Customizing the Body (PDF file) - Print My Tattoo

76 The Tattooist
But the ideal person is someone who is a real good artist and
understands tattooing technique. For me. before something
can be art I have to see craftsmanship. If I see something that
I. or anybody. can do and it doesn't show that craftsmanship
then I can't respect it as art. To me tattooing is a skilled craft
and an art at times, Generally it's not art, It's just the
reproduction of simple designs. It's usually not like a fine
painting on the skin. There's nothing artistic about copying
Yosemite Sam five hundred times. The important thing is to do
it right. If they want Yosemite Sam they are going to get
something that looks like Yosemite Sam-the lines are sharp
and clear. the colors are bright and solid. it heals within a few
days and they got what they paid for, That's the most important
part. [TattooisUfriendl said. "First master the craft and the art
will come on its own," Once I got over the hurdle of getting
decent eqUipment and learning something about using it. the
art started to develop (cf. Christopherson. 1974b; Sinha. 1979).
Independent trial-and-error experience is another common
route by which one acquires tattoo skill. 9 This approach has clear
liabilities. Commonly. the unaffiliated novice is unfamiliar with
the most rudimentary workings of the tattoo machine and must
engage in considerable experimentation to discover the right
"stroke" and penetration of the needles in order to even begin to
inject pigment under the skin. As a consequence. the novice's initial
work is generally technically inferior to that produced under
the supervision of a knowledgeable tattooist.
In addition to haVing surreptitiously observed tattooists while
being tattooed or while posing as a potential client. the tattooists
also reported haVing sought information from tattoo eqUipment
suppliers early in the learning stage of their careers.
There was this guy in the factory where I was working that had
a homemade tattoo. very large. his whole bicep. He wanted it
covered and said that anything was better than the homemade
tattoo, He said that he would let me cover it if I did it for
nothing, So I drew up this huge dragon. I needed a place to do
it so the woman I was going with at the time said I could do it