Saturday, April 9, 2011

Ireland's tattoo industry today

Take a walk around Dublin’s city centre and you’ll find it difficult not to pass a tattoo studio. In recent years, the popularity of tattoos has grown immensely and I thought it was time to find out how well the tattoo industry is being received in today’s society.

I headed to
The Dublin International Tattoo Convention in the D4 hotel, Ballsbridge, last November where hundreds of artists from all over the world were there to show off their skills. I spoke to customers and tattoo artists to get the latest on the tattoo world and why more and more people are getting inked.

I first got talking to Sasha Delaney, a teacher from Clondalkin, while she
was getting tattooed at the convention.

To begin with, why did you decide to
get a tattoo?
I was 26 before I even got my first tattoo. I wanted to wait to make sure it was the right one. I think that they can look really nice when they are done well. I’m really into my piercings as well. Once you run out of places to pierce you start tattooing yourself!


What were your considerations before getting your first tattoo?

I work in a secondary school so it had to be somewhere that when I wanted to show it off I could but that it could be
very easily covered also. I don’t think I would go below my knees or above my shoulders, apart from my foot, especially because I’m working in a convent. Nuns don’t like tattoos, or piercings for that matter!


What else do you consider before getting a tattoo?

Well obviously who is doing it is a big deal. I would never go to anyone whose work I hadn’t seen or who hadn’t been recommended in some way. It’s nice to see the studio because
you can kind of get an inkling as to what they are like.

Do you worry about how your skin will mature with tattoos?
The one on my back I’m not too worried about because it’s on a piece of skin that’s probably not going to sag too much and no one can see my thigh so I’m not too bad.


Have you got any plans to get any more tattoos after this?

Well I want my side piece done next. I think I’ll wait a while because I think it is going to be big so it will have to
be done in two or three sessions.

In your opinion, how are tattoos viewed in society nowadays?

I don’t think it’s a big deal anymore, I remember when I was younger and if
someone had a tattoo it was ‘oh my God, shock horror!’ Most people have tattoos now. The only difference is that there are a lot of people walking around with really bad tattoos. There are a lot of girls going around with what I call fashionable tattoos. In ten years time they’ll look at them and think to themselves ‘oh dear God what did I do that for?’ They all seem to be the same. I just think that sometimes people need to think about what they are actually getting and to do it for themselves and not because everyone else is doing it.


Rachel Byrne was left with a less than positive experience after last year’s tattoo convention. I spoke to Rachel as she was getting a large tattoo on her back repaired and covered up.


Were you happy with your tattoo when you first got it done?

The first design I got I was happy with when th
e artist drew it out, but then he went along and did his own thing. Each session it was further from what I wanted. So I waited a year so I could find the best of the best, by looking at all their portfolios online.

When it was first done, did you say to the tattoo artist that you were not happy?

Yeah, but he just kept saying ‘It’s going to be perfect, it’s going to be amazing, trust me!’


Would you consider getting more tattoos after this?

Yeah, it is addictive so I do try to keep t
he craving logical. If you give into the craving you’ll end up with them all over your body. My back and side are fine because I can cover them up if I want to.

How do you think society views tattoos, is there still a stigma attached to them?
I think it’s going away slowly, because unfortunately it’s becoming a fashion item at the moment. A lot of people are getting them. Years ago it was the hellraisers and the trouble makers that used to get tattoos but nowadays every young one on the street has a tattoo.


Despite the recession, tattoo studios are still doing steady business. I met Ken O’Donnell who has recently taken over the running of Red Dragon Tattoo and Piercing Studio in Clondalkin and found out how he thought the industry is coping in this harsh economic climate.


How is the business going for you so far?
We have steady business. We could be busier but like any business it takes time to build up. The customers we have are
loyal, they keep coming back and we are proving we can beat the bigger studios, both on quality and on standards.

What makes Red Dragon different from any other tattoo studio?

From the studio point of view we are very relaxed. It’s more like a family than a business. There are no egos. Everybody has a place. Everybody does whatever needs doing to make the business work. There’s no such thing as being the artist, or being the apprentice or being the boss, we just do whatever it takes. The customers pick up on this so they feel comfortable. We are turning out good quality work in a nice friendly environment and they seem to like it and they come back to us.

Have you ever felt frustrated with having to hide your tattoos?
I’ve never felt frustrated; I understand that it’s a generational thing. For a lot of people, they still carry the stigma that there’s something rough, tough, and almost second-class citizen about having tattoos. Ther
e are so many people that I know, business owners, undertakers, solicitors and doctors who all have tattoos. Because of the nature of their work they are forced to keep them covered and not have them on show. It would be lovely if we were eventually fully accepted into society. We will someday, because as I’ve said it’s generational. Someday we will actually get to a point where they will be allowed, they will be accepted and it will be normal.

Is there anywhere you won’t get tattooed?

I won’t get tattooed from the neck up and I won’t get tattooed from the wrist down. I can still cover my tattoos when society want
s me to cover them. I still see it if I go away or if I stay at hotels. I still get the second looks. I’ve had people complain on planes and say that I must be sitting in the wrong place because I’m sitting in first class and I’m tattooed, so how could I afford it? I have had a guest at a hotel leisure centre ask me to cover up because his wife found my tattoos offensive. My response was ‘I actually find your beer belly hanging over your shorts offensive. I haven’t told you to cover up, please don’t tell me to’.

Is there anything in the tattoo industry that you don’t like?

I don’t like bad artwork. I don’t like the people who have watched the television programme, they’ve bought a DVD, they’ve gotten the kit from ebay and all of a sudden they call themselves a tattoo artist. It ruins the industry and ruins the business. Choosing to get tattooed by a poor artist is peoples’ own choice and something that we can hopefully educate people about.


So what does it take to become a proper tattoo artist?

It takes a lot of skill, hard work and dedication. You’ve got to know how to draw and be a very good artist with a pen. You’ve also got to have a very good teacher. Also, you’ve got to have an unlimited amount of patience because you don’t learn it overnight. It takes time and patience. You’ve really got to want to do it. For the majority of artists, it’s not a business you’ll get rich in. There are a handful of people in the world that have become rich from tattooing. The rest make a nine-to-five wage.


What’s your view on TV shows such as LA Ink and Miami Ink?

They have done a lot of good for the industry. Yet hey have also given a false perception. There are the initial stages, the stencilling, the getting ready and the person sitting there for four, five or six hours it may take while they get tattooed. Unfortunately in a one hour programme, you see six or seven tattoos being done. Yes it gives a false image, but it has made it popular, and anything that makes it popular and hopefully more socially acceptable is great. I mean, it’s great that here we are in one of Dublin’s most prestigious hotels at a tattoo convention.

It seems that tattoos will still evoke a range of reactions - from interest, admiration and astonishment to disgust and fear. Peoples’ reasons for getting tattooed haven’t really changed. Some get them to acknowledge loved ones, some as a tribal or traditional experience, some to provoke a reaction and some just because they can be beautiful works of art. There are still many who do not like tattoos, but today there are more professional tattooists around who take immense pride in their work. The public is better informed now, more than ever and know to look for quality and advice before taking that major leap into permanent body art.

Gill Pringle

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