As soon as you leave the tattoo artist’s salon his or her work is completed and you have to take over responsibility for the care of your tattoo. If this is a first tattoo you will naturally feel a little nervous but by following his/her advice you should not have any problems. The aim is for the tattoo to heal completely with a result that pleases you and will give you pleasure for a long time to come.
Simple Rules to Follow
Your new tattoo will be bandaged when you first leave and you may be advised to leave it on for a few hours. When the big moment comes to remove it, it’s best to be prepared with warm, (not hot water), a soft cloth and maybe a trusted friend! And importantly you should be in a hygienic room.
Gently wet the bandage with the warm water as this will help the bandage to be removed without any friction. Once it is removed, carefully wash the tattooed area with soapy water, rinse and pat dry with the soft cloth. Some tattoo artists recommend allowing the tattoo to be exposed for a few minutes before applying any ointment.
We are all aware that tattooing is an ancient method of body decoration which carries with it ties to a wealth of heritage and tradition. However, these days’ tattoos are more about self expression and the quest for individuality. When you think about how tattoos came to our shores from the South Pacific islands, Australia and New Zealand it was the sailors on these exploratory vessels that brought the passion for tattooing back with them. Sailors would often get a tattoo as a souvenir from the places they visited rather like a stamp on a passport. They became symbols of experience and fortitude. The tattoos that they would get would be rich in symbolism and meaning, generally relating to safe journeys and protection whilst they travelled the world’s oceans.
Many tattoo artists have a reputation for being slightly more creative than most people, and being able to visualise things that others would have difficulty with. It could be called thinking out of the box, though in some cases the box doesn’t even picture, the thought process is that creative! But it is this kind of inspired genius that can lead to some incredible artwork being produced on let’s face it, what is not the easiest canvas to work with.
Used as a form of expression for centuries, man has tattooed his skin to signify life changing transitions, status and wealth and of course has used ink of many types to make a strike for individualism. Originally it was plant dyes that were used and above all of the products that were used there were two that rose to the fore as being excellent as skin staining pigmentations, one was indigo and the other Henna.
No matter how much you really wanted your original tattoo, or how much you loved the design at the time, there may come a point when you no longer want to be reminded of your reasons for getting it, or the love of your life that it was designed to celebrate. In times like these it’s time to look into either tattoo removal or a cover up to make that area of skin less frustrating to you and lose the stigma associated with the original tattoo.
Many tattoo artists have their own unique pigment blend that they use regularly, made to an exact recipe that they keep a closely guarded secret. In reality the majority of dyes on the market today contain traditional vegetable dyes along with metal salts and plastics. One of the newest dye adaptations is a UV reactive agent that makes the tattoo react to black light, plus inks that absorb light then release it for a glow in the dark effect for an added artistic dimension.
Also known as permanent make up, cosmetic tattooing was once used only in a medical capacity to offer clients the chance to recreate or enhance features lost through illness, accident or surgery. Now, this provision of permanent make up has caused an increase in the number of regular women that venture into a tattoo parlour, searching for eternal beauty. Lip lining, eye lining and other procedures are now being performed regularly around the world.
It would appear that Neolithic man or indeed Otzi, the Iceman living 3,300 years ago knew all about tattoos as he was found to have least fifty seven of them, ( including around his ankles), that could have been for treating arthritis. We can’t be sure. We do know however that Egyptian mummies were also tattooed and evidence has been found that tattooing was popular in Chinese minority ethnic groups several thousand years ago. Paleolithic man and woman, (10,000 BCE) certainly decorated their bodies, not only as adornment but as an expression of spiritual belief. In Japan, the Indian sub-continent, the Middle East and North Africa, tattooing was and is still popular.
From the Sanskrit for ‘circle’, mandala is the term used to describe beautiful circle designs. A circle is a symbol of unity, eternity, perfection and completeness and it is an important symbol in all cultures. The basic mandala form consists of a four gated square within which is a circle with a defined centre point. Mandalas have a spiritual and ritual significance in many eastern cultures, especially Buddhism. They can be used to focus the mind in order to achieve deep meditation or assist in promoting a state of deep trance which allows for one to access the deepest levels of the consciousness in order to experience a sense of unity with the universe. In more modern usage a mandala is often referred to as being any geometric pattern that is a reflection of the cosmos. It is an illustrated form of expressionism that has existed for centuries across all art forms.
A future in body art is not something that any school or college career officer will actively promote. It can therefore be difficult to find the information needed in order to get yourself on the right career path.
