Some Tattoo History

Tattoos have been cited in many different ancient cultures used as symbols and forms of art. The earliest being the Egyptians around 4000 b.c. along with the Chinese who first started the art form tattooing in 500 b.c. It would have been cool to be around back then and see ancient tattoos compared to the tattoo artists in current times. talking about the united states specifically, tattoos weren't really around using a machine till the late 1800's. Getting even more specific, the first man to have an electric tattoo machine issued to him by the US patent office was an Irishman by the name of Samuel O' Reilly. Again I wonder if Mr. O' Reilly actually had an skills behind the tattoo machine in comparison to the artists around these days. And although Samuel O' Reilly was the first to have an actual machine, he was far from the first tattoo observer that had passed through the United States. Dating back to 1769 a captain by the name of James Cook sailed his vessel to Tahiti and had seen the natives there going through the ritual of marking each others bodies. It's interesting to think of how many hundreds of years tattooing has been around and how it started with tribes tattooing each other. Nowadays you see all people from many different backgrounds and ethnicities getting tattoos.

David Beckham

This week I wanted to talk about a famous soccer star, David Beckham, who most people in the world are familiar with because of his talent and his amazingly good looks.  Since I am also a soccer player, I wanted to look up one of my favorite soccer players (David Beckham) who has multiple tattoos.  He has gotten the majority of his tattoos done by his Manchester tattoo artist.  Over the years, Beckham has added on tattoos on his back such as the name of his first born son (Brooklyn) which runs across his lower back, his second son (Romeo) below his neck, and the name of his third son (Cruz) placed below his winged figure.  Along with his children's names tattooed on his back, he has a Guardian Angel and a Winged Cross.  Beckham also has many other tattoos located on his arms and on his lower ribs.  All of his tattoos have significant meaning to his life.  He has his children tattooed on his back and he has a picture of his wife on his arm.  Those people are the most important people in his life and that is one of the ways he expresses himself and his love for them. 

Here is a picture of some of his tatoos on his back:

Below is a picture of his sleeve tattoos on both of his arm

Check out this video to get an inside look at David Beckham's tattoos! He talks about how tattoos are a way of expressing himself and he mentions each one of his tattoos.

Where to get it?

I was curious to find out where on the body people like to get their tattoos for some possible ideas for my own self.  I found that one of the most famous spots for women to get their tattoos is on their lower back.  Tattoos on the wrist, foot, ankle, arm, chest, and back seem to be the most popular location.  I have seen a number of people on tv, at the beach, and random places with tattoos in those places.  The most common one I have personally seen is on the arm.  That seems to be a pretty popular location, especially for men.  I have also seen some very unique places for tattoos, such as the ribs and inside of the lower lip.  Getting a tattoo on the ribs seems like it would be extremely painful.  The lower lip seems unique because not many people get to see it! Also, some people get tattoos on their face, such as Lil' Wayne and the famous tear drop tattoo he has.  People choose their locations for different reasons which essentially has meaning to that person.  If i were to get a tattoo, I would probably want to get one near my foot or my ankle. 

I have found another tattoo blog that I have been interested in because of the pictures that are posted.  I look at the pictures and then I become intrigued, so I want to read what it is about. Check it out!

Below is an example of Angelina Jolie's lower back tattoo.

This is an example of a back tattoo on Lebron James

Lastly, below is Drew Barrymore's tattoo on her ankle

Original tattoos? Think again..

This week I wanted to explore what the most popular tattoo designs were in this past year.  I did some research and used some of my own knowledge to make these conclusions.  The results may be surprising to you tattoo lovers out there, or it may not be.  I found that some of the most popular designs were tribal tattoos, tattoos in another language, celtic designs, perennial designs such as flowers and stars, and dragon tattoos.  The dragon design for a tattoo seemed interesting to me because personally I would never want a dragon on my body because it seems meaningless.  The tattoos in a different language seems very common because I have come across people I know with quotes in a different language whether it is Chinese, Italian, etc.  In one of my earlier blogs, the student Logan, had a celtic design on his tattoo.  Tattoos are unique to the person because they have their own meaning to it no matter what type of design it could be, popular or original. 

Tattoo Artist: Certified? or Free Lance?

Some people may think to themselves, Hey, Should I become a tattoo artist? If the answer is yes then there are a couple different routes you can take. First being, you can choose to go to tattoo school and get your degree or certification (which is mandatory is some, but not all states) or you can set out on your own and work as a "free lance" tattoo artist. I read that many states allow you to work in shops or on your own without taking traditional schooling, but you must have an apprenticeship for a specified amount of time. Being fully certified on the other hand enables you to work in any state and for any shop. Tattoo classes may cost a certain amount of money but they will allow you to work in shops with high notoriety that will pay more. After taking these classes and passing a with a certain grade (varies from state to state) you will be able to get a certification that states you are able to correctly apply the techniques necessary for a safe tattoo. This brings peace of mind to the customer as well as peace of mind to you yourself knowing you wont be infecting anyone. Plus these tattoos are the artists craft and traditional schooling I feel would probably help you if you aren't already skilled in the craft.  I know someone who has had his tattoos done by a free lance artist who says he makes just as much, if not more, than any of his other certified artists who work in licensed shops. Working as a free lance tattoo artist allows you to name your own prices and see as many or as few clients as you like without  having a specified schedule. But on the other hand, you may not be able to work in certain areas without being certified. People also may not be willing to pay as much knowing that you aren't certified and there is a higher risk of the tattoo not being properly done or potentially getting infected.  It's definitely a two-way street and there's no real right or wrong answer because there are pros and cons to each side. Whether free lance or certified, both styles of tattoo artists use the tattoo itself to express themselves, their art and their skills through the tattoos they give.  The people getting these tattoos normally have a vision or reason behind getting them and the tattoo artist enables them to express this vision.

