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Inked Babes

Tattoo on an upper arm: a woman’s face with heavy lashes and dark lips, surrounded by large chrysanthemum petals and long black lines, in black and grey.

Tattoo studio in Gronau, just across the border from Enschede. By appointment only.

“Pretty, but make it dangerous.”

RIOT, on Cat. 01
See the work

Line by line, dot by dot, and made for your skin. Tattooed on Ochtruper Straße in Gronau.

Styles
Fine lines, dotwork, black & grey, realism, colour
Design
Custom, worked out together
Cover-ups
Yes, large pieces too
Appointment
By appointment only, Tuesday to Sunday

The line

First the line, then the skin

Every tattoo starts as a stencil: thin violet lines on the skin that you check in the mirror before the needle starts. Slide across the piece and watch the drawing turn into ink.

The line drawing was derived from the photo for this site, in the colour of stencil ink. It is not the original stencil.

Back piece: a snowy owl with wings spread wide and a fixed stare in black and grey, with a halo above its head and large black tribal shapes that taper to a point below.

From the catalogue

Work that holds from a distance and is right up close

Full catalogue

Time

In ten years

Ink does not stay exactly where it was put. Over the years it spreads a fraction: lines get thicker, dots run together and black softens. At hand size a portrait holds up. At coin size that same fraction is suddenly large, and the face loses its features. Slide through time and switch sizes.

Simulated on a photo of the lion in dots (Cat. 04): an approximation, not a prediction. Sun, placement, skin and aftercare make a big difference.

Design and placement

Tattoo on an arm: a lion’s head looking up, fully shaded in dots, with ornate swirls above and below and a row of numbers along the side.
Tattoo artist at work, dressed in black, with black gloves and a wrapped machine, bent over a back in concentration. Black-and-white photo.

The studio

Her own studio, her own hand

Nathalie de Paauw, known online as RIOT, is the tattoo artist and owner of Inked Babes. Romanita works alongside her in the studio, and guest artists are welcome.

Visit the studio

Healing curve

How a line heals

Slide through time. The line in the image is an example: this is how a fresh tattoo goes from swollen to sharp in six months.

  1. Day 0The session

    Warm, tight, fluid and some ink. Keep the covering on as long as the tattoo artist says, then wash with lukewarm water and pat dry.

  2. Day 3Moisturise thinly

    Wash twice a day, thin layer of cream. Sleep on clean bedding. No swimming or sun yet.

  3. Day 7Itching

    The wound closes. Don't scratch. Tapping with clean fingers helps. Leave scabs alone.

  4. Week 2Peeling

    Flakes with some ink are normal. Keep moisturising. Still no bath, swimming pool or sauna.

  5. Week 4Dull phase

    The skin is closed but the image looks milky. Wait and see. After that: sunscreen on exposed skin.

  6. Month 2Clearer

    The top layer has usually healed. Lines and dots come back sharper.

  7. Month 6Final result

    The deeper layers are usually settled too. Now you can judge whether a touch-up is needed.

Healing week by week

Knowledge

Well informed under the needle

  1. 01Preparing for your tattooBefore the session
  2. 02Aftercare day by dayAfter the session
  3. 03Healing week by weekAfter the session
  4. 04How much does a tattoo hurt?Before the session
  5. 05What makes up the price of a tattooChoices
  6. 06Cover-up: what works and what doesn’tChoices
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