IPOD
RADIO
Nadine Bryant
By Jean-Francois Laverdiere
Apr 4, 2008
Nadine Bryant started drawing at the ripe old age of three on her toilet wall, and every year after that her mum got her paper and pens for Christmas. In school a few years later, Nadine was drawing in every class, entering every art competition and taking every extra art class she could, studying art history in 6th and 7th form. As she grew up, Nadine developed a passion for motorbikes, heavy metal and tattoos, and with the choice of leaving school to either become a nurse or secretary, she knew there had to be something better.
Nadine had a few friends at that stage that wanted tattoo designs drawn and the moment she started to draw them, a little light bulb went on in her head. She sought out an apprenticeship at her local tattoo studio run by Dave Howe, who said “no” several times before giving up and letting her get a small foot in the door. Nadine trained with Dave the old way and learned to respect the industry that would later provide her with an awesome career. She had the chance to attend some of the large conventions in the UK and remembers thinking, "Wow, I wanna be that good some day."
In 1995 she left the UK for New Zealand and in 1996 opened her first shop in Hamilton. It took about a year of really hard work to get the shop up and running and for the tattoos to start circulating. After a year she had a waiting list, and the more people Nadine tattooed, the more seem to come and from all over the country.
Since those first humble beginnings, Skinks Professional Tattoo Studio has become one of the busiest studios in New Zealand. Nadine now has a great bunch of artists to work with (Euan, Slim and Felipe) who keep her feet on the ground. The entire studio attends at least one international convention every year to catch up with friends and keep their skills up to date.
Nadine hopes to go to London in 2009 and is really looking forward to the international convention in Melbourne in May this year. For more information, check out her InkedNation profile here.
The following interview consists of InkedNation user submitted questions...
Morningstarr: Have you ever said "no" to giving a tattoo, besides the obvious... too young... too drunk, etc?
Nadine Bryant: I generally only say "no" for one of the above but I have said "no" to putting angel wings on portraits of people's kids... bad omen, I reckon. I also don't like putting birth dates with portraits, too much like tombstones. If a tattoo design is self-drawn by the client and really bad, I will say "no" unless I can redraw it.
Imortalkiss: Being so beautiful, was it hard to get people in the industry to take you seriously in the beginning? Your work is beautiful and speaks for itself. Do you have a favorite tattoo that you have done?
Nadine Bryant: Aw thanks, I think being a chick tattooer in New Zealand was pretty rare when I started and no one took me seriously for a while. Fortunately, I party like one of the boys so it didn’t take long to make some great friends. I am not a very serious person so if no one takes me seriously that's all good. Favorite tattoo, ooh hard one, I love so many of them. I love all the Dimebag [Darrell] portraits I have done, and I did a Zakk Wylde back piece that was awesome fun as I got to tattoo to Black Label Society blasting. It's too hard to choose one.
Uncleb: Miss Bryant, I myself am a titties and beer kind of a guy. Would you say you're a wieners and wine kind of girl?
Nadine Bryant: I spit on your wine and raise you a nice glass of Jack Daniels. I don't know what a wiener is where you are from [but] in NZ its a small pig; they don't go so well with Jack Daniels. If however you mean cock, then the answer is "yes."
mathias08: I wanted to know what inspired you to become a tattoo artist?
Nadine Bryant: Heavy Metal, motorbikes, Jack Daniels. Seriously, I have always drawn and it seemed like the right move to make that would still allow me to be part of the other things I love. I had drawn heaps of tattoos up for friends before I left school, which gave me the push to go out and get an apprenticeship.
Jman:
Being a woman in a male-dominant industry, what are the biggest challenges you've had to over come to get where you are at right now?
Nadine Bryant: First challenge was to get the male artists in NZ to take a little chick from the UK seriously. I got spoken over and ignored for a while. Fortunately, the competitions in NZ at that time were pretty big; I had a really good core of friends that went to a few of these shows and did really well at them. It didn't take long before I got included. I think I can credit my success in Australia to great friends and a wrestling match I had with a Tasmanian (male) tattooer after a presentation dinner at one of the Australian conventions. To get where I am now pretty much has meant head-down working hard, not too much partying, always planning ahead.
stain1ess: : Do you realize how fortunate you are to not only be extremely talented but also very attractive? Has this proven to help or hinder your career as far as being taken seriously or having your art being viewed on its own merits?
Nadine Bryant: I started tattooing back in the late '80s and had a perm... ha, ha... certainly not attractive. I personally think that looks can make you more marketable so it certainly helps. I'm one of the boys but still a girly girl; I like dressing up and looking nice. I've never had to give head to get ahead, so I guess that if the way you look makes you more approachable, that's great, but I wouldn't care if my tattooer were a bald, fat toothless midget with a clubfoot as long as he or she could do good work. I really hope that my work is judged by itself. If having blonde hair and blue eyes and boobs gets you backstage then I make no apologies, you'll find me backstage... ha, ha.
n0ranotorious: : Seriously, how is life in New Zealand?
