Ink big: David Shrigley tattoos at AND Festival

Ask any art school graduate how easy it is to make a living from illustration and they’ll all tell you the same thing: it’s near impossible. Competition is fierce and art budgets have been cut everywhere, but it’s easier than ever to get noticed thanks to the thousands of art blogs scattered across the internet. It’s where David Shrigley’s work sometimes works best – discovered on a random Tumblr, or in a Google Image search, shorn of all context. Because Shrigley’s work are self-contained bits of wonder: funny, brave and creative, like a bizarre sketch show distilled into ink and paper.

Sometime over the past decade you’ll have stumbled across Shrigley’s illustration work. From greetings cards to books, album covers to t-shirts, the Glasgow-based artist makes drawings that are in turn chaotic, thought-provoking and genuinely hilarious.

He’s heading to the AND Festival this season for a unique commission – a select number of people will get an original David Shrigley illustration tattooed onto them. Yes, a proper tattoo. Forever. One that you’d have to explain to your mum and everything.

For anyone who’s even vaguely aware of Shrigley you’ll know this is a real treat: it’s pretty expensive just to own a bit of his artwork, so to own one on your skin is a once in a lifetime opportunity. And, let’s face it, one of Shrigley’s tattoos will be better than a Chinese symbol (“it means ‘peace’, yeah?”) or a dolphin jumping over a rainbow.

David Shrigley tattoo event, AND Festival
1st October
Utility, Bold Street
11am – 6pm
Email tattoo@andfestival.org.uk for an appointment – first come first served