Welcome Fern to the Sunset Family!

We are super excited to welcome Fern Ngatai to Sunset Tattoo as the shop apprentice!

Fern has been working hard behind the scenes to get herself up to scratch and is ready to tattoo people at a great apprentice price.

Working closely under Manawa Tapu she will be studying Ta Moko and Maori art and is looking for people who want to jump in and help her learning process while getting themselves some brand new tattoos!

Ferns apprentice price for a limited time will be $80 per session! So get down quick and get yourself an awesome tattoo from one of the industry’s future stars.

Email info@sunsettattoo.co.nz to make a booking, and give Fern a follow on Instagram @flows_by_rau

Maori and Tribal tattoos at Sunset

Fern is lucky to be under one of Auckland’s most respect artists specialising in Maori tattoos, Manawa Tapu.

Manawa is of Te Rarawa descent, from Hokianga in the Northland, and understands the meaning, complexity and history behind genuine Maori tattoos.

With his diploma in traditional wood carving (Whakairo Rakau), he specializes in Ta Moko, Blackwork, pattern work, geometric and dot-work tattoo styles.

It’s safe to say Fern is in good hands.

If you would like a beautiful, unique Maori tattoo, then come and see us here at Sunset.

Flash event for a great cause!

On Sunday, June 9th at Sunset Tattoo, our artists Magali Corpas, Milky and our apprentice Horiyama will be participating in a worldwide flash event called Still Not Asking For It.

All the proceeds will be donated to our charity of choice, the Women’s Refuge. Please feel free to come down and get tattooed and support this great cause!

A great cause

Still Not Asking For It is a global flash event and fundraiser, born in 2015 to raise awareness and visibility for sexual abuse and assault victims.

Back in October of 2015, tattoo artist Ashley Love was feeling “desperate to make a statement” about the industry she was living and working in. A year earlier she’d been sexually assaulted by a co-worker who she’d considered a friend.

The assault was traumatic, but so was the way her community reacted to it. To her, people seemed more concerned with excusing the behavior of the man who assaulted her for the sake of his comfort than with creating an environment that felt safe for her. She decided to take action.

“Hosting a fundraising tattoo flash event seemed like the perfect way to gather the tattooers who cared, and raise money to help support the battle against sexual violence at the same time… [it] also proved to be extremely healing and empowering,” says Love. Her event, Still Not Asking For It, has been running in tattoo shops across the US ever since.

Since its conception, Still Not Asking For It has raised over to $350,000 to aid survivors in their recovery process.

Six of the best Game of Thrones tattoo ideas

Well, after almost a decade, this weekend sees the last ever episode of Game of Thrones. And despite the scriptwriters driving off a cliff since they ran out of source material, the final episode will be watched by millions around the world, as one of televisions’ greatest ever shows comes to an end.

To commemorate this watershed moment of pop culture, we’ve picked out 6 of the best Game of Thrones tattoos from the internet, just in case you want to explain to your kids in 20 years what the fuck a Khaleesi is.

House Sigils

Each of the great houses in Westeros has its own sigil and motto, with this rocket taking a liking to House Targaryen. Then again, three dragons do look pretty cool.

Speaking of dragons

This minimalist tattoo looks great, with Emilia Clarke herself having something similar on her wrist. But then again, she is the Mother of Dragons. You’re not.

The Hand of The King

The Hand of the King is perhaps the most important job in all the land. As the saying goes “What the king dreams, the Hand builds," but the lowborn say, "The king eats, and the Hand takes the shit."

Photorealistic Jon Snow

We couldn’t compile this list without having a stunning photorealistic piece, and this one of Jon Snow (who, incidentally, knows nothing) is a beaut. The little red specks of blood really add to the overall effect. Gorgeous.

Traditional style Game of Thrones Tattoo

Winter didn’t just come, it arrived, it stayed and everyone’s bloody freezing. This great wee tattoo takes House Starks words and gives it new life in a traditional form.

Hodor

Hodor.

Hodor, Hodor.

Six of the best Mother’s Day Tattoos

Aww, we all love our Mummies, and thankfully there’s one day a year we can let them know. Apart from their birthday. Or Christmas. Or basically any day we want. But there is only one day we can buy a card saying how great they are as a mother!

If you really loved your Whaea then let her know by permanently inking yourself!

Here are half a dozen ways you can remind her you’re her favourite and your siblings don’t love her as much as you.

Traditional

Ok, it’s safe to say we love a good ol’ traditional tattoo, so this one is close to our hearts. If your Mum doesn’t like this one, she’s probably not your real mum.

Minimalist

Aww, this one’s cute AF! A simple, artistic, yet personal tattoo is technically FOR a mother, but we couldn’t resist.

Leading the way

Aww, a wee cartoon like this one is a great way to have something personal for your mum, but still looks good as a stand alone tattoo.

Line art

Another stunningly simple tattoo which also looks like real artwork. Even mums who don’t like tattoos can appreciate this one!

A child forever

No matter how old we get, we’ll always be children in our mother’s eyes, and this lovely little tattoo is the perfect symbol of that.

A handwritten note

This is a great idea to carry your mum’s personal message with you wherever you go. Signing off on a letter is an eternal and universally known way of “I love you”.

5 of the best ANZAC tattoos

It’s with the utmost respect we write this blog post celebrating the memory of those who have fallen defending our freedom.

ANZAC Day is a moment to pause and take stock of where we are as a people, and how we came to be here. Some of us choose to remember family, friends or comrades with a permanent reminder, and it is in this vein we have found 5 of the best ANZAC tattoos from around the web.

The Kiwi Fern

This beautiful tattoo is as simple has it is though-provoking. Silhouettes of soldiers making up the shape of New Zealand’s national symbol has a resonance which transcends words.

The Somme Soldier

There’s a good chance you recognise this image, as it’ has been used as a symbol of remembrance for decades. Originally used to commemorate those killed at the Somme in World War I, it’s now used for all soldiers who have died in conflict.

Australia and New Zealand together

ANZAC stands for Australia and New Zealand Armed Corps, and while the two countries have a friendly, sibling rivalry, they will always be united in their sacrifice.

Lest we forget

Robert Binyon wrote “For the Fallen”, a poem about the start of the Great War. The fourth stanza of the poem is also known as the ‘Ode of Remembrance’., part of which is still used today in Rememberance services around the world and is seen in this tattoo.

The Rising Sun badge

The Rising Sun badge, also known as the General Service Badge or the Australian Army Badge, is the official insignia of the Australian Army and is identified with the spirit of ANZAC, the legend of the Australian soldier (or digger), and the esprit de corps of the Army itself, due to its association with the landings at Gallipoli in 1915. Today, new recruits receive the badge with their initial issue of equipment, which happens within their first three days of enlistment.