Tattoo Nation

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NEPAL’S FIRST TATTOO MAGAZINE

Tattoo Nation ISSUE #1

In talk with: Mohan Gurung

Tattoo design evolution:

The Journey

IN INK

www.tattoonation.com

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SO THINGS ARE PRETTY TOUGH OUT THERE. ECONOMY MELTDOWN. POLITICAL MERRY-GO-ROUND IMORTANT MEN WITH RECEDING HAIRLINES AND EXPENSIVE WORDS TELLING US WORLD’S GONE TO SHIT. THE DAILY GRIND RELENTLESSLY GRINDING US DOWN. OVERTIME REPLACEMENT PLAYTIME AND WE’RE ALL LEFT WONDERING WHAT OUR ESCAPE PLAN IS. BUT LISTEN. EVERYTHING WILL BE OK. HARDSHIP MAKES US STRONGER. UNCERTAINTY, BRAVER. WE’VE RIDDEN WORSE STORMS THAN THIS AND WE’LL RIDE THIS ONE OUT TOO. SO FORGET ABOUT RECESSION, DEPRESSION, DOUBLE-DIPS AND SPIN, WE GOT THIS. GIVE THE WORLD AND ITS BAGGAGE THE MIDDLE FINGER. THEN GET ON YOUR BIKE AND RIDE ITS HERE THE ALL NEW ROYAL ENFIELD CONTINETAL GT

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Editorial

Tattoo Nation EDITORIAL

Founder Rownaaz Tmrk Co-Founder hugh hefner Editor Ronaj Tamrakar Art director Bill Gates Managing editor Steve Jobs Creative consultant Dwyane Johnson the rock Group creative director Lex Luther Contributing Web + print editors Jack Nicholson, Camilla Belle Photograhy director Ronaj Tamrakar Illustrator Al Pcino, Amir Khan, Brad pitt Editorial Assistant Robert De Niro, Marlon Brando, Christopher Walken Writers Andy Garcia, Mila Kunis, Camilla Bel, Arnold Swachnneger Tattoo Nation illustrator Ronaj Tamrakar Marketing director dave syPnieWsKi david@hsproductions.com Advertising sales Eben Sterling eben@hsproductions.com Ad operations Manager Mike breslin Marketing + Ad Manager Sally vitello Account Manager (gAlleries, schools, Art suppliers) Max Karnig max@karnig.net Webstore coordinator Yolanda Rodriguez MAil order + customer service chelsea Rose scanlan 888–520–9099 subscriptions@hsproductions.com orders@hsproductions.com Product sales Manager Ronaj Tamrakar

Row@tattoonation.com

Tattoo Nation magazine – the premier tattoo lifestyle content produced of all media in Nepal. It is the convergence of culture, style and art. Tattoo Nation is the celebration of rebellious lifestyle and the voice of hip, edgy and creative individual. Packed with stunning photography, cutting edge content and the latest in fashion, music, art and pop culture that connect an audience of innovator in an unparalleled way.

On the Tattoo Nation magazine you will find stories on people at the top of the tattoo culture in Nepal and the world like Mohan Gurung and this studio, Mohan’s Tattoo Inn and Sudeep Khadka and his Tattoo studio Jads Tattoo Inc., Laurent Maina, Samuel O Reilly the inventor of the first modern tattoo machine.

Of course tattoos are a large part of Tattoo Nation. Whether you are looking ideas for new tattoo from butterflies, dream catcher to skulls and custom work or art we have great reference material at our Skin Gallery published in every edition. We have house tattoo images of all styles: old school, traditional, Japanese, Black and grey, photo realistic, portrait, pin-up, Nu-school, tribal, bio-mechanical, pointillism and Maori. You can browse through various tattoo artist profiles and their portfolio in our profile section.

You can seek out quality tattoo artist in your city through our local tattoo page which tips you off to the best tattoo artist in Nepal or visiting Nepal.

If you like to contribute you tattoo work for Tattoo Nation magazine or want to be featured on Tattoonation.com you can upload here as this isn’t just a magazine, it is a community for the tattoo scene. If you want to get more information on our magazine or want to read more articles you can log on to our website Tattoonation.com.

Tattoo Nation also has an interactive website www. tattoonation.com. You can also download the digital edition of our magazine

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DIGIMAG Tattoo Nation Online Digital Magazine Available Worldwide 24/7

Tattoo Nation Digital Magazine available for Ipad Iphone Android Kindle Mac & PC The convenient digital version of the Tattoo Nation contains the same great features as its printed partner, and can be simply downloaded in an instant - any time, anywhere.

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CONTENT Content

ON THE COVER Model : Aneet Gurung Tattoo : Allen Rana Photo : Ronaj Tamrakar

REGULARS

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Not only are more people getting tattooed, but also more people are interested in becoming tattooists

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Etched In Skin

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The Divine Pain

Tattoo with pain comes in a package, but beauty is divine

Our Body Our Ink

They were worth commenting upon, either for their beauty or their banality.

Cult To Fine Art

“The value of a tattoo lies in the fact that it does not belong to the artist in that way,”

The Buzz Behind The Urban Ink “Tattoo culture is booming everywhere and Nepal is seeing advancement too. The international artist agree that the country has a lot of art to give out too,”

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How It Works Tattoo Machine Rotary Machines are a wonderful device for tattooing, they work very well.

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for all tattoo related equipments

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Art Attack Tattoo Studio thamel, Kathamndu Nepal 9851038663

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CONTENT Content

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INTERVIEW

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Mohan Tattoo Inn Mohan Gurung Bijaya Gurung

33 Around The World For Love Of Tattoo Laurent Maina 20 Jads Tattoos Inc Sudeep Khadka

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Features 38 43

Tattoo Design Evolution Journey In Ink

EXTRAS 57

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Tattoo Machines And Their Secrets

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attooing has become more socially acceptable over the years, with tattoo shops on street corners in major cities and small towns alike, tattooed celebrities gracing magazine covers, and bookstore shelves overflowing with tattoo titles.

Many people miss the bygone days when tattooing was underground and somewhat akin to the days of Prohibition. You needed an introduction for a tattooist to see you. Tattoo magazines were few and far between, shuffled in among porn mages on the newsstands, and books on tattooing were even more rare. Getting tattooed meant something then—you had to really want it to jump through the necessary hoops. To become a tattooist was even more complicated and often required a nearly unendurable apprenticeship. , and information and equipment are readily available. In the glut of newly anointed tattooists, there are those whose skill level could be considered subpar, but the scores of truly dedicated tattooists who utilize the available wealth of information to the fullest outnumber them by far.

There are more tattooists doing high-caliber work now than ever.

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Etched in skin

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TMRK DESIGNS

gadget store, durbarmarg Kathmandu, Nepal Phone+977-01621128 Email: gadgetnepal@gmail.com 12

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The divine Pain

The Divine Pain

Tattoo with pain comes in a package but beauty is divine From the days of the late great Babu Raja Pradhan ‘Budha’ to Mohan Gurung to the third generation of tattoo artists, the whole inking scenario has adopted numerous changes. There’s a healthy rise in people, especially youths who long to get shades of black that are more artistic than moles and there are some who wouldn’t mind having a more lively colorful body. Nevertheless, you still got to be wary of some apathetic elements who could greet a tattooed person with a frown.

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rom the days of the late great Babu Raja Pradhan ‘Budha’ to Mohan Gurung to the third generation of tattoo artists, the whole inking scenario has adopted numerous changes. There’s a healthy rise in people, especially youths who long to get shades of black that are more artistic than moles and there are some who wouldn’t mind having a more lively colorful body. Nevertheless, you still got to be wary of some apathetic elements who could greet a tattooed person with a frown.

The history of inking one’s body dates back well over 5000 years and is as diverse as people who wear them.

Tattooing has been a part of Eurasian history for a very long time. The word ‘tattoo’ is believed to have two major derivations; Polynesian word ‘Ta’ which means to strike something and Tahitian word ‘Tatau’ which means to mark. Tattoos are encrypte d into the body by continuously striking one or more pointed objects dipped in little tubs of colored ink through the skin to produce a form of permanent art.

Tattoos have always had its significance in rituals and traditions all over the world. They have also identified membership in a clan or society throughout history. There are numerous myths related to tattoos in Nepal as well. One of them states, having tattoos wards away illness and evil spirits that lurks to cause you harm. However, in the present day context, the mythical belief may not be the only valid reason to subscribe to getting a tattoo done. These days, people carry their own perception and have their own story behind every piece of permanent art on their body.

