Winter does this thing to me.
The light gets low. The noise drops out. The studio feels quieter, even when it’s busy. And in that slow, grey light that makes everything feel a bit more honest, I kept finding myself reaching for the same thing.

Black.

Not “black” as a mood. Not “black” as a brand. Just black as a tool. Black as a decision. Black as a language.

I’ve always been drawn to blackwork tattoos. I guess it’s the comic book fan and the graphic designer in me — the part of my brain that loves a bold shape, a clean silhouette, and the magic trick of negative space. One colour. High contrast. No hiding. If it works, it works. If it doesn’t, you can’t distract your way out of it.

And after twenty years of looking at tattooing up close. Not just doing it, but studying it, talking about it, watching the culture shift and stretch and loop back on itself. I’ve slowly fallen in love with the roots. Early 20th century folk art. Woodcuts. Sign painting. Old packaging design. The simple, iconic stuff that early tattooists translated into the designs we now call “trad.”

Then you add the ancient styles not as a trend, not as a costume, but as a reminder that tattooing has always carried weight when it’s done properly. Cultural context. Spiritual context. Pattern as protection. Marking as meaning. Skin as story.

Put all that together and, yeah… it’s a love affair.

And because I’ve always used a lot of black in my work, I’ve been asked plenty of times over the years to do blackouts, blast-overs, and heavy blackwork. I’ve always loved doing it. It feels direct. It feels physical. It feels like tattooing in its simplest form: shape, flow, placement, impact.

So now that I’m in my new home here at This Is Ours To Destroy, it feels like the right moment to start something new. If you’ve followed my work for any length of time, this won’t feel like a left turn. It’ll feel like something that was always in the room… just waiting for me to stop walking past it.

Why blackwork, now?
Because blackwork is honest.

It’s not relying on colour harmony or soft shading to do the heavy lifting. It’s shape and clarity. It’s the relationship between solid ink and untouched skin. It’s composition. It’s placement. It’s flow.

And if you’ve been around tattooing long enough, you know this part is true:

A lot of people don’t want “another tattoo.” They want a reset.

Let’s face it — a huge amount of blackwork interest comes from people who already have tattoos they don’t love anymore. Pieces that were chosen in a different life. Work that doesn’t suit them now. Tattoos that were fine at 21, but feel like noise at 35. Or 45. Or 55.

Sometimes it’s not even about regret. Sometimes it’s just growth. You changed. Your taste changed. Your identity got sharper. The old tattoo didn’t keep up.

Laser is amazing, but it’s not always the sensible option. If the tattoo is too big, too dense, too saturated, too expensive to chase for years — blackwork becomes a real, practical solution. Not a “cover-up” in the old sense. More like a redesign. A reformat. A re-ownership.

And I don’t say any of this from the outside looking in.

I’ve been that person.
Years ago I had a full colour, cartoon pirate sleeve. At the time? I loved it. It made sense. It was loud and playful and exactly where I was at. Then I grew out of it.

Not in a dramatic way. No breakdown, no identity crisis. It just stopped feeling like me. Like wearing a shirt you once loved but now never reach for.

So my daughter Beth — who was 14 at the time and desperate to learn how to tattoo — got the task of blasting over her dad’s entire right arm the year before she sat her GCSEs.

I know how that sentence sounds.

But it’s true.

And it worked.

Not because it was technically perfect, it wasn’t supposed to be. It worked because it did what blackwork does when it’s done with intention: it changed the relationship I had with that arm. It gave me back ownership.

That’s the energy behind BLKWRK.

This isn’t about hiding.
It’s about choosing again.

Introducing: BLKWRK

In the shop you’ll now find a project simply called BLKWRK.

Here’s what it is, in plain English:

BLKWRK is a doorway into a blackwork project with me.
It’s a way to start the booking process, get the conversation going, and build something that fits your body and your situation — whether that’s a fresh piece, a blast-over, a cover, or a full commitment to black.

Inside BLKWRK you’ll see a selection of rough ideas for lovers of blackwork tattoos.

And I mean rough in the best way.

These aren’t polished flash sheets that you’re supposed to copy-and-paste onto your arm. They’re not “limited edition” designs that vanish at midnight. They’re not a trap. They’re starting points.

They’re me thinking out loud. Throwing shapes around. Testing compositions. Showing you what could be possible in this lane — the direction, the mood, the building blocks.

If you want one of those demo designs as-is, great. If you want to use one as a launchpad, even better.

But the point of BLKWRK isn’t to lock you into a design.

The point is to build the right blackwork tattoo for you.

What kind of blackwork are we talking about?

BLKWRK is intentionally broad, because blackwork has a lot of dialects.

But the core ingredients I’m chasing are always the same:

• Bold graphic shapes
• Strong silhouettes
• Negative space that actually matters
• Placement that respects anatomy
• Flow that looks right from across the room
• Work that ages like a stamp, not like a soft photo

This project is for people who like blackwork that feels designed — not random. Heavy, but considered. Simple, but not empty.

