Skylar Albrecht Tattoos
Tattoo by Cohen Floch, Tattoo Union
“I started working for the shipyards in Vancouver after school, hence the anchor. After fi nishing my
apprenticeship I went to get my air diving ticket and now freelance worldwide.
Anton Ermakov Tattoo in Russia
Tattoos mean a lot in Russia, people rarely get them just for fun. In the past they were attributes of a professional activity. Anton wanted a tattoo with a clear meaning and chose this one on completion of his TDI Advanced Trimix certifi cate.
Mikael Jimbo Tattoo by Jap Loh
“Part of an ADEX 2011 campaign to promote a ban on shark fi nning. Tattoo artist Jap Loh off ered free no fi nning tattoos as a part of a Ocean Geographic Magazine campaign.”
Arrival of the tattoo machine in the late 1800s changed the game. The early 1900s saw the rise of the machines, but it’s noteworthy that while most other industrial age machinery evolved from steam to electrical power, from hands-on to remote control, the tattoo machine has remained essentially unchanged since it’s introduction. It’s a pretty elementary electromagnetic device that makes, then breaks its own circuit. Power output is controlled by the user to make thin lines, thicker lines, shading, fi ll in, all with greater precision. The tattoo machine can puncture your skin something like 3,000 times a minute. Practically speaking this means the device can do in hours what took days and weeks before its invention. It transformed tattooing into a serious, commercialized business. And no business embraced the tattoo in quite the same way as the world of entertainment. Who hasn’t heard of the ‘tattooed lady’, far and away the most popular attraction in the early days of the traveling circus, the carnival and the dime museums. To white, middle class North Americans, the bared female form tattooed head to foot was at once an erotic experience and a freak show. In a word she was irresistible and, circus owners knew, well worth the price of admission.
24 Magazine
Tattoo by Robin Dutcher Black Ohm Tattoos Ocotpi were the most popular theme of all the dive tattoos we saw
Tattoos remained on the fringe until sailors and soldiers returned from world wars with them, at which point, no big surprise, they started showing up in the protest arenas of anti-war activists, hippies and in rock and roll culture. That’s all colourful history today. Tattoos are now out in the open. They have been gentrifi ed. Non-conformists will have to fi nd something else to attract attention.
Health Science
If you’re among the uninitiated and wondering what it’s like to be on the receiving end of a tattoo machine, the answer is that it hurts. I have this on good authority. My sources aren’t wimps. Tattooing fl eshier parts of the body causes less discomfort than the bony bits. But what happens when ink is injected beneath your skin, which is the body’s fi rst line of defense in any surrounding?
It’s no big surprise the tattoo is perceived as a threat by the immune system and so the trick here is to understand the layered nature of skin and to put the ink in just the right place where it can reside safely. Here’s the skinny on skin: The epidermis, or outer layer, protects you from the elements. The dermis, or middle layer, is home to sensory touch receptors, capillaries, connective tissue. The deepest layer, or
hypodermis, holds blood vessels, hair follicle roots, fat cells, sweat glands, etc. Inject the ink into this deep layer and your circulation system washes away the ink. No more tattoo. Go too shallow into the epidermis and regenerating skin cells will fl ake it away in a matter of weeks. No more tattoo. Imbed the ink into the middle layer - about 1/16th of an inch deep - where it’s trapped by a mesh of connective tissue and collagen protein and it will stay put, posing little risk to life or limb. Inks are available in more than 50 colours these days. Lots to choose from although newer entries haven’t proven themselves over time, which has its eff ect on all tattoos. Comedians Rhett and Link in a YouTube video off er this: “when you’re 80 that (tattooed) demon will look like a chocolate bunny left in a hot car.” Tattoos do tend to get smudgy over time.
Ink is pigment mixed with a carrier such as ethanol or something of the kind that serves to kill off pathogens. It’s manufactured by a number of companies - organic ink is out there, too - but none of them are approved by government health agencies or otherwise regulated in North America. This isn’t stopping people from getting tattooed. Perhaps because the record is pretty good with a mere two percent suff ering allergic reaction. There was a fairly
Degan Walters
Tattoo by Craig Moston Gastown Tattoo
“I love octo’s because they are such amazing creatures, emotionally intelligent and other-worldly. They make me smile whenever I see one diving. Craig suggested that we put
the octopus on the inside of my arm because they like to hide.”
Anton Ermakov photo by Viktor Lyagushkin
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