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By infmom, March 26, 2010 12:34 pm

Last weekend my husband and I set out for one of our usual weekend hikes in Griffith Park.  For some unknown reason, traffic was backed up beyond belief at the zoo, so we had plenty of time to idle in the line waiting to get into the park from the freeway exit across from the zoo parking lot.

In the truck next to us was a Latino gentleman whose left arm (resting on the truck door out the window) was completely covered by fine-line monochromatic tattoos.  Not much of which I could actually see to admire, because the lines were so fine and the contrast between the lines and his skin was pretty subtle.  No way of telling whether they were done that way originally or whether time and sun had faded the ink.

Tattoo ink being what it is, people with darker skin are sometimes at a disadvantage when it comes to displaying their designs, if the designs don’t have bold lines.  If there is not much contrast between the skin and the ink, the design may not show up well.   The artistry in the designs is somewhat lost in translation, so to speak.

Of course, just because other people can’t see the design clearly is no good reason not to get the design applied.  Speaking just for myself, I didn’t get my ink to show off, I got it to satisfy myself.  And it is definitely possible to have great tattoos on darker skin.  One of the best tattoo artists in Los Angeles, Zulu, in whose shop I’m proud to say I got two of my three tattoos (by his associate artists, since Zulu himself is booked up months and months in advance, and for good reason) creates bold and beautiful designs that are suitable for any skin tone.

Has your skin tone dictated your choice of tattoo? As a generic whitey, I never even thought about taking my skin’s color into consideration.  I’m wondering if other people think differently about the process.

Oh, and if you know any good places to walk in Griffith Park, for an out-of-shape multicolored person, I’m all ears. 

photo credit: Japokskee

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Comments (1)

By infmom, March 4, 2010 12:43 pm

From the very beginning of time, no doubt, it’s been true that any part of the human body that could be tattooed, would be.   Until recently, though, eyeballs were only tattooed to cover up imperfections, and the work was done by doctors.

It is now possible, with the help of the right artist, to re-color the whites of your eyes.  The process has to be done with a syringe, not a regular tattoo needle.  Color is injected just under the surface and spreads out.  All reports indicate that this is an incredibly painful procedure.

Here is a recent story from the Huffington Post about a couple of guys who got the eyeball tattoos done in prison.  Apparently it is one way to prove how tough you are.  No kidding.  Given the decidedly nonsterile environment in prison cells, and the decidedly nontraditional equipment available to do the job, it’s a wonder these guys lived to tell the tale.  Whether they’ll still have their eyesight a year or two down the road, who knows?

Ordinarily my attitude toward body art and body mods is “whatever floats your boat.”  Tongue splitting, lizard spots, plastic beads under the skin, whatever.  But to deliberately put your eyes in jeopardy?  This is the only time I have found myself saying out loud, “What were they THINKING!!!”

There are quite a few web sites out there devoted to eye tattoos / scleral tattooing / etc.  I’m not going to link to them, because the few I looked at while researching this post made me queasy.  It’s my blog and I ain’t a-gonna make myself sick. 

What do you think about this?  Do you have any tattoos in less-common places yourself?
photo credit: dullhunk

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