Skin as canvass
Tats Coscolluela applying a Glow in the
Dark tattoo on Eugene Tan's back
* Despite some taboos surrounding tattooing, the art continues to be popular all over the world
According to Wikipedia, tattooing has been a Eurasian practice at least since Neolithic times. Mummies bearing tattoos and dating from the end of the second millennium BC have been discovered at Pazyryk on the Ukok Plateau. Tattooing in Japan is thought to go back to the Paleolithic era, some ten thousand years ago. Various other cultures have had their own tattoo traditions, ranging from rubbing cuts and other wounds with ashes, to hand-pricking the skin to insert dyes.
A tattoo, or dermal pigmentation, is a mark made by inserting pigment into the skin for decorative or other reasons.
Stained Skin is located at the
bazaar, 2nd floor of Robinsons
Place Iloilo
Tattooing has been practiced worldwide. The Ainu, the indigenous people of Japan, wore facial tattoos. Tattooing was widespread among Polynesian peoples, and among certain tribal groups in the Philippines, Borneo, Africa, North America, South America, Mesoamerica, Europe, Japan, Cambodia and China. Despite some taboos surrounding tattooing, the art continues to be popular all over the world.
In Iloilo, one well-known tattooist is Tats Coscolluela of Stained Skin, located at Robinsons Place Iloilo. He started with this craft in 1994.
"I use top-of-the-line machines. For clearer and colorful art, I only use ink from Japan and the United States," he said. He also believes in sanitation and hygiene, thus his needles are for single use only. He also uses a sterilizer for his machines.
Ron Baterna, Tats Coscolluela, Kai
Evangelista, Ating de Guzman, Mike
Molinos and JR Balinton
Party goers would love Stained Skin's 'Glow in the Dark' tattoo. It can't be seen during daytime. Come night time, the image glows.
Stained Skin also provides henna tattoo, which normally lasts two weeks.
Apart from tattooing, Stained Skin provides body piercing.
Coscolluela assures that there won't be any allergies from the processes because Stained Skin uses titanium (piercing) and disposable needles (tattooing). "All our ink cups are disposable, too."
"I can express my passion for
art this way. I want to let the
public know about this
passion," according to Mike
Molinos . He wears the
"Bio-mechanic" design.
After Care
So, after having the permanent tattoo, there's the after care.
Some artists recommend keeping a new tattoo wrapped for the first 24 hours, while others suggest removing temporary bandaging after two hours or less. Many tattooists advise against allowing too much contact with water for the first few days. This is to prevent the tattoo ink from washing out or fading since common inks are water based. In contrast, other artists suggest that a new tattoo be bathed in very hot water early and often.
"I just want to have a
permanent tattoo. I love art
and this is how I express it.
I did not regret having one,"
Ating de Guzman said. He
sports the "Fantasy" design.
Some advise against removing the scab that forms on a new tattoo, and avoiding exposing one's tattoo to the sun for extended periods; both of these can contribute to fading of the image.
A new tattoo needs to be kept clean. Various products may be recommended for application to the skin, ranging from those intended for the treatment of cuts, burns and scrapes, to petroleum jelly or lanolin.
Ultimately, the amount of ink that remains in the skin throughout the healing process .
If a tattoo becomes infected (uncommon but, possible if one neglets to properly clean their tattoo) or if the scab falls off too soon, (e.g., if it absorbs too much water and sloughs off early or is picked or scraped off) then the ink will not be properly fixed in the skin and the final image with be negatively affected.
(With information taken from Wikipedia)