Multi.Colored—tattooed people, tattoo dreams

Tattoos and other body art are becoming more popular all the time–just look at all the tattoo related showson TV these days. Even the National Geographic has gotten into the act. But the fact that something is popular doesn’t necessarily mean that it has widespread acceptance.

In what ways are multicolored people reminded that body art is still outside the mainstream? As I see it, there are three common objections.

Dress codes

I used to laugh when a friend who worked as a fundraiser for a fundamentalist college told me he would never ever EVER dare wear anything but a white shirt to work. The people he worked for wouldn’t tolerate anything else. And whether it was strictly true or not, he believed that the potential donors he went to see wouldn’t tolerate anything else either, and if his clothing offended them he could kiss their money goodbye. That was years ago, but it’s still pretty much the rule that employers have dress codes and employees are expected to follow them.

So, it’s practical to have your tattoos applied to areas that can be covered up by clothing. Not quite so easy to conceal piercings, unless they’re in intimate areas. There’s a market out there for clear or flesh colored spacers that can be inserted to keep a piercing open, but from my reading I gather they’re not entirely satisfactory. (Nor, despite what I saw at one previous job, is a bandage over a pierced ear going to fool anyone).

Conscious or unconscious aversion

Historically speaking, tattoos have been favored by the “upper crust.” All kinds of royalty had body art a hundred years ago. (Heck, Prince Charles was in the Navy, do you suppose he’s got ink where the sun don’t shine?) But, sad to say, most people don’t know diddly-squat about history, and their main exposure to tattoos often comes from gangbangers, bikers, sailors, soldiers, and other kinds of People We’re Not. Thus, tattooing gained an unfortunate reputation as being the provenance of People We’re Not, and anyone with a tattoo is therefore eyed with suspicion. (My father didn’t want me to get my ears pierced when I was 16, claiming it “looked cheap.” I’m glad I never found out what he thought of my tattoos.) The fact that this anti-ink prejudice exists is something multicolored people have to understand and deal with, no matter how irrational the basis.

Age and its issues

“What will happen when you get old and it sags?” It’s true that our skin changes shape as we get older. And it’s a common assumption that wherever the tattoo goes, the skin will sag, wrinkle, change color, and otherwise distort and deface the tattoo, so why even bother? Of course, the fact that humanity has a long tradition of art that gets better with age, despite the ravages of time upon the medium (the Mona Lisa ain’t what she used to be, and neither are the Lascaux cave paintings) doesn’t seem to apply to body art. It’s gonna sag! Don’t do it!

Of course, the idea that we can enjoy the ink till gravity takes its toll doesn’t seem to mean anything to the sag fanatics. And the fact that there are plenty of areas that don’t sag doesn’t change people’s minds, either.

What’s your story?

What kinds of objections and challenges have you faced? Did your family raise a fuss about your tattoos? Were you called too young or too old? Does your employer have even an inkling you’re covering up inking?

photo credit: Cassi Saari

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….put a sports logo on my arm?

There’s a TV commercial that’s getting a lot of airplay these days, showing sports fans displaying their lovefor their teams in different, mostly creative ways. Painting a car like a team uniform. Wearing a costume representative of the team name. Getting a credit card with a team logo. Getting the team logo tattooed on your arm.

It’s obvious, of course, that the team logo in the commercial isn’t a real tattoo. (Obvious to anyone who’s ever come within ten feet of a real tattoo artist, that is.) But I have no doubt there are people so devoted to their teams, or to their favorite athletes, that they’ve got some kind of sports logo inked on their skin.

I’ve never been a big enough fan of any team or athlete that I’d want a sports emblem permanently attached. Heck, I never even replaced my Green Bay Packers jersey when it finally wore out (I’m not as big a Packers fan as I once was–I guess the days of “The Pack will be back! Way back!” did my early enthusasm in). My grandfather was a lifelong Pittsburgh Pirates fan, but I can’t imagine him buying a jersey, much less getting a tattoo.

On the other hand, I watch “American Chopper” and look at how crazy Grandma Teutul is about the Yankees. I could totally see her getting a Yankee logo tattooed on her arm (and Paul Sr. paying for it with no questions asked). Sometimes I tune in the Channel 5 news a few minutes early and catch the last minute or so of their wrestling extravaganza du jour, and I can totally picture the people screaming in the audience lining up at the local tattoo parlor to get a pro wrestling emblem or a portrait of their favorite bruiser permanently applied.

Would you get a tattoo of your favorite team emblem or something else related to a sport of some kind? Or is that the kind of thing you might be seeing a tattoo removal specialist about after a few bad seasons or big losses? Is that kind of “sports memorabilia” worth the money?

photo credit: Mac(3)

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Had a lot of things to do the past few days, so the post I was going to put up today, I still have to think some more about. So till I get my act together, here are some links of interest to multicolored folk. No particular order–just sites I found interesting and I hope you all do too. If you have recommendations for other good sites, please add a comment!

The Art of Tattoo
National Geographic on the history of tattoos
British Tattoo History Museum
World Wide Tattoo Designs
About.com on plastic wrap
Alliance of Professional Tattoists: Advice for tattoo artist wannabees
Pat Fish, Celtic tattoo artist
Tattoo history sourcebook

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In my series of articles on getting your first tattoo (you can find the index to that series here) I talked about the issues involved in using Other People’s Art. (You can read that article here).

