The Rise of Body Art 

"A good tattoo isn't cheap, and a cheap tattoo isn't good."
-- Popular tattoo saying

That guy you see over there, the one with the arm chock full of Technicolor art that begs for a closer look? He's part of a tradition. So is that long-haired Harley fanatic, and, whether he knows it or not, the uptown banker with the Van Halen logo on his shoulder blade. Heck, throw in that NBA point guard, too.All of these folks are part of a tradition that goes back a lot farther than most people think -- the tradition of voluntary skin branding. In fact, tattoos are considered by some to be almost as old as mankind itself, or at least as far back as our oral and written traditions go. Most tattoo researchers believe that tattooing, like most discoveries, happened by accident, with someone tripping or stepping onto a sharp stick covered with berry juice or charcoal. Those same people may also be part of a larger, sub-cultural tradition, one that has communal, personal, and erotic aspects to it.

However, most people on the outside of the tattoo subculture don't have a clue of the history of "getting inked," and no idea of the meanings these markings carry to, say, the Samoan culture, or the Japanese. They haven't heard about the lucky amulets sailors and warriors have historically branded on their skins for strength, or the religious tattoos that numerous sects have given themselves as a right of passage.

Interestingly, this ignorance of tattoo history is happening at a time when the act of getting tattooed is at an all-time high. Catch an NBA game recently? If Dennis Rodman were to return to the league, he'd need to saw off an arm to get noticed. Indeed, many high school teams now have kids brandishing tattoos, despite the age restrictions enforced by any reputable tattoo artist. Web sites such as vanishingtattoo.com have page after page of listings of "celebrities" who've gotten tattooed, as well as links to historical figures who were said to have had their bodies decorated. Everywhere you look, it seems, people are tattooed -- some 30-50 million people, according to various estimates.

In Charlotte, tattooing has become so popular that a major tattoo convention is set to take place at the University Hilton on May 9, 10, and 11, featuring dozens of artists from all over the United States. (See info at end of story.)

Why, then, do so many people know so little about something so permanent? In the past, as far as polite society was concerned, having a tattoo usually meant you were a criminal, a prisoner, a sailor, or just not all that bright. Middle class people -- bankers, businessmen -- didn't have them. That kind of display of permanence was distasteful at best, an affront to God Almighty at worst.

Somewhere along the way -- the late 1960s, some say -- tattoos became something more: a sort of attainable, safe taboo, and to an empowered group of young people, a symbol of control over their own bodies. Post Roe v. Wade, more women began getting into the act, getting inked for many of the same reasons.

Soon, young celebrities and rock stars began to sport tattoos when they were photographed or appeared on television. Before long, tattoos were the last bastion of the American outlaw -- The Man could take your drugs, your job, and even your dignity, but damn it, they couldn't take something that was inside of you.

"I think celebrities with tattoos have helped to mainstream (the art)," says Margo DeMello, an anthropologist and lecturer at San Francisco State University. "Depending on the celebrity, (it) has also helped tattooing to retain its "rebellious' edge, particularly with hard rockers in years past, and rappers today.

"I think -- and this is a huge subject in my book, Bodies of Inscription: A Cultural History of the Modern Tattoo Community -- that media representations of tattooing don't just represent tattooing; they also help to construct it and reconstruct it," she says. "I don't think the question is if they do so fairly or unfairly; it's more a question of how pervasive the representations are, how much they do to continue to push tattooing into the mainstream, and how common the messages in the media are."

As tattoos have become more respectable, so have the artists who created them. An American tattoo iconography that was once the sole domain of anchors, lucky amulets, pin-up girls and Mom soon became a three-dimensional, rainbow-like wonderland of any tattoo creation your mind could dream up.

Of course, immediately following this resurrection of the tattoo came the speculators, folks who opened what Joey Vernon of Charlotte's Fu's Custom Tattoos calls "Wal-Mart studios. . .stocked full of talentless hacks eager to make a buck."

Many local tattoo veterans concur.

"Tattooing has been labeled a growth industry, but in reality it's more unprepared and inexperienced people trying to "cash in on the craze' and cutting the pie up into ever smaller slices," says Jeff "JFK" Kohl of Old Glory Tattoo. "I had 16 years experience and had traveled the world, learned from the greats, won awards, was published in tattoo magazines, and worked the big international expos before I opened my shop. It's a hard time to be in the business."

In an age where people from every perch of the social strata are getting tattooed and every third corner boasts a tattoo parlor, what does the curious tattoo neophyte or seasoned veteran do to stand out from the crowd? As simple as it may sound, the easiest way is simply making sure to get quality work."The number of studios has greatly increased all over the country," says Vernon. "Unfortunately, the number of quality studios is very few. People jumped on a trend with tattooing and saw dollar signs. People came to the conclusion that no artistic talent was needed, thinking (that) all we do is trace lines. They simply lack the love of the art that so many (serious) tattooists do have, and don't realize the negative impact they're having on the industry. They offer an inferior product at a cheaper price -- this is where the ignorance of the consumer comes in. It's amazing the number of people who don't know what a good tattoo looks like. I honestly wonder sometimes if people care, they want it so cheap. People will go out and spend $200 on a pair of shoes that will last them a few months, and bitch about the price of permanence."

Another way to stand out is to simply get more work done, such as what's known as a sleeve (an arm tattooed nearly completely to the wrist), or a tattoo in a more conspicuous place, like the neck or head.

"People whose identities are more tied up with the tattoo community, the more "hardcore' aspects of it, are indeed getting more head and neck tattoos and other very public works," says DeMello. "As it becomes mainstreamed, those who are at the forefront of either the artistic community or the younger, Gen-Y groups, do seem to need to make themselves stand out from the rest."

