Tattoos

[storeynicholas]

You are, apparently, based so far away from anywhere that I have ever been for me to assume that you do not know my marital history - but the rest is silence....... :
NJS

[Tone Loki]

Aha.. A topic very close to my heart.

I am heavily tattooed, mostly done between the ages of 16 and 30. I have coverage from below my neck line to the tops of my feet. I am incredibly interested in the history and culture of tattooing, as well the technical and craft side of it as well.. I read extensively on the subject, and have many good friends who are tattooers.

I come from a Naval family, which sparked the interest initially, and enjoy the juxtaposition of presenting myself smartly to the world whilst covering a myriad of colour, pattern and symbol.

I am particularly interested in western tattoos, eschewing both the "tribal" styles and the ornate Japanese sophisticated body suits.

Is it possible for a man to remain elegant and be tattooed? Very very difficult, I would say. A Japanese 'businessman" (read Yakuza ) could easily team up a sober bespoke suit with a beautiful full bodysuit from Horiyoshi III, or one of the other Yakuza approved tradtional Japanese tattooers, skillfully undertaken over a hundred hours or more of work. But to have Western 'Traditional" work like the classic military tattoos of Sailor Jerry or Capt. Coleman and retain a modicum of true elegance? Speaking as a wearer.. No.

I'll be happily discuss the topic further if anyone has any questions...

[sta]

My cousin is in the forces, in his younger days he desired an apple, tattooed below just below his left hip. His reaoning - no one would see it and he couldn't think of a better design!

Make of this what you will.

[Jordan Marc]

Certain religions are vehemently opposed to tattoos. The brilliant comic Lenny Bruce (the forerunner of the even more brilliant George Carlin) had a setpiece in his standup routine about coming home from the navy with a tattoo that horrified his mother, who screamed: My God! what have you done to yourself? You can't be buried in a Jewish cemetery!" -- "Oh for the love of---Tell ya what, ma, have 'em cut out the tattoo and bury it with the goyem, then bury the rest of me with the Jews. What do I care? I'm dead by then."

Body art has its advocates and its detractors. I suppose it depends upon the talent of the tattoo artist and his understanding of anatomy. What really bothers me about it is what happens to the tattoo as the body ages, ie, sags and swells, not to mention the fading of the pigment.

JMB

[storeynicholas]

The people of the Sleepy Hollow also seem to need to plaster their tattooes in sun block; presumably, a burnt tattoo is sore?
NJS

[Tone Loki]

Nicholas - the use of sun block is to stop the colour fading... Direct, prolonged sunlight tends to break up the pigment... certain colours are affected more than others.

Marc - You are correct that the talents of the tattooer will affect the longterm quality of the tattoo. An experienced and renowned artist will know how to make sure it looks good 10, 20 or 30 years down the line - If you work the ink in too deep, it will spread and in time the design will become hazy and blurred, but if you don't get the ink in enough it will look patchy and faded in time. The most important factor is getting the colour in evenly without trauma to the skin.

Different people's skin takes on ink in different ways, and the skin in different parts of the body can be softer or harder (the neck compared to the inside of your forearm for example) so a tattooer can only learn from time and experience how to deal with this properly.

This is where the parallels between tattooing and tailoring come in:

Until the last 20 years or so, the secrets of successful tattooing were closely guarded, and only handed over from master to apprentice or traded with others for equipment or more expertise.

Naturally, like most things, the internet has bought with it an explosion of access to information and equipment, which has led to a huge upsurge in people starting to tattoo without the proper grounding or apprenticeship - leading to often comical and horrendous results.

[Jovan the Un1337]

I used to not like tattoos very much. That has changed, as I've crushed on several women who have many tattoos on their arms. Now, I don't think being covered head to toe is particularly attractive, but whatever. It's their choice.

I'm glad none of you are parroting some of the things I've read before, like saying no one of class has them and that women who have them are tramps.

I don't have any tattoos. I've thought about getting one, but that's it. Maybe I never will. I will still staunchly defend the tattooed against ridiculous and bigoted comments, however.

[SAINT_X]

Not to come across as haughty, but I find tattoo's to reflect a bit of a juvenile mentality. If something has meaning for me, it's OK...I can deal with the fact that I don't have to have a picture of it somewhere on my body. Think, write, paint, build things that have meaning...

I think I get the idea of service members getting a pass on enjoining the tattoo'ed as they are usually young and being forcefully trained not to think too far in the future, and perhaps more importantly that engaging in fads such as this is a way of comforming to a group or a team.

I guess my overall view of tattoo's is that they are too often an ultimately superficial replacement for acts or thoughts of real and lasting substance. Not that they have to be, or always are...just that they frequently are.

[Jovan the Un1337]

Yep, that's exactly the sort of generalisation I'm speaking out against.

Take my friend Jay. He has many tattoos, even gauged ears and once had a pierced lip. Now, because of that you'll probably have some prejudice about what music he listens to, that he's a party animal, hates authority, etc.

Actually, he doesn't drink, smoke or do drugs. He's also more mature than a lot of guys in his subculture. On top of that, he's even more of a romantic than I am. Juvenile mentality? Hardly. Think before you judge.

[SV]

John Irwing wrote a novel named Until I Find You couple of years ago. Tattoos and tattoo artist's are a theme in it. One of the characters is an organist who has Bach's and Händel's music tattooed all over him. That's a case where there's a deep personal meaning to tattoos.

SV

[Costi]

Perhaps a B A C H motif would make an interesting tattoo, but I can't think of a part of my body where it would be appropriate - an ear lobe, maybe? Or on 4 fingertips - but I don't play the harpsichord. At any rate, certainly not all over my body. Not even Ravel's Bolero!

[shredder]

It seems that this is one of those situations where people who do not, and likely never will, have it make a much bigger fuss about it than those who do have it. It seems improbable but evidence suggests otherwise.

I am inked. The few who have seen them ask me whether they mean anything. I say, yes. They ask, so what do they mean? I say, it's personal. And then we revert to moaning about the weather...

[shredder]

Did I mention that mine are bespoke?

[Costi]

By they way, did "they" already invent the "ready to apply" tattoo, or is it still largely a form of art?

[SAINT_X]

This is such a funny subject.

I wonder if any of the great artists, who's work is often a subject of tattoos had tattoos themselves? Motzart, Beethoven, Van Gogh, DeVinci? Einstein should have had E=MC2 tattooed between his shouIder blades if he wanted to really make a statement...haha. Though, I don't recall having heard of any that did...though there could be one or two. Interesting to contemplate why they generally did not feel the need...it isn't like tattoos didn't exist in their time. Perhaps they just considered them part of primitive culture that they had moved beyond by The Enlightenment and beyond.

If I like a certain quote..I just write it down and keep it in my pocket and read it until it is committed to memory, I figure it does me more benefit there than on my torso...and it will be "readable" significantly longer...

Now keep in mind ya'll, that I am in a hotbed of mindless activity and faddish behavior... and though I am popping off a bit on the subject please don't take offense.
Personal significance is, if anything in the world if is, objective. It is not for me to try and suggest what is and is not of significance to you, but GOD...i see SO many people around here sporting tattoos that are obvious attempts to intimidate or replace something missing inside. Good example...girl I know became a young widow so she goes out and gets an angel wing tattoo with dead husbands name inscribed...she was remarried to one of his closest friends within 6 months...kind of typical...I know of several such stories that have colored my view of tats.
That being said ( i have vented ) I am fully aware that not every tattoo is mindless or faddish ( only about 95% where I am from...haha)