Beauty was skin deep in Dunedin at the weekend.
More than 800 people attended the Dunedin Tattoo and Art Show at Forbury Park Raceway on Saturday.
''Tattooing is very popular. It's a way of expressing yourself,'' organiser Macaela Manuel said yesterday.
''A lot of people have a lot of meaning in their tattoos. They can symbolise something in your life, or be a memorial to someone. There are a lot of good portraits.''
The artwork on display was as varied as it was vibrant.
''There was so much amazing artwork. A lot of it was big stuff; like full backs, large leg and arm tattoos and sleeves. There was also a lot of colour. Colour is a lot more popular now, with the better quality inks and machines.''
Fair skin tattooed the best, but all quality tattoos would last ''for years and years'' if looked after properly, Mrs Manuel said.
''The best tattoos work with the muscle definition and the lines of the body.''
A dozen tattoo booths at the show did a steady trade.
''Some of the Dunedin studios can be booked up for months in advance. Some people find a tattoo artist they like and keep going back, while other people like to get a collection from different artists.''
And how much does it hurt?''It hurts, but it's not a constant pain,'' Mrs Manuel said.
''You can feel it, but then there are stages when you don't feel it much at all. It [the pain] comes in waves.''
Results were:
Female - Small black and grey: Sharlie Earl (Tattrix), 1; Nicole Sutherland (Skin Show Tattoo), 2. Large black and grey: Victoria Paul (Agency Inc), 1; Tara McLean (Tattrix), 2. Small colour: Fleur Sculpher (Agency Inc), 1; Katie Linington (Tattrix), 2. Large colour: Kate Hollick (Tattrix), 1; Lisa Reynolds (Visual Intelligence), 2. Small arm: Fleur Sculpher (Agency Inc), 1; Kate Linington (Tattrix), 2. Large arm.: Kate Hollick (Tattrix), 1; Tamara Selwyn (Invercargill Ink), 2. Small leg: Hayley Sinclair (Ink Spot), 1; Kate Linington (Tattrix), 2. Large leg: Linda Tree (Agency Inc), 1; Jude Thompson (Agency Inc), 2. Small back: Claire Schreurs (Frostbite), 1; Vanessa Brenssel (Crazy Horse Tattoo), 2. Large back: Victoria Paul (Agency Inc), 1; Tara McLean (Tattrix), 2. Maori/Pacific Island: Dee Jay Collins (Visual Intelligence), 1; Kim Brewer (Kim Brewer Tattoo), 2. Best overall: Tara McLean, 1; Nicole Sutherland, 2.
Male - Small black and grey: Elliot King (Agency Inc), 1; Tim Stewart (Visual Intelligence), 2. Large black and grey: Kahn Simon (Ship Shape Tattoo), 1; Stuart Sinclair (Agency Inc), 2. Small colour: Paul Stewart (Visual Intelligence), 1; Joe Blee (Visual Intelligence), 2. Large colour: Peter O'Hara (Agency Inc), 1; Dene Archer (Graphic Addition), 2. Small arm: Nathan Tupene (Urban Ink), 1; Jorham Walker (Agency Inc), 2. Large arm: Rory O'Mahony (Agency Inc), 1; Greg Egerton (Agency Inc), 2. Small leg: Casey Hilder (Agency Inc), 1; Stephen Livett (Agency Inc), 2. Large leg: Kahn Simon (Ship Shape Tattoo), 1; Stuart Sinclair (Agency Inc), 2. Small back: Graeme Mosley (Agency Inc), 1; Kahu Tengu (Richard Tepu), 2. Large back: Paul Stewart (Don Johnson), 1; Ben Gibson (Studio 41), 2. Maori/Pacific Island: Jayton Manuel (Visual Intelligence), 1; Tim Stewart (Agency Inc), 2. Best overall: Stuart Sinclair, 1; Dene Archer, 2.
People's choice: Myles Reilly (Visual Intelligence), 1; Dave Jones (Visual Intelligence), 2.
