Peony Flower

It was a very quiet day today at Immortal Tattoos. Everyone seems to be busy shopping due to the festive season around the corner. So, I carried on doing my own things around the shop, basically lazing around.

Just then, I had a lovely lady walk in today, wanting a Peony on her hip. She wanted to have it in black and grey but I talked her out of it and have it coloured instead.

The Peony is a flower with a history of cultivation and veneration that goes back thousands of years. In Japan and China, the peony is a floral symbol with meaning on par with the Chrysanthemum, the Lotus and the Cherry Blossom The Peony is regarded as a symbol of wealth.

As a tattoo design, the peony symbolizes wealth, prosperity, and good fortune. According to Japanese tattooing tradition, peonies also symbolize daring, risk taking and the gambler's or Samurai's devil-may-care approach to life. A gambler's next bet may be his last, a true Samurai according to the Code of Bushido, or The Way of the Warrior, lives each day as if it may be his last.

The peony is a potent symbol of beauty, of the fragility and fleeting nature of existence and the knowledge that acquiring great rewards comes only by taking great risks.

Wolf N Moon

Many Native Americans choose to get wolf tattoos because wolves are extremely important in their mythology. Wolves are seen as teachers or pathfinders, and can also symbolize ancestors or other spiritual guides. Different types of wolves were indicative of different clans and Native American tribes, as well as commonly being used as totems.

Here are some different meanings assigned to the image of a wolf (which some believe are transferred to the wearer of a wolf tattoo):

-Devoted
-Loyal
-Fearless
-Intelligent
-Family (pack) oriented
-Attuned to the natural environment

In astronomy and astrology, the wolf is represented in the stars by the constellation known as the Dog, or Sirius, in the Pleaides. This was also thought to be the origin of the "Ancients" by several of the Native American tribes.

Some Celtic mythology depicts the sun being devoured by a wolf (the cause of night). In Norse mythology, the wolf is a sacred image to the god Odin, who was the father of all the other gods. Romans also revered the wolf, because this creature was sacred to the god Apollo, as well as being featured in the myth of Romulus and Remus.

Credits to : http://tattoos.lovetoknow.com/Wolf_Tattoos

Lion tattoos have two primary meanings - one is a simple appreciation of a beautiful animal; and a second is an image of fierceness, pride, and strength.

Your lion’s pose will say a lot about the thought behind your tattoo.

A lion at peace suggests confident, quiet strength.
A roaring lion shows a desire to make your power known.
A lion in battle can represent a willingness to fight for what you believe in.
A lion paired with a gentler animal, such as a lamb, shows a desire for peace.

Credits to : http://tattoos.lovetoknow.com/Lion_Tattoos

Kala - Borneo Scorpion

The Iban scorpion symbol, also sometimes known as kala, was noted particularly in Iban tattoo designs by Charles Hose (a civil officer who worked in Borneo over twenty years) and William McDougall (an English anthropologist) in their 1912 publication The Pagan Tribes of Borneo.

However, the authors note that the “scorpion” design is actually based on the highly stylized image of the aso, the mythical dog/dragon associated with protection from malevolent spirits. Hose and McDougall suggest that the Iban adopted their tattoo designs from other subgroups on the island and created their own interpretations afterwards.

In the kala design, the claws of the scorpion were originally the back end of the dog while the hooked ends at the back of the scorpion design were originally the open jaws of the mouth of the dog. Although it has no particular significance in the scorpion design, even the rosette-like eye of the dog still persists in the center.

Kala is also a protective symbol widely used in Iban Art.

More at TattooSymbol.com

Good Tattoos Ain't Cheap

I am dedicating this article to the 2 different kinda people in the world. The first, those who want to have a good tattoo but at cheap cost. The second, to the scratchers who tattoo at home and think they are the best in the world and think that they are so undergound and everyone worships them because of some linework done which looks like a 5 yr old kid has done it.

All I can say to them is, "You can go and fuck yourself."

There is a saying, "The bitterness of a poor-quality tattoo will linger long after the sweetness of a cheap price is forgotten." Or in other words, " Good Tattoos Ain't Cheap, Cheap Tattoos Ain't Good".

I am sure everyone is aware of that phrase or have seen it in tattoo parlours everywhere. But I still wonder, why is that everyone wants a cheap tattoo.

I have encountered 100s of them walking in over the past few months, bargaining the price of tattoos like they are bargaining for fish in the market. This is a Tattoo Parlour for God's Sake!! And to those who don't know what that means, You need to wake up !!