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Having a tattoo includes sheer responsibility. It would be wise to take time to decide what you’d want to have in your body and it is highly advised to get the art done by a professional despite the higher charges. After all, there’s no turning back once the process have started.

As you stroll around the streets of Kathmandu, Thamel and Basantapur more precisely, you will come across many tattoo studios. People having their body parts covered in ink are not a matter of rare sighting at all these days. Contradictory to the past where having tattoos were regarded as inappropriate and in many cases hated by the elderly members of the society, the point of view towards tattooing is gradually changing.

Youngsters and even elderly people have started developing keen interest over tattoos.

Personally speaking, maiden tattooing experience for me was the toughest.

The first sighting of the approach of the needle firmly fixed to the tattoo machine as it moved towards the skin was nerve wrecking. To add misery to the fear, the sense of pain that was already glued in

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Tattoo with pain comes in a package but beauty is divine my decision on getting the tattoo back. After the pain and tolerance, came the tougher part, the aftermath, this is where you have to take care of the inked skin like a newly born infant or else the consequences could turn out unappealing .This could take you from three days to two weeks, depending upon the size and the details filled in. You ought to take heed to the instructions and also follow the advice the artist discusses with you before they bid you farewell until you visit them for another round of skin encryption.

Sandeep Maharjan, who happens to be amongst the third generation of tattoo artists of Nepal, claims to have started using body as a blank canvas for quite some time. His work is highly appreciated by his canvassed clients, especially by those who come from Patan. During his course of incisive penetrating the needle to one of his recent customer, Bhusan Dangol complained of the intense pain during his first session, “The pain is simply overwhelming. I’ve seen a lot of people flaunting their tattoos but I’d never imagined it’d be such a sweating experience. But I’ve heard nothing but praises of Sandeep’s work. I think the result will be worth the pain. I will rest assured”. A few chowks away from Sandeep’s Tattoo parlor, Bajra Tattoo stands Traditional tattoo in an immensely popular alley known for the variety of Newari cuisines and sweets in the heart of Lalitpur, Mangalbazar. It relatively is a

newer name but has won innumerous hearts. Like the name suggests, traditional tattoo is amongst the best if you’re looking forward to getting a traditional or religious art.

Moving towards more mainstream areas, Thamel and Basantapur, you wouldn’t want to miss out names like Mohan’s Tattoo Inn, whose artists are regarded as the pioneers of modern day commercial tattoos. Jads tattoo, the immensely talented duo of Sudeep (aka Aath number) and John Maharjan who’ve accomplished intense heights of stardom amongst tattoo fanatics and there’s Tiki jhyaa studio in Jhochhen, aka as freak street where Sabita Maharjan, has been tattooing permanent joys to her customers with her talent.

“Quality and hygiene should complement each other. Ending up with skin allergies and other skin irritation would be a major disaster and could lead into ending up our careers for good. There are some who in their developmental period work the wrong way knowing or unknowingly but most of the professionals use colors extracted from nature”, says John Maharjan. He adds, “When I started tattooing, there were hardly any tattoo studios in Thamel, so were people with interest in getting tattoos done. Time was different back then.

These days, everyone wants a piece of art on their body. People come for small pieces of art now and then but

what I’d personally suggest is to get a bigger tattoo rather than having bits and pieces everywhere on the body”.

And then there’s the maestro, the name taken with the highest level of respect in this particular scenario— Mohan Gurung. A man whose appearance alone could inspire you to getting your body tattooed. Having started tattooing back in 1992 from Korea, Gurung is yet to take formal tattooing lessons but this does not stop him from producing the best pieces of art you would find anywhere in the country. He says, “I never intended to start tattooing professionally. I, like any other street artist, would tattoo my friends and their friends just for the sake of spending time. Days went by just like that until one fine day I thought of giving it a try professionally”.

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t seems like only yesterday that tattoos were rarities, like certain crows. They were worth commenting upon, either for their beauty or their banality. Now tattoos creep like vines along the arms, legs and torsos of nearly everyone you meet. If print is dead, ink is undead — and on the move.

There’s been some sophisticated fiction about skin and ink. I’m thinking especially of Sarah Hall’s novel “Electric Michelangelo,” a finalist for the 2004 Man Booker Prize. But it’s a lacunae in our literature that there hasn’t been a definitive nonfiction book on the topic, a volume that packs sociology and criticism and history and memoir into a dense sleeve, as a tattoo artist might put it, of meaning.

While we await that book, we have Margot Mifflin’s perceptive and moving “Bodies of Subversion: A Secret History of Women and Tattoo,” first published in 1997 but reissued now in a heavily updated and resplendently illustrated third edition. For most of history, tattooing has been a male preoccupation, either a one-fingered salute or an exercise in swagger. Think of Popeye and his twin anchors. Ms. Mifflin had the good id ea to examine tattooing in the Western world from a female perspective. Her relatively slim book doesn’t provide a truly wide-

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angle view, but the insights she brings are insinuating and complex.

This new edition of “Bodies of Subversion” arrives at the crest of a wave. For the first time, according to a 2012 Harris Poll, American women are more likely to be tattooed than men. Some 23 percent of women have tattoos; 19 percent of men do.

They’re no longer rebel emblems, Ms. Mifflin notes. They’re a mainstream fashion choice.She is mostly an admirer of women’s tattoo culture.

Tattoos have been “emblems of empowerment in an era of feminist gains,” she declares. They’re also “badges of self-determination at a time when controversies about abortion rights, date rape and sexual harassment” have made women “think hard about who controls their bodies.” Her book includes striking color photographs of the tattoos some women have had embroidered on their chests after mastectomies.

Thanks to recent legislation, tattoo artists can sometimes directly bill insurance companies for this work. (If only Joplin had known that it would be possible to have your weed and your tattoos covered by insurance, she might have decided to stick around.)

But Ms. Mifflin is a flinty observer. She notes that tattoos have the “ability to degrade as well as to enhance, to

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invoke the sacred and the inane.” She assesses the work of social critics who posit that tattooing can be a political cop-out, a cover for disengagement.

These critics argue, she writes, that “tattooing shifts the focus of women’s issues from society to the self; that tattooed women are empowered only in their minds; and that women who find solace in tattoos are no different from women for whom shopping and exercise are substitutes for problemsolving.” Ouch, as the client said to the tattooist. “Bodies of Subversion” is delicious social history. Tattooing was an upper-class social fad in Europe in the late 19th century. Winston Churchill’s mother had a tattoo of a snake eating its tail (the symbol of eternity) on her wrist. The fad spread to America. In 1897, Ms. Mifflin writes, The New York World estimated that 75 percent of American society women were tattooed, usually in places easily covered by clothing.

By the 1920s, tattooed women were mostly to be seen in freak shows and in circus acts, where they could make more money than tattooed men. They offered, the author avers, “a peep show within a freak show.”

Tattoos lost their appeal for nearly everyone shortly after World War II. One reason was because “tattoos perpetrated in concentration camps had added a ghastly new chapter to tattoo history.”Ms. Mifflin’s story spins forward through the tattoo revival of the 1970s, when women with a tattoo or two began to shake the stigma that they were sexually available. She moves attentively through the 1980s and ’90s, the era that gave us Dennis Rodman, the lower-back tattoos now known as tramp stamps and a kudzu forest of copycat tribal tats.

Her final chapter takes us up to the present day, with assessments of the tattoo artist Kat Von D’s fame and of cultural moments like the popularity of Stieg Larsson’s 2005 novel “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.” Ms. Mifflin appraises the work of famous female tattoists; she argues that the world needs tattoo critics. I hereby nominate Tim Gunn and Lil Wayne as the genre’s Siskel and Ebert.

She is at her best when considering class and tattoos. She quotes an inked-up female doctor who says that

it’s easier for professional women to wear them at work: “If you’re working some crummy little desk job with a dress code, it’s a lot harder to walk around wearing your tattoos in the open.”

Ms. Mifflin deals, too, with the matter of tattoo regret. There’s plenty of that going around. She cites a survey by the Archives of Dermatology stating that 69 percent of tattoo removal requests come from women. Most got stamped at the age of 20 or so. Quoting the same survey, she

says about tattoos, “Their marks of uniqueness ‘turned into stigmata.’ ” But the Harris Poll cited above also noted that 86 percent of tattooed people were content with their ink.

Those who would shame women with tattoos often utter things like: How are those things going to look when you’re old and wrinkled? On the basis of the photographs of older women with tattoos in this book, I’d say they hold up pretty well.

