Starting Fresh: How to Tattoo ALICIA LAZZARO WEARS THICK-FRAMED glasses, has blonde-brown hair, and knows about tattoos. Her first and second tattoo she loves, but the third one didnât go as planned. From the get-go, Lazzaro said she felt confident about the artist because sheâd seen work heâd done on friends and co-workers. Lazzaroâs brother drew up the design that would span across her back: a quote that read, âKnow and believe in yourself and what others think wonât disturb you,â bordered with intricately woven lily flowers.. âI got what I paid for,â says Lazzaro. She describes a process known as blowing out: when an artist goes too deeply into the skin with the needle, the ink bleeds into fat cells beneath, causing the tattoo to blur almost immediately, a process that normally shows its effects years later. Shortly after the mishap, Lazzaro made plans to get a cover up tattoo. Spanning each wall of the shop are dozens of pictures of skulls, dragons, and thorned roses outlined in black frames. Music overhead blasts Mos Def, punctuated by the intermittent buzzing of needles. Muffled chat-
BEFORE
52 ďŽ ATLAS MAGAZINE
ter from fellow artists murmurs about; itâs 10am, and Stingray Body Art in Allston is just waking up. But in the small room in back, Josh âChicoâ Torres is already hard at work. âHe really fucked you over,â says Torres of the previous artist as he takes a look at the tattoo. He takes off a baggy sweatshirt to reveal heavily inked and vibrantly colored arms. Lazzaro kneels in a padded chair, and Torres leans over in a chair and begins to stencil the new tattoo in Sharpie on her upper back. âTattooing is the most physically and mentally taxing job Iâve ever had,â says Torres. He didnât expect his love for drawing from a young age would translate into a career in the tattoo world. After a year at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, he dropped out to pursue tattooing more intently. âMy personality, in general, is all over the place. My art is the same way.â Torres explains that he doesnât like to focus too much on a single genre of tattooing. Dotted lines outline a new flower that will wrap around Lazzaroâs shoulder. After a short cigarette break, Torres is back for a second go, and begins prep for the actual tattoo. This
NEW TATTOO IN PROGRESS