Artist Amanda Wachob of Brooklyn, New York blurs the line between fine art and body art in her ink works. Her tattoo designs may look like watercolor paintings but these are the real deal. As the artist states in her website, many of these tattoos began as paintings.
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Amazing indeed! My jaw dropped when I first laid eyes on this art! I actually want one but I’m not sure if there are any artists in the Philippines that practice this tattooing technique. Check out more of Amanda Wachob’s artworks here.
I used to say I would get all the piercings I want but never would I get inked. When I started working, I had to remove all my earrings thinking people would judge me for having more than one pierce in each ear. And out of nowhere, the idea of getting a tattoo came to me. I told Karen and Tinn about it- these are two of my friends who I know would never oppose the idea. Tinn who already has one, instantly agreed we get inked together. This was the time I was so eager to donate blood (just before getting a tat), but there was no opportunity. Anyway, I learned that I could still donate blood in emergency situations in the future even if I have tattoos
At first, I only wanted a phrase inked in my left arm/wrist to see if I can take the pain. The phrase would be, “with the heart of a lion and spirit of the dragon” but written in Hebrew. But then Tinn and I became busy and never found time to go to meet with a tattoo artist.
Months passed and I came up with an idea for a tattoo- a symbol that would describe me as a person (in my perspective). So that would be the Earth Dragon (my birth sign) which would be tattooed on my back just below the nape. The dragon in circular form, more like an ouroboros but it shouldn’t be eating/biting its tail and it’s wings should be outspread. But then my design was too complicated the tattoo artist didn’t finish it on time. So I turned to my plan C instead- that is to get an inscription tattoo but not the plan A. So basically, my first two tattoos were due to an impulse. True story.
Then I remembered my friend Kat hangs out with some artists so I asked if she knows any tattoo artist personally. The answer was no, but she has a friend who knows one, that would be Shellby Reyes of 55 Tinta. We immediately set up a schedule with him.
Sir Shellby decided to put the zodiac (at the back of my right ear) first since it is smaller. While on the process, Kat kept taking photos and I kept posing/smiling making them think I don’t feel any pain at all. It is painful but not the pain I expected. All the while, there was something stuck between my teeth that caused my attention to be diverted as I tried removing it with my tongue. :p
If you’ve seen the December issue of FHM with Ellen Adarna on the cover, you’d probably think this is where I got the idea for my rib cage/side tattoo (somehow, yes) but I really got the idea first from her hawtness, Megan Fox. Haha!
Hawtnesssss
Here’s mine. I know it’s pangit and hindi ko na pinag-isipan kung pa’no siya ilalagay and the fonts are small coz I was thinking I might not take the pain if it’s bigger. It says: “No matter how stony path, some forge to the front. No matter how easy the going, some lag behind.” It’s from my sorority’s lectures.
The inking of the lower part (the first two lines) is okay but the two last lines are definitely painful although it’s not the pain that would actually send me screaming or crying. LOL At one point, Kat was telling me to just sleep and she’ll just wake me up when it’s finished coz it seemed that I didn’t feel anything.
I got an Aries sign because I’ve been fascinated with the characters Aryans possess. The inscription has been my inspiration to complete the process of application for the sorority. Why, it simply means you can never tell who will succeed. It helped me got by and still do.
You’d probably be wondering why I kept them in hidden areas. I did so plainly because I got these tattoos for myself, to feel good about myself and not for public adoration. Might sound selfish but it’s the truth. If I’d get another one (say the dragon) I’d probably place it again somewhere hidden. It feels fulfilling.
The art of tattooing can be traced from the earliest civilizations. The oldest civilizations known to man had their own tradition of tattooing and there are lots of materials to prove this.
Our ancestors used natural tints and inks from the nature to paint their bodies with something that is relevant or symbolic to them. There were civilizations that used tattoo to show one’s status in the community. This is exactly the case in many ethnic groups in the Philippines.
The Cordilleras, a region located in the mountainous area in Northern Philippines, is among the groups that have a very rich culture, one of which is the traditional tattooing.
In Cordillera, tattoo was a status symbol. Elaborate tattoo designs were only given upon the warriors and the Kadangyans (wealthy families). The tattoo designs reflect their society and their beliefs.
Tattooing used to be done traditionally by genuine Cordillera tattoo artists using simple tools, not machines. The process is a lot more painful and bloody than the modern way of getting a tattoo.
However, the art of traditional tattooing in Cordillera is slowly dying since the traditional tattoo artists left are already old and most of the young Cordillerans show no interest in learning the traditional art of tattoo in the region. The younger generations of Cordillerans also refuse to get traditional tattoos to continue the heritage.
In general though, most Filipino tattoo artists claim that the art of getting inked is just starting to grow in the country in the sense that modern tattoos have become the extension of traditional Filipino tattoos. This is so because tattoo is now perceived as meaningful markings rather than as senseless symbols painted into the bodies of ex-convicts and criminals like it used to be.
But with the popularity comes another issue. While most people get tattoos that have special meaning for them, there are those who get inked just to have one because it look ‘cool.’
The skin art may have different meanings in different cultures then and today, but the art of tattooing definitely is something that reflects how rich these cultures are. Indeed traditional tattooing is one of the most prized cultural heritage, not only of the Cordillerans but the Filipino people as a whole.
