Signing a contract with your parents about not getting a tattoo for the next 5 years as a professional tattoo artist can be extremely tricky. Especially when you were born into a traditional and slightly conservative Indian family. Krishna is a Kowloon based incredibly talented female tattoo artist. Krishna had to face a long and hard journey to be able to meet her creative spirit by making permanent marks on human’s skin. We talked about the essence and principles of tattoos, her beginnings and even her exposure to racist comments from another tattoo artist. Have you been born in Hong Kong? Yes, I was born and raised here. My parents speak Cantonese but I’m still useless when it comes to that. Is it not possible to pick it up eventually? Ummm I don't think I would be able to, it's one of the most difficult languages to learn in the world and I've been here a long time. If I was going to pick it up I probably would have by now. I mean I can get by engaging in simple conversations and ordering food for now. Everything counts! I also feel like I need to move on from “jou saan and ngoy say”. I feel like I need to extend on the conversation. (Laughs) at least you haven't learned how to swear first! So I’ve really wanted to ask you first - since you are an incredible tattoo artist, what brought you into the tattoo world? It’s a long story. When I was a kid I always knew that I wanted to do something related to art. I spent my whole young life experimenting with it. As a kid, growing up in Hong Kong, my parents used to be very traditional in their mindsets when it comes to career and education. Hang on, used to be? So it means they’re not anymore? Exactly (laughs), they’ve opened up a bit more. With kids like me and my sister they kinda had to (laughs). They used to be very traditional as in they had a preference where we would end up in our careers, it was always in business or teaching industries. This is where they thought that we would be successful in Hong Kong. As a kid I could do art whenever I wanted but always had to focus on other subjects first. When I started doing my A-levels in high school, I had to select only 3 subjects and I selected art as one of them. I took business as well to make my dad happy and I also thought it could be useful even in a creative career. I always needed to do art for my own sanity and happiness. In high school I also started doing makeup professionally. I fell in love with special effects makeup - like monsters and aliens. Do you know the director Guillermo del Toro? Yes! He did the film Shape of Water, right? Yep! I was obsessed with his films and when I researched his process, he always prefers to use actors in special effects makeup over using CGI. And I loved that idea. So I kept looking deeper into the process of it - how to turn someone from being human into a completely different creature. Simultaneously, my sister started doing photography and started playing around with photoshop. I started getting curious about that too and found that it could be used to illustrate and create art as well, I started creating art mostly digitally since I found it more convenient. After high school I settled into studying creative media (majoring in animation). And my parents were fine with that. That makes sense! I remember one of your IG posts with your quick animation video of the person falling! Yep. Instead of 3D I focused on 2D animation. I wasn't good at the mathematical skills that you need in order to be able to do 3D well, I was more into the drawing part - the 2D. Then I graduated and I was constantly applying for jobs. I couldn't get anything for a long time, I think one reason was because all of the animation studios in Hong Kong shut down and moved into China, as the labour and production is much cheaper there. So there were hardly any animation jobs. I got a couple of freelance jobs here and there but it wasn't enough to get by. Simultaneously I was also trying to do special effects makeup and not many films are being produced here either. So I was like “shiiii” and reeled it back into doing beauty makeup and the things that are more commercial. Doing freelance work was great but it still wasn't enough to sustain life in Hong Kong. I was stuck thinking “now, what am I supposed to do?!”. The way that tattooing came into the picture was from uni. We had a final project we had to work on, so I chose animation. I made a 3 minute short trailer of a character that I created. Her name is Dahlia. And for some reason I got very attached to this character and fell in love with her. That's when I knew I wanted to get her as a tattoo. So I booked my tattoo appointment with an artist I really liked. During the appointment as she was tattooing me I got an epiphany like “Waiiit”. Why can I not do this? I knew how much this tattoo meant to me and I thought it would be amazing to give this experience other people too. Creating art that means so much to the people wearing it - it made me feel like my art and life could be meaningful through doing this. It also very much has a business side to it so I think my dad would be happy (laughs). What did your parents say when you showed up with your tattoo back at home? They actually didn't know (laughs). My sister got her first tattoos when she was 20. So I was allowed to at 20 as well. But only certain sizes. So I got these smaller sized pieces on my wrists - it's a butterfly and a moth. Then I wanted the 'Dahila piece' but I knew my parents wouldn't like it