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The artistry of ink
By Michelle Willey / Hi-Desert Star
Tattoos are growing in popularity in the Hi-Desert and within the whole world. It's now rare that you walk into any place without seeing someone with a tattoo. In case you plan on getting one, here are some tips from local tattoo artist and shop owner Digger Dan at PairADice Tattooz, who recently relocated his shop from Yucca Valley to downtown Twentynine Palms.
Dan warns people planning on getting a tattoo to check out the shop and the artist before sitting down in that chair.
One of the most important things before getting a tattoo is to make sure the place is sterile, says Digger Dan.
"A clean environment is a safe environment," he added.
Thinking about getting your tattoo done by a non-professional? It's not worth it, says shop co-owner Vickie Kuns.
"It's like having unprotected sex," said Kuns. You don't know where that needle has been and it's not sterile, so you could get an uninvited disease or infection, she explained.
"A good tattoo isn't cheap and a cheap tattoo isn't good," Digger Dan added.
Tattoo artists from PairADice Tattooz recommend anyone looking to get a tattoo check the place out first.
Take a look at the shop's sterilization station and watch to see if the shop properly disposes of needles. Also ask if the shop is Health Department certified and if it's not, it's not a good idea to get your body art done there.
After checking to make sure the place is as clean as a hospital, look through the artist portfolios, because you don't want a tattoo that looks like a kid scribbled on you or that just is in a style that you don't like - and every tattoo artist has a different kind of style.
You also should think about what you are getting before you get the tattoo, asking yourself if it is something you can see yourself having when you are older.
One consideration most people don't think of is if your job allows you to have tattoos in visible places such as the forearm or neck area.
Last but not least, if you don't feel comfortable when you walk into the shop, than that shop probably isn't for you.
Showing off your tattoo in your school or church might be all right - but before you go public with your tattoo in your work place, you might want to check your business' policy. Wherever you wear it, you must be 18 years old to get a tattoo.
Different churches have taken various positions on body art. Sister Sara from St. Mary of the Valley Catholic Church in Yucca Valley said she doesn't think the church has any statements on tattoos because Catholicism is a universal church - it is practiced around the globe.
There are many Catholics of different lands where tattoos are a part of the indigenous culture, added Sister Mary.
"The body is the temple of the spirit of God and should not be mutilated or harmed in any way, but I think most people who get tattoos don't look at it in that way," said Sister Sara.
The church doesn't vote for tattoos or against them, she said.
As for tattoos in school, Shirley Lyon-Quist, secretary to the Morongo Unified School District's superintendent, said the public school district doesn't have a specific board policy on tattoos, but does have a general rule about them.
"Anything that is disturbing the school or instructional climate, we prohibit," said Lyon-Quist.
If someone has a gang-related tattoo, the school asks him or her to cover it, because that is not allowed, added Lyon-Quist.
Infection is one of the main risks of getting a tattoo. If the artist uses unsterilized needles, it can cause infectious diseases. The person who receives the tattoo needs to care for the inked area for a few weeks after getting the art done, a report from the FDA states.
Allergic reactions and granulomas, which are nodules that may form around material that the body perceives as foreign, may also occur after receiving a tattoo, according to the FDA.
But the most common problem that develops with tattoos is the desire to remove it, which can be difficult to do.
Some of the procedures used to remove tattoos are laser treatments, scarification, which involves removing the tattoo with an acid solution and creating a scar in its place, and surgical removal.
Dan warns people planning on getting a tattoo to check out the shop and the artist before sitting down in that chair.
One of the most important things before getting a tattoo is to make sure the place is sterile, says Digger Dan.
"A clean environment is a safe environment," he added.
Thinking about getting your tattoo done by a non-professional? It's not worth it, says shop co-owner Vickie Kuns.
"It's like having unprotected sex," said Kuns. You don't know where that needle has been and it's not sterile, so you could get an uninvited disease or infection, she explained.
"A good tattoo isn't cheap and a cheap tattoo isn't good," Digger Dan added.
Tattoo artists from PairADice Tattooz recommend anyone looking to get a tattoo check the place out first.
Take a look at the shop's sterilization station and watch to see if the shop properly disposes of needles. Also ask if the shop is Health Department certified and if it's not, it's not a good idea to get your body art done there.
After checking to make sure the place is as clean as a hospital, look through the artist portfolios, because you don't want a tattoo that looks like a kid scribbled on you or that just is in a style that you don't like - and every tattoo artist has a different kind of style.
You also should think about what you are getting before you get the tattoo, asking yourself if it is something you can see yourself having when you are older.
One consideration most people don't think of is if your job allows you to have tattoos in visible places such as the forearm or neck area.
Last but not least, if you don't feel comfortable when you walk into the shop, than that shop probably isn't for you.
Showing off your tattoo in your school or church might be all right - but before you go public with your tattoo in your work place, you might want to check your business' policy. Wherever you wear it, you must be 18 years old to get a tattoo.
Different churches have taken various positions on body art. Sister Sara from St. Mary of the Valley Catholic Church in Yucca Valley said she doesn't think the church has any statements on tattoos because Catholicism is a universal church - it is practiced around the globe.
There are many Catholics of different lands where tattoos are a part of the indigenous culture, added Sister Mary.
"The body is the temple of the spirit of God and should not be mutilated or harmed in any way, but I think most people who get tattoos don't look at it in that way," said Sister Sara.
The church doesn't vote for tattoos or against them, she said.
As for tattoos in school, Shirley Lyon-Quist, secretary to the Morongo Unified School District's superintendent, said the public school district doesn't have a specific board policy on tattoos, but does have a general rule about them.
"Anything that is disturbing the school or instructional climate, we prohibit," said Lyon-Quist.
If someone has a gang-related tattoo, the school asks him or her to cover it, because that is not allowed, added Lyon-Quist.
Infection is one of the main risks of getting a tattoo. If the artist uses unsterilized needles, it can cause infectious diseases. The person who receives the tattoo needs to care for the inked area for a few weeks after getting the art done, a report from the FDA states.
Allergic reactions and granulomas, which are nodules that may form around material that the body perceives as foreign, may also occur after receiving a tattoo, according to the FDA.
But the most common problem that develops with tattoos is the desire to remove it, which can be difficult to do.
Some of the procedures used to remove tattoos are laser treatments, scarification, which involves removing the tattoo with an acid solution and creating a scar in its place, and surgical removal.
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