Whether that becomes:

• a blast-over with visible history beneath it,
• a full blackout section with deliberate negative-space windows,
• a folk-art inspired set of icons and shapes,
• or something more pattern-based that wraps and locks onto the body…

That depends on you, your skin, your existing tattoos (if any), and what you want this to do.

Who BLKWRK is for

BLKWRK is for you if you’re thinking any of the following:

• “I want something bold and graphic, not delicate.”
• “I love blackwork tattoos and I want a piece that looks like it belongs on my body.”
• “I’ve got old tattoos I want to rework, blast over, or evolve.”
• “Laser isn’t realistic for me, and I want a strong alternative.”
• “I want less decoration, more statement.”
• “I want a tattoo that feels like armour / signage / folk mark / graphic design.”

And BLKWRK is not for you if you want:

• tiny fine-line micro detail,
• soft realism,
• or a tattoo that relies on subtlety to be interesting.

No judgement. Just clarity.

How the BLKWRK booking works

Here’s the simple part:

You “purchase” BLKWRK in the shop to start the process.

That purchase does not lock you into any of the demo designs (unless you want one). It’s not a commitment to a specific piece. It’s a commitment to beginning.

Think of it like raising your hand and saying:
“Alright Paul — I’m in. Let’s build this.”

Once BLKWRK is purchased:

• The cost of BLKWRK is deducted from your final session.
  (So it isn’t an extra charge. It’s part of the project.)
• As soon as you purchase, either me or Carron will reach out to get the details we need and to start shaping the plan.

What we’ll ask for:

• Placement (where on the body)
• Size (rough dimensions or reference photos)
• Whether this is fresh skin or a rework / cover / blast-over
• Photos of the area (good light, straight-on, no filters)
• Your availability and travel constraints
• Any hard limits (things you absolutely don’t want)

Then we book you in.

If you’re covering or blasting over something…

Good. That’s part of this.

Blackwork is one of the few approaches that can turn “I hate this tattoo” into “this is my favourite part of my body,” without years of laser and hoping for miracles.

But I’m going to be honest with you here, because it matters:

Blast-overs and blackwork cover projects are collaborations with reality.

• Sometimes we can fully bury what’s underneath.
• Sometimes the old tattoo becomes a ghost layer.
• Sometimes we use it as texture and history on purpose.
• Sometimes we need multiple sessions to build density properly.

That’s not a downside. That’s just how skin works.

If you want perfect, sterile, zero-history results — that usually comes from fresh skin. If you want power, transformation, and a kind of earned confidence — blast-overs are hard to beat.

The point of this project

This is not me chasing a trend. Blackwork has been around forever. It’s not new. This is me making space for a part of tattooing I’ve always loved — and doing it properly, with time and attention.

I’m building BLKWRK as a long-term lane. A body of work. A focused practice inside TIOTD that clients can step into if they feel the pull.

Because the best tattoos aren’t just “nice tattoos.” They’re decisions.

They mark a line in the sand. They say: “This is who I am now.”
And sometimes they say: “That was me then. This is me now.”

How to get involved

If BLKWRK is calling you:

1. Go to the shop and purchase BLKWRK.
2. Keep an eye on your inbox — me or Carron will reach out.
3. We’ll gather your details, talk direction, and book the first session.
4. We build the piece in a way that fits your body and your life.

That’s it. No gimmicks. Just black ink, good decisions, and a proper plan.

A note on respect, culture, and “inspiration”

Because it needs saying:

There’s a difference between learning from ancient tattoo traditions and strip-mining them for aesthetics. I’m not interested in copying sacred work or pretending I’m part of a culture I’m not part of.

But I am interested in what those traditions teach us:

• that tattooing can be serious
• that pattern can hold meaning
• that commitment matters
• that the body is a living surface, not a canvas for disposable trends

BLKWRK will always be made with that kind of respect in mind.

If you’re considering a cover-up, blast-over, or blackout

Here’s the truth: blackwork can solve a lot — but it still has rules.

A few grounded realities:

• Big black areas require commitment (and sometimes multiple passes)
• Skin history matters (scar tissue, old saturation, texture)
• Good blackwork isn’t rushed
• Placement and structure are everything

If you’re coming to me with a cover-up problem, don’t worry — I’ll tell you what’s possible and what isn’t. No fantasy promises.

Sometimes the best answer is a blast-over.
Sometimes it’s a full restructure.
Sometimes it’s a controlled blackout with negative-space design built into it.

We’ll choose the approach that looks best in five years — not just good in the mirror next week.

Where to start

If you’ve read this and felt that little internal “yes” — that’s the sign.

Go to the shop.
Purchase BLKWRK.
And we’ll take it from there.

You don’t need to have the whole idea figured out.
You just need to know the direction.

Bold. Black. Built properly.
Something you can live inside.