Here’s to an amazing year and bring on 2018!

Sunset studio would like to thank all our clients, staff and supporters for making 2017 our biggest year yet!

A great year for Sunset Tattoo

The year got off to a great start with the launch of our sister site, Tattoo Station, which has been a tremendous success. Our aim with Tattoo Station is to bring the very best tattoo supplies to New Zealand but at a reasonable price, and we’ve destroyed even our highest expectations.

In February we headed to Tauranga for the New Zealand International Tattoo Expo which was a great success (if a little wet!). over 150 tattoo artists from around the world came to the Queen Elizabeth Youth Centre and everyone had a wonderful weekend.

November saw us once again heading to Australasia’s biggest tattoo festival, the NZ Tattoo & Art Festival 2017, now in it’s 7th year. With over 250 artists from all over the world attending, it was a weekend we’ll never forget!

Guest artists

Sunset also had plenty of guest artists pop in this year, with Capilli Tupou from Ten Tigers joining us, and then later in the year making that move permanent.

In April we were fortunate enough to have our Spanish friend Miguel come visit, otherwise known as M13Tattoo. April was the perfect time to show off his script skills as we also had the second annual Great Auckland Flash Party, with plenty of walk-in’s coming in off the street for a surprise tattoo.

November was a big month for guest artists, with Ryan Usher joined us from Sydney, Makoto Horimatsu from Japan, and the very talented Nicklas Wong from Denmark.

Tattoo supplies

In March we became official distributers of the world famous Eternal Ink. Made from organic pigments, deionized water and hamamelis water, this bright coloured ink has been a well-known brand of the highest quality for nearly 40 years.

Later in the year we added the best tattoo machines in New Zealand, Senders Widows, to our list of high-quality tattoo equipment, along with Nikko Hurtado’s Anchored stencil solution.

Along with our range of Botan tattoo needles, we’ve really changed the game here in New Zealand when it comes to tattoo supplies.

So thanks again to everyone who helped make our 2017 incredible. Roll on 2018 and even more success!

Give yourself an early Christmas present with a tattoo!

Merry Christmas!

People get tattoos for different reasons at all times of the year, but Christmas seems to be the perfect time to get your first ink.

Maybe you've been given a few bucks for the holidays, or perhaps you want to bring in the new year with a big change, but whatever your reasons for wanting a new tattoo, it always pays to do your research beforehand.

There are a few things you need to be aware of before getting your first tattoo. Things like...

Stay off the booze!

Having a wee drink before you get your first tattoo may seem like a good idea, just to give you that little bit of Dutch courage, but don’t be tempted.

Alcohol is an anti-coagulant, which means it thins the blood. This thinning makes you bleed more during the tattooing, making it more difficult for the ink to settle properly. This can skew your new design, and make the recovery process take longer.

Alcohol of course also impairs your judgment, so getting drunk before going into a tattoo parlour is never a good idea for obvious reasons.

Look after your new tattoo

Getting a tattoo isn’t like getting an injection; it’s not over once you leave the room. The next few days are extremely important for the healing process.

You may have seen people with cling wrap around a new tattoo, but this isn’t a good idea. Your skin needs oxygen to breathe and heal itself, and wrapping it in plastic turns it into a bacterial playground, which can lead to infection.

Clean and moisturise the tattoo the week after getting it, and you should be fine. Ask your Sunset tattooist about our range of aftercare creams.

Don't rush the decision

Many people have foreign words or symbols tattooed on their bodies, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Chinese, Japanese or Arabic characters can look amazing, but make sure you know what they translate as. No matter how good they look, if you’re new ink means “Right turn only” then you’re going to look like a bit of a dick in any language.

Come see us at Sunset Tattoo and we’ll make your first tattoo something special that you’ll never regret. 

Safety and Hygiene is paramount here at Sunset

Hygiene is paramount when getting a tattoo, and we here at Sunset Tattoo take our responsibility very seriously. When selecting an Auckland tattoo studio you should make sure that they follow the strict Health & Safety guidelines of the Auckland Council.

Sunset Tattoo is the Auckland tattoo studio you can trust. Coming to us for a tattoo is not only an enjoyable and stress-free experience, but a safe one. We practice the highest level of hygiene and meticulously adhere to the Auckland council Health & Safety guidelines. Our studio itself is spotless, never mind our needles!

