An Interview with White Star Tattoo Apprentice Inkey Sue

Sue is the piercer and tattoo apprentice at White Star Tattoo in Kirkby, Liverpool. Sue and her husband, "Higgy", opened the shop in the summer of 2006, and it is Kirkby's first tattoo studio.

They do a mix of flash and custom work and most types of piercing. Higgy prefers working freehand and approaches a tattoo in a similar way as you would a painting, always mixing colour and creating strong contrast.

We quizzed Sue on her life as a tattoo apprentice:

How and when did you first become interested in tattoos?

After meeting Paul "Higgy" my second husband: he already had tattoos and a passion for motorcycles. In 1991 we moved from Cheshire to the bright lights of Manchester. It was there that we started to party with lots of bikers, punks and others on the fringes of society. I suppose it was inevitable that I would eventually get a tattoo.

What was the very first tattoo you got and what was the inspiration behind it?

I remember it well - a small kingfisher on my upper arm. I had been looking in tattoo studios for a while but never had the courage to get one. It was on a hot summer's day in North Wales; we were looking inside a studio when Paul suggested I get a tattoo. With Paul's encouragement I finally plucked up the courage to go under the needles.

People have different reasons for getting tattooed: to chronicle their life, to show their personality, or simply because they like the decoration on their skin. What's the main reason you get tattooed? 

I think it's the individuality of having tattoos and not following fashion. I LOVE showing off my body art.

What do you think of the way society views tattooed people, and do you think attitudes are changing?

Attitudes are changing due to the current popularity of tattoos. People see ink on celebrities and shows like Miami Ink, this helps to make it more mainstream. Tattoos are still an issue with a lot of employers though and visible ink frowned on.

What's the most bizarre tattoo request that you've had at your studio?

Our good friend Adrian who played Inky Bob on the UK TV show Shameless. Adrian's head is fully covered in ink and came to us to have his lips tattooed black. Now that's extreme permanent make-up!

As a tattoo apprentice, what's the best piece of advice you have been given?

Learn to make perfect stencils by hand. If you cannot draw a good stencil, what hope is there of doing a good tattoo? When you start to tattoo there is a tendency to rush, you need to slow down and think before you ink. Decide where you going to start a line and where to stop it. Don't over extend yourself. There is so much to learn and it takes time to get it right.

What's the most difficult thing to learn about tattooing? 

Skin tension varies around the body and requires different machine settings such as speed and needle throw, so I would say machine set-up! Next I would say is dealing with customers, finding out what they really want & showing them options they may not of considered.

What do you enjoy most about tattooing?

Seeing a customer smile when the tattoo is complete and the satisfaction of creating a piece of art that will be worn for the rest of their life.

You are also a trained piercer. Are there many similarities between the two disciplines and is it a good route into tattooing? 

Hygiene is the obvious similarity. Having an eye for placement of piercings and tattoos is another, which unfortunately is often overlooked.

What advice would you give to someone hoping to become a tattoo apprentice? 

Only consider an apprenticeship if you have a real passion to learn and are prepared to invest many years of effort. You not only need to have produced many top quality drawings, but also you need to have received plenty of ink yourself. No artists will even consider you without both of these. Find a good artist, get plenty of work done and become friends. You have to pay your dues to get a genuine apprenticeship. Finally remember there are shops taking apprentices who know little about the art themselves. If you think you will earn big bucks and become some kind of star, tattooing is not for you.

Keller is EGL Magazine's editor. She has a degree in Writing which includes Journalism, and is totally addicted to tattoos.