Is humanity ready to take the first step towards becoming half man, half machine?

Having technology implanted just under the surface of your skin may sound like something out of a dystopian science fiction novel. But according to a new patent filed by cellphone-maker that’s exactly what the future will be like: We’ll have tattoos capable of communicating with oursmartphones.

In a recently registered patent, the Nokia corporation is filing to claim rights over a technology that would imprint a demagnetized ferromagnetic ink on your skin just like a tattoo. After it’s applied, the ink would be re-magnetized. Your new tat would then be super sensitive to changes in the magnetic field — a fact that could be used to communicate messages directly from your phone to your nervous system. So, the next time your mother in law calls, you could be alerted to the fact by a literal pain in your neck. Different callers or different messages could have different associated feelings to them.

We’re not sure this tech is going to take off — mostly on account as it being creepy as all hell. Still, if Logan’s Run ever becomes real and we have devices in our skin telling us when it’s time forCarrousel… well, we’ll have Nokia to blame.

Discounts & Offers

10% off on your 2nd tattoo at @TalismanTattoos
Like your first Talisman tattoo? Come back for more and we’ll give you 10% off on your 2nd one. If you love getting tattoos, we love giving them!

Gift vouchers

Want a novel, meaningful gift for a friend? Give them a @TalismanTattoos gift voucher and they get a gift that lasts a lifetime!
For friends who have been dying to get a tattoo, this can be just the nudge they need. And for everyone else, it can mark the beginning of a magical journey into the world of tattoos. Contact us for details.

Chennai’s first certified female tattoo artist Nisha is a trained tattoo artist based out of Chennai and has been in the field of tattooing for Five years. Having undergone professional training from Thai masters, her tattoos are unique, professional and highly demanded by tattoo enthusiasts. She is also the one who gave trisha her Nemo tattoo. She was drilled in proper tattooing technique by masters of the art, from abroad. She then spent 3.5 years gaining the experience she needed to become professional.

She started Talisman for her community of tattoo-lovers.

This 56-year old, Mexican Chilean man, Miljenko Parserisas Bukovic, loved “Erin Brockovich” so much that he just couldn’t resist spending over £51,000 $2,000 to put 82 tattoos of its star all over his body. Because that’s not disgusting or weird. Speaking of disgusting, look at the quality of these things. They look like fuckin’ shit. His tattoo artist is both an amateur and a crook. I will give this idiot one praise: he has just taken whacking off in the mirror to a whole new level. More photos of this asshole are below.

UPDATE: So I am man enough to admit when I’m wrong, and today I was wrong about this man. So fuck me for trusting normally credible news sources. As it turns out they lost something in translation or mixed up their Valparaísos but this guy is from Chile, not Mexico, and he didn’t get ripped off with his tattoos — he only spent a little over
$2,000 (U.S. dollars) on them. Which would explain why they are so awful.

Before cover-up: the new tattoo has been stencilled on; you can see the old one at the bottom of the stencil

After cover-up: the old tattoo has been completely covered by the new one

What would you do if you got a bad tattoo?

What would you do if you got a bad tattoo in a place so prominent that there’s no way you can cover it up?

And what would you do if the tattoo was more than just ‘bad’? You remember those loving scribbles you made for your parents when you were 3 years old? Well, what if your tattoo design looked just like those?

Well, this is not just a hypothetical situation.

The other day a client came into our boutique with a tattoo that looked like chicken scrawl, right below his neck. Every morning he’d look in the mirror and see that colossal wreck and go from anger (at the tattoo artist who wronged him) to embarrassment (that this is the first thing that other people would see) to sadness (that what could have been a beautiful expression of self ended up being a total mess).

But, luckily there was a solution. With a little planning, we could come up with a new design to be tattooed over the old one, concealing it completely. It was extremely fulfilling to know that we could help redeem the art of tattooing in his eyes, and save him a world of emotional trauma.

