#Skin deep tattoos skin

“Teenage boys usually come in asking to get the name of their girlfriends tattooed into their skin. “I also advise them not get something they would regret later.” “I tell them not to hide anything from their tattoo artist or their doctor as the repercussions will last forever,” Zohaib remarks jokingly. “I usually interview the clients and then suggest something suitable for their personality.” As many as 50 per cent do not know what they want to get,” says Zohaib. They want tattoos of either their name or their spouse’s name.

“Most people who come in aren’t really that creative. The clients never come prepared and Zohaib usually has to help them decide on tattoo ideas. I tell my clients that the purity of your prayers is based on your conscience and intent, and not the tattoo on your body.” The only difference is that a tattoo stays on longer than mehndi.

#Skin deep tattoos skin

Mehndi (henna) usually gets absorbed in the same part of one’s skin as a tattoo. “My argument is that, how can something that has no social, psychological or physical disadvantages be unlawful?” He explains further, “It’s just an imprint, a result of ink penetrating under the first multiple layers of your skin. “They are sceptical and usually ask me about tattoos and religion.” “Ninety per cent of people come with the concept that tattooing is forbidden,” says Zohaib. “More time is spent explaining and convincing than really working,” complains Zohaib, who spent three months in Bangkok training in tattoo art. Ironically, the tattoo she had come in for was no more than two words on her little finger. “I offered her simple logic: How could an art form, which can help people deal with scars or remind them of a motto they want to live by, be sinful?” The discussion went on for about two hours and ended with the girl being convinced in Zohaib’s argument. Zohaib Amjad Butt, who runs a tattoo studio in Lahore DHA’s Y Block, recounts one such encounter: A girl accompanying a client once forced him into an argument about tattoo art being forbidden.

The often heated discussion usually involves the tattoo artist offering multiple religious, philosophical and psychological rationalisations for getting a tattoo. His interests along with the love for his craft have brought him to a major hub for cultural tattoo work – Hawaii.Blood, sweat, tears and a whole lot of convincing… that’s what goes into making a tattoo in Pakistan.įor tattoo artists in Pakistan, the process of making tattoos does not begin with a needle, it begins with an argument.

In recent years Kujo’s interests have turned to studying cultural tattoos from indigenous cultures from what is now known as North America, Latin America, Japan, and Polynesia. This has given him the ability to be a well-rounded and versatile artist working both in a multitude of styles in both color and black and gray. He also began touring nation wide, working at a slew of tattoo conventions as well as tattoo studios, constantly learning new techniques and exchanging ideas with other tattoo artists and studio owners. In just a few years he had successfully learned the skills of the trade and was given the opportunity to open his very own tattoo studio in South Texas, which was known as Kujo’s Tattoos.

These tattooers and piercers saw promise in Kujo and gave him a formal apprenticeship as a piercer, and a few years later as a tattooer. It was through his interest in music that gave him the opportunity meet several tattooers, piercers and owners of tattoo studios, which ignited his desire to be a tattooer. As he aged he continued to develop his skills as an artist and became interested in music and the art of tattooing.Īt the young age of 16 his passion for art and music led him to Austin Texas, where he was exposed to different bands in the hip-hop, punk rock, and metal industry. From a young age his passion for creating art was apparent to everyone around him. Kujo was born and raised in the Lone Star State -Texas.