Inkday in Zurich has come to an end, and it was a very atmospheric event. Zurich itself is a great city, and Switzerland has a special vibe of its own. One of the biggest perks is that the convention takes place in the same hotel where you stay. All the action happens downstairs in a large hall, and afterward you just press a button in the elevator and go straight back to your room.
For this convention, I did a tattoo inspired by Tim Burton’s animated film Corpse Bride. It was a color piece on the shoulder, done in a cool color palette with a strong focus on blue tones. We entered it in the Best of Day category and took third place, which is a very solid result for a convention of this level.
The prize itself was especially memorable. Along with the award, the organizers gave out a skateboard deck without wheels, featuring the famous Giger bullet. It is the iconic image where a skeleton shaped like a bullet contains a skull inside. This felt particularly symbolic because Switzerland is the birthplace of H. R. Giger, an artist who had a massive influence on tattoo culture. Many tattoo artists draw inspiration from his paintings, his work on the film Alien, the xenomorph imagery, and his signature biomechanical style with its distinctive backgrounds and textures.
There is a special feeling when you are in the country where someone lived and created whose work you previously only saw on screens and studied for hours. In Switzerland, people know and appreciate Giger, and you can almost physically feel the connection to what once inspired you from afar.
Along with the deck, we were also given a gold bottle of champagne. We stepped outside from the lobby, popped the cork, shared the champagne with everyone, and celebrated the win in a beautiful, relaxed way with our small group. The model was not left without gifts either. She received a full set of tattoo aftercare products.
The package included everything needed for proper healing and long-term care. A gentle soap for washing a fresh tattoo, a healing cream, a lotion for moisturizing healed skin, and a high-SPF sunscreen to protect the pigment from fading on sunny days. It is a complete kit to make sure the tattoo looks bright and clean not only right after the session, but also years later.
In the next story, I plan to share how I ended up visiting the Giger exhibition in Basel. For someone who grew up immersed in his visual world, it was a powerful and unforgettable experience.
For this convention, I did a tattoo inspired by Tim Burton’s animated film Corpse Bride. It was a color piece on the shoulder, done in a cool color palette with a strong focus on blue tones. We entered it in the Best of Day category and took third place, which is a very solid result for a convention of this level.
The prize itself was especially memorable. Along with the award, the organizers gave out a skateboard deck without wheels, featuring the famous Giger bullet. It is the iconic image where a skeleton shaped like a bullet contains a skull inside. This felt particularly symbolic because Switzerland is the birthplace of H. R. Giger, an artist who had a massive influence on tattoo culture. Many tattoo artists draw inspiration from his paintings, his work on the film Alien, the xenomorph imagery, and his signature biomechanical style with its distinctive backgrounds and textures.
There is a special feeling when you are in the country where someone lived and created whose work you previously only saw on screens and studied for hours. In Switzerland, people know and appreciate Giger, and you can almost physically feel the connection to what once inspired you from afar.
Along with the deck, we were also given a gold bottle of champagne. We stepped outside from the lobby, popped the cork, shared the champagne with everyone, and celebrated the win in a beautiful, relaxed way with our small group. The model was not left without gifts either. She received a full set of tattoo aftercare products.
The package included everything needed for proper healing and long-term care. A gentle soap for washing a fresh tattoo, a healing cream, a lotion for moisturizing healed skin, and a high-SPF sunscreen to protect the pigment from fading on sunny days. It is a complete kit to make sure the tattoo looks bright and clean not only right after the session, but also years later.
In the next story, I plan to share how I ended up visiting the Giger exhibition in Basel. For someone who grew up immersed in his visual world, it was a powerful and unforgettable experience.