About Openmind
I’m Shaun, the artist behind Openmind. I create story-driven fantasy tattoos shaped around the body, drawing from mythology, imagined worlds and original worldbuilding.
Based at Mystic Workshop in Bournemouth, I work with clients from across the UK on everything from standalone pieces to large-scale sleeves, legs and backpieces.
I’ve been tattooing for over twelve years, but drawing fantasy creatures and imagined worlds came long before that.
Openmind became the place where those two things finally met — tattooing and worldbuilding. Over time, the work has become increasingly focused on large-scale fantasy, creatures, symbolism and pieces that feel like they belong to a wider story.
I work from Mystic Workshop, the studio I run in Bournemouth.
The approach
My work is built around strong silhouettes, heavy contrast and controlled areas of colour.
I use whip shading, solid blacks and selective neon or high-saturation accents to create depth without losing readability. The goal is for a piece to feel dramatic up close, but still read clearly from across the room.
Every design is shaped around the anatomy it sits on. Flow, negative space and movement are considered from the beginning rather than added afterwards.
Fantasy gives me room to create rather than simply reproduce.
Creatures, landscapes, armour, relics, mythology and imagined histories can all become part of the design language. Sometimes the starting point is a world the client already loves. Sometimes it begins with an entirely original idea.
Either way, I want the finished tattoo to feel like it belongs somewhere beyond the skin it sits on.
Worldbuilding
Gyranth is the original fantasy world I’ve been developing alongside my tattoo work.
Its creatures, cultures, relics and opposing energies increasingly feed back into the designs I create. Some clients choose to step directly into that world; others simply borrow from its visual language, atmosphere or mythology.
It gives Openmind something deeper to draw from than a collection of disconnected tattoo ideas.
Every project starts with the person, placement and idea in front of me. I don’t copy other artists’ work or reproduce existing designs.
The shape of the body is part of the composition. Flow, movement and readability matter as much as the subject itself.
You don’t need to arrive with the finished answer. Bring the idea, references or feeling behind the piece and I’ll help shape it into something that works.
A selection of recent fantasy, creature and large-scale projects.
You don’t need a finished design. Bring the idea, the placement and the starting point — we can build the rest from there.