since they made us sign a contract (laughs). Wait, what??!! (Laughs). It was so we don't ask for more tattoos, at least for another 5 years. But I wanted Dahlia on my ribs so bad and it’s not as if I’m walking around and showing everyone that part of my body anyway. So I just went out and did it. My parents only found out recently, 4 years after I got it. From the epiphany I started doing my research and looking into how to get into the industry. I asked the tattoo artist as she was tattooing me as well. She explained to me about how you need to get an apprenticeship first. So how does it work to get an apprenticeship in tattooing in Hong Kong? Well I started messaging studios to get an apprenticeship - that wasn't easy. Most of the “Si Fus” - the masters are old local men who teach but don't really speak fluent English. Alot of them rejected me on that basis because they couldn't teach me with communication being difficult. On the other hand it would also be incredibly expensive to learn, I found that they would usually charge about 30k HKD. And then you would have to spend 3 years of your life in the tattoo studio learning. It’s basically as if you’re studying for a degree but you walk away without any actual certification whatsoever. And when I asked them about the process for those 3 years dedicated to studying - they said that for the first year you would basically just sweep the floor, clean the studio and watch the artist work. Seriously? They want you to pay them for sweeping their floor in order to learn how to tattoo? Yes (laughs). It did not make any sense. So that would be the first year. Second year you start drawing and third year you learn how to tattoo. That’s when I started feeling like I'm wasting my time and feeling pretty hopeless. Then I got very very lucky. It’s always the last person (laughs). The last person I contacted on Facebook messaged back and told me “okay come to my studio and we will talk about”. I kind of expected the same results as my previous conversations with artists but I went to the studio and on that same day he started to teach me! I told myself not to question it and simply went with it. He ended up becoming my mentor. We had a few communication issues as he mostly spoke Canto and me in English so we would have to google translate alot. But it was amazing that he ended up teaching me this way, I sort of became his guinea pig to experiment his teaching with. He never taught anyone before - or he did but the people who tried to learn did not end up finishing and becoming tattoo artists. After teaching me worked, he started opening up classes and workshops for other people who were interested in becoming tattoo artists. What exactly is your mentor’s style? Is it very different from yours? It's Japanese traditional. Very different from mine! What did you find the hardest during this whole process? Ummm…I dont think the skill is actually the most difficult part, for me it was the fear to overcome. In my head I took it very seriously. I’m making a permanent mark on someone else’s body, right? So I became petrified that I'm going to mess it up. When it came to tattooing my very first piece - that was the most afraid and anxious I've ever been in my life! What was the tattoo and on who did you make it on? Oh! A guy on Tinder (laughs). I was so lucky that I met him. We were actually both not looking for anything romantic there, maybe just to meet other interesting people and we did - we met each other, haha! I told him about getting into tattooing, learning and looking for someone to do my first piece on. He said to me that he liked the idea of being a part of someone's first experience doing that so he volunteered. His initial idea was originally to get small pieces across his shoulder blades and chest and then it turned into me tattooing his entire chest! As a first tattoo! That’s crazy! How did it go? He kept saying that he trusts me and he likes my artwork. I didn't trust myself during that time so his calm attitude towards the situation and me really helped! I think it's the beginning that makes you very fearful and paranoid but once when you get into doing it and focusing on the drawing - it all passes. Just after 5 to 10 minutes of starting to tattoo, I became very comfortable and got into the flow. I think it was also helpful that he’s already heavily tattooed so he took the pain really well. He literally fell asleep during being tattooed (laughs). How long did it take for you to finish the first appointment? I think it was about 13-15 hours as it was the first time trying it and I wanted to make sure that every line was as clean and straight as possible. It took about 2 sessions to finish his whole chest. I’m trying to get my head around the principle of tattoo right - as first you have a drawing and you exactly implement it the way it is on the paper to end up exactly the same on human skin. How does it work? It depends on the piece. If you're doing a bigger one I usually ask the client to come into the studio for a consultation, we discuss and measure everything out. There is a transparent sheet of paper we use, you lube the client up with vaseline (laughs), stick the paper on them and then sketch the basic shape of how the tattoo is gonna flow on the body. When you take it off that paper becomes your guidance for designing the piece in the perfect size. And then it depends on you if you're comfortable sketching it digitally or just putting your hand to paper and start sketching. Well