Who Did Your Ink?: Tattoo's narrative evolves over time for Leanne Thief

Who Did Your Ink? is the Straight’s weekly feature, where we ask badass Vancouverites about the talented artists, indelible stories, and, at times, questionable antics behind their most treasured tattoos.

What's your name?  Leanne Thief.

What do you do?  I am a tattooer at Rain City Tattoos (1077 West Broadway).

Who did your ink?  So many talented friends. Where to start? Logan Morrison, Dylan Homer, Clint Danroth, Sylvain Proulx, Aron J Dubois, Anthony Tex, Dan Cameron, Andrew Wheeler, Phil Hatchet Yau, Eckel. The list goes on.

Why did you choose these artists to do your tattoos?  I chose these artists because I like their style of art and it happens to fit with the overall look I am going for in the particular tattoo I am wanting.

There have also been times where an artist is just really stoked on a piece of flash they have pre-drawn. So I'll get that because I know the end product will come out looking great. 

Is there any meaning behind them?  When I think about the collection I have now, some of them have meaning even if that meaning wasn't apparent at the time I received the tattoo.

I think a tattoo's narrative can change and evolve over time. And sometimes, it's more about who did it and where I was physically and emotionally when I was getting tattooed. 

Who's your favourite local tattoo artist?  There is so much incredible talent in this city and the Lower Mainland: lots of new talent coming up and incredibly seasoned tattooers that continue to grind hard.

Some of my favourites are Eckel, Trevor Shea, Frank Grimes, Dylan Homer, and Dejan Furlan.

What's next on your ink list? I'm still chipping away at my back... And then, maybe my neck? Who really knows?