Originally from Leeds, UK. Benjamin Hawley specialises in Lettering and Black & Grey Realism. Based in Auckland, New Zealand at Ship Shape Tattoo.

“Growing up, any creative task that I would participate in during school would have my full attention, putting my all into whatever I was doing. Spending more time on the heading for my assignment than the assignment itself. Excelling in all of my art classes, the teachers soon realised I didn’t care for much else. Showing up to class with my marker and black book filled with sketches they gave up trying to make me listen and let me draw at the back of the room.

I always felt like I had to be doing something creative to get it out of my system, whether it was designing clothing or making my mark on any available surface, I was constantly seeking to bring my imagination to life. It was during this time that I found my love for letters and typography through graffiti. Experimenting with different fonts and themes aiming to create a unique feel to a word or quote. I would spend hours drawing day and night striving to improve my skills and make the next sketch better then the last.

This eventually leading me to leave school when I was 15 years old and start an art course were I would be given art supplies and be pushed to keep doing the things I love. At this point I didn’t know what I was doing but killing time and hangout of with friends. I soon realised that I needed to channel my energy into something positive so I made the decision to turn my passion for art into a career, which led me to start a tattoo apprenticeship in Whangarei, NZ.

I was Drawn to the artistry and self-expression that tattoos represented. my fascination with tattoos extended beyond the ink on skin. being captivated by the intricate details and the stories they tell, allowing people to express themselves in their own way. I found a deep passion for tattooing and bringing my clients ideas to life with a unique feel of emotion and flow to the tattoo being able to capture a memory or a quote that resonates with the clients story. Heavily influenced by dark subject matter, my artistic inspiration comes from a lot of different sources from photography, abstract painting and sports team monograms with a dark twist of music and horror infused into the design, showcasing a distinctive piece of art that my client can take with them for life.