Scot t Humphreys

31, BARBER, FROM ORPINGTON, KENT

I was 14 when I got my first tattoo, on my back, but it’s been covered up now. It was of these weird Celtic wings. It was really bad. My mum bought it for my birthday. She’s very liberal [ laughs].

Then I moved on to tattoo my shoulders, both arms, chest, and back when I met my tattooist — a girl called Calypso.

I went to get the lower part of my arm done and she said: “You do know that you can tattoo over scars.” I got really badly burnt down both arms, my neck and on my chest when I was 18 months old. I didn’t know you could tattoo over the scars. I thought it was really delicate skin, which it is, but Calypso had the experience and was able to do something with it.

I thought: “Why not make something beautiful out of a terrible situation?” Not that the scars bothered me in the first place but if I could make something nice out of them, why not?

My tattoos are a work in progress. It’s sort of organic, I never know what I’m gonna get when I go to my tattooist.

I give her a rough outline, then she goes for it because I trust her. I’ve been going to her since I was 18.

My end goal is a full- body suit [ except] my stomach because I like that right now. Maybe when I get older [ laughs]. Once I’ve finished my back, I’m going to move to my neck, then my hands, then the legs.

Tattoos are art. I like to see myself as my tattooist’s canvas.