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Tattooing Makes Transition

CULT TO FINE ART L

ONDON — Late last year, the British model Kate Moss revealed a personal fact that intrigued not only the fashion and celebrity media, but also the art world.

The revelation went beyond the acknowledgement from Ms. Moss, one of the most photographed women in the world, that she had tattoos. It included the claim that the swallows on her haunch were the work of the German-born British artist Lucian Freud, who had died the previous year.

In a rare interview published in the December, Ms. Moss pondered the financial value of that tattoo: “It’s an original Freud. I wonder how much a collector would pay for that. A few million? I’d skin-graft it.”

The numbers might sound surprising, but a nude portrait of Ms. Moss, painted by Mr. Freud in 2002 while the model was pregnant, sold three years later at Christie’s in London for €3.92 million, or about $5.14 million at current exchange rates. The mention of a skin graft put the spotlight on the relationship between tattoos and fine art — and by extension, art collection.

Until recently, the integration of tattoos into the art world was mostly confined to performance art. In 2000, for example, the Spanish artist Santiago Sierra paid four prostitutes the price of a hit of heroin and filmed them having single black lines tattooed across their backs. But today, tattoos — much like graffiti, which in the past decade has been transformed from cult to

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The numbers might sound surprising, but a nude portrait of Ms. Moss, painted by Mr. Freud in 2002 while the model was pregnant, sold three years later at Christie’s in London for €3.92 million, or about $5.14 million at current exchange rates. The mention of a skin graft put the spotlight on the relationship between tattoos and fine art — and by extension, art collection. collectible — are increasingly being embraced by the art world, particularly in areas where art and fashion meet.

For the introduction in 2011 of Garage magazine, for instance, the editor Dasha Zhukova commissioned artists including Jeff Koons, Dinos Chapman and Richard Prince to design tattoos.

One version showed part of a nude model whose private parts were covered by agreen butterfly sticker created by the English artist Damien Hirst. Taking off the sticker uncovered a butterfly tattoo, also designed by Mr. Hirst.

Prestigious art institutions like the Musée du Quai Branly in Paris have taken note. The museum is planning an exhibition in May 2014 called “Tatoueurs, Tatoués,” or “Tattooists, Tattooed,” to explore tattooing as an artistic medium. The show will include “works produced specially for the event by internationally renowned artist tattooists, body suits on canvas and volumes comprising imprints taken from living models,” the museum said in a news release.

Two exponents who are bridging the art and tattoo worlds are the artist Duke Riley, based in New York, and the London-based tattooist Maxime Büchi. Mr. Riley, who trained in painting and sculpture at the Rhode Island School of Design and the Pratt Institute in New York, describes himself as a “fine artist and tattooist.”

His growing success as an artist has “elevated” his status as a tattooist, he said.

Mr. Büchi, a London-based tattooist and the editor of Sang Bleu magazine, which is available at the Tate Modern in London and the Colette store in Paris, says the Internet has made it possible to browse a huge online catalog of tattoo art. While he claims to dislike the term “tattoo artist,” he said that an increasingly discerning public had bolstered demand to be inked by someone whose work in other media is sold, exhibited and recognized.

In addition to being an exhibition space, the Internet provides opportunities for marketing and selfpromotion in a rapidly changing field.

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Twenty years ago, Mr. Riley said, tattooists learned a wide range of styles to demonstrate mastery of the craft. Today, by contrast, there is a sharp increase in tattooists seeking to establish unique artistic identities.

As with contemporary art, questions about originality and copyright have emerged. Some see imitation in the field as part of a collective tattoo tradition, while others are more protective. Mr. Riley is sanguine about the subject — when his work is copied, he said, he is flattered. Mr. Büchi said he felt “honored” when copied, but he acknowledged the complexity of the issue. “If you are creating a style which is so specific that nobody imitates it,” he said, “then you are clearly doing something wrong. But it’s a delicate thing.”

Mr. Büchi spoke of a “license” of sorts, an agreement between those who are inspired and influenced by one another. “That’s different from someone seeing a design of mine online and passing it off as their own,” he said.

As for Ms. Moss’s musings about reselling tattoos, Mr. Riley said that skin grafting had come up in conversation “at least once a week” in his Brooklyn parlor, East River Tattoo.

The preservation of skin art is already a reality. The Welcome Collection in London and the Amsterdam Tattoo Museum both feature preserved tattooed skins. And the Irish performance artist Sandra Ann Vita Minchin, who commissioned a tattooist to recreate a 17th- century painting by Jan Davidsz. de Heem on her back, plans to have her skin preserved posthumously and auctioned to the highest bidder.

In 2006, the Belgian artist Wim Delvoye created a piece of work titled “Tim, 2006,” in which Mr. Delvoye tattooed the back of a man, Tim Steiner, and signed it. In 2008, it sold to a German art collector for €150,000, which was split between the Zurich gallery which had sold it, the artist and the model.

Mr.Steiner displays his skin several times a year, and has given consent for his skin to be framed after his death.

Preserving skin posthumously is likely to become relatively common by the time the 20-year-olds of today enter old age, Mr. Riley said, particularly considering the monetary investment involved with collecting high-end tattoos.

Such thoughts can veer toward the sinister. Ilse Koch, the wife of a Nazi commandant during the Holocaust and one of the first prominent Nazis to be tried by the U.S. military, was accused of having taken souvenirs from the skin of concentration camp victims with distinctive tattoos. In Roald Dahl’s 1952 short story “Skin,” a destitute man enters a gallery and displays a portrait tattooed on his back by a now celebrated painter, leading to a bidding war and an unsettling ending.

A more likely scenario, Mr. Riley said, is that family members would choose to preserve the tattoos of loved ones.

For Mr. Büchi, however, tattooing is not art to be passed on through generations. “The value of a tattoo lies in the fact that it does not belong to the artist in that way,” he said. “To preserve it would be to devalue it. Its value is that it will die with you.’

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Being a tattoo artist was accidental”. It will be very hard for one to take this in as we go through the works of one of the tattoo artist from Jads tattoo Inc. Sudeep Kadka. Visually covered with ink except for his face is a renowned tattoo artist in Nepal’s tattoo scene. Sudeep explains that he wasn’t actually interested as it was accidental. He first started building tattoo machines for his friends. After building the machine his curiosity eventually ended with him becoming who he is today. It has been 10 years since he started tattooing. YouTube was not easily accessible back then so whenever he would get hold of a tattoo magazine he would use it as a reference. He also downloaded a lot of tattoo images from the internet.

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Sudeep Khadka

This was all he had to get into this art.

Sudeep first started tattooing professionally at one of his friends tattoo studio. He worked there for 2 week. He then with his lifelong friend and now business partner John Maharjan jointly established Jads Tattoo Inc. in April 2007. John is also renowned as one of Nepal’s best tattoo artist. The name Jads is the initials of Sudeep, John and theirs other two friends. They had to name their tattoo studio some things and this is how they came up with the name explains Sudeep.

Sudeep never had any inspiration as he never thought about being a tattoo artist as it was accidental however he was always fond of art since his childhood. Back in his school days he would always participate in art related activities, nut he tells us that he never had any art based training of any sort. He is currently studying BFA (bachelor in Fine Arts) at Lalitkala campus, Bhotahiti. However, due to his job as a tattoo artist he cannot devote all his time to his studies, but he loves to sketch and do still life and portraits that directly help him in his tattooing as it is a similar process, only the medium is different.

Tattoo artist are at times referred as commercial artist as getting a tattoo can be very expensive. It is not everyone’s piece of cake. Tattoo artist also have to do work as referred by the customers as they rarely get to freelance as it somebody else’s skin that they work on. Sudeep too does tattoos that the customers want, however the design that he mostly enjoys working on most is Black & gray realistic works. He started mostly with dragons, skulls and devil like tattoos as they were very popular at those times. Now the tattoo scenario with artist gaining more experience as well as the customers wanting more unique and meaningful tattoos.

Sudeep remembers the first tattoo he did was of Jesus on his friends arm.

Sudeep when asked if tattoo can be describes as art or not he says calling tattoo as an art is a personal decision to make. Some go for it whereas a lot go against it. As a painter leaves his mark on a canvas I do the same on a human skin. The only difference between a painter and a tattoo artist is that a painter signs his work after they are done. An art cannot be described as something that is hung on a wall or on top of a pedestal for everyone to view. Art is something that has a value and we carry our art everywhere we go.

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“It is not everyone’s piece of cake.”

Talking about his tattoos he got his first one at a very early age however, he has had that one covered up.

