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By infmom, May 20, 2010 2:44 pm

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I got my calendars mixed up, and thought that the Diabetes Expo and the Ink & Iron tattoo show were both in Long Beach last weekend. (Ink & Iron’s next month.) I thought it’d be an interesting combination of venues, and people could go from one to the other without too much trouble (Diabetes Expo at the Convention Center, Ink & Iron on the Queen Mary).

People who have chronic diseases can’t be as carefree and casual about getting tattoos as perhaps they’d like to be.  While it might not be a case of “For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction” for everyone, certainly the process of invading your skin with foreign substances can stress some people’s bodies more than others.  Diabetics don’t heal as fast.  People with autoimmune disorders might be pushed into a flare-up.  People with allergies, especially nickel allergies, might have inflamed skin for years.  People with latex allergies should definitely make sure the artist is using some other kind of gloves.

I have three tattoos, and I’m a Type 2 diabetic.  I also have nickel allergy.  I got my first tattoo before I got my diabetes diagnosis, but I went to the tattoo parlor fully informed the second and third time.  Interestingly enough, I was never asked about health conditions by any of the artists who inked me.  In retrospect, I think I should have been.  I don’t think it would have changed anything, but (again in retrospect) I think it’s only right that the artist should know that much about the person he/she is working on. If I get another tattoo (still under consideration) I’ll tell the artist up front if he or she doesn’t ask.

And, of course, people with chronic medical conditions should absolutely do some research before getting body art or piercings.  The more we know ahead of time, the better we can be prepared for possible problems afterwards.  If I’d known there was a connection between tattoo ink and nickel allergy, I might have changed the colors of my designs (although as it turned out, I had no problem with the blue or green colors, only with the red which does not contain nickel).  Knowing that diabetics heal more slowly would not have stopped me from getting any of my tattoos, but knowing that I had diabetes did inspire me to make sure my blood sugar levels were well under control before I got inked.

Have you had to take your health into consideration before getting inked?  Have you been asked about health problems by your artist?  How did you handle the issue?

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By infmom, May 5, 2010 10:07 am

First of all, thank you for subscribing! But could you all please make sure your email address is correct? And that you allow emails from the site to get through your spam filters? I’ve been getting bounced emails lately and I wouldn’t want you to think they hadn’t been sent in the first place.

Thanks!

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By infmom, May 1, 2010 11:18 am

Once again, the Ink-N-Iron Festival is coming to the Queen Mary in Long Beach.  As someone who’s attended and who’s gotten tattooed there, I heartily recommend it.  Just think what the Duchess of Windsor must be thinking. 

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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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By infmom, February 19, 2010 8:50 pm

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I tend to favor colored tattoos.  I think it’s because I’ve seen so many old tattoos where the black ink has changed color, spread around, or faded out.  The black ink on my ankle tattoo spread, and what was once a fairly attractive Eye of Horus looks pretty amateurish today despite a second artist’s best attempts to make it look better.

From what I’ve seen over the years, the monochrome tattoos can be more elaborate and have finer lines, and certainly there is some amazing fine-line work being done today.  Portraits, especially, can be incredibly lifelike, and some of the tribal designs are amazingly intricate.  For those, adding color would be a mistake.

But on the other hand, there’s nothing like a full-color masterpiece.  The nuances of shading and color, in the hands of a skillful artist, rival artwork on any other kind of surface–and tattoo artists don’t have the luxury of being to erase and start over.  Plus the field of view is somewhat obscured by the ink that’s being wiped away while the process is going on.  And yet when you watch the process the artist makes it all look so easy. 

I’m still mulling over getting another tattoo, and it will be in color.  I’ve already mentioned that it will be somewhere that’s usually visible, probably a bracelet, but I might also get a half sleeve or a design on my calf.  That will depend a lot on the amount of money I’ll have available when the time comes.  Good work is well worth paying for.  I will have to work carefully on the design, though, given the issues I’ve had with red ink on my last tattoo (a shame, because I like a wide spectrum of colors) and go to an artist who doesn’t dig too deep like the creator of that now-smudged ankle design.

Which kind of design do you prefer?  One color?  Fine line? Full color?  I’d be interested to hear what you all have to say.

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By infmom, January 14, 2010 12:15 pm

The upgrade to the blog is done.  You may see some odd characters in the posts.  I am not sure what caused that, some artifact of the database restoration process, most likely.  But everything’s present and accounted for, and with any luck I won’t have to go through that process again for a while.

New posts as soon as I have time to breathe!

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By infmom, January 6, 2010 7:20 pm

I need to do some major work on my blogs this week, so if you try to get here and the link doesn’t work or the place looks like it got hit by a truckload of white bread and mayonnaise…     hang in there.   I have worked out the details and will be able to put everything back the way it should be…   eventually.  

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By infmom, December 31, 2009 3:19 pm

To all my readers, may 2010 bring you everything you ask for!
photo credit: Trisha Descallar

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By infmom, December 18, 2009 11:51 am

In the northern hemisphere, we’re into the colder weather already (well, here in the Los Angeles megalopolis it’s gotten chilly enough that some of the surfers are thinking about putting on some clothes, at any rate) so it’s not as easy to display our artwork.   Thus, the following suggestions for the times when one’s own art isn’t so simple to display.   Again, this is a list of suggestions where it’d be best if you found your own sources, so I’m not providing specific links.

A t-shirt with a picture of a favorite tattoo (you can make this yourself with iron-on transfers if you feel up to it).   You could also provide a disk with images and a box of iron-on transfer paper in case the recipient doesn’t like what you picked.   And doesn’t mind being given a gift they have to put together themselves.     Since my dragon tattoo is almost never visible, I’m thinking seriously of making a shirt with an iron-on of the dragon over where it actually is on my left shoulderblade.

An item of clothing or a bumper sticker with the logo of your or the recipients’ favorite tattoo artist (if the artist sells such things, I’m sure he or she will appreciate the extra income).

Jewelry with tattoo designs.   Lots of this available all over the internet and at places like Hot Topic.

A sheet of vintage tattoo flash, framed for hanging on the wall (there are many web sites devoted to vintage flash and you can also find it on eBay).

There is an iPhone app called Tattoo Mania.   I’m sure there are others.   I don’t have an iPhone.  

If the recipient’s favorite artist offers gift certificates, buy one for an hour’s work.   If the artist doesn’t do this, find out what he or she charges by the hour and get a prepaid gift card from Master Card, Amex, etc.   for that amount.   (Of course, whether the recipient spends the card on artwork is then up to him or her.)

Today’s the last day of Hanukkah, but the Solstice is coming soon, followed by Christmas and Kwanzaa, so there are plenty of opportunities left this year to spread some Multi.Colored joy around!
photo credit: __april

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By infmom, December 8, 2009 11:44 am

All kinds of holidays are coming soon, so people of many traditions will have good reasons to celebrate.   Here are a few ideas for gifts for people who are already multicolored and for those who’d like to be.

Crafty Computer Paper (in the UK) sells inkjet paper designed for printing fake tattoos.   In the US, so does DecalPaper.com.   What better way to get someone started on the path to real decoration than printing out temporary tattoos in their own designs?

If your recipients aren’t quite ready to mark up their own skin, how about tattoo-themed gifts from Zazzle or Tattoo Art Gifts?

Zazzle also has tattoo bumper stickers.

And of course, for the real Multi.Colored fan, there is always (you knew this was coming, right?) one of my own Multi.Colored designs from my CafePress store.

That’s just for starters.   More suggestions in days to come.   Feel free to add your own!
photo credit: comawe

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