Merry Christmas from everyone at Sunset Studio!

Everyone here at Sunset would like to wish a very Merry Christmas to all our clients, staff and supporters and a big thank you for making our 2019 our best year yet!

Sunset goes from strength to strength!

2019 once again saw the Great Auckland Flash Party, only this time, it was our last one. Hundreds of people came down over two days of madness in April to check out the party, with dozens of people leaving with new ink. A big thank you to everyone who joined in!

In June we held another Flash event, this time for 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. All money we raised on the day went to the Women’s Refuge here in Auckland, so thank you again for your support.

We had new members of the Sunset Family this year with Horiyama and Fern Ngatai taking up apprenticeships in the studio, and literally a new member of the family is on the way with Magali off on maternity leave.

Our sister site, Tattoo Station is still growing strong, and we are now one of New Zealand’s premier tattoo supply companies. We’re still aiming to bring the very best tattoo supplies to New Zealand but at a reasonable price, and we’ve exceeded even our highest expectations.

November saw us once again heading to Australasia’s biggest tattoo festival, the NZ Tattoo & Art Festival 2019, now in its 9th year. With over 300 artists from all over the world attending, as usual, it was a weekend we’ll never forget!

Merry Christmas everyone!

If you’re wondering what to get someone for Christmas, we’ve got good news. Our merch shop is still open, so you’re spoilt for choice for things to buy!

We’ve got some really sweet prints for you to frame, or unique shirts and hoodies to wear and let everyone know you’re cooler than they are. If you’re not sure what to get someone else, then grab a Sunset Gift Certificate, redeemable on the merchandise or on a tattoo

So thanks again to everyone who helped make our 2019 so amazing. Roll on 2020 and even more success!

Ten of the Best: 3d tattoos

Tattoos mean many different things to different people.

Some are heartfelt reminders of loved ones no longer with us.

Others are spur-of-the-moment decisions that are immediately regretted.

Some though, are genuine works of art, and these 3D tattoos fall into that category.

Wonderful geometric 3D shoulder piece

Cute 3D butterfly

Surreal chest tattoo

Mind-bending pattern

Famous 3d leg piece

To infinity… and beyond!

Not for the faint hearted

3D Zipper Tattoo

Honeycomb hive

Can I borrow your pen?

Another successful NZ Tattoo & Art Festival!

Well we’re back from New Plymouth, and what a weekend it was!

An amazing 7000 people passed through the doors of the TSB Stadium this year, the festival’s biggest ever crowd.

Organiser Brent Taylor said it was more than last year due to the weather reaching a scorching 23 degrees Celsius on Saturday and 21 degrees on Sunday.

Hundreds of artists from around the world travelled to the festival, which in turn saw many visitors from overseas travelling for to get a tattoo from their favourite artist.

A traditional Kiwi welcome

The festival kicked off on Friday night with a powhiri, which for some of our foreign guests was the highlight of the weekend.

Tick (Black Rat Tattoo in New Mexico) has been tattooing for 20 years and it was her second time at the festival. "I think it's really well done. I love the two days open to the public part and then the meet and greet on Friday and getting to see the haka is amazing.”

Tick, who has tattooed at festivals around the world, said New Plymouth felt like a small community but with a lot to offer.

"I think New Zealand is really cool and New Plymouth is awesome, we hiked on Mt Taranaki while we have been here."

For French tattoo artist Ccyle this was the fourth year the now Barcelona-based artist has come to the festival and it is her favorite of all the tattoo events she attends worldwide. "It's a great pleasure and honour to come to the convention, it is so well organised and a great atmosphere between the designers,and the people of New Plymouth are so friendly," she said.

A weekend of family fun

The festival isn’t just for people to get tattoos. Many people go just to see the incredible artwork on display, or join in with the festivities.

Despite having over 300 artists on site, there was food, shopping, live music, BMX and motocross shows. The main stage saw New Zealand rockers Bleeders, Delete All, and DeadBeat entertain the crowd, while Nitro Circus' Levi Sherwood wowed the audience on the motocross track.

And of Sunset Studio were there for all of it as usual.

If we seen you there, thanks for coming, and if not, we’ll be back again next year!

How Ta Moko tattoos tell a story

There are many different types and styles of tattoos in New Zealand, but tattooing first began in Aotearoa with Ta Moko. 

