Multi.Colored—tattooed people, tattoo dreams

I’m taking an art class this semester, and yesterday I wore my TATTOOS ARE MY WAY OF INVESTING IN ART t-shirt to class.

This led to an interesting discussion with one of my classmates, who has several tattoos herself.  She said that all her tattoos have a common theme, something very spiritually meaningful to her.  Like me, her ink is usually covered by clothing, but she described some of her tattoos and explained why they fit her theme.

I obviously never had a “theme” in choosing my tattoos, but all of them have deep personal meaning to me, so in that sense they go together even though visually and stylistically they don’t match in any way.  But the idea of planning each tattoo with one central theme in mind intrigued me.  I wonder how common that approach to body art must be?

Obviously, the people who get whole-body Japanese tattoos are following that kind of philosophy.  But is a gangbanger whose ink reflects gang sensibilities even though not coming together in one unified design doing the same?  What about a person whose tattoos relate to the same general principle (religious art, for example) but are all done in varying styles or by different artists and present a mish-mosh of visual effects when seen as a whole?

What happens if a person starts out with one theme in mind and then goes off in a different direction?  Can the original ink be altered to match the new theme?  Should it be?  I’m reminded of the tattooed lady in Heinlein’s Stranger in a Strange Land who starts off as a standard-issue sideshow performer and then has her tattoos transformed into a religious work of art by her husband, the tattoo artist.

And what if some of the art is done by one artist and some of it is done by another artist with an entirely different style?

I guess what I’m asking is whether having a theme results in a “unified field” of body art or not. 

Do you have a theme?  Do you know anyone who planned their ink in advance?  I’d be interested to hear what others think about this.
photo credit: rasseon

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It’s always best, as the old saw goes, to begin at the beginning.

When it comes to getting a tattoo, though, there’s a lot more to be done than just sitting down in the chair and waiting to be decorated.

Which comes first, choosing the design or choosing the artist? Obviously, neither should be done on the spur of the moment or because all your friends are doing it. This seems like a no-brainer, but cyberspace is full of stories of people who ended up with ink that they really didn’t want. That’s why tattoo removal is such big business these days.

When I was 16 I wanted a green flower on the inside of my left ankle. So much so that I carefully re-drew it every day, for years. If I’d been able to go ahead and make it permanent at that time, you bet I would have. I’d undoubtedly view it as a cute exercise in nostalgia if it were there today, and I could always hide it under a sock or a pair of black nylons if I wanted to. (I have a much more elaborate tattoo in the same general area today and I’ve hidden it under dark nylons a time or two. You usually don’t want to go to a job interview displaying your art unless you’re going to work for an artist.)

I’d personally answer the artist-or-design question by saying “Pick the artist first.” You can get a really good idea of whether you want this person doing something permanent to your body by visiting the shop, making it clear to the receptionist that you’re in the market for a tattoo, but not today, and taking your time to look at the flash on the walls (if any) and the artist’s portfolio, which should be available. No portfolio? Uh… try another shop. You’re making a lifetime commitment to this body art and if the artist doesn’t want to show off his or her work, you don’t want to be the sacrificial lamb.

You should also pay attention to how the artist interacts with the people he or she is decorating, and the general ambience of the shop, and the customers. Now, I freely admit that when I got my first tattoo, I did it on the basis of having seen a newspaper article about the artist and having decided that I really liked his attitude. When I finally went into the shop, I looked a bit out of place–a 46-year-old mom amongst bikers, truckers, kids, and eager candidates for World’s Most Tattooed Person. But looks aren’t everything. The artist understood better than I did what I wanted, adapted my original idea, and gave me something way better than what I would have gotten if I’d been left to my own devices.

As for the design, ideally, you would have one of your own, one that’s meaningful to you, something unique. But that’s not always practical or necessary. Picking flash off the artist’s wall or out of his/her portfolio is certainly the path of least resistance. And certainly one can get a spectacular tattoo that way. Just do yourself a favor and don’t be getting the world’s ten billionth copy of the Tasmanian Devil or Yosemite Sam on your butt, OK? As in all fashion, timeless design is the key.

I’ll talk more about coming up with my own designs in future posts.

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