Some Text on Text Tats (Say that 10 times fast)

EeKoon:  Different people, different cultures and different markets like different things.  This is no stunning revelation, and when Randy and I began doing a  little research as to what kind of tattoos would sell, I was hoping to see a love for written word tats here.



Twin roses to remember his late father by



It did take me by surprise that there is a comparatively smaller amount of interest to stick some 'abc's for good into skin in Kuala Lumpur. In comparison, back in the US of A, script tattoos seem to be more the norm than the exception and we pretty much do a text tat, if not insert text into a pictorial tat at least once a day.

Now in KL, we have fielded several requests to tattoo scripts, sayings, names etc onto skin, and it seems each time people ask for them, or want to get a tattoo of words, we pretty much jump at the chance to ink it. It's like crawling in a desert and finally finding an oasis, then diving straight into it.

To me, a text tattoo is more than just inking a bunch of letters onto skin. It's a celebration of the written word. It is loaded with definition, heavy with personal meaning. Special and unique to its wearer. Special and unique, too, during the time it is being created, to the artist who cares(to tell you the absolute truth).

Some other tattoo artists might not give a shit. Not me. The day I don't give a crap about a script tat whether it's big or small is probably the day I stop tattooing. It sounds kinda dramatic, but here's my rationale: Script tattoos can always bring back memories every time the client looks at them, good or bad ones...just never weak ones. At the very least, it stimulates a minor reaction and one that is anything but indifferent.

I've seen clients give wry grins after getting them. And hundreds of big smiles. And sometimes, they just burst into cathartic tears in a few instances(then they tend to hug me real tight and I have to offer Kleenex or a paper towel). But I'm digressing.

I love script tats.  Short ones, long ones, edited ones (like a Psalm we had to slice and dice to fit a soldier's back last year and yet retain its meaning). And ones that make up a stanza from a poem I did last week.

Nikki searched long and hard for her next tat, and decided on an excerpt from a Michael Ondaatje poem.  Now, since Ondaatje is one of my favourite writers, I jumped on that like white on rice. Why, you might well ask?  Because Ondaatje doesn't really just write. His prose sentences sound and feel like poetry. Word juxtaposed against word in new and wonderful manner every time you read it. A fullstop isn't a mere fullstop but a drawn out, oh-so-elegant verbal sigh. It's a treat to read his work, so why not tattoo his work, right?

Anyway, we got it written up, stenciled and  inked on her. I loved what she picked, and enjoyed every moment of inking it.  I was tempted (hehe) to put a "(c) Michael Ondaatje" at the bottom behind her back but she would beat me like a red-headed stepchild, I think. And oh yeah... a 3 round needle travelling just under her neck and she barely moved, except shifting when we're laughing over I can't remember what. Bonus!

I got into the 'art space' that Randy talks about. You know, that dream-like, blissful feeling when you're deep in the midst of a tat and there is nothing else in this world, just your eyes, your hands and the canvas before you. One that you leave with great reluctance when it's all over.

And with typical post-tattoo presence of mind, I, um, forgot to take a picture yet again. Which explains the lack of the image which should've been inserted right about.... here. (Yeah, Nikki, I'm a spazz, I know!)

Just as there are good ideas and bad ideas, there are good idea scripts and bad idea scripts. There's no one rule that applies to this, save the one that  you (especially if you are considering a tattoo of a name) should Never, Ever Forget.  And that is: Never Ever Get A Script Tattoo That You Might Regret Someday.



Bible verse tattoo. Timeless, apt and never a regret.



Because, god knows, I've had to cover up enough of them. And that's never a walk in the park. We connect with every person we tattoo at a certain level, and truly, I don't think we ever let that connection go. A tattoo lasts longer than a first, second or third boyfriend. Longer than a marriage or marriages. (thus for example, try to avoid tats of the names of your BF/GF/BFF/etc/spouse, unless deceased). It's too long to get into here, so come ask us personally our take on it :)

Yeah, tattoos really are forever, and in a cover up, we not only deal with having to conceal someone's name, we also get an idea of the client's emotions and reactions - frustration, regret, anger, unhappiness. Imagine getting a feel of some of these things third hand.  And how much worse it gets for the one who gets to feel it first hand.  Nothing very positive, huh?

"I don't really care what you put over it, as long as the word/s is/are gone" are words we have heard all too often. Yes, even in Malaysia.
 
For a little giggle, I asked Randy to tell you this story of a couple back in the US who got each other's names on them. This is a story about a smart girl. And a not-as-smart boy.



This 6'6" mechanic specified old style newsprint text for his nickname. Insisted on a pic before I finished cleaning his fingers up!



