Once they were proud tribal markings – symbols of power and status inked on to the faces and bodies of fierce warriors.
Hundreds of years later they adorned the arms and chests of swarthy sailors, outcast freakshow performers and big meat-headed criminals. Fast forward another century and every man, woman and their yoga teacher has a tattoo.
Policemen, teachers, their pupils, their pupils’ mums, and even trendy vicars are all inked up. Oh where art thou, rebels and ruffians of yesteryear?
Well, a few rebels are still around, but their cause – and their art – has been hijacked by just about everyone. And an abundance of well-inked celebrities like David Beckham, Rihanna, Johnny Depp and tattoo reality show artist Kat Von D, has ensured tattoos are more socially acceptable and desirable than ever.
This weekend one of the biggest tattooing conventions has been taking place in London, attracting the good, the bad and the very, very ugly to the Great British Tattoo Show. And Scots artists have been taking their place among some of the best tattoo artists in the world – to varying effect.
You want Danny DeVito nestling in the crook of your arm? Step right up. The floating head of a cat complete with waving paw and bones exposed? Check. A dour-looking Native Indian woman who resembles a stoned Kate Moss? You got it.
Andrew Burns of Carpe Diem Tattoo Studio in Dundee has been here all weekend. He loves bold lines and lively colours, and his favourite style is Anime, the Japanese cartoon genre.
But his pièce de résistance must surely be Britain’s Got Talent runner-up Susan Boyle in full pipeband regalia having a wee skirl on a bagpipe chanter. “Honestly, it was the client’s own design,” he laughs sheepishly.
Burns says this weekend has been all about bringing his own techniques to the Great British Tattoo Show. And in keeping with great Japanese traditions, the chance to partake in some sake-fuelled karaoke was also a bonus.
“Scottish tattooists have the ability to party harder,” he says. On a more sober note, Burns says he is grateful to be able to spend every day doing what he loves, travelling the world to share his knowledge and experience while absorbing and appreciating the art of his fellow tattooists.
The show is Dani Moscone’s first convention. She began tattooing five years ago while living in Japan then returned home to Dunfermline to work at Blue Box Custom Tattoo. Her preferred tattoo style is the increasingly popular neo-traditional, where artists create something fresh while referencing the influences of old-school styles and techniques.
She admires Scotland’s tattoo culture but says, “What truly distinguishes one artist from another is how much heart you put into your art.”
Despite its increasing ubiquity, this intricate and expressive art was once intended to be a form of individual expression. But the fact that tattoos are everywhere, on everyone, dilutes and undermines the sense that they are unique and rebellious.
Tattoos no longer signify outsider status; how can they when the middle-aged, the middle-class and the middle-of-the-road are adorned with “tramp stamps” – as less tasteful body art is known.
Still, these days, whether they’re personal, tribal, political, or even just
(un)fashionable, this inky trend doesn’t look like going away any time soon.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here