Q. So much is happening here in India. Esperanza and I are finally starting to relax now that we've identified the place where we want to get Ryan his tat. Thanks for the suggestions, everybody! We still have to book the appointment.
Anyway, remember that “backpacker” we saw getting tattooed at Baby Tiger Tattoo in Randi Market? We ended up seeing her in a ‘dhaba’ (like a diner) with her boyfriend....and their little one! It turns out they are Israeli. So we chatted with them and about their tattoo experience. Aleah (the backpacker) has a whole bunch of tattoo’s. She has:
- a white tiger on her left ankle
- two tigers with Chinese symbol’s for best friends in between on left shoulder
- memorial for her dead ferret on right ankle
- a dragonfly on right shoulder
- a dragonfly on wrist – that was the one we saw her getting!
She told us the story behind each one, and we were very touched. So meaningful! All I can say is that we are VERY anxious (in a good way)!
Their daughter, Netanya, is around 7 month’s, so she and Ryan got along well. Aleah and Namir (bf) invited us to go hiking with them in Dharamsala – that is up in the mountain’s where the Dalai Lama lives!!!
We really want to go, but there is one small problem. As you know, Esperanza thinks women with tattoo’s are sort of trashy.....I know, I know....she can’t help it though, it’s her cultural upbringing. I think it’s ironic because Aleah and Namir are Israeli and they are not “supposed” to get tattoo’s either...Ranza doesn’t get the irony.
Help! What can I do to convince her otherwise??? I REALLY want to go to Dharamsala (and I know she would enjoy it, too)....
A. I have been following this saga from the beginning, From the dragonfly picture that I saw from the "Baby Tiger" artist, she is an amazing artist and I am sure that this backpacker's other ink is amazing as well! I really can't wait to see a picture of the ferret tattoo if you can get one because I lost my pet rat a while ago, and I have been looking for a memorial tattoo design on the internet and haven't been able to find one! I think with a picture of the memorial tattoo for the back packer's ferret in hand, I might be able to go to my artist and get my tattoo started! I mean without an exact picture of what you want, how can you expect your artist to get the tattoo right?!?
But I digress...
Anyway, if Esperanza has seen the amazing art that on this woman, and she still thinks that tattoos on women are trashy, then there is no changing her mind! I mean, it is pretty much the same as someone seeing Jesus perform a miracle live, right in front of them, and them still not believing! At this point there may be no hope. However, before your friends start off on their journey, can you please get the ferret pic and email it to me? my address is tribal_and_butterflies_ and_rats_4 ever @ tat.com (take out the spaces).
Thanks and good luck with Ranza!
How important is "originality" in a tattoo design?
Q. Check out this quote from an interview with Pat Fish (a woman tattoo artist world famous for her Celtic designs). It came out in 2003:
"College students cast about for something with meaning. The great default is something written in Japanese. It's low commitment, and they can feel wicked and tattooed. Frankly, a tiny kanji looks better than a miniscule rose. We call those 'zits on sticks.' The most common tattoo we do, besides kanji, is suns. Especially on girls' lower backs. For the last four or five years, we've done at least one a day. I hung a sign on the front door of my house that says, 'This is the bungalow that suns on butt cracks bought.'" ......
"We work out of files. I have a file of just suns. That way, I don't have to keep drawing the same thing. After the customer looks at 500 different suns, one-third will pick the same sun. It's the logo for this generation—Leo Zulueta's tribal sun. Then they can make it even more meaningful by putting a kanji in the center! My mantra about that is, 'The baker doesn't complain when the muffins sell well.' So, if we bake another dozen kanji, we're happy to do it!"
(source: http://www.luckyfish.com/controversial.html)
Hmmm...What’s the “logo” for THIS generation?
Here is the artist’s cynical viewpoint. Most are probably sick of doing the same “unoriginal” pieces. (Earlier in this article she says “That’s what employees are for!”)
But there is also a value in the standard design; everyone needs to be familiar with it so its “standard” meaning comes across. If every traffic light used different colors to mean “stop” and “go,” it would be really confusing.
Your thoughts?
I walked by Pat Fish's shop today (it's really close to my house) and peeked in....there is a whole HUGE wall of kanji flash, with the meanings of each character! I can really sympathize with her cynical attitude, but this just made the shop look really bad!
A. I completely feel sorry for tattoo artists who do 3-4 tramp stamps a day. As a piercing apprentice I feel as if I might scream every time some generic girl comes in to get either her tongue, her belly button, or both pierced. You can't blame people though, we're all victims trying to look cool. Some of us might not go out and get tattooed on a whim, but we will express it in other ways.
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