Randy: A young couple, Chris and Ce`Aira (Pronounced "Sierra" but with a very unusual and unique spelling), came to us to get one another's names tattooed. My immediate reaction was to give them The Name Speech: "If you're going to get a name, get your own, or that of a blood relation. Your blood will always be your blood, and your name will always be your own. Love comes and goes; tattoos truly are *forever*". I hoped they would reconsider, and suggested as an alternative getting a "symbol" for one another, as symbols have a time frame, while names always carry the current feelings you have toward that person.





Our client-turned-friend Sherry always has her kids with her.



I even went so far as to show them the pitt bull on my left shoulder, which represents me, the panther on my right shoulder which represents my wife, and explained to them that my heart sits right between the two. I also pointed out that if all hell broke loose and we divorced one another tomorrow, when I looked at the tattoos in the mirror I'd remember the day I got them, how good things were, and never have to suffer the indignities of the next love in my life staring coldly at me and my ink asking "Who's Ee Koon, and when is that coming off?!" They had made up their minds and insisted on the names against my best advice and efforts to dissuade them.



I did their tattoos, his first, then hers. As I was halfway through hers, she looked him in the eye and informed him, "If we ever break up, I'll just add a "t" to the end of mine, and make it say "Christ"; what're you going to do with yours?" His eyes got wide as he realized she had an easy escape while her name would be much more difficult to change, and almost certainly require some big, dark, ugly imagery capable of covering up the large, thick letters on his forearm.

"Oh!" he shouted, "You had that planned!"

Her reply was short and sweet: "Damn right, didn't you listen to the man?!"

And what do we learn from this? Choose your ink carefully, and unless you like the taste of crow, never try, as a man, to match wits with a woman who knows you well; if you do, you'll be eating it aplenty for years to come.






Who is honoring whom?

In the last coulple of weeks, I have noticed a trend of sorts that has me scratching my head in wonderment. People are coming into the shop dressed to the nines, and we are getting many phone calls from people asking questions that seem to suggest they're sort of "pre-qualifying" for us. While I had heard rumors that some studios here only cater to the inordinately attractive, the wealthy, the powerful, and the famous, it struck me as an impossible farce. I mean, I know there are people out there who think that their tattooing is so fabulous you must earn the right to wear it, but come on now.

As a professional tattooist who has tattooed wealthy, famous, powerful, and sizzling hot clients, the truth of the matter is that it is not them who should feel honored to sit in my chair. When a person comes and sits in my chair, *I* am the one who is honored, regardless of who they are, or from what walk of life they hail. As I have said before, Pablo Picasso didn't have people lining up to wear his art for all the world to see.

These people are putting their trust in me, and allowing me to permamently mark their skin with tattoos that other people will see for all the years to come. Their children and grandchildren will one day ask them about their ink, and when I imagine some of those conversations in my head, they don't start off with "Well the artist who did this was famous..." they begin with "Well, I really liked this design, and so I got it inked on me...". It should be *your* story you're telling them, not mine. After all, it is your skin that bears the mark, and it was you who came to me looking to have it tattooed. If anything is said about me during this conversation, I would hope that it is something to the nature of "...The whole experience was fantastic! I love the artwork, the artist made me very comfortable,  and we became friends."

People from all walks of life, in all shapes and sizes, from every race, in every social class are curious about tattoos and may want to get inked, but big egos on artists who expect clients to prove their merits before taking their appointments dissuade many from ever investigating the possibilities. Every one of us knows at least one person who may not be very attractive, who may come from humble origins, may work as a street sweeper, may have a disability, etc, who is an absolutely wonderful person, and a joy to know. Given the choice, would you see this wonderful human being deprived of the ability to get a quality tattoo simply because they didn't drive the latest BMW, or wear a thong bikini as an extra on the set of Baywatch?

I come from humble origins. I don't drive the latest BMW. You've got a better chance of being struck by lightning *twice* on the same day than ever seeing me on Baywatch. My artistic "talent" is the result of training and repeated practice, and people seem to love the work I do. The truth is we're all good at one thing or another; usually something that intrigues or interests us. I am simply lucky enough to have found a way to use what I love so much as a way to pay my bills and buy the things I want. Things like plane tickets to Malaysia so my wife can be closer to her family and friends, whom she loves so much. Things like shop fixtures and equipment to open a new shop here. Things like equipment and inks that allow me to continue to learn and grow as a tattooist, and see even more smiles when people take their first look at their new tattoo.