Nadine Bryant: Bbbbeeeeaaaauuuuuttttiiifffuullllllllllllll.
Mistreatment: : Is there anything you would refuse to tattoo on someone, in that it is offensive or just plain rubbish?
Nadine Bryant: Don't do faces unless cultural, no hands or necks unless already covered it tats or it's something really cool and the client can convince me. Plus, the one's already listed earlier. Oh, and penis tattoos.
Mistreatment: : As you are now something of a celebrity, does it bother you that people make assumptions about your lifestyle and behave as if they know you, when it may be that you have never met, or have met briefly?
Nadine Bryant: YES. I don't like anyone that talks about anyone they don't really know. Gossip is for people with sad, boring lives. I'm lucky to have really good friends to hang with who don't treat me any differently to our other friends. I know it's part of the job to socialize and talk tattoos out of work but I hate it when you are out at dinner somewhere nice and you have some munta showing you their fucked up, home-job tattoo on their arse. I don't mind if people make assumptions about my lifestyle; they probably think it is more exciting than it really is... actually maybe not, ha, ha.
Armor: : Have you ever been compared to Kat Von D? I hope you're not a sell out.
Nadine Bryant: As far as I know, I have never been compared to Kat, until maybe now. I don't have my own TV show, though I have thought it would be fun to do a complete piss take of that show. I generally don't kiss and hug my clients and most of them don't cry. I still work full-time at my studio and clean my own toilet so I hope I'm not a sell out.
Sterilesteve: : What excites you most about tattooing?
Nadine Bryant: The next one. I don't mind if it's small or big, I love my job [and] that excites me. I wake up excited every day.
Sterilesteve: : What aggravates you most about our profession?
Nadine Bryant: Great tattooers that don't let us see their work, tattooers that don't go to conventions and socialize, tattoo studios that bad-mouth other studios, liars.
Sterilesteve: : Did you do a formal apprenticeship or were you self-learned?
Nadine Bryant: I did an old school apprenticeship: cleaning cars and bikes, making needles, cleaning, cleaning, watching. It gave me a solid appreciation for being taught. I didn't really get paid anything until I was working, and even then not very much to start with. Nothing should be handed to anyone on a plate. If everyone had stuck to the old school rules then we may not be in the situation we are now with Internet sales and a scratcher in every other kitchen.
Sterilesteve: : Is tattooing experiencing a boom in New Zealand as it is in other countries where magazines and television are cashing in on the trendiness?
Nadine Bryant: New Zealand has always been the heaviest tattooed population in the world for its size. I guess that stems from the Polynesian culture. Definitely the trend for bigger tattoo work has taken off in NZ and I do think that the TV shows are a big part of that, more so for the clients that hadn't been to a tattoo studio before.
Jasonmurdoch: : Is there a lot of resistance to newer styles [and] colour work, more decorative tattoos, etc., considering the predominantly tribal/black/traditional tattoos that are associated with NZ culture?
Nadine Bryant: Not at all, we don't do a lot of just black work. Most cultural tattoos are smaller and done in one sitting and our clientele are mainly doing bigger stuff. A trend with the young Maori here is to follow the US hip-hop culture, sadly, [and] not their own. It's really rare here to see a facial moko and the Samoan leg tattoos are usually done back in the islands. New Zealanders in general usually have some pretty cool tattoo work, we have access to international magazines, Internet, etc. and most kiwis love colour.
Jasonmurdoch: : You've most definitely got a name for yourself as a top-notch artist. Do you prefer having this "status" or did you rather tattooing when you were still relatively unknown? Does having a name provide you with a lot of opportunities you wouldn't otherwise have got?
Nadine Bryant: I love doing what I do for a living and can't imagine doing anything else. I've never been in it for the money or status. I think that will end a career pretty quickly; if you don’t love it, get out. As far as getting opportunities for being who I am, I'd be lying if I said it hadn't changed. I've had the chance to hang out with some pretty cool people, including Zakk Wylde who signed a painting I did of him (SDMF all the way), BLS, Vinnie Paul, Hell Yeah, Mudvayne, Down's crew. I even had Sebastian Bach introduce himself to me; that was pretty cool. My good friend was with me and a huge fan, she just about peed her pants. Most of my friends are musicians; I love music, so I really appreciate the position I'm in. I don't take that sort of thing for granted and am always grateful for any cool things that come my way.
Jasonmurdoch: : If you could tattoo one style / type of tattoo all day, every day, what would it be??
Nadine Bryant: If I had to choose, probably realism. But I think that I would eventually go insane, variety keeps you on your toes.