Introducing: the cover-up tattoo

Cover-up tattoos are not a new concept, but their full potential hasn’t been realized yet in Chennai. In essence they are tattoos that are inked over marks and blemishes on skin as a means of covering them up.

But they become powerful tools because in covering up those marks and blemishes, they give people back their self-esteem … something which can literally transform lives.

Tattoos can be used to cover a number of things

Tattoos are most commonly used to cover up…

• Birth marks and stretch marks: Unappealing birth marks can easily be masked with a tattoo. The same applies to stretch marks from pregnancy or rapid weight gain/loss.
• Old tattoos: These include badly done tattoos, names of exes, prison tattoos, gang tattoos, etc. A well-placed new tattoo can hide an old tattoo quite effectively.
• Keloids: These are dense, thick nodules, typically found at areas of previously injured skin (burns, lacerations), or they may arise spontaneously on normal skin. Over weeks to months, these nodules can become painful, tender, itchy, and grow to become very large (up to about 30 cm). People use radiation therapy or plastic surgery to remove keloids, but a tattoo may be a simpler (and cheaper) solution.
• Scars due to operations, liposuction etc.: Various medical and elective procedures can leave scars, which are prime candidates for cover-up tattoos.

Things to keep in mind when getting a cover-up

Cover-up tattoos are no different from regular tattoos, except that because they have to cover a mark, they need to be designed and executed with a certain amount of skill. So ask yourself the following questions:

1. Is my artist skilled enough to come up with a good design? Cover-up tattoos are almost always custom-designed to fit over the marks/blemishes they are meant to hide. This means you’ll have to search for someone with the talent create original designs (see 5 Signs That Your Tattoo Artist Can Really Be Trusted and The Talisman Test to Rank Your Tattoo Artist) and set aside enough money to pay him/her (see Why Going For a Cheaper Tattoo Can Be the Biggest Mistake of Your Life).
2. How big do I want to make my cover-up? Obviously the cover-up will have to be bigger than the mark you are trying to cover. So the larger the cover-up (in relation to the mark), the more options you have with design. The location of your mark will play a role in deciding size as bigger body parts allow for bigger tattoos.
3. What tattoo design will do the job? This is where you will find yourself tied down, because your tattoo design will depend on the size and shape of the mark you’re hoping to cover. For example, tribal tattoos may seem like a simple solution, but they work by emphasizing the open spaces within the design. So it’ll take a lot of skill to make sure your marks and blemishes don’t show through in these spaces. Also, you’ll find it hard to place symmetrical designs (such as butterflies) so that they cover the right places.  Similarly, lettering to cover the lettering of an old tattoo will almost never work.
4. What colours should I use? Unless the mark you’re trying to cover is very light, you’ll have to use a solid colour (no shading) … the darker the better. And if you’re covering an old tattoo, you’ll have to remember that colors put over each other will mix. For example, red from your old tattoo and green from your new one will usually give you brown (or a similar neutral tone).

Do you need a cover-up tattoo?

If you think you’d benefit from a cover-up tattoo, book an appointment by calling us at…

+91-44-45066076

+91-98413-18546

+91-98840-66676

Or email us at nisha@talismantattoos.in.

Dr. Priya Selvaraj: Chief guest for the Talisman media launch

Thursday 28 October 2010 marked Talisman’s official press launch, and we’re happy to say that it was a great success!

We chose to keep the event as informal as possible, so rather than delivering a prepared speech, we gave journalists a chance to have one-on-one sessions with us in a sort of a free-flowing interview

Our chief guest for the occasion was Dr. Priya Selvaraj, Assistant Director at GG Hospital (Nungambakkam High Road), accomplished medical professional, and tattoo lover (we’ve had the pleasure of tattooing her 4 times).

Dr. Priya Selvaraj (left) and me (Nisha)

Tattoos tell stories

The launch was centred on the concept that there is a story behind every tattoo. The images we choose to have tattooed on us represent something. They have a meaning; often very personal. In that sense, tattoos can tell you a lot about someone.