Sudeep also had several tattoos removed from his body because he wanted to join the army. Currently he has several tattoos all over his hands and body. He loves all the tattoo he does on his customer as it shows his hard work however, his personal favorite is a portrait of ‘Bala Sakari Thakur’ that he did at a convention in India. He was emotionally attached to that tattoo due to the fact that he had just pasted away. Besides tattooing Sudeep is also fond of getting inked himself.

He has always wanted to get inked by Alucky a.k.a. Kenzi from Sapporo, Japan and represented Black Ink Power at one of the Tattoo Convention in Nepal.

Sudeep described Kenzi as someone who triumphs at what he does. The most intrinsic art from resides at his fingertips.

Tribalism, Dot work, Black Ink works, Geometric elements, Psycodelic art are some of his style he is best at. He is also known for primitive tattooing. It would be an honor for Sudeep to be tattooed by such a great artist.

The tattoo scenario in Nepal has developed vastly since Sudeep first started tattooing. Compared to the world wide scenario it is still young and fresh but it has had an impact. Finding a person with inked skin is not as hard as it used to be back 10 years ago explains Sudeep. It is the peoples love for this art that it has come this far. The support we get from the people is evident when we see the crowd that shows up at tattoo conventions that are held in Kathmandu.

Sudeep with his friend John are among the organizers of Nepal Inked. Nepal inked is a Tattoo Convention that was held on 18th – 20th October 2013 in Kathmandu.

It is the second of its kind in Nepal following Nepal Tattoo Convention that is held at April every year. Sudeep describes the risk of organizing a second tattoo convention in one year but the result were pleasing as the crowd as well as the artist showed up to make it a successful venture. Compared to Nepal Tattoo Convention what made Nepal inked different was the motif of showcasing art as one. Nepal inked displayed all forms of art that were related to ink which describes the title ‘Nepal Inked’. Besides tattoo artist showing their skill they had

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Sudeep Khadka

live graffiti taking place, which was done by art lab. Art lab is a group of young artist that are working on making a difference in our country. Their work can be view on wall around Kathmandu. They describe their work as beautifying the bare walls of Kathmandu.

Sudeep wants to form Nepal Tattoo Society, a committee that would work for the betterment of the tattoo scenario of Nepal. Currently there is no such committee in our country that handles these matters. Hygiene is the most important factor while tattooing as well as getting tattooed and Sudeep fears that not everyone in the country follow it properly. If a tattoo artist does not use all the precaution while tattooing there are many health issue that once can get.

Besides the health issue the committee should also issue license for tattooing as not everyone is skilled. There are many new comers currently who don’t have a basic knowledge about the art. This is one thing that Sudeep is working on at the moment. One can find Sudeep at Jads Tattoo Inc. which is located at Thamel besides Kathmandu Guest House.

Nepal inked tattoo & lifestyle convention

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with what we wear

levis,Newroad Kathmandu, Nepal Phone+977-01621128 Email: levisnepal@gmail.com 27 TATTOO NATION

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There are some things that never get old

ranjana galli, newroad Kathmandu, Nepal Time10:00 am - 8:00 p 28 Phone+977-01621128 TATTOO NATION

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Mohan Gurung

Mohan’s Tattoo Inn

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stablished in November, 2000 AD in lake side, Pokhara, Mohan’s Tattoo Inn is Nepal’s premiere tattoo and piercing studio. Later in June 2005 moved to Thamel, Kathmandu and set up new tattoo studio where by many more people appreciate Mohan’s different styles of tattooing.

Mohan’s Tattoo Inn exceeds tattoo industry standards in quality and hygiene. They use the utmost advanced medical field sterilization techniques and cross contamination prevention methods. Along with sterilization our clients receive new and sterile needles, new ink in individual ink caps and cross contamination prevention material (barrier film, poly backs, clip cords sleeves, wash bottle covers, germicidal cleaners, etc..). All are disposed of properly after each use They specialize in creating custom pieces, if you prefer, we have thousands of design for you to choose from. We also offer tattoo re-design and cover ups.

When he was a child, he used to draw portraits of his family members, and he still has a stone carving that he did at the age of seven.

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Mohan Gurung Mohan Gurung believes all preconceived notions you might have about guys with tattoos. This gentle soul who started tattooing 17 years ago is shy, unprepossessing sweet, mild, helpful…not normally adjectives that are used for a man covered in body art. Always interested in art, Mohan was exposed to the world of tattooing on a visit to South Korea.

Fascinated, he decided then that he wanted to devote himself in learning and perfecting this form of art.

There has been no looking back for him. He started small, practicing on friends and family members, before venturing out and opening a small studio in Pokhara before opening one in Kathmandu, all the while facing opposition from his family and the community. Even in the face of all this disapproval and negativity, Mohan preserved because as he says he was hooked – to the art, the smell of ink, the atmosphere, the people and their stories. There has been no looking

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back for Mohan as he forged forward from running a one-person operation to the studio he runs today – Mohan’s Tattoo Inn which has five tattoo artist and a piercer.

When he was a child, he used to draw portraits of his family members, and he still has a stone carving that he did at the age of seven. He drew only for his personal satisfaction, not for any sort of fame or to have others appreciate his art. As a child he saw traditional tattoos like names, moons, suns, and Hindu gods, which were of

low quality and had limited color. As a teenager he began to see modern tattoos of astonishing quality on tourists visiting Nepal — they used to observe them with fascination. Also, he was into rock music, where he saw rock stars with tattoos that fascinated him. However, in the beginning he never thought this could be his mainstream job. He decided to start doing tattoos because he loved doing art, and he felt so disconnected from the materialistic world… Tattooing totally freed him from it.

“The common perception was that only freaks, metal heads, bikers and junkies got tattoos, but they were the one who wore them visibly.”

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Mohan Gurung

Bijaya Gurung “The common perception was that only freaks, metal heads, bikers and junkies got tattoos, but they were the one who wore them visibly. And in Nepal, we have always had a strong tradition of marking our bodies, but in the last few decades tattoos and people sporting them started to get a bad rap, this mindset is thankfully changing very quickly. With more and more people coming to our studio everyday wanting to get inked.

The interest is not only limited to youngsters, it’s men and women of all ages and nationalities, and what we have been noticing lately is that earlier most customers would walk in without a clear idea of what they wanted on their bodies, they were determined to just be tattooed but now, people have researched and thought about the design and are very aware and clear about where and what they want to decorate their bodies with. This has also led to most people respecting our talent and fewer people asking for discounts and bargaining with us. It is very encouraging to us as artist that

true aficionados appreciate our talent and realize that they are paying for our work of art, one that is going to stay on them forever.” Says Mohan It may surprise you that one of the most touching tattoos he did was that of a portrait of Osama Bin Laden. After hearing about Mohan’s interest in portrait tattoos, a high school buddy came to his shop with the notion of having incomparable people’s portraits on his back. They were pretty much confused as to whose face they should start with.

Despite the controversies, he wanted to start with Bin Laden’s portrait — they had no political views regarding the concept and did not intend to offend any ethnic group. It was never a big controversy here, however it is something provocative to many Westerners. Overall the concept is “Humanity’s Different Faces” At first glance, Bijaya Gurung fits in all those preconceived stereotypical notions people have about people with tattoos-he comes across as brash

and bold, and with his wild hair and piercings, even slightly intimidating.

But like most judgments based on first impressions, you soon start silently reprimanding yourself not to be too quick to judge.

Bijaya is eloquent and aware and intelligent, he has worked extensively as a lobbyist for literacy campaigns and an activist for marginalized group, and he is a happily married husband and father. A school friend of Mohan’s, he started tattooing 8 years ago. “I tried so many different things but this is what I like the most and tattooing is what I am passionate about.” W“The favorite part of my job is actually the people. Some are more interesting than other but all have a story, a reason for them to get a tattoo at this particular point of their lives.

And the artwork and the executing the design that the client has a vision of in his head is also something I enjoy immensely as that is the challenge.

Human skin is alive and thus the most exciting canvas to work on, there isn’t much room for error, and people remember the tattooist and you don’t want an unhappy dissatisfied client who is going to look at the tattoo for the rest of his life and curse you. Bad Karma!” Bijaya adds, “It is especially difficult convincing a 16 year old who wants a THUG LIFE tattooed on his knuckles or a young girl who wants her first love’s name inked on her, that that might not be the best decision and having to turn them down. It takes a lot of time talking to them, making them believe that maybe you do know more about these things than they do and then hoping that they will not go to another tattoo artist who does not have these scruples and will tattoo them anyway.”

