BIG TATTOO MELTDOWN 2026 BLUES…..

Let’s talk post convention blues, specifically from the convention that I attended last weekend - Big Tattoo Meltdown in Nottingham, which I would have to say is definitely one of the best conventions that I have attended as a tattoo artist, from organisation, to care of artists and the overall vibe and atmosphere that was created by the entertainment and the footfall that came through the doors, it was fantastic from start to finish.

Now my weekend consisted of starting and finishing a fully ornamental back piece, starting at 10am and finishing at 5ish on both days, this also included time needed to get the stencil bang on, the stencil itself was prepared at the studio prior to leaving for Nottingham on the Friday and then was ready to be placed on Saturday morning, it took two tries to get everything on in the right place and bar a few bits which needed filling in, it was time to get started.

It was a tough start for my client as for reasons not within their control, they were unable to get into Nottingham until 2am in the morning of the day of the convention, which in turn meant that with the early start we had, they’d be operating off less sleep than I as an artist would recommend, thus in turn and I think my client would agree, she ended up suffering a lot more than usual ( I know this as I have tattooed them multiple times ) - your body needs energy, getting good rest can contribute to good energy the following day, after all, your body is going through a lot of trauma within a full day of tattooing, never mind when you’re staring down the tunnel of two days back to back.

My client was sitting amazingly considering the lack of sleep and energy but then we hit a couple of road bumps, moments where it looked as though they were ready to call it quits and tap out but within all of that, she managed to stick it out and we lasted until about 4ish/5 on the first day with more breaks than we would ever usually have in a tattoo session together but I firmly believe that this was down to the lack of sleep and no energy.

This was proven right on the next day as she had managed to then get a full nights sleep and we smashed it from start to finish with less breaks than the previous day, only downside being that we weren’t unable to get the last two sections completed on the back which was unfortunate, but they can be finished in a separate session, so all is not lost when it comes to fully completed the back piece that was planned, however, the back piece more importantly, didn’t look unfinished and that was our aim for the start of the sunday.

This was another competition piece that I had created and entered in for judging, which I would have to say, if there was a SLIGHT downside to the convention, it would be that, I feel as though other conventions like UKTTA have managed the perfect blend of judging and this one felt a bit unusual, no one really understood how the judging system worked and thus caused a lot of confusion, even at the very end when everyone was waiting around till 8:30 to find out the winners and runner ups in each category - if there was a change that id want for next years convention, it would be to go back to basics, everyone up on stage for different categories and then whittle it down until you get to the best two that you like as judges, sometimes basic is best.

Unfortunately I entered my piece into the Best Blackwork (Wish there was an ornamental one) category, but was unable to place within the top two and you may question yourself and think “aren’t you disappointed not to win anything” and the truth is that, yes of course I am, because you spend a whole weekend working on a special piece which feels like there’s no physical recognition for BUT it wasn’t just me who did that, there was 170+ artists there and only a select amount of people who could win the awards and the judges felt that they had made the correct decisions, so yes disappointment is of course a feeling that I felt, but in the same sense, I realised that it was the compliments that I received over the weekend by people passing by, which made my piece worth it, a trophy is nice to have, but when people stop and stare at you’re work, then that’s the biggest compliment I can receive.

I did however get to witness my close friend and colleague of mine winning his FIRST, FIRST PLACE win in the Neo traditional category which for me, was never in doubt, he’s an absolute craftsman in his style and in my opinion, one of the very best in the UK and id go as far to say in the world too, it is always an honour getting to work along side Christie ( Devilclawtattoo on instagram ) and it makes me happy to see that his work gets the recognition it deserves.

I saw a couple friends that i’ve made along the way at these conventions, you know who you are, they smashed out some unreal pieces and I had the joy of seeing them get completed and compete alongside them.

Overall, its made me realise that conventions are what I love to do, I get to network with some of the best tattoo artists in the country and the best artists who work my style, ig et to mingle and chat with those who otherwise I would never be close too, conventions are more than the awards in which they give out, its the people that you’re with, the suppliers, the organisers, the clients, the artists, the people who buy the tickets, everything - that’s what makes the conventions so good, if you have an ego, let that go and embrace what it is, we are a creative industry, we have weird and wonderful people, we make tattooing what its supposed to be - FUN, if you don’t want to be a part of that then I can’t help you but what I can recommend, is to just soak in the atmosphere of a convention, stick around for hours, get a tattoo or two, buy a print, speak to artists that you like the look of, take their business card, as artists, we appreciate even the slightest compliment and it will give us a boost when we are in the pits, we need you and in return, we will do our best for you.

Will I come back and do this convention again? Yes of course I will because with a couple tweaks, I do believe that its a fantastic convention and one that should build year on year.

Will I get another two parking fines from a private company? I hope not

Am I looking forward to the next one? STRAIGHT UP!