I don't name those I have tattooed because I don't feel that having tattooed movie stars, or rock stars, or whoever somehow magically improves my work. Even the people we discuss here in the blog who we have tattooed have been asked if they would mind us telling others about the experiences we had while inking them. If I am not able to give 110% to my art on any particular day, I cancel *all* of my appointments, and reschedule with each person, personally if at all possible. I don't just cancel the "noteworthy" people, and let the "average" folks settle for whatever I am capable of doing that day.

I have been blessed by the living that my work affords me, and do not need anyone's money badly enough to risk someone living the rest of their life wearing anything I am not entirely proud to have done. And, young miss Ling, as mentioned in "The Stonework Butterfly" let me just say it here publically in reference to your comment - The honor here was all mine. I appreciate your comment, and I know it's from the heart. So long as you enjoy wearing the tattoo as much as I enjoyed doing it, and seeing your reaction to it, we both win! Few things in life work out that way. I am honored that you allowed me to include myself in one of them.

Randy.

PS For those of you who have an interest in tattoos and want to check out what is probably the single coolest tattoo blog I have ever found, check out this link. Very informative, community oriented, and kepy up to date with worldwide information about the world of tattooing by a great crew!

 http://www.tattooblog.com/

The Cracked Stone Butterfly

EK:   Ling and I have been friends for about six years. We were first, workmates -- me, newly-transferred after having spent five years doing loads of legwork and city stories from another section, and she, having just joined the company.

It didn't take long for us to become friends. As a friend, you really couldn't ask for a better person -- she's steadfast, rational, loyal and infinitely supportive. And an uber-foodie (always a good thing in my book)!

In the time when I was inking in the United States though, we've not always kept in contact. We would just write the occasional "Hi, how are you doing?" e-mail to one another.When we touched down in July, she was one of the first people I spoke to, and she organised a welcome home dinner at Tropicana City Mall -- one that brought together "the old gang". Since then, we've tried to get everyone together for a good chowdown every once in a while, and each time, the saying "a good time was had by all" held true.

I was a little surprised when she mentioned that she already had her first tattoo -- a pretty little piece of Celtic knotwork -- and was looking for a second one. Quite frankly, Ling didn't strike me as the type who would ever get ink, which shows you what an ass I've made of myself from making presumptions, even upon a good friend. As for picking what she picked, and how it came about, I'll just let Randy tell you about it.

Randy: When Ling mentioned butterflies, I immediately reflected back on a piece I drew up years ago that held great significance for me. It was a butterfly that evolved from cracked and crumbling stone into full color.

I had been looking for the right person to wear the design; someone that understood that we all start out in this world weighted to the earth, where we must keep ourselves strong, and take the punishment that life and learning throws our way until the day comes when we achieve, through the lessons we have learned, the ability to fly, without the need for stone armor.

While I have not known Ling very long, or in great detail, something about this young lady strikes a chord there. Or, to be more precise, many things about her, from her personality as described by my wife in the paragraphs above, to the smile that takes over every feature of her face at simple, seemingly insignificant things overlooked by those who are still firmly seated in the stonework phase.

We discussed the design, and it was clear to me that she got it, without me having to explain it's intended meaning. After many, many years, and dozens of conversations with people who wanted butterfly tattoos, I finally met someone who understood. And, she wanted to wear the design!

I was a little concerned after looking over my drawing. There were some very very small details that absolutely *must* be in the finished product, which meant doing some of the work with the two most brutal needles in the tattooist's arsenal, a three and a single. I take a lot of pride having gentle hands, and have always been of the belief that the less tattoos hurt, the more people will enjoy the entirety of the experience. But singles and threes are painful even in the most gentle of hands. Ling took it like a champ, staying virtually motionless regardless of what needle I was using at the time.

(EK: Ling had worried about the pain factor earlier, so I cleared my tattoo schedule to be able to help out. She didn't need any, as it turned out. We spent the majority of her tat session yakking with Susan aka Spitfire Sus who'd dropped by to say hi. Randy spent the majority of his tat session...lost in his work.)

I Am also a firm believer that time should not be a factor when it comes to artwork, and as the tattoo began to take shape on her skin, I made a few alterations, some for better fit to the body part, some for more visual interest, some that just felt, well, "right". As the detail began to appear, I enjoyed the mental shift into what I call "Artspace", and the myriad perceptive changes that shift brings with it. Before long, three and a half
hours had passed, and I was looking at the results of my efforts. And again, there was the smile I described earlier, simply glowing in her eyes, as she looked at the finished product in the mirror.