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Atelier, Bhatbhateni,Naxal Kathmandu, Nepal +977 Today 10:00 am - 8:00 p Phone+977-01621128 Email: ateliernepal@gmail.com

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Laurent Maina

Around the world for the love of tattoos – Laurent Maina T ravel for tattoo; tattoo for travel, with this mantra in mind, Laurent Maina, packed his bags and flew in to Nepal, all the way from France, after reading about the Nepal Tattoo Convention on the internet. He and his wife, Natalie, explained that they had always wanted to come to Nepal and when they heard about the tattoo convention, they knew that this was the perfect time for them to visit the country.

“I specialize in making Buddhist, Tibetan and sacred geometry tattoos.

Since Nepal is the country where Gautama Buddha was born, and since, Buddhism is one of Nepal’s main religion I had always wanted to come here to learn more about the designs that I make,” said Laurent.

His passion for making design and art, when he was just a teenager, was what first drew him at the art of tattoo making. And later on, after meeting a passionate tattoo artist named Bories, in France, his career as a tattooist really took off, and he was off inking other people. One of his client was his wife herself. “It took Laurent 4 years to complete my full-body tattoo,’ Natalie said.

Laurent himself has tattoos all over his body; and the one that he like the most are the one tattooed on the left side of his face and his back. The scripture on the left side of his face reads ‘Om Mane Padme Om’ in Tibetan form and the ones on his back are in Sanskrit and its literal translation means ‘formed from emptiness; emptiness in form’.

I have my whole body covered, and trust me tattoos can affect you big time.

I’m not just talking about the stares you’re bound to attract, but how you feel inside. I feel empowered by my tattoos. Life has definitely changed for me. Once I tattooed this 20-year old girl with an African Voodoo design, which was supposed to help her fight addictions. I, myself was a little skeptical but strangely the claim came

true. She completely left cigarettes, drugs and even coffee. Don’t know if it was magical or psychological, but it seemed to help her.

“Tattooing is a mystic act.

And I have gone very deep I passion,” he says. “So deep that he needs to be bought back to reality sometimes,” laughs his wife, I’m here to support him in all that he does, but living with tattoo artist is not a simple job. All they think about are tattoos, tattoos and tattoos!”

But being a tattoo artist has its advantages. From meeting different to even getting to witness the weirdest of things – Laurent has experienced a lot. He reminisced about his experience with one of his client – a 20 year old women, who was addicted to drugs. “She came to me one day with an African voodoo design that was supposed to stop her from getting the urge to take drugs, smoke cigarettes and even drink coffee.

I inked the design on her and the strange thing is, after the tattoo was

done, she completely stopped taking drugs, smoking cigarette or drinking coffee. And she never had the urge to ever do those things again. That was a strange experience,” he shared.

Being a traveler, he doesn’t have his own studio, instead he choose to travel to different places to travel to different palaces and become a tattoo artist to which ever studio he feels comfortable in. after coming to Nepal, he has even had the time to already get started on his business.

He has already inked the right side of Mohan Gurung’s head with geometric pattern. Laurent and his wife came to Nepal especially for the tattoo convention, but they hope to explore more of Nepal, and take back with them, a lot of love from the country and its people.

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Samuel O Reilly

Samuel O’Reilly Parry described O’Reilly as an Irish immigrant who holds the honor of patenting the frst tattoo machine in the United States.

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ittle has been written about Samuel O’Reilly, and most of what is known about this New York City tattooist comes from newspaper articles and the 1933 book Tattoo, Secrets of a Strange Art as Practiced by the Natives of the United States

by Albert Parry. Parry described O’Reilly as an Irish immigrant who holds the honor of patenting the first tattoo machine in the United States.

The year was 1891 and O'Reilly was already a well-established tattooist in New York City, having arrived around 1875.

It is unclear if O'Reilly was able to capitalize on his patent idea,. Only one of the machines is known to exist and it is without the unique tube assembly. There is no information on O'Reilly ever selling this machine or operating a supply business.

In 1891, the first electric tattoo machine was invented and patented by tattoo artist, Samuel O’Reilly. He discovered a device called the “Electric Pen” which was invented by Thomas A. Edison in 1876. The Electric Pen was part of a document duplication system used by businesses and used a highspeed reciprocating motor to drive a single needle.

The Electric Pen did not use any ink, rather, perforated holes in a master form, of which then became a stencil. Ink rolled onto its surface and passed through the holes to make copies onto blank sheets placed underneath the stencil.O’Reilly took this invention, added multiple needles and an ink reservoir, and earned a U.S. patent. This revolutionary device was extremely innovative in opening the door to a whole new generation of growth in the tattoo realm.In 1929,

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Percy Waters patented a new design which closely resembles the modern day tattoo machine. His machine included two electromagnetic coils that were set parallel with the frame, a spark shield and an on/off switch.

Waters was a successful tattoo artist in Detroit, Michigan, where he also ran a tattoo supply company for nearly thirty years. He produced classically noted flash sets and tattooed many well-known tattoo collectors during that era. He was initiated into the Tattoo Hall of Fame on January 15, 1987.After Samuel O'Reilly was issued his patent, many sideshow and circus attractions came to him for additions to their collections, as well as tattooing lots of new attractions, including John Hayes, Frank & Emma deBurgh, Calavan, George Mellivan and Annie Howard, to name a few.

Folks in the show business world thought that his electric machine was faster and produced cleaner work.

Samuel O'Reilly operated a shop on Broadway and the Bowery in New York City but it was at #11 Chatham Square where he made his name.

The famous #11 Chatham Square shop was not much more than an over-sized closet in the back of a barber shop.O'Reilly operated out of this space for several years, and his student Charlie Wagner carried on there until his death in 1953. There are also stories of O'Reilly working the summer crowds on the famed Stillwell Ave. of Coney Island.

Albert Parry stated that Samuel O'Reilly died in 1908 from a fall while painting his home in Brooklyn, NY.

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How It Works

How it works tattoo machine

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tattoo machine is a handheld device generally used to create a tattoo, a permanent marking of the skin with indelible ink. Modern tattoo machines use electromagnetic coils to move an armature bar up and down.

Connected to the armature bar is a barred needle grouping that pushes ink into the skin. Tattoo artists generally use the term "machine", or even "iron", to refer to their equipment. The word "gun" is often used but many tattoo professionals dislike it. In addition to "coiled" tattoo machine there are also Rotary Tattoo Machines, which are powered by regulated motors rather than electromagnetic coils.

There are many types of machines.

Liners and shades are the more common machines from a technical standpoint. Mechanically, there are coil tattoo machines; also pneumatic machines, and rotary, or linear, tattoo machines.

• Rotary tattoo machine: A rotary tattoo machine, built in 1978 by Manfred Kohrs of Germany.[3] Rotary tattoo machines were the original machines, based on rotary technology, which was invented

by Samuel O'Reilly and improved by the tattoo artists through the years. Rotary type machines use an electric motor to drive the needles.

Some recent upgrades include using an armature bar to increase efficiency, a characteristic of coil machines. Recently, there have been improvements to make this type of machine pneumatic, in place of the electric motor used now.

• Coil tattoo machine: Coil tattoo machines are the most commonly seen and used. These machines use an electromagnetic circuit to move the needle grouping. There are many variations, from singlecoiled machines to triple-coiled machines. They can be made from many different materials and in many different sizes and shapes. Dual-

coiled machines are considered to be standard. The coils generally range from 8 to 10 wrap. The coils create the impedance, or resistance, used to properly regulate the machine's speed and power. This causes less trauma to the skin.

• Liner tattoo machine: The purpose of a liner machine is to lay the ink in the skin in one single pass to create a dominant line. It uses a short contact circuit (about 1.5mm–2mm), which causes the machine to cycle faster.

• Shader tattoo machine: The shader machine is commonly used to shade black or variants of black ink. Also colors other than black are used in this type of machine. The saturation level of this machine is low. It uses a bigger contact gap than a liner (about 2mm–3.5mm) to make it cycle slightly slower. This machine is also used for sculpting lines. Some artists will use this type of machine for all lines, as it allows the lines to be retraced with less trauma to the skin.

• Pneumatic tattoo machine: Tattoo artist Carson Hill in the year 2000 invented the first p neumatic tattoo machine and began the patent process. A pneumatic tattoo machine is powered by an air compressor, and they are extremely lightweight.

Pneumatic tattoo machines use pressurized air to power the tattoo machine and drive the needles up and down. These tattoo machines are entirely autoclavable, so that the

entire tattoo machine can be placed in the autoclave and sterilized fully without any major disassembly.

