The first ever Potteries Ink Unleashed Convention (@potteriesinkunleashed) took place a few weeks back on the 28th and 29th of August 2021. The Barracks Tattoo Studio were in attendance for the 2 day convention and we had a great time.
It’s always a gamble going to or participating in the inaugural incarnation of any show or event. Which is why we didn’t quite know what to expect from the first convention being put on by Stoke-On-Trent based Incredible Ink Tattoo Studio (@incredibleinktattoostudio) but we can honestly say the convention completely exceeded our expectations.
The venue of Fenton Manor Sports complex was a great choice for the event having ample parking and facilities for visitors.
The entertainment and refreshment stalls were top class and local meaning artists that had travelled all the way from Glasgow got to experience their first ever Staffordshire Oatcakes. Another big attraction of the Saturday was the appearance of internationally known Staffordshire based strongman Eddie Hall who was walking around enjoying the show as well as being nice enough to stop for pictures with fans.
There was a really good variety of artists on show at the convention in not only style of tattooing but also in the locations in which artists were from, some local artists being: black and grey artist Dean Kerr (@thefrontroomtattoo), Our own Traditional Tattoo artist Kyle Cartlidge (@kylecartlidgetattoo) and dotwork/illustrative artist Gemma Hawkins (@gemmahawkinstatoo). As well as artists from much further afield including: Manchester based blackwork artist Chris Devereux (@chris_devtattoo), East Kilbride based Neo Traditional Artist Scott Wu (@scottwutattoo) and Warrington based artists Dainty (@dainty_tattooer) and Paul Terry (@pau1terry_).
All of the artists on show had prints, t-shirts and stickers to be brought so even if you were not able to snag a tattoo booking or missed out on one of the many artists doing walk ups at the event you could still leave with some nice artwork (even if it wasn’t on your skin).
The standard of artist at the show was incredible and watching these professionals do their thing would be interesting for anyone who’s even remotely into tattooing. That’s not even counting the awards which took place each day, with different categories being shown on each of the days showcasing the best each category had to offer.
The second Potteries Ink Unleashed has already been announced for April 16th and 17th 2022 which we massively suggest you keep your eyes out for and get down to if you can make it. Links to the instagram and Facebook below so don’t miss out.
(@potteriesinkunleashed)
https://www.facebook.com/potteriesinkunleashed/