 "Photo: Ezra Romero")
“I think it's a great way to express things you love and identify with, like music or art. It's also a great way to commemorate a person, event or a place that means a lot to you,” said Katy, a COS student, who refused for her last name to be used due to the fact that she is an unlicensed homemade tattoo artist.
Katy has been tattooing her friends and family for about two years now. She started off with a sewing needle, thread, and India ink. She said that a downfall to using a needle is that it can take 3 to 4 hours for just a small tattoo. Although it is much harder to mess up because you can have so much control over what you are doing.
About a year after starting to tattoo, a friend of Katy’s, bought her an actual tattoo gun. She has only done two tattoos with it so far and that was on her mom and her brother.
Katy admits that there are downsides to having a homemade tattoo, especially when using a guitar string because you can get it sharper, instead of a needle.
“It’s kind of risky because you might get shards of metal in your skin,” said Katy. “India Ink fades into a bluish green color after about two or three weeks.”
She does not change because she is still not completely confident with her abilities. So until then she will continue to tattoo her friends and family that trust in her to do a great job.
“Tattoos are ok, but people should be cautious,” said Sally Gonzalez, a COS college nurse.
Gonzalez has been a nurse at COS for about six months now and has run into a couple of cases where students have come in with swelled up tattoos. Although different from the homemade tattoos these ones were done professionally.
According to the COS nurse, people can have allergic reactions to red dye that is in tattoo ink. Everybody has different skin types. Tattoo artist do not sit and tell their customers of the possible consequences for their tattoo after getting it done.
When getting a homemade tattoo, people have a chance of getting hepatitis. Hepatitis can stay on instruments such as a needle or guitar string for up to three days.
Gonzalez suggest that if someone does decide to get a tattoo to get it professionally done and in a small area. That way a person can see if they will be allergic to the dye.
People tend to get homemade tattoos also because they usually do not have to pay anything. If that is the case, the person should trust the one is will be giving them their tattoo.
Although Jahvon Sears, a second semester COS student, has had 6 of his 7 tattoos homemade, he is against the idea.
“People should not get homemade tattoos because they can easily become infected and are not proper tattoos because the artist re-use their needles and have better chances of messing up.”
Sears said that the only reason he let his tattoo artist give him his tattoos was because Sears purchased the needles himself as well as really trusting the artist.
People can never be too careful when getting a homemade tattoo, so everyone may want to think twice before getting it done.
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