TV Tattoo Artists: Step Up Your Game (LA Ink: Episode 12)
Television tattoo artists are in the unfortunate position of ambassadors between the tattoo world and the so-called “normal” world. It’s certainly less than ideal, but this is how TLC chooses to present their reality franchises, as insight into lives and professions most of us will never experience. Little People Big World is a perfect example of their exploitational sideshow attitude. “Look at the little people, they’re just as big of jerks as we are!”
This is why you won’t see something like a full body suit piece or even an approximation of a real typical day for an artist. TLC instead must show its
audience that people who get tattooed are normal too. They’re sad because their baby is sick, so it’s alright that they’re getting a huge neck tattoo. It’s a shame self-deprecation must be edited into the show as a feeble attempt at validating an entire profession.
Why do I bring this up? While tattoos may be a huge pop culture trend right now, they may not always be. The aritists on television represent an entire
marginalized profession. It is their responsibility to represent it well and with
the utmost professionalistm. Like it or not, it’s the choice each artist made when deciding to use TV to bring their work a widespread audience.
In this episode Corey lets Pixie set up for his tattoo, ungloved. Last episode he applies a stencil and draws on a client ungloved. He tells Pixie he’ll finish
setting up in the back. No. You set up in front of your customers so they can see you’re using clean equipment and new needles.
Kat needs to stop touching her equipment and clients with ungloved hands. Do not put the tubes on your machine with your bare hands. Do not run your mangy wristbands through a tattoo you’re working on. Do not hug your client afterwards and put your bare arms all over their tattoo. Definitely do not smoke in your shop, or have a cat living there. Do not use the cheapest gloves you can possibly buy that will break down during a tattoo. Do not let your grips wear down to the point of pitting and tearing, sustaining a pathogen cesspool.
TLC does the entire industry a disservice by constantly highlighting the neglegence and irresponsibility of its artists doing house tattoos or starting out as house tattooers. This is not an acceptable practice, and constantly bringing it up on television gives your audience the idea that it is. It is fine to have humble beginnings, but this doesn’t mean you should be proud to have put your clients’ safety at risk. I honestly believe each time house tattooing is brought up (or in the case of the first episode actually shown) it should be accompanied by a disclaimer.
Kim Saigh and Hannah Aitchison are the only two artists on television representing tattooing with the appropriate levels of sterility and professionalism. They’re also the only two who show any inkling of artistic experience beyond tattooing, (not including some of the excellent guest artists who have appeared on the TLC tattoo shows) with the exception of the episode where Corey paints. (His unfinished underpainting collects dust on his desk for the remainder of the season.) Tattooing is an art, it is not unreasonable to expect that those doing the tattooing should have fundamental knowledge drawing, color, light and design. It should say something when a shop employee refers her friend not to Kat, but to Hannah.
To the rest of the television tattoo artists, I say step up your game- now. So what if TLC brings you customers who want a $35 piece of flash art? Too bad, you’re on TV, suck it up and give them a phenomenal tattoo even if it’s beneath your artistic range. Draw your tattoos without your sunglasses on. Stop treating your studios like a pub. Tattoo shops should adhere to the same clinical levels of cleanliness as a dentist’s office. You are performing a minor surgery with each piece. That said, cover your damn machines and clip cords, and have TLC spring the extra buck for proper gloves. You’re making artists look bad.
You have no idea what your talking about………..
your an insurance what ever the fuck!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
If you only knew you would not be running your mouth about shit you obviously know nothing about, contaminating…. you don’t need gloves on to put a stencil stupid.
Ughhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh its people like you that butt in and change our world!
go ahead and keep talking out your neck, it’ll get you no where!!!!!!!!!!!
The whole Tattoo crew is professional as we are not dentists performing surgery.
By the way who the fuck do you think you are!
Go fuck yourself!
Thanks,
The Tattoo buisness
P.S. I was born and raised in this buisness and wont take some bitch like you talking shit about my friends or industry!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
stick to your dogs! as they obviously don’t tell you to shut up when you need tooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!
Dear “Shiela”,
Obviously you work in a disgusting biker shop and anyone getting a tattoo from you can expect a staph infection or hep c.
P.S. In your supreme wisdom you didn’t bother reading any other areas of my website to see that A. I am not an “insurance fuck”, I am a designer who works for an insurance company and B. My live-in girlfriend is a tattoo artist, who obviously has more knowledge sterilization in her little finger than you have amassed in your entire “life in the business.”