TATTOOS... ALL ABOUT THE INK!

 So I've been lifting weights and developing my chest and packs, I don't look like Iyanya, but I look good anyway. One day I was indulging in a little self admiration, studying my form in the mirror and I realised something was missing on my body... Tattoos!

If you've been wanting to get a tattoo but not comfortable with the available tattoo parlour, maybe your afraid of how people might perceive you, or maybe your parents strictly prohibit such act, then we are in the same boat, welcome to my Dilemma.

Anyway, i first fell in love with the art, early this year when I watched a reality show on Mtv Base, The Ink Master. Since then my vindictive perception of tattoos was replaced by pure admiration. Apart from the biblical injunction on tattoos in Leveticus 19:28 and its few other demerits, I believe tattoo is an art form, perpetrated by only the most creative minds. It is a means of expression just like literature or music, it is no different from applying make up, dressing up for a carnival or attaching a Brazilian hair do.

But whats up with this tattoo anyway, how come most people in the world have one form of skin inscription or the other.

Did you know that  U.S.A spends 1.65 billion dollars on tattoos, shocking yeah?

Well, let me tell you about the ink.

A tattoo is a form of body modification, done by inserting indelible ink into the dermis of the skin, thereby changing the colour of its pigment.

You see, the art of tattooing has been present since the pre-historic times. It originated predominantly from Asia, then spread to the rest of the world. You will be surprised to note that Great britain got its name from the art form, Britons translates to 'People of the designs' and Picts -the first people who originally inhabited the northern part of Britains-, Literally means 'The Painted people'.

In some medieval cultures, tattoos were said to posses healing powers. Julius Caesar described these tattoos in Book V of his Gallic Wars (54BC).

Various other cultures have had their own form of tattoos ranging from rubbing wounds and cuts with ashes to puncturing the skin to insert dyes, OUCH !.

Tattoo's of those days were mainly used for identification rather than decoration.

Whew ! Done with the boring history, let's look at modern tattoos.

Now in the 21st century, tattoos have transcended beyond its hitherto brutish and arcane form to a purely cosmetic and aesthetic dimension.

Now you see people, celebrities especially inscribe their bodies with coloured inks and pictures. Telling stories and emblazoning memorials. Some tattoo artist have topped the notch by creating hyper realistic tattoos and face tattoos or what some describe as permanent make up.

Have a look at some of these:

I bet the Hyper-realistic tattoos got you staring and wondering, well it had that same effect on me too. Although I wouldn't go for the realistic ones, I would love a simple drawing or writing and maybe my girl-friend might get one on her bum, just kidding...Lol.

Tattoo is a great art form and every adult should get one, depending on your person and be certain you want it because the cost of removing a tatt is 100 times costlier than putting it in.