Do we, as artists, get caught up in our work? I'd have to say, "Yes!", but then that's the difference between an artist and someone who can draw, paint, sculpt, or work in any of the artistic mediums; the passion. And like many other artists I know, the passion for what we do is the point of doing it. We all start out trying to impress people with our skill, but there comes that time, if we persist in growing as artists, where the passion flowing through us as we create is the ultimate rush. It's that instant where time stops, where perception overtakes logic, where judgments are replaced by a world composed entirely of subtle nuances that cannot be described in words.

I have to say, working with Ling, and doing this tattoo sated my addiction to the rush.

Truth be told...

We have been really lucky to have some coverage in The Star's Metro section earlier this week on Dec 2. Got some phone calls, some curious, some kinda .... weird, but you know, it's all good. Here's the story, if ya'll missed it:
http://thestar.com.my/metro/story.asp?file=/2010/12/2/central/7509592&sec=central

Checked our emails after work this evening to find that we've received a bunch of messages, all alerting us to malicious allegations and slanderous remarks made by another artist/shop owner on his Facebook page.

This is the page:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/profile.php?id=721874433&v=wall

It came as a rude shock to see someone in the industry would behave this way. In response, here's what we have to say:


My thanks to those of you who have taken the time to let me know what is being said about me and mine on Facebook. However, I am not in the tattoo business to spend my time in such childish pursuits as personal attacks on people I don't even know. My focus is on the art, the artform, and doing what I do to further the recognition of tattooing as a true form of artistic expression. And while I must agree with the vast majority of you who have described his attacks as "an act of desperation trying to maintain his waning stranglehold on the tattoo scene in Malaysia", the simple fact that any warring between artists and shop owners does absolutely nothing to improve public perception of tattooing and the tattooed, it only makes all of us appear childish and desperate. And that I will have nothing to do with.

As I said in The Star, a tattoo community wherein artists and shop owners are friends, where professionals in the business trade information and techniques, and where another artist's work can be openly appreciated even when being viewed by people from another shop, progresses rapidly into a world where life for everyone is improved. One where the art coming from the area soon reaches out to touch the entire world. And that is where my efforts will remain focused.

This kind of thing is what gets the most attention - The Drama. Whether we realize it or not, as professionals in this industry we have a responsibility to our clients and the entirety of the tattoo community NOT to engage in behavior that causes a bad light to be shone on those who express themselves through tattoos. As a professional, and as a man who genuinely loves tattooing as an artform, I will gladly take the abuse from one bad apple rather than reacting to it and disparaging the artform that I love so much. Tattooing in Malaysia has enough hurdles to overcome, sociological, religious, and historical among others. It is just starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel here. I can fight back, gain nothing I don't already have, and set the community back decades, or I can go on with my life, uninjured and reaching for the stars. And, in the words of the immortal Jimmi Hendrix, "'Scuse me, while I kiss the sky!"

One other thought here before I close. I want to make absolutely clear that this writing was brought on by the actions of one single artist/owner, and that other people tattooing in that same shop do not seem to be involved to the best of my knowledge. I have seen recent work done by Simon, and work done by Lina, and have nothing but good things to say about the both of them. My respect for them as people and artists remains intact, as it does for their contribution in furthering tattooing as an artform.

Randy.

Why We Do What We Do

A not-real-brief ramble about our creative, and literal, journey

US Skin Grafx is the classic Boy meets Girl story: Girl and Boy meet, Boy and Girl get married, Boy and Girl open a tattoo business and live happily ever after.

So, after a few years in America – working in other studios, running our own studio in Georgia (oh the stories we could tell … and will, in time) – we decided to set up our second shop here at Mont Kiara’s Solaris Dutamas. Centrally located, easily accessible, the perfect place, right? More on that in future blogs.

Nitty-gritty aside, we’re often asked why we became artists. It's a long story. It's an even longer story, if you ask us individually!  The short concise version? We’ve both been involved with the creative process since young – art, writing, music, etc – so tattooing just seemed like a natural extension of what we wanted to do and ended up doing.

Girl likes to think that it's an intense, interactive process, about two people getting to know each other at a different level, and not just ink and skin. On Boy’s part? "Pablo Picasso didn't have people lining up to wear his artwork on their very skins, so it's quite an honour when someone entrusts us to tattoo them.”

New Beginnings

Tell us your story; start a blog; give us updates; oi, where’s your blog? Know what? We’ve heard it all so, finally, here it is, the whole story of US Skin Grafx, our work, where we’re from, what we’re about … the whole nine yards.

And, yes, if you see this blog constantly changing in terms of templates, pictures and fonts, that’s EK for you. But, hey, we’re artists, it’s our prerogative to be creative! So, keep following us, yeah?

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