Nadine Bryant started drawing at the ripe old age of three on her toilet wall, and every year after that her mum got her paper and pens for Christmas. In school a few years later, Nadine was drawing in every class, entering every art competition and taking every extra art class she could, studying art history in 6th and 7th form. As she grew up, Nadine developed a passion for motorbikes, heavy metal and tattoos, and with the choice of leaving school to either become a nurse or secretary, she knew there had to be something better.
Nadine had a few friends at that stage that wanted tattoo designs drawn and the moment she started to draw them, a little light bulb went on in her head. She sought out an apprenticeship at her local tattoo studio run by Dave Howe, who said “no” several times before giving up and letting her get a small foot in the door. Nadine trained with Dave the old way and learned to respect the industry that would later provide her with an awesome career. She had the chance to attend some of the large conventions in the UK and remembers thinking, "Wow, I wanna be that good some day."
In 1995 she left the UK for New Zealand and in 1996 opened her first shop in Hamilton. It took about a year of really hard work to get the shop up and running and for the tattoos to start circulating. After a year she had a waiting list, and the more people Nadine tattooed, the more seem to come and from all over the country.
Since those first humble beginnings, Skinks Professional Tattoo Studio has become one of the busiest studios in New Zealand. Nadine now has a great bunch of artists to work with (Euan, Slim and Felipe) who keep her feet on the ground. The entire studio attends at least one international convention every year to catch up with friends and keep their skills up to date.
Nadine hopes to go to London in 2009 and is really looking forward to the international convention in Melbourne in May this year. For more information, check out her InkedNation profile here.
The following interview consists of InkedNation user submitted questions...
Morningstarr: Have you ever said "no" to giving a tattoo, besides the obvious... too young... too drunk, etc?
Nadine Bryant: I generally only say "no" for one of the above but I have said "no" to putting angel wings on portraits of people's kids... bad omen, I reckon. I also don't like putting birth dates with portraits, too much like tombstones. If a tattoo design is self-drawn by the client and really bad, I will say "no" unless I can redraw it.
Imortalkiss: Being so beautiful, was it hard to get people in the industry to take you seriously in the beginning? Your work is beautiful and speaks for itself. Do you have a favorite tattoo that you have done?
Nadine Bryant: Aw thanks, I think being a chick tattooer in New Zealand was pretty rare when I started and no one took me seriously for a while. Fortunately, I party like one of the boys so it didn’t take long to make some great friends. I am not a very serious person so if no one takes me seriously that's all good. Favorite tattoo, ooh hard one, I love so many of them. I love all the Dimebag [Darrell] portraits I have done, and I did a Zakk Wylde back piece that was awesome fun as I got to tattoo to Black Label Society blasting. It's too hard to choose one.
Uncleb: Miss Bryant, I myself am a titties and beer kind of a guy. Would you say you're a wieners and wine kind of girl?
Nadine Bryant: I spit on your wine and raise you a nice glass of Jack Daniels. I don't know what a wiener is where you are from [but] in NZ its a small pig; they don't go so well with Jack Daniels. If however you mean cock, then the answer is "yes."
mathias08: I wanted to know what inspired you to become a tattoo artist?
Nadine Bryant: Heavy Metal, motorbikes, Jack Daniels. Seriously, I have always drawn and it seemed like the right move to make that would still allow me to be part of the other things I love. I had drawn heaps of tattoos up for friends before I left school, which gave me the push to go out and get an apprenticeship.
Jman:
Being a woman in a male-dominant industry, what are the biggest challenges you've had to over come to get where you are at right now?
Nadine Bryant: First challenge was to get the male artists in NZ to take a little chick from the UK seriously. I got spoken over and ignored for a while. Fortunately, the competitions in NZ at that time were pretty big; I had a really good core of friends that went to a few of these shows and did really well at them. It didn't take long before I got included. I think I can credit my success in Australia to great friends and a wrestling match I had with a Tasmanian (male) tattooer after a presentation dinner at one of the Australian conventions. To get where I am now pretty much has meant head-down working hard, not too much partying, always planning ahead.
stain1ess: : Do you realize how fortunate you are to not only be extremely talented but also very attractive? Has this proven to help or hinder your career as far as being taken seriously or having your art being viewed on its own merits?
Nadine Bryant: I started tattooing back in the late '80s and had a perm... ha, ha... certainly not attractive. I personally think that looks can make you more marketable so it certainly helps. I'm one of the boys but still a girly girl; I like dressing up and looking nice. I've never had to give head to get ahead, so I guess that if the way you look makes you more approachable, that's great, but I wouldn't care if my tattooer were a bald, fat toothless midget with a clubfoot as long as he or she could do good work. I really hope that my work is judged by itself. If having blonde hair and blue eyes and boobs gets you backstage then I make no apologies, you'll find me backstage... ha, ha.
n0ranotorious: : Seriously, how is life in New Zealand?