Sentimental Tattoos

This week I went back to interviewing a person about the meaning of their tattoo because I did not have much time to look for or research interesting topics due to the fact I was in the hospital.  I talked to someone from home, Derek, about his tattoos.  His first tattoo is a cross with praying hands located on the upper half of his right arm.  The details of the tattoo contain a ribbon going across the top.  The quote in the ribbon is from his mother's gravestone saying "Life is not forever Love is".   The second ribbon goes across the middle containing dates of when she was born and when she died--"71561-51496".  Finally, there is another ribbon going across the bottom that says "Mom".  This tattoo is meaningful to Derek because it is a remembrance of his mothers passing. It is something of sentimental value that he will always be able to have with him and hold dear to him.

Derek's second tattoo is a quote on his forearm that says "Love is anterior to life, posterior to death, initial of creating and the exponent of life".  He got it after his grandfather Charles passed last x-mas season. It was a quote that Derek had heard his grandfather say on multiple occasions and he believes in it so he wanted to always remember it.

Los Angeles Lakers

It is notoriously known that a majority of the NBA players have tattoos.  I wanted to focus on one of my favorite teams in the NBA, the Los Angeles Lakers.  I was searching to find out about the players and the tattoos they have and their meaning behind them.  I ended up finding a video on youtube where the players are specifically asked about the inspiration behind their unique tattoos.  I found it interesting that basically every single player had a tattoo about either friends or family.  The video also shows the difference in quality between tattoos done by amateurs artists or those who are less skilled and professional highly paid tattoo artists. The lakers players can afford to get them done by tattoo artists who can provide them with the highest quality ink and artistry, and it definitely shows.

Take a look at the video and hear the players talking about their tattoos!

LA Ink

Just the other day when I was home for fall break, I was flipping through the television channels and I came across a show on TLC called "LA Ink". I had never heard about the show before, and by the title, I knew it had something to do with tattoos so I wanted to keep watching. I watched two episodes and I found it to be a really intriguing show. From what I saw, the show is mainly about the tattoo artists lives at their shop, High Voltage Tattoo. The main tattoo artist, Kat Von D, is big in the tattoo world. The show is also about people coming to the shop and getting tattoos. The customers talk about what tattoo they are getting and the meaning behind the tattoo and its importance it has on their life.  I really enjoyed this show because it made me realize that people express themselves in all different ways such as playing sports, music, dancing, singing, art, etc. and the tattoo artists at High Voltage Tattoo express themselves with tattoos on their bodies along with tattooing other people. Each person on the show had a meaning for their tattoo, and I thought it really went well for my theme of "Beyond the Ink".

For all the tattoo lovers out there, I encourage you to check out their home page which gives the TV schedule, videos, fun games and quizzes, etc.

100% Satisfaction Guaranteed?

This week I wanted to switch up what I was blogging about.  After interviewing the two previous students on my blog, I was curious to look up if people are actually satisfied with their tattoos.  I did some research on this topic and I found that about 20% of people are dissatisfied with their tattoos, but only about 6% actually get their tattoos removed.  There are a number of reasons why people have chosen to get tattoos such as embarrassment, lowering of body image, and changing a job or career, to name a few.  I am not surprised about the percentage of people who are dissatisfied with their tattoos because it seems like some people get their tattoos without not much thought put into it.  Also, there are occupations that do not allow it or frown upon hiring people with tattoos.  I believe if someone gets a tattoo, or if I eventually get one, it needs to be very meaningful.  If people thought about their tattoos more and the location of those tattoos, the percentage of people who are displeased could go down.  Here I posted a youtube of strange tattoos that are over the top examples of people not thinking before getting tattoos.

Meaning..

The next person I found with a tattoo was another freshman named Logan McKenna.  His tattoo is located in the center of his back between his shoulder blades.  I really enjoyed learning about his tattoo and the significant meaning it has behind it!  His tattoo is a celtic cross with a celtic knot which represents his faith and his heritage.  He is a Christian, so he wanted the cross, and he is 65% Irish, so he wanted the celtic knot.  He got this tattoo because he always wanted something that embraces who he is and also reminds him of his beliefs.  For these exact reasons, the tatto is exactly what he wanted and he feels as if he will never regret it!  The price was $350.00 and it took three hours.  Logan also concluded that it was the worst pain he has ever felt.  I was searching around for other blogs on tattoos, and I found a neat one that talks a little bit about the famous Ed Hardy and also shows videos! Check it out.

First Post

The first person I interviewed about their tattoo was my roommate, Emmy Fisher.  She got her tattoo two weeks ago!  Her tattoo is on the inside of her wrist and it says "Jeremiah 29:11" which is the verse that says, "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future."  She got this tattoo because it is her favorite book in the Bible and it is a reminder to her that whatever happens in life, God will be in charge of her life and take care of her.  She also got this tattoo for her grandfather who passed away.  This verse was read at his funeral.  I also asked Emmy about the price, the time it took, the pain level, and if it was worth it.  She told me that it was $80.00, it took about thirty minutes, and it was very painful.  The tattoo will be worth it, even when she is seventy years old and wrinkly, because of the message of the verse.

I am excited and I look forward to continue to meet people with tattoos on campus!  It will be interesting to see the different tattoos the meaning behind them.