I know I sound kinda pissed off at this issue. Well, every professional tattoo artist should be, and would agree with everything I have to say in here.

Quote by Karen Hudson

"If you really want a tattoo from a particular artist, why are you going to let a price tag hold you back? You do realize you'll be wearing this tattoo for the rest of your life, right? If you don't think that's worth a few extra dollars, don't get it! "But I can get the same tattoo from my buddy for half that price!" Fine - you go see your buddy and don't come looking for a shoulder to cry on when you end up with a lousy tattoo or get some kind of disease or infection from improper sterilization."

I have customers who wanna bargain a $100 tattoo, all the way down to $20 !! Are they high on some cheap drug which cost them only 5cents? God !! There are even some who show off their badly done tattoo, ( probably done free by some scratcher cum junkie ) and say, "This big one only cost me $10". Damn right, its only $10 because it comes along with HIV, HEP B, Permanent Disfigurement to the skin that bloats up. "3D EFFECT", Literally. Man, You really got a good deal !!

"Don't choose any artist based on price alone. Look at the portfolio. Ask around to see if they have a good reputation for good work. Check out the competition and compare quality, not prices!"

You only get what you pay for. Don't expect a good quality tattoo even if its a professional when you bargain prices all the way to the ground. You piss us off, we will make you pay for the rest of your life. I am very sure you don't want to be tattooed by a pissed off tattoo artist do you? And don't come running back saying the tattoo is badly done. Don't expect the whole cake when you only pay for a slice.

But on the other hand, there are also artist who charge alot for a tiny tattoo where you can get triple the size elsewhere, still with good workmanship. Why is this so? Number one reason - We all have rents to pay !! Some places have higher rents - They have to charge higher for the tattoos too. And seriously, I have seen some bad tattoos (Not once, but many times) which cost a bomb, done at "famous" tattoo shops.

The best part - Tattoo Artist Wanna-bes, have their own shop, acting all professional but charging more than half the price lesser, than that I am charging. I have 2 kinda people in this kinda situations.

Firstly - Comparing prices. Saying, "I did this in that shop, the guy only quote me $80". Where I would charge maybe, $150 for the size and design but I would do it free if I were to do in that quality !

Secondly - People who regret. Saying, "I did this in that shop, the guy spoilt it. Can you do something bout it?". I would be pleased to do what I can do to the badly done tattoo, but sometimes I do turn them down, cause they are way beyond coverups at times.

If a person can pay so much for something which is not permanent, why not pay for tattoos which will follow you till grave.

By now, I am very sure to piss alot of people off who read this article.

Remember - Only those who are guilty gets pissed off. So, if you are pissed off, get off my fucking blog !! Hehe !!

Sun Ray - Dot Work

For many millennia the Sun was believed to be at the center of the Universe, around which all other heavenly bodies radiated. The Sun was a symbol of both royal and divine powers, adopted by both secular and religious authorities.

Nearly every culture has a creation myth that explains how the sun came into being, and often times an accompanying apocalypse myth that details the end of the world, as we know it, when the sun is destroyed or devoured in some manner. Many cultures have myths that explain the rising and the setting of the sun, and this repeating cycle of light and dark has come to symbolize life and death, regeneration and reincarnation.

I had a customer walking in, asking for the "Rays" of the sun, to be done on his arm. Sounds easy. But as he elaborated further, he actually wanted it to be done in "Dot Work". Meaning? Basically the design does not consist of any outlines or shading, but its purely done by just dots. Nothing else, just plain DOTS !!

After pricking in 1000s of dots in his arm, it was done. Of course, he felt every dot tat was done on him - Each and Every dot !!

Sailor Boyz

Hey Everyone !! Let me introduce to you, 2 of the coolest people I have ever met !! Won't leak out their profession though. But a little secret - ( One of them works as a superhero ) Haha !! Lets call him Kelvin - "The Man with a Shape of a Bear's Head on His Chest" .

Don't Mess with me. Kelvin -"The Man with a Shape of a Bear's Head on His Chest" by my side !!

Saint

Sinner

And also introducing - Shawn or Sean,(However you spell the name) AKA "John Cena Lookalike" Giving you both sides of mankind. Either be a Saint or a Sinner !! Dig It?

Showoff !! Haha !!

Nice having you guys in my studio. Do hope to see you again. I kept my promise !!