Besides the practical matter of getting permission to use artwork, there are other issues one should consider. Primary among them is whether the artwork you love will translate well into a tattoo. Many designs need to be simplified because the shadings and lines won’t work well on skin, and matching the colors exactly is not always possible (the combination of tattoo ink and your skin tone makes the match tricky). There are many artists who can do incredibly detailed fine line work, but the ink may spread out over time and the fine lines will merge together and blur the design.

Sometimes artwork in color translates better to skin in shades of grey, and this is often done when the tattoo is a portrait or reproduction of a photograph of a person. The artist can translate the photo freehand, or run it through photo editing software that will turn it into a “pencil sketch” to use as a basis for the tattoo.

And there’s also the issue of translating two-dimensional artwork into three-dimensional body art. What looks great on paper / canvas /etc might not do well when wrapped around your arm. Keeping the lines in the same relationship on a differently shaped surface is a challenge. And even the most precise reproduction of a two-dimensional artwork can alter over time as the body inevitably changes. (No, most tattoos don’t “sag” but skin loses its elasticity and changes color with time.)

My quest for real art

A few months ago we went to a gallery showing by our favorite local artist, Kythera of Anevern (you can see some of her work in her portfolio here). One small print called to me from clear across the room when I walked into the gallery and I bought it at the speed of light. In looking at it since I brought it home, I realize that in many ways it represents me and my mother, and it would make a great sleeve tattoo that could be coordinated with the “swoosh” of stars over my right collarbone. And of course I have the advantage of being able to commission the artist herself to adapt the work, so I know the changes would be with her approval.

If you select artwork by a living artist for your tattoo, asking the artist’s permission to reproduce the art should also include asking the artist’s permission for the tattoo artist to simplify the art if that is necessary. Not everyone is lucky enough to be able to commission the artist to do an adaptation, but the artist’s permission should always be sought. You wouldn’t want someone stealing something of yours and wearing it forever.

Do you have tattoo artwork that’s been adapted from another medium?

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I saw a story on the news last night about a 9-year-old girl in Texas who is learning to tattoo. (Not anentirely new story, as I found out when I did a Google search today.) Watching it left me with mixed emotions.

While I’m all in favor of this girl going ahead (and of course having a father who owns the tattoo shop makes it spectacularly easy for her) I wonder if the widespread publicity won’t lead other people to believe that if a kid can do it, anyone can.

I read several boards and blogs devoted to body art and from what I’ve read there (I have no personal experience with this) it’s not easy to get an apprenticeship. I do know that the apprenticeship is vitally necessary, because there is a lot more to being a tattoo artist than the general public realizes. (We multicolored people are much more likely to understand.) It’s not just a matter of learning to color inside the lines with a buzzing needle–there are health and safety issues that are of vital importance.

And the girl herself isn’t quite ready for prime time. Her dad has to support the needle apparatus because it’s too heavy for her to hold, and her designs are about what you’d expect from someone her age. But she’s growing, and both her hand strength and designs will improve over time if she keeps at it (the nationwide publicity might well insure that she keeps at it, too).

So I’m torn between cheering for the girl who has already gotten a foot in the door (OK, if your dad owns the shop, it’s not exactly tough) and who may inspire other young people to consider tattooing as a profession, and wondering whether the publicity surrounding her will convince people that there’s nothing special about tattooing if a kid can handle it.

Have you seen the story? What did you think?

Here is about.com’s Karen Hudson’s common sense guide to becoming a tattoo artist.

photo credit: mborowick

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I was reading Karen Hudson’s account of getting new micro dermal anchors inserted on her blog on the about.com site (here) and it occurred to me that people who get tattoos often get multiple piercings as well.

I don’t have any piercings I couldn’t show my grandmother, if she were still around. However, I do have three piercings in each ear, and have occasionally thought about getting more. The general accounts of the pain involved in getting a cartilage piercing have kept me from going any farther than just thinking about it, though.

I know quite a few people who have more exotic ear piercings (my daughter got a tragus piercing a few years ago, for example) and who have their ears decorated with all kinds of studs, jewelry, rings, bars, etc. I know other people who have piercings that are, shall we say, not usually on show to the general public. I probably know more people who have those kinds of piercings and who aren’t talking about it, so I don’t know who they are.

I can’t, from personal experience, say whether pierced people are more likely to be tattooed, or whether tattooed people are more likely to be pierced, but it does seem that the latter statement tends to be true. I think once one gets into permanent body art, one naturally starts exploring beyond one’s initial endeavors.

I had two of my three pairs of ear piercings already when I got my first tattoo, and added the third set of holes shortly after I got my third tattoo. None of the more exotic piercings appeal to me at the moment, but that doesn’t mean I might not change my mind later on.

The dermal anchors were something I’d never heard of before. They certainly complement Ms. Hudson’s gorgeous body art. I don’t think I’ll be seeking any for myself any time soon, but at least now I’ve seen them.

Do any of you have unusual piercings to go with your multicolored skin?

photo credit: darkenstormyknight1

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Last weekend, I went back to Fairfield, Iowa, for the first time in 25 years, for my 40th high school reunion. Even though my family only lived there for three years, and I didn’t actually graduate with those guys because we moved after my sophomore year, that’s about as close to a home town as I’ve ever had and it was a joy to be back there.

What’s that got to do with tattoos, one might ask?

Well, during the reunion party, small prizes were given out in various categories. I got the prize for coming the farthest (from the Los Angeles area). But, doggone it, I lost out on the prize for “most tattoos.” One of my (female) classmates beat me by one!

Clearly, in the next five years, I better go get at least two more tattoos. Victory will be mine!

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