Unlike traditional coil machines, which require complete disassembly to be placed into an autoclave. Tattoo machines are not limited to just these types. A common variant is having a “cutback”, which uses stiffer front springs. This is more commonly used in liners, but is known to be used on shader machines, more typically for portrait work. Machines are usually categorized into long stroke and short stroke varieties. The longer-stroked machines are good for coloring and shading, as well as sculpting lines, while doing less damage to clients’ skin. Shorter-stroke machines are commonly used for lining in a single pass style, and also in a shader setup to achieve a more subtle gradation of black such as would be found in portraits.

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Length, width, tension, angle, and stiffness of the spring varies the functionality of the machine. The contact gaps, as well as capacitors and even the style of machine and its angles of deflection, can also all be variants in machine tuning. The proper tuning of the machine is essential for the type of machine being used, also for the type of tattoo the artist is doing.

All tattoo equipment is not the same, not in quality, price or purpose. It is important to make sure you have the right tools before attempting something as permanent as a tattoo.

The parts of a tattoo machine are the frame with attached pieces, the tubes which can be removed for sterilization for each tattoo, and the needles that are inserted into the tubes and stick out the tubes opening at the end. The tubes also have a hand grip on them, which is where the tattoo artist holds the tattoo machine. These tubes are almost always stainless steel, with the hand grips the same, or a hard plastic.

These tubes do not actually touch the customer’s skin, but ink and blood do come in contact with them, which is why they can be released from the rest of the machine and autoclaved.

The tubes can come in many different sizes in relation to the tip where the needles are held being very small to extremely large. The tube end that connect to the tattoo machine is always the same size so that they are interchangeable.

There are two types of tattoo machines, a liner and a shader. These are pretty much dedicated to what their names imply, with little variation. There are minor differences in how they are built, with the liner having smaller coils, and a more upright position. The shader is made to be held a little more angled, and has larger coils.

The liner is used to hold only liner needles, which are needle bars with only small amounts of needles attached into a tight group at the end of the needle bar. The needles stick out of the tip of the tubes that attaches to the tattoo machine.

The liner, as a machine, brings the needles up and down into the skin which perforates it, and deposits ink into the said perforations. It is used to do linework and small details. Most liners can handle needles as small as one needle, or as many as ten. The shader is used to fill in larger areas of skin, and needs the larger coils with

more power to do so.

A power chord attaches to the tattoo machine and into a power source.

This power source then plugs into an electric outlet (or in some rare occasions, a battery pack). The power source has a dial on it that allows the tattoo artist to adjust the amount of power that the tattoo machine gets.

The power source also makes sure that the tattoo machine gets an even measure of power, so that the tattoo quality is consistent.

The needles are dipped into ink caps of the color desired. It is much like a paintbrush being dipped into the paint.

When it is time to change colors, the tattoo needles are rinsed in a cup of water, and then re-dipped into the new color.

When it comes to what tattoo machine is better; the views of an apprentice would be different from an artist. An

A foot pedal that stays on the ground also plugs into the power source. This is stepped on to make the tattoo machine run, and released to have it stop. It is just an on/off mechanism, though, and not pressure sensitive like a car gas pedal. apprentice is guided by his master and is thus bound to follow and use the machine his master recommends.

A better comment can be heard from the professionals who adopt the tattoo machine that suits their work and style. Most of the tattooists do not stay restrained to one type of machine because all designs cannot be carried out using one machine. Some tattoo lovers have a hobby to collect different types of tattoo machines no matter if all of them are used or not.

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For new artists who wish to join tattooing usually ask questions like are rotary tattoo machines better? Or are coils better? Well there is no one line answer to this question as the utility of the machine varies with 36 TATTOO NATION

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How It Works

the user. The coil tattoo machines have different technical fitting than rotary machines. Their name coil was set because of their special fitting made from use of electromagnetic coils.

Unlike rotary machines that can perform dual function; these coils can either perform lining or shading.

The coil users thus keep two types of coil machines: a liner and a shader.

By lining we mean the outline of tattoo design; shading on the other hand is filling of colours within the outline. When comparing rotary tattoo machine vs coil, the coils are better shaders as they input more power to do shading on human skin.

The inner fitting of coils compose of copper coils, springs, armature bars and screws. Under the study of rotary tattoo machines vs coil, the issue of sterilization sometimes raises the point of are rotary tattoo machines better? The sterilization process of coil machines is not as easy as others because they need a special germicidal spray used in hospitals for cleaning and sterilizing.

Coil vs Rotary Machines Rotary Machines are a wonderful device for tattooing, they work very well. Especially if you are a Veterinarian doing branding or other marking that does not depend on variations of shading or line depth.

Rotary machines also work well if you are trying to be a professional tattooer while you’re in prison.The low power motors that inmates use to make a tattoo machine are very small and run almost silent. This has helped the inmate/tattooer do slow-hand stipple shading really well. This type of tattooing results actually has a style name; Powder Shading- is attributed directly to the prison style tattoo results done with Rotary machines.

A professional quality rotary machine is not much better than a prison made machine except they are much more powerful and can run much faster than prison style rotaries do.That is not necessarily a good thing. Bigger and more powerful is not better, it is just the way the manufacturers make them.

But, Bigger more Powerful – means faster hand speed. And that only

Rotary Machines are a wonderful device for tattooing, they work very well.

Especially if you are a Veterinarian doing branding or other marking that does not depend on variations of shading or line depth. means more difficult to control the depth of the needle.

Rotary Machines, by their design, really are not as good at installing pigment into human skin as an electromagnetic tattoo Machine is. Just the fact that they have to go full stroke in order to complete the rotary motion, means the machine can not respond to the tension of the skin the needles are working in.

This make the operator completely responsible for the depth the needles are pushed into the skin on every stroke of the machine, and each stroke of the operators hand.

This makes it difficult to get the pigment to the same depth each stroke, especially when having to move the hand holding the machine fast in order to keep from overdosing the skin with unwanted pigment.

Fast hand speed is the biggest reason small needle grouping are standard with rotary machine operators. And transparent shading is not often seen in tattoo.

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Tattoo Design Evolution

Tattoo design evolution:

How new technologies are giving body art a major creative boost A good tattoo is a handmade work of art that sets you apart as an individual.

So why pick out a standard design from the shop’s stock? After all, there’s nothing worse than turning up in the same outfit as someone else, especially if that outfit is permanent. With new technologies for both creating the image and applying the ink, it’s now possible to have tattoo designs that would have been unimaginable just a decade ago.

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“Making yourself happy

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hile artists still implement tattoo design onto skin by hand, the methodology for doing so has changed dramatically in recent years. Whereas body art’s most famous practitioner, Sailor Jerry, originally started tattooing in the 1920s using a hand-pricking method (he then moved on to a rotary machine), tattoo artists now use advanced machinery that is both safer and has multiple needles that can be set for a variety of distinct tasks. Sailor Jerry, who learned his trade in the Navy, is known for a flash-art style featuring images of anchors and rum bottles – and the eras blunt application methods complemented the rough themes of his work. Today, an innovative tattoo artist is more likely to rely on a tool

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like the Cheyenne Hawk Thunder, produced in Germany. This fairly new machine, which combines the grip and needles into a disposable cartridge, has revolutionized the way tattooists work by mimicking the feel of holding a marker pen: fluid, versatile and graphic.

Tools like the Thunder allow artists to create designs benefitting from another technological advance – computer and digital design. An original tattoo no longer needs to be designed by hand. Because of tattoo design evolution, a tattoo artist skilled in Photoshop, for instance, can create layered imagery that goes a major step beyond a mere drawing, and the new machinery makes executing

those designs feasible. For example, the German studio Buena Vista Tattoo Club sparked a trend in Europe with its “Trash Polka” style of tattoos.

These artists create digital images that merge text, graffiti art and heavy shading for a unique look that is at once realistic and painterly. Though designed on a computer, the tattoos are vivid, complex and eye-catching: Digitally designed graphic tattoos allow artists to play with text-image combinations, a very old theme in body art that is now seeing new approaches. Xoil from Needles Side Tattoos in the small French town of Thonon-les-Bains has become one of the biggest names in graphic design tattoos. Xoil uses Photoshop to layer

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Tattoo Design Evolution

can be bad for you”

text with asymmetrical line work and abstract imagery. The effect recalls a mixture of illustration, drawing, and painting, akin to a collage: The use of Photoshop in no way lessens the artistic value of Xoil’s work – each of his compositions is an original creation, and as with all great artists, his style is his signature.