Nadine Bryant: Bbbbeeeeaaaauuuuuttttiiifffuullllllllllllll.
Mistreatment: : Is there anything you would refuse to tattoo on someone, in that it is offensive or just plain rubbish?
Nadine Bryant: Don't do faces unless cultural, no hands or necks unless already covered it tats or it's something really cool and the client can convince me. Plus, the one's already listed earlier. Oh, and penis tattoos.
Mistreatment: : As you are now something of a celebrity, does it bother you that people make assumptions about your lifestyle and behave as if they know you, when it may be that you have never met, or have met briefly?
Nadine Bryant: YES. I don't like anyone that talks about anyone they don't really know. Gossip is for people with sad, boring lives. I'm lucky to have really good friends to hang with who don't treat me any differently to our other friends. I know it's part of the job to socialize and talk tattoos out of work but I hate it when you are out at dinner somewhere nice and you have some munta showing you their fucked up, home-job tattoo on their arse. I don't mind if people make assumptions about my lifestyle; they probably think it is more exciting than it really is... actually maybe not, ha, ha.
Armor: : Have you ever been compared to Kat Von D? I hope you're not a sell out.
Nadine Bryant: As far as I know, I have never been compared to Kat, until maybe now. I don't have my own TV show, though I have thought it would be fun to do a complete piss take of that show. I generally don't kiss and hug my clients and most of them don't cry. I still work full-time at my studio and clean my own toilet so I hope I'm not a sell out.
Sterilesteve: : What excites you most about tattooing?
Nadine Bryant: The next one. I don't mind if it's small or big, I love my job [and] that excites me. I wake up excited every day.
Sterilesteve: : What aggravates you most about our profession?
Nadine Bryant: Great tattooers that don't let us see their work, tattooers that don't go to conventions and socialize, tattoo studios that bad-mouth other studios, liars.
Sterilesteve: : Did you do a formal apprenticeship or were you self-learned?
Nadine Bryant: I did an old school apprenticeship: cleaning cars and bikes, making needles, cleaning, cleaning, watching. It gave me a solid appreciation for being taught. I didn't really get paid anything until I was working, and even then not very much to start with. Nothing should be handed to anyone on a plate. If everyone had stuck to the old school rules then we may not be in the situation we are now with Internet sales and a scratcher in every other kitchen.
Sterilesteve: : Is tattooing experiencing a boom in New Zealand as it is in other countries where magazines and television are cashing in on the trendiness?
Nadine Bryant: New Zealand has always been the heaviest tattooed population in the world for its size. I guess that stems from the Polynesian culture. Definitely the trend for bigger tattoo work has taken off in NZ and I do think that the TV shows are a big part of that, more so for the clients that hadn't been to a tattoo studio before.
Jasonmurdoch: : Is there a lot of resistance to newer styles [and] colour work, more decorative tattoos, etc., considering the predominantly tribal/black/traditional tattoos that are associated with NZ culture?
Nadine Bryant: Not at all, we don't do a lot of just black work. Most cultural tattoos are smaller and done in one sitting and our clientele are mainly doing bigger stuff. A trend with the young Maori here is to follow the US hip-hop culture, sadly, [and] not their own. It's really rare here to see a facial moko and the Samoan leg tattoos are usually done back in the islands. New Zealanders in general usually have some pretty cool tattoo work, we have access to international magazines, Internet, etc. and most kiwis love colour.
Jasonmurdoch: : You've most definitely got a name for yourself as a top-notch artist. Do you prefer having this "status" or did you rather tattooing when you were still relatively unknown? Does having a name provide you with a lot of opportunities you wouldn't otherwise have got?
Nadine Bryant: I love doing what I do for a living and can't imagine doing anything else. I've never been in it for the money or status. I think that will end a career pretty quickly; if you don’t love it, get out. As far as getting opportunities for being who I am, I'd be lying if I said it hadn't changed. I've had the chance to hang out with some pretty cool people, including Zakk Wylde who signed a painting I did of him (SDMF all the way), BLS, Vinnie Paul, Hell Yeah, Mudvayne, Down's crew. I even had Sebastian Bach introduce himself to me; that was pretty cool. My good friend was with me and a huge fan, she just about peed her pants. Most of my friends are musicians; I love music, so I really appreciate the position I'm in. I don't take that sort of thing for granted and am always grateful for any cool things that come my way.
Jasonmurdoch: : If you could tattoo one style / type of tattoo all day, every day, what would it be??
Nadine Bryant: If I had to choose, probably realism. But I think that I would eventually go insane, variety keeps you on your toes.