See this for yourself with the tattoo below. Going by its accepted symbolic meaning in a number of cultures, what can you deduce about the person sporting the tattoo?

The eagle’s ability to soar into the skies has lead cultures over the ages to associate it with the gods; be it as their messenger, their steed, or a carrier of their wisdom, honour, and bravery.

Learn how to tattoo at Talisman

The launch was also a chance for us to remind the public that we do take tattoo classes. With the demand for tattoos on the rise, learning how to tattoo can be both emotionally rewarding as well as financially viable. A freelance tattoo artist with the right training is always sought after by salons, beauty parlours, etc., and a talented artist can recoup the money spent on training within a year of starting work.

Talisman tattoo trivia

With so many people asking us questions about ourselves and the boutique, the launch was also an opportunity for us to introspect; and the process revealed interesting facts. For example…

• Chennai is opening its doors to tattoos. Gone are the days when tattoos were for a select group of people, and were kept hidden from the public. People of all walks of life and varied backgrounds are choosing to get inked in Chennai, and are less reluctant to show off their tats in public. And as our Facebook fan page shows, a discerning tattoo community is growing … slowly but surely.
• Our largest client base is among homemakers: You’d think that college students or young males with bulging biceps would be the most frequent client … but that’s not the case. The erstwhile ‘housewife’ is perhaps the most trendy demographic in Chennai, and makes up more than 60% of our clientele.
• Custom tattoos have become the rage: There was a time when our flash portfolio (i.e. portfolio of ready-made tattoos) was highly popular; clients would almost always choose ‘butterflies’ and ‘stars’ from our display folders. Now that’s changing. We’re finding that more and more clients are putting some serious thought into their tattoos, often spending months (and sometimes even years) coming up with the ‘perfect’ custom design. This is heartening for us, as it is a sign that tattoos are no longer just a fashion statement, and that they are being seen as the works of art that they really are.
• Tattoos can fade: People are slowly beginning to realize that getting tattooed is just the first step. Taking care of your tattoo is just as important. A neglected tattoo will fade fast. So, as tattoo artists, there’s nothing more satisfying than when clients take their aftercare instructions to heart. As with any artist, we take pride in our work; and to see it stay fresh and beautiful gives us a warm fuzzy feeling .
• Tattoos can be covered up: We’ve had people come to us with tattoos that have been messed up by untrained artists, and most of the time we’ve been able to do a ‘cover up’ tattoo. And clients are beginning to take heart that gross errors can sometimes be corrected. However, this isn’t always the case, so please do make sure you choose a skilled tattoo artist.

We recently came across this sad story online:

“My son had a tattoo parlour artist do his tattoo, but when it was done healing one of the eyes was not completed and (was) lighter in colour than the rest of the tattoo. My son went back to the parlour, but the artist was no longer there and another artist went over his tattoo, blackening it and leaving it looking demonic (it is a religious tattoo).”

Now, while we’ve already covered the importance of choosing a good tattoo studio, it’s easy to forget that at the end of the day it isn’t the studio that tattoos you … it’s an individual artist. And even the best studios sometimes use guest artists who aren’t particularly great.

For example, even Kat Von D (of LA Ink fame) once made the mistake of allowing a friend to bring in a random artist she met at a bar. For a whole day, this man was doling out awful looking tattoos … but as far as clients were concerned, their tattoos came from the LA Ink studio.

So, finding a good tattoo studio is important; but you’ve also got to be sure about the artist.

That’s why we’ve created the Talisman Test to Rank Your Tattoo Artist.

Try it out on an artist you know, and see how well they fare.

The Talisman Test: Evaluating your artist

There are 3 separate points at which you grade tattoo artists:

I. When looking at their portfolio

Even before you’ve met your artist, you can begin to evaluate his/her work. On a scale of 1 to 5 (with 1 being the worst and 5 being the best) grade your tattoo artist on each of the following points.

