In today’s world, tattoos are no longer taboo. But there’s still plenty about the artform that remains cloaked in darkness.
The Professional Tattoo Australia Association Queensland branch will help shed light on the world of ink when they host the PTAA Tattoo Show this weekend. Noel Byers, from Under The Gun Tattooing & Body Piercing, gives us a little insight into his profession.
“I have been a tattooist for 26 years and I still think the scariest tattoo I have ever done was a flower on my mother’s ankle... and she came back to get more. It was then I truly realised how much tattooing had changed because my mother was a very conservative person, and for her to change said it all.
“In the 'good ol days' you would walk into a 'tattoo parlour' and what was on the wall was your choice. There were no such things as photocopiers and computers that could download enough pics to damn near paint a town. The artist of the day, of which quite a few are still out there doing top class work, must wish they had some of today’s trappings. And then we come to the colours. Wow! Nothing it seems is impossible anymore.
“We now have television programs helping spread the word so to speak and sports people, entertainers, models and people from all walks of life proudly displaying an amazing array of tattoo styles.
“However, we also have a bad side to this explosion in tattooing and that’s that just about anybody can now buy tattoo equipment and with no training tattoo absolute crap all over other people's bodies. Remember a tattoo is for life and that guy or girl who has just got all their tattoo gear probably won't ever have to look at the mess they have made on you again. You, on the other hand, have to look at it every bloody day.
“That is where The Professional Tattoo Artists Association is your safety net. If your artist is a member then you know he or she is proficient in the art of tattooing.
“Let me ask you one question: if your mate bought a tool kit would you let him work on your car? I didn't think so. Look for the PTAA sign in your studio and you know it’s good. Now go out and get some more great ink.”
