Lincoln Tattoo-Con opened in Lincoln for the first time this weekend to show the full extent of Lincolnshire’s tattoo talent.
The convention took place at The Engine Shed from Saturday 21 to Sunday 22 October, and hosted over 50 tattooists and body piercers.
Entertainment involved burlesque and drag acts, and a Battle of the Bands including musicians Archy and the Astronauts and Scarlet Joy.
Tattoo-Con marketed itself as a family friendly event with face paint, food, and craft stalls.
The event was organised by husband and wife Logan Hazzard and Steph Hazzard-Smith.
Logan said: “Me and the wife do conventions every year and the last one we did, we came away and thought, oh, Lincolnshire has never had a proper tattoo convention. We though we’d look at doing one.”
Steph Hazzard-Smith said: “I think it showcases what Lincolnshire has to offer. We’ve got so many amazing artists in Lincolnshire but we’re one of those counties that gets forgotten. Everybody thinks we’re a little bit of a step back in time, so it’s nice to show that we do have an alternative scene, we do have amazing artists, and we can compete with the likes of the bigger cities.”
Stalls had photo-books of previous tattoos, and there was also an option for people to be tattooed in public.
Visitor Sarah Duncinson, 47, said: “You can see their designs and what they’ve done before, and you know that when coming to a convention, shops must have a good reputation.
When people have never seen tattoos get done and have that fear about them; that they hurt, that it’s not clean and that you’re not looked after, it dispels all of that.”
Another convention attendee Rebecca Lucas, 45, said: “I just wanted something a bit different today. I had no idea what I wanted until I came.
I didn’t start being tattooed until I was 37, so it’s important to think about what you like and what you’re not going to get bored of.”