The earliest forms of Ta Moko

It’s impossible to establish when Ta Moko started as there are no written records pre-colonisation, as there was no formal Maori written language. Instead, historians have had to rely on archaeologists and the accounts of the first European settlers. Excavated sites have found tattooing tools dating back to the very earliest settlers, with some of the tools the same as the ones used in Samoa. Although the patterns and designs vary throughout the Pacific when it comes to tattoos, the technique of rhythmically tapping a bone chisel, lashed to a small wooden shaft remains the same.

Some of the earliest accounts of tattooing in New Zealand were by Sydney Parkinson. Parkinson was Captain James Cook’s artist onboard the Endeavour when it landed in Poverty Bay in 1769. He sketched and painted local Maori displaying their Moko, and described in detail the different styles and patterns he witnessed.

The Explorers noticed that Maori women were not as extensively tattooed as the men. Their upper lips were outlined, usually in dark blue, and their nostrils were also very finely incised. The chin moko was always the most popular and continued to be practiced even into the 1970s.

How Ta Moko tattoos tell a story

Ta Moko facial tattoos aren’t just for decoration, they also tell a story. A person’s ancestry is indicated on each side of the face. The left side is generally (but not always, depending on the tribe) the father's side, while the right-hand side indicates the mother's ancestry. If one side of a person's ancestry was not of rank, that side of the face would have no Moko design. Likewise if, in the centre forehead area there is no Moko design, this means the wearer either has no rank, or has not inherited rank.

Come to us for a Ta Moko tattoo

If you’re interested in getting a Maori tattoo design, then you should come see Tristan at Sunset Tattoo.

Tristan is of Te Rarawa descent, from the Hokianga in the far north. He graduated from the New Zealand Maori Arts and Crafts institute in 2014 with a diploma in Whakairo Rakau (traditional wood carving). Not long before Tristan graduated, he approached Tom about learning the craft of tattooing and bringing his knowledge of carving and Maori art over to the medium.

Tristan is of Te Rarawa descent, from the Hokianga in the far north. He graduated from the New Zealand Maori Arts and Crafts institute in 2014 with a diploma in Whakairo Rakau (traditional wood carving). Not long before Tristan graduated, he approached Tom about learning the craft of tattooing and bringing his knowledge of carving and Maori art over to the medium.

Thomas Clark has been a full time Ta Moko artist for the past 12 years. Thomas is a well-respected Māori artist whose formal training and applied practice allows him to cross several artistic disciplines – Tā Moko (Traditional Markings on Skin), Kirituhi (Applied Skin Design), Rauangi (Abstract Painting), Whakairo Uku (Clay Sculpture).

Drinking and tattoos don’t mix

There’s a classic movie trope about getting black-out drunk and waking up with a tattoo. That might have been possible back in the day or if you’re in a less reputable area of Bangkok, but modern, responsible tattoo studios won’t serve you if you’ve had a drink, and for good reason.

Alcohol impairs your judgement

We understand getting your first tattoo can be scary, and you might need a little Dutch Courage to get you through the experience, but getting drunk isn’t going to help. You need a clear head when getting a tattoo or you might pick one you’ll regret. What happens when you sober up and realise you have this thing for life? You blame the tattooist.

You need a clear head at every stage of the tattooing process – your decision is final on what the design is and where it goes. You can’t do that if you’re drunk.

Your blood gets thinner

Booze will thin your blood, and this isn’t ideal when getting a tattoo. It means you’ll bleed more, and while that sounds scary, don’t worry, you’re not going to bleed to death. It just means that you’ll take longer to heal and the pigment in the tattoo ink will become diluted, resulting in a “watered-down” design.

And remember, it’s the amount of alcohol you drink that thins the blood, not when you drink it. If you were out on the piss last night and are sober (but hungover) today, your blood will still be feeling the effects of the booze.

It makes it harder for us to work

There another reason you shouldn’t drink before getting a tattoo - we can’t be arsed dealing with drunks.

When everybody’s drunk it can be fun. When one person is drunk and everyone else is sober, it can be a nightmare. Most tattoo artists don’t want to deal with your drunken bullshit, so won’t even entertain the notion of working on you.

There’s also the fact that drunk people tend to fidget, and this will result in a bad tattoo anyway. And then when you sober up and come back complaining about the shoddy workmanship, we’ll break out the security footage which shows you doing the macarena while we try and work on you.

Only joking, you won’t even get through the door.