"I think there are more people getting large scale work than before to set themselves apart from the rest," says Vernon. "Not to mention there is always a new generation of kids that find large work more appealing -- with any luck it will continue to increase."

"It's hard for the people who get tattooed to make themselves different from others when everybody else has one too," says Steve Steve Huntsberry, of Charlotte's Immortal Images. "That's cool, though. The idea is to just get something that's special to you, for you, and not just to make a statement of rebellion."

"As tattooing has transcended class, gender and ethnic lines, you can find everyone getting tattooed," says DeMello. "However, you'll still find strong class differences among artwork, and other "identities' will be expressed differently as well, such as rural vs. urban folks, sexual communities, age differences, and more."

As DeMello points out, there are numerous subcultures within the tattoo subculture itself. The more urban, graffiti-like tattoos a rapper might adorn himself with will differ from the work on someone of Samoan or Japanese ancestry. In this way, the tattoo world is no different from the art world at large -- there are numerous schools of tattooing, numerous styles, and numerous overriding popular tastes, which inevitably tend toward the banal.

Which brings up yet another question: with the breakdown of the rebel image of tattooing, what remains taboo? Where is the line drawn, what kind of design is too unsavory? The answer, apparently, lies in who's doing the tattooing.

"(With) unsavory subjects, a line is definitely drawn," says Vernon. "I just don't want to attach my name to them. Then there are the tattoos I think people will regret later in life, like a spouse's name or something in a highly visible area such as their hand or neck. I discuss long-term complications -- job situation, etc. -- with them before they make a solid decision."

"I don't tattoo minors," says Kohl. "It's against the law in NC. I don't tattoo people on hands, face, or neck unless they're already heavily tattooed. I don't discriminate against anybody's choice of personal emblem in any way -- it's a free country."

"We don't tattoo any kind of racially related tattoos. That's really it," says Steve Huntsberry.

"What line?" asks Little John of Greensboro's Little John's Tattoo. In a way, he may be onto something. If one is willing to make a permanent record of a reprehensible belief, at least he or she will be easier to spot.

So, how does an industry that is finally starting to get respect grow while also trying to weed out the less-than-talented speculators that are sprouting up everywhere? One way is by educating the consumer. Know the history of your tattoo, they say. Ask around. Most importantly, look at the artist's work."The industry is seeing more and more artists with formal art training, and no, skin is not always an easy canvas to work on," says Vernon. "I've met phenomenal artists who couldn't adapt to skin. Formal training has made better artists, and with some, better tattooists, but at the same time there are artists out there with no training that are just as good if not better than the others. I really think it depends on the person."

"You definitely have to be some kind of artist before you can do tattoos," agrees Huntsberry. "If you can't draw on paper, you certainly can't draw on skin. And just because you can draw on paper doesn't necessarily mean you can paint on skin. It's a big difference, and it takes many years to truly understand the medium. I've been doing this 10 years and I'm still learning."

"Art training is very important -- the more the better," says Little John. "I encourage everyone who's interested in becoming a tattooist to get a sketchbook and just draw. I'll be taking art classes myself this fall."

Even with the artistic and popular growth of tattooing, the locals we talked to say a good portion of their clientele still wants the same kinds of tattoos -- if they're going to be rebellious and express their individuality, it seems, most folks want what's hot, perhaps forgetting that they'll soon have a permanent reminder of whatever trend they're chasing.

"Tribal art has always been popular, because it's the best neutral style of tattooing," says Huntsberry. "It can be bold or delicate, masculine or feminine, good or wicked. Portrait style work is more popular now than before since the caliber of artist has been raised to a new level. You can tell when people just aren't sure what they want, or if they even want one at all. I've suggested that they go home and think about it for a couple of weeks and see if they still feel like they want one. When you know you want one, you'll know it. It's better to wait and be sure than to get something you might regret."

"There will always be the old standbys -- hearts and names and roses, oh my! -- but there is no particular design that is more popular right now," says Vernon. "(It's) tribal one month, Japanese kanji the next. It's kind of hard to tell sometimes."

No matter the tattoo, all the artists we talked to agree that getting tattooed can easily become an addiction. Once you've decorated your skin, the taboo is broken, opening up a floodgate of possibilities. Unanimously, they also agreed on the biggest thrill they get from tattooing -- the gleam in people's eyes after seeing their new tattoo."The biggest enjoyment I get from tattooing someone is seeing them beam when they look at their new artwork," says Little John. "I get to cross the paths of many different people and create art for them that will be with them forever."

"To see the beautiful artwork alive in the skin is an amazing thing," says Huntsberry. "The best thing about tattooing someone is seeing their face after it's done, watching them look in the mirror at their new art and smiling. That little sparkle in their eye when they first see their new piece is worth more than I can express."

That sparkle is something that's attracting more and more people. In today's soundbite society, folks thirst for a little permanence wherever they can find it. And with the easing of societal mores on tattooing, folks everywhere -- and of every strata of society -- are lining up to have a visual record, a "you are here" marker of their lives. Some of them you might never have suspected.

"I first got tattooed when I was 18," DeMello says. "It hasn't hindered me at all in academia, although I'm by choice a part-time lecturer rather than a tenured professor. I think, if anything, my tattoos give me a little bit of an edge in dealing with my students, who are young, urban, multi-ethnic and, for the most part, pretty hip. Without them, I'd just be another white middle class professor!"

Interested? The Charlotte Tattoo Expo

will be held May 9, 10 and 11 at the Hilton University Place, and will feature tattoo contests, seminars, and guest artists. Tickets for the event are $20 for a one-day pass, $30 for a two-day pass, and $40 for a weekend pass. Hours are Friday from 10am-8pm, Saturday from 10am-midnight, and Sunday from 12pm-8pm. For more information, call 336-275-7161 or 704-547-7444.