A BLAZE of body art was on show at the Bournemouth Tattoo Convention on Saturday and Sunday.

The weekend saw tattooists and tattoo fans from across the country get the chance to meet up, add to their tattoo collections and enjoy live music.

The event, which first started at what was then the Opera House in Boscombe in 2009, returned to the venue, now called the O2, having spent two years at the BIC.

One trader there was Adorned Tattoo of Ashley Cross.

Owner Alex Hennerley said: “It’s nice and cosy but a bit of a squeeze this year, it’s a bit more personal.

“I love conventions, I always have done, and we’ve done the Bournemouth convention every year. It’s a good idea, a good laugh and people who aren’t necessarily into tattoos have a good time as well.”

One person enjoying the event was Rusty, also known as Stephen Waters, from Boscombe.

He said: “I’ve been to quite a few and do them all over the country. You get a good mix of people and there’s no trouble.

“I got my first tattoo at 18 and had nothing for years and then I got the bug. I’m 48 and too old for crayons now!”

Ester Gill, one of the organisers, said: “We think the building is more appropriate to the event. We were growing so quickly with the demand for traders and tattoo artists but we decided it wasn’t about being the biggest, we wanted a better quality.

“We’ve had a lot of feedback about how people are pleased to see it back here. Our convention is a cross over with live music so we also have people who buy the tickets to see the bands performing as well.”