How do we make our Auckland tattoo studio safe and sterile?

We always keep our tattoo accessories in the most sterile condition. Before we start working on your tattoo, our tattoo artist will disinfect and shave the area where you want your tattoo. We do this with disposable razors that we only use once. We will also show you the sealed tattoo needle and open the pouch in front of you. After we’re finished with your tattoo, we’ll throw the needle out. Each needles is only used once, and you can see this for yourself, putting your mind at rest.

It is likely that your skin will bleed a little when getting a tattoo. That’s why all our tattoo artists are wearing gloves throughout the entire tattooing process. It’s safer for you and for them. You could walk into a hospital and not notice the difference. That’s how clean and hygienic our Auckland tattoo studio is!

For a safe, and friendly tattoo experience, visit our Auckland tattoo studio today, or contact us via phone: +64 (9) 376-3423 or drop us an email on: info@sunsettattoo.co.nz

Why you should never copy someone else's tattoo

Ok, we get it. If you've never had a tattoo before, it's very easy to see one you like, and want a copy of that. But it's not a good idea, and here's why:

It means something to someone else

Maybe the best reason not to copy someone else’s tattoo design is simply this; it’s not yours.

We don’t mean you didn’t create it, so you can’t use it (more on that later), we mean it’s nothing to do with you, and everything to do with someone else.

If someone has that design on their skin, it’s probably going to mean something to them on a personal level. It may have been specially designed to remind them of a person or a memory, so you taking it not only degrades that memory, but doesn’t fit with you and your life.

Find a design that suits you, that’s personal to you, and this way it’s yours.

It's insulting to the artist

It’s one thing to sit down with an artist and design a tattoo, or even bring one in you’ve designed yourself. It’s quite another to bring a design in another artist has created and demand that.

It’s insulting to the tattoo artist. It’s like bringing a packed lunch into a restaurant and wondering why the chef is pissed at you.

Any tattoo artist worth their salt can create a design for you, so asking them to copy someone else’s is a big faux pas.

It's literally stealing

This is more a moral issue, although sometimes it can be a legal one.

Stealing someone else’s design is no different than stealing their novel. It’s their creativity in a physical, material form, and it should be respected.

Copying their work is not only morally wrong, but disrespectful to the original artist. And it may also get you into legal trouble.

Stay clear of all these problems by simply designing your own tattoo or using your artists previous designs.

If you would like an original tattoo, then come see us here at Sunset.

The Sunset family make the papers!

Check out this lovely wee piece in Stuff about Sunset’s founding mother Misery, AKA Tanja Jade Thompson.

Misery

Misery is one of New Zealand’s most beloved and respected pop artists, doing her country proud by exhibiting all over the world in places such as Berlin, Taiwan, Paris, Melbourne and Los Angeles.

Her Chinese Tahitian grandmother fostered Misery’s artistic talent inspiring her intense passion for Pacific and Asian art during their time together and on trips to Tahiti, which is still evident in her work today.

As a teen, Tanja went to Metropolitan College which enhanced her penchant for art.  It was there her unique and distinct characters evolved, heavily influenced by obscure Japanese cartoons, cults and Gods, and all things magical.

Misery’s creative reach is extensive, ranging from highly crafted paintings and wall art to animation, fashion and toys and more recently children’s decor brand Misery Guts. She also sculpts, having completed two commissioned bronzes in Auckland’s Art District of Karangahape Road in 2016.

The Sunset family

The article in Stuff shows around Tom and Misery’s home, introducing the kids too; Charlie, Ramona, and Billie.

“This is kind of the house my husband grew up in,” Misery says in the article. “His mum bought the villa next door, and he moved in there with his mum and two sisters when he was a little kid.

“Tom’s mum got together with Johnny, who owns the house we live in now. Johnny had two sons, and they kind of joined the families together. At one stage, this house was joined to the house next door with a tunnel.

“As everybody grew up and moved out of home, Johnny, who was an architect, built a beautiful home out the back. So we kind of live in a commune.

“When Tom and I got together, we moved in here and had flatmates. That was about five or six years ago. All the flatmates have moved out, and children have moved in.

“Our house is probably the most rundown, lived-in house on the street. It's quite obvious we're artists - there's always stuff everywhere. It's a classic old villa that's been transformed a little bit to make it more of a flat.”

You can click here to read the full article on Stuff.co.nz.