The use of graphic lines, typography, paint strokes and bold black and red are distinctive features of his tattoos.

Organic forms such as birds, flowers and portraits add a level of femininity and softness, setting him apart from the Buena Vista Tattoo Club. It’s no surprise that this guy’s waiting list is nearly three years long! Even as digital image technology enables tattooists to experiment with new

kinds of techniques and images, it can also benefit clients. A tattoo artist who can work on a design while a client is present – manipulating imagery quickly and addressing the client’s comments on the spot – will be likelier to produce a design that makes a client happy. (Not to mention losing massive amounts of time to redrawing.) Of course, not every artist is handy with Photoshop. But you don’t necessarily need your artist to be able to both create and execute the design. Most tattoo artists can render a variety of styles; with the right tattoo artist (one open to working outside their comfort zone), you can have a graphic designer create exactly what you want and bring it to your tattoo artist for execution.

Here’s an example of how that process can work: Justin Vernon, who founded the band Bon Iver, decided he wanted a large tattoo on his left arm, and ran a tattoo design contest on 99designs.

This tattoo had to represent a fairly abstract concept with a specific source: Bon Iver took its name from an episode of Northern Exposure in which the Alaskan townspeople wish each other “bon hiver,” French for “good winter.” In that same episode, as Vernon wrote in his design brief, “a woman transforms a gold rush village into a cultural place with one single dance in a tavern. They name the town after her, Cicely, Alaska. The art direction in the episode is Mucha refers to the Czech Art Nouveau artist Alphonse Mucha, whose style is 41 TATTOO NATION

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Now more then ever before there are no limits

organic, linear and romantic. To find a design that could capture the look and feeling of this episode, Vernon needed to feel his way through a variety of options. Here’s the design he selected in his contest: Notice that not only does this design perfectly capture its source, it also demonstrates how simple it is to make changes to a tattoo created using design software. The designer has supplied multiple fonts, making it easy for Vernon to choose the look that fits his vision. In fact, almost anything about the tattoo. Or, take an example in which a client had a highly specific idea for a design but no particular image in mind. 99designs staffer Garrett Sussman knew he wanted a tattoo of a man pushing a boulder up a hill (inspired by The Myth of Sisyphus).

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But he also wanted something uniquely distinct from the images he’d already found. So he created a design brief and ran a competition.

Instead of simply providing images illustrating the man/boulder/hill in his brief, Garrett pointed designers in the right direction by providing examples of tattoo styles he liked. All of them had a feeling of graphic illustration to them. The winning design has many similarities to Xoil’s style, combining graphic imagery and geometric shapes. It has the look of an illustration derived from a 19th century medical text, but is an original creation. Garrett had the image inked onto his torso last year – you can compare the design (below, left) with how it looks on the side of Garrett’s torso (below, right). Though he was not the actual

designer, a talented tattoo artist was able to execute the design on the flesh in a perfect copy: If you’re thinking about some new ink, you have more options than ever before. Talk to your tattoo artist. It may be that they’re currently experimenting with new technologies and feeling out new creative paths using image technology. But even if not, you can consider using a graphic designer to create the image that right now is living only inside your head, and bring it to your tattoo artist to render on your flesh. Greater flexibility for your artist, more control for you, and an entirely new range of styles to choose from.

Now more than ever before, there are no limits.

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Skin Gallery

SKIN GALLERY

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trash polka

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Skin Gallery

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Skin Gallery

RELIGIOUS 47 TATTOO NATION

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realistic

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Skin Gallery

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Regrets

cost a lot more

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Skin Gallery

JAPANESE ORIENTAL

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Himalayan Ink Piercing & Dreadlock

cover-ups custom work freehand Lakeside - 6, pokhara 9804162822, 9746027835 www.facebook.com/himalayanink

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New inks

Thamel 29 Kathmandu, Nepal 9851010018 www.newinks.com.np

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Skin Gallery

full sleeve

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The buzz behind

“Tattoo culture is booming everywhere and Nepal is seeing advancement too. The international artist agree that the country has a lot of art to give out too,”

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lifestyle choice and also seen as a reflection of ones identity, tattoos have always been about edgy fashion. More and more young people are embracing the culture of tattoos and getting inked in the name of personal beliefs and relationships.

At Nepal inked – a Tattoo and Lifestyle Convention held at the exhibition hall at Bhrikuti Mandap, 40 nepali and 30 international tattoo artist had

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gathered together to exchange ideas and learn from each other. “Tattoo culture is booming everywhere and Nepal is seeing advancement too.

The international artist agree that the country has a lot of art to give out too,” says Spandan Mokat from the organization committee.

Tattoo artist in Nepal have humble beginnings; most of them speak about how they learned the art by themselves

with the help of their friend as trial and error using handmade machines.

Almost a decade in the profession, Raju Bajracharya’s earliest machine was also handmade. Bajracharya from Yala ink patan remembers using the ink from Pilot pen, the body of the pen, fabric color and sewing needles as the most basic components of the machine. “With no idea where and how to purchase a professional machine, it was the closest we came

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The buzz behind urban ink

the urban ink

to a tattoo machine and it worked for us,” he says.

Aspiring tattoo artist now have it much easier as they can conventionally purchase a good machine to learn basics. Jads tattoo’s John Maharjan bought his first machine from Cyprus.

The 27 – year old tattoo artist has over a decade of experience in the field and says, “We actually have a long culture of tattoos in our country, especially in the Newar and the Tamang community. But with the slow rise of negative connection regarding the practice, people started overlooking tattoos. Suddenly it only became associated with drug addicts and goons.”When people like John and Raju began exploring and learning about the art, there were

only a handful of people who were interested in what they were doing. As Raju says, “Many people didn’t even know what tattoos were then. The culture is growing fast and getting bigger.”

The rising popularity of tattoos mean that the tattoo studios have also multiplied over the years. And the conventions that are taking place help the artist learn from each other and the visiting artist who bring with them their own set of skills and experience.

Conventions are mediums for aspirants to get direct interaction opportunities from the veterans.

General Quires from the public also get answered at such events. However, Nepal still lacks a conventional tattoo training environment.

“A father wanted to know how safe getting inked is, and about the possible infections as his son wanted a tattoo.

So this is a helpful meeting point for artist as well as people interested in tattoos,” sums up Ajay Rumba, tattoo artist from Jads Tattoo. Nepal’s tattoo artists are next planning on building a tattoo society. Outlining the main idea, John states, “we want to set it up within a year and we will include all the artist from Nepal. Our goal is to build a set of guidelines and also certify the artist.” The profession has also turned lucrative; some artist charge by the hour and some according to the complexity of the design, and they see themselves in the profession for the long haul.

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Tri devi marg, Thamel Kathmandu, Nepal 9841296963 www.turnkeystudio.com.np

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The Journey The journey in ink

At the age of 19, I declared to my dad that I wanted a tattoo when I turned 21. He gave me a disapproving look. When he saw that I was serious about it he said no. he told me that I could have everything but a tattoo. For him, it was a western influence on me after seeing my favorite football player inking his body. But then on the other hand as a child, I remember seeing my late grand-mother having the name of a deity (Krishna) tattooed on her hand. I decided to dig deeper: I thought of tattoo culture as something new in Nepal, an influence of the west and modernization. Little did I know that tattoos are actually an indigenous, culture phenomenon and are prevalent amongst Nepali tribal communities? to get inked. While the syasbyas of the

Tattoo culture is pre- Newar communities had their hand dominantly widespread among the inked, various designs and patters are Newar and Tharu communities of still seen on the legs, right above the Nepal and amongst Gurungs and ankle, of jyapu women. According to Magars. Popular among the women of Syata Mohan Joshi, jyapunis (female those communities, Lha: Choegu as it members of the jyapu community) is called in Nepal Bhasa, was done usually made their permanent and during melas (carnivals) and jaatras single colored tattoos themselves (festivals) like rato machindranath since their design were large and jaatra in patan by artists from India. would take time to complete. “The During those times, many men and community would usually have one women would flock around these artist female artist as an expert in tattoos,

IN INK

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Along with the change of people’s perception towards tattoos, the design have also undergone distinct transformations. Mr. Gurung shared that while designs like skulls, sailor’s motifs, tribal symbols and religious symbols were popular in the beginning, now along with oriental designs, artwork is also gaining popularity. who must have a wonderful sense of memory,” said Mr. Joshi. Come to think of it its quite true, for these women would have to memorize the exact pattern they had to translate onto bodies. To produce color, these artist would mix coal and the milk from certain plants.