1. How consistent is the artist’s work? When looking through samples of their work, keep an eye out to see if there is some consistency in standard. You don’t want an artist who can give you awesome tattoos on one day but really pathetic ones on another day. Tattoo artists don’t have the luxury of making mistakes so your artist’s portfolio should show quality throughout. Make sure the tattoos are aligned and proportioned well and that they have bold and steady lines.
2. How much attention to detail does the artist show? Badly detailed tattoos can be the result of a lack of skill, or pure sloppiness. But either way, you lose. Your tattoo will be seen as a work of art, and detail is a crucial component.
3. Is there a range in the artist’s portfolio? Although most artists have a particular style they specialize in, it’s best if they are at least capable of variety. This is all the more important when it comes to custom-designed tattoos, where the artist may need to create a ‘look’ that they aren’t used to creating. For example, if your artist specializes in gothic tattoos, and you want a pixie or a butterfly, you’ll need to make sure he/she has the versatility to move between those genres.
4. Has the artist done large and/or complex tattoos? It’s always good to know for certain that the artist can handle your tattoo, especially if it’s a particularly complicated one. That’s not to say that a new artist won’t be able to work on a complex tattoo, but it’s good to have some way of estimating his/her potential.

II. When interacting with the artist

There’s a lot you can learn while talking to the artist … both from what he/she tells you and from what you observe. On a scale of 1 to 5 (with 1 being the worst and 5 being the best) grade your tattoo artist on each of the following points.

1. Find out how many tattoos he/she has done. Many artists can boast of experience, but the actual number of tattoos they’ve worked on is what counts in the end. The only way an artist can improve is to practise, so while this ‘number’ alone isn’t the greatest indicator, it does play a role. An experienced artist should have completed at least 1000 tattoos.
2. How straightforward is the artist? Will he/she say ‘yes’ to anything?  It’s very important that your artist is honest about things like the detail you can expect to see in your tattoo, the colours that will work for your skin-type, etc. When it comes to permanently marking your skin, it’s worth risking a slightly bruised ego. Better that than being stuck with a horrendous tattoo.
3. Does the artist have a good sense of hygiene? Studios may have strict policies, but it’s important to know that the artist follows them
4. How disciplined is the artist? For example, is there a set process for fixing appointments? Do they explain things to you clearly and methodically? These are all small signs of a strict, professional work ethic, something you definitely want to see.
5. Do you feel a connection with the artist? I.e. when you’re explaining the overall ‘look’ you want for your tattoo, does he/she seem to be following you? Does he/she put you at ease? It’s important to remember that with any art form, the artist is not just a passive observer, but an active participant. If you’re comfortable with the artist, you increase the chances of your tattoo coming out great, and the whole experience becomes that much more pleasant. For more on this, read our post ‘5 signs that your tattoo artist can be trusted.’

III. Once the tattooing has started

Don't be afraid to stop your tattoo artist halfway through your tattoo

Even after the tattooing has started, you can still assess your artist. Because at any point, if you’re not happy with the way things are going, you can always ask him/her to stop. It’s better late than never.

Remember that you can always cover up bad work with another tattoo, and the less damage that’s been done, the easier it is to mask.

So, on a scale of 1 to 5 (with 1 being the worst and 5 being the best) grade the experience as it unfolds.

For example, does the artist take time to place the tracing on your skin correctly? Does he/she seem confident and comfortable with the tattoo machine? Do you end up spending hours to get a tiny tattoo done? These are all indicators of your artist’s skill-level.

Even if you haven’t been tattooed before and don’t know what to expect, intuition can play a huge role in helping you sense how things are going.

The Talisman Test: Ranking your artist

Add up the individual scores to find your artist’s total (out of a maximum 50). You can interpret the results using the following scale.

0 – 10: Stay away from the artist at all costs!!!
10 – 20: Are you a gambler? Your tattoo may turn out OK.
20 -30: There’s a good chance you’ll get a decent tattoo.
30-40: You’re in luck … the artist’s got the quality you need.
40-50: Call Discovery Travel and Living at once! Your artist is good enough to star in his/her own reality show!!!