
stick it on the skin. But sometimes I draw it directly with a pen on the skin and then tattoo a bit from memory.

How is a tattoo actually done? Can you describe the process?
A tattoo is done with a tattoo machine, you then put a ‘cartridge’ in the machine. The cartridge is a kind of plastic pen, but instead of
a pen, it’s needles. The machine ensures that the needles move up and down very quickly to get the ink into the skin.
If you are going to put a tattoo on someone, you have to pay a lot of attention to hygiene, because you are actually making an open
wound on someone and no dirt or blood should enter there. So everything must always be very clean before you tattoo someone.
Once everything is clean, prepare everything such as ink, Vaseline and more. Then you have to stick the stencil, that is the drawing
you have made that you then transfer onto someone’s skin. Once you have done that, start tattooing, when you are done, put foil over
it and then you are all done!

Do you believe tattoos are a form of self-expression?
I definitely think that tattoos are a form of self-expression because I think the drawings you make also say something about yourself.



























How do you handle the responsibility of permanently applying art to someone’s skin?
When I first started tattooing, I thought it was a very strange feeling to put something on someone that would last forever. But now I
actually think it is a very great honour, that is because people think your art is so beautiful that they want to have it put on their own
body forever.

What do you think of the idea of tattooing a jacket? Do you think it’s a similar experience to skin tattooing?
I really enjoyed tattooing a leather jacket, it just wasn’t nearly the same as real skin. With skin, you have to pay attention to many
more things such as the depth of the needle, etc. but that was of course not necessary with a leather jacket. I hadn’t
really considered tattooing anything other than skin, so that’s why I thought it would be fun to do this for once.

You can follow Aidan on his Instagram: @tattoo_aidan.