Hi
When I was doing my thesis I had to study literally thousands of tattoos from across the world and try and fit them into varying classifications and various ethnic, religious, status etc groupings.
After a while nearly all became ‘generic’ to me because there is only so much of tribal (both real tribe and black-work), budda’s, koi, wizards, naked women etc that a person can look at and think wow that is really new and different. I got a bit jaded.
Then I realised that I was falling into a very basic trap – that by looking at the masses I am failing to see the fine details. I went along to a few art lectures on oil paintings and the curators really made me re-examine how I looked at the art.
I even had one professor of classical art who went over about 200 tattoo pics and gave me some serious info on artistic style and representation, use of colour etc.
This made me realise all tattoos are unique in their own way even the most used flash.
You have to get in there and look at linework, shading, colouring, proportions, type of ink used, placement and even how the tattoo was put on (you get a feel for it if you study tattoos of the types of needles used).
Also as everybody has said it is a person’s choice what they have done.
Take Care
Matthew
nothing is original any more I know that, but i your going to get a tattoo make it more “you” instead of just finding a picture and pasting it on your self. Im sorry if I upset someone but Im tired of seeing the Japanese symbol for Love on someones arm and a tribal butterfly on someones lower back.
Sometimes people like to keep things simple. Sometimes they can find a piece of flash on the wall that says it all. Pretty much anytime I saw a piece of flash on the wall, I would do something simple to do to change it from original, but that was me. As Sherav said, the artist can make any piece unique depending on the media used.
Of course there’s still original, i do original designs every day, people like to have original art. I ask them what they like and come up with 2 or 3 designs for them to choose from, they dont have to pick flash off my walls, but some people like to pick the flash, its all up to personal choice at the end of the day
I don’t get angry about it at all.
This really is an interesting discussion.
This is what I always tell people who come in to get tattoo consultations by me.
1.) In Tattooing there is no right or wrong answer as to what to get, or where to get it. Tattooing is a personal statement. Even people who don’t realize they are making a statement are doing exactly that. They choose a pattern that catches their eye. Maybe its flash, maybe its custom, maybe its something they thought of themself, but there is some element in the design that catches their eye and it means something to them.
Do I always understand what it means? No.
2.) Tattooing is very personal. People choose a pattern based on something going on at the time, or some emotional reason, or some psychological reason, and sometimes they don’t really KNOW why they want the piece, but it speaks to them. Do ten thousand other shops have that same flash? Maybe, but does that really matter if it speaks so clearly to the one getting the art?
3.) If someone is dead set on getting a tattoo and I think the quality of art is poor I will tell them what I can do to make a better tattoo. Sometimes they refuse. I do what they want, because it is my job to interpret what THEY want and reflect that on their skin. If I succeed, they are happy, if I fail, they won’t be back. Because ultimately it is not about how I do things, or what art I like. It is about the customer, what he or she sees, what he or she feels, and what he or she desires, and I must be able to set my preconcieved ideas aside, grasp their vision and interpret it for them. That is what it means to be a tattoo ARTIST, so back to my original statement
4.) There is no right or wrong answer. It is about the client, and if the panther speaks to them and ten thousand other panthers have been tattooed, what right do I have to tell them their tattoo is wrong?
I get what you are saying and you could be right but on the other hand he could well have had a personal reason for getting that tattoo. I have variations of couple of tattoos that are popular or were a few years back. I liked the design but did want something a little original. Hey, each to there own. I liked the comments some of the above made about if that is what he wanted…. Could not agree more.
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