Women in the Gurung and the Magar community would use goat’s milk, coal or leaves along with either nilkanda or needles. These tattoos were usually done on the face, near the lips, with designs such as moons and the stars,

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mostly for beautifying purposes.

However, the culture is less prelevent among these communities than its southern counterpart.

A GENERATION GAP

Although the inking process was popular till our grandparents’ time, it seemed to have slowly lost its original charm sometime in the 70s in Nepal. Various skin diseases resulting from tattoos or unsafe processes practiced during melas might be one of the cause of its reduced popularity amongst Newar culture. For the Tharu community, the fact that their tattooing way were quite too painful and gruesome might have helped lose part of its charm.

“It probably also happened because drug abusers and hooligans getting inked more,” said Mohan Gurung, one of Nepal’s most well-known tattoo artist. During those times, people who were into drugs used to get inked as sign of rebellion against the norm of the society. Gurung remembers that although the society never questioned our grandparents who had tattoo, had started to look down upon those youths who had one too.

Gurung’s tattoo studio in Thamel is

simply named Mohan’s Tattoo Inn; “thankfully, the art form is gaining its respect and admiration once again,” said Mr. Gurung, indicating the recent craze for getting tattoo among young nepali. Commercially, the modern form of tattoos is said to have been introduced in Nepal by the late Babu Raja Pradhan of Thamel Tattoo Studio, Nepal’s first tattoo studio, back in 1997.

“I never wanted to get into this professionally,” says Mr. Gurung, laughing when asked how this ancient art form got commercialized.

“Personally wasn’t interested because at that time people only wanted to get symbols and names of gods and goddess inked.” The public kind of looked down upon tattoo enthusiasts during the start; mostly credited to the shady reputation of hippies and also rock music fans and their appreciation of tattoos. This is no longer the case.

Things have started turning around with more people realizing that tattoos are an art form, a way to express oneself. Because of this change in perception, while a few tattoo studios were struggling to stay open before, today new studios are mushrooming all around Kathmandu and in other urban centers of the country.

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The journey in ink

THE EVOLUTION OF THE ART Along with the change of people’s perception towards tattoos, the design have also undergone distinct transformations. Mr. Gurung shared that while designs like skulls, sailor’s motifs, tribal symbols and religious symbols were popular in the beginning, now along with oriental designs, artwork is also gaining popularity. Today, it’s not unusual to find clients coming in with their own designs than. For tattoo studios and artists too, it’s more about custom designs than repeating dated designs.

The single-colored tattoos that used to adore people’s legs and hands are now mostly colorful, with clients being increasingly interested in getting tattoos on more parts of the body; some even go for a full body suit.

With the internet and TV as media for highlighting various tattoo designs and pattern at an international level, tattoo studios and tattoo artist around the city are slowly going back to the roots, inking designs on flesh that stand out from designs from the rest of the world. At the same time, to bridge the gap between tattoo artist and the clients as well as to help artist in the country and abroad, share their experience and learn from each other, tattoo conventions have been taking place for the last few years.

‘Conventions are necessary as it

helps us to grow and be better at what we love the most.” Shares Gurung.

It seems that although there was a generation gap in tattoo culture, it is slowly getting to revive in its original form minus the time consumption and pain. Nothing is known about the origin and the introduction of tattoo in Nepal but since then, it has become a part of our art, our heritage and our tradition of the society. Although there was almost a generation gap, tattoos are now in vogue again. The best part is that this trend is slowly reviving the lost art form and might as well help in creating another niche for the country.

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Visit our store: Etnies store Times Square, Durbarmarg Kathmandu 9851000439

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Think before you get inked

Think Before You Get Inked

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ajan Limbu, 25, puts this interestingly. “I have five tattoos and I got them in a fit of anger.” And no, he doesn’t regret it. Owner of a handicraft business, Rajan is planning to get another one soon. Only this one is as a cover-up on the one he already has. “The one I have now isn’t very clear. I’m planning to get the same in a larger size,” he says. The tattoo is a name.

Many tattoo parlous have sprung up in Nepal, so there’s no dearth of tattooists who will guide you. You can see a work of art coming alive, befitting your imagination or perhaps even surpassing it. Mohan’s Tattoo Inn in Thamel has become synonymous with tattoos in the capital. One needs to make a reservation there. Only if you’re lucky and if one of the five

There’s tattooists is free do you get accepted as a walk-in. Customers are charged Rs 1,500 per hour regardless of the tattoo they want. Om Gurung, Manager of Mohan’s Tattoo Inn, says, “We don’t keep track but we have a minimum of 150 people coming to get inked in a month.”With the undeniable popularity of tattoos, it’s also to be expected that there are those looking to get their tattoos removed. Yanga Magar, 23, from Pokhara got her first tattoo at 16. She recalls, “I got it right after I finished my SLC examinations.

It cost me Rs 3,000.” At present, she has three tattoos. Yanga says, “I like my tattoos. However, since the last two years I’m in the process of having them removed, as my parents are constantly shouting at me. I went to Nepal-Korea Dongsan Medical Centre in Kathmandu to get them removed. I paid Rs 12,000 for the laser treatment.”

But as costly as the treatment was, she isn’t happy with the result. “It has left my skin very scarred and, moreover, it’s not completely gone.

The treatment is also very painful.

always a story behind a tattoo and it’s fascinating

to learn about it

I felt like I was getting burnt directly by fire. It took me almost two years to heal completely. Right now, I’m in the process of removing two tattoos but I don’t think it’ll go away completely.

So I’ve been planning to get another tattoo to cover my damaged skin.”

Laser treatment seems to be the most popular method of tattoo removal in Nepal. Rama Rijal from Nepal Skin Hospital at New Baneshwor informs, “We have laser treatment and surgery as ways for tattoo removal. We usually do laser treatment.

treatment available since the past one and half years. We get around three customers per month. Some of them come with tattoos made by machines and some tattoos seem self-made.

The lines are irregular, making it a bit harder to remove. The price for the treatment really depends on the ink used. We charge anywhere between Rs 1,500 to 2,000 per session.” Rajan remembers, “When we were younger, my friends would use lime to remove their tattoos. The lime needs to be kept for an hour.”

Around 15 people come here in a month. A simple homemade tattoo is removed in a single session, but for professional tattoos people need to come for around six sessions. The minimum cost starts at Rs 5,000 and it depends on the ink used to make the tattoo. Surgery is a rare case.”

Laser treatment is also available at Facial House and Beauty Care at Kathmandu Mall. Proprietor Rasmila Shrestha says, “We’ve had this

So bear in mind the importance your tattoo has for you. Before you get yourself inked, be sure of what you want. You’ll be saving yourself from pain, some cash and even from potential scarring. And that would just be an ugly memento of your tattoo.

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Tattoo Machine and their secret

Tattoo Machines and their Secrets

n more than one occasion, while talking “shop talk” with other artists, the topic of machines always comes up.

We have heard artists talking about machines built by other machine builders and have heard them comment, “It’s a good machine” or “Those machines are work horses”…the question we had was, “what do you think makes it a good machine?”, “Name some qualities that machine has, which make that machine a good machine.” Many artists DO NOT know what makes that machine a “good” machine, they also DO NOT know what to do to make that machine a better machine. The fact is that many artists learn to put color in, they learn to shade and outline but never know about the function of the main tool of their trade. We have heard stories about artists throwing a machine away because it didn’t run…when it could have been a simple repair job! Tattoo machines are investments, they are your money makers, and you should protect your investments. If we compare the tattoo machine to a car, there are several parallels that can be drawn between the two. A car can run hot, a machine can run hot as well…an un-tuned machine will sound like and run like a car which is not running on all cylinders…grounding problems will prevent a car from starting or a machine from running… And just like a car, a low grade clunker can be “hot rodded out” to make it run great. The electromagnetic machine was based originally on a schematic for a door-bell…so, how complicated can this machine be?

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Illustration by Terry Kaegin

We are in a new era of technically, artistically and professionally advanced tattooing. Tattooing’s “old school” secret society has been overtaken by artistic youngsters from all walks of life. Myths surrounding the tattoo machine are running more rampant than they have ever been, the proof is seen in the imitation, copycat machines being sold by artists and suppli- ers who don’t really understand their function. Credibility from nothing. The machine is simple and its methods are scientific.

It’s time to debunk these myths and superstitions.

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63 gadget store, durbarmarg Kathmandu, Nepal Phone+977-01621128Email: gadgetnepal@gmail.com TATTOO NATION

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