I definitely need to come and watch you eventually! But I'm super curious about your clientele…what was the absolutely weirdest appointment that you had so far? Okay so it didn't actually become an appointment (laughs). Some guy asked me for a penis tattoo (laughs). That was the most interesting request that I got by far. I'm the kind of person who would do it for the funny story and I thought it would be an interesting experience. So I was like…okay, fine, I’m down! And then I asked him what design he wanted - he asked for something simple, a line and infinity symbol (laughs). I was a little scared because this particular area is completely different then any other part of your body. The skin is very thin, sensitive, fragile. I knew he had to be on viagra to be able to tattoo that area too so actually the whole situation is just a bit odd. That’s an interesting experience times two! Yeah! We continued the communication and the request started to become a bit weirder once he started asking about piercings as well. I told him that I don't do piercings as yet. Normally, people would have one idea that they want to stick to but he seemed to be quite unsure. So I started thinking that either he is just joking around or he enjoys the pain and maybe it's a fetish of his. And then he asked about my gender - if I'm a woman. Because on my page it's not very clear. And that’s when I asked him if it matters…and he said “yeah I would prefer a girl doing it”. And that's when I started to feel very uncomfortable. I went around this by asking him for 10k HKD for just the line and for me having to go through a traumatic experience haha, of course he ended up not doing it. Fair enough! That must've been quite weird! For sure, but now I really want to try tattooing that area as I have never done it before haha! I have done other “weird place tattoos though”. But as a tattoo artist you need to get used to being close to various body parts and areas like feet, armpits… That actually must be quite painful - getting a tattoo into your armpits! What is the most popular tattoo spot for Hong Kongers, then? For girls - I’ve done about 101 ribs a lot of girls like that. For guys it fluctuates but I think it's usually arms - classic sleeves. I think that's where everyone goes as a starting point. Is there any other particular body part that you’ve always wanted to try tattooing on as well? I’ve always wanted to try on the face, neck and on a butt - as the skin is very different! (laughs) I’m in - I’ll book an appointment! And I also love the selection of your small tattoos! Amazing, let's do it! (laughs). Your style is very fluid and changes a lot - where is your inspiration coming from? It's all over the place and honestly I don't really even think about it. Sometimes I'll scroll through Pinterest or Instagram and get inspired by designs I see there. I try to think of my own version of it or my own way to do it. It just ends up being me doing what I feel like doing in that moment. I don't have a stable style yet, but I enjoy doing different things and challenging myself that way. I mostly like doing black and grey tattoos but I’ve been doing much more colour anyway as I know that I need more practice in it. A lot of people show me references and ideas that they want too - so I quite often need to adjust my style for those pieces as well. What do you think it’s the most common style that people ask you to do for them? A lot of people seem to gravitate towards the linework that I do. Im very anal about wanting my lines stable and clean. And I end up getting a lot of requests for words or font that also need to look very even and clean. Is there anything new that you're currently looking into learning and exploring? So basically the Studio where I work with my partner/ boss (laughs) is a piercer and a tattoo artist. I've been trying to learn a bit about piercing from her. I haven't officially started but I just watch her do it. And also I've been debating on doing some tattoos that are only white ink. It's very difficult to use white ink as it's hard to keep it in the skin - more handpoke - and I'd love to try tattooing on scars too. I also wanted to ask you - what about the tattoo and alcohol? Do people sometimes drink, get a few shots before they come for an appointment? I normally tell them not to drink, but I know that some people actually end up drinking anyway. The logic behind this is that alcohol thins the blood - and that means as tattoo artists when we're breaking the skin, more blood flows out durig the process as it's more fluid. It becomes difficult to see what we are doing with the design - so it probably won't end up being as nice. It's also better to avoid alcohol after you get the tattoo as well as your body will find it more difficult to create the scabbing that heals the tattoo. How was it for you at the beginning - seeing blood? I'm pretty chill with it (laughs). I never really had a fear of it. As I got into special effects makeup I read so many books for surgeons that focused on and showed their procedures and patients scars openly. In order for me to make them as realistic as possible I had to face them regularly so I really don't mind looking at it and to me it's actually really interesting. Well I must say I'm so glad that we’ve met because I still feel like there are not enough female tattoo artists in Hong Kong, especially. How do you feel about the industry’s gap? In Hong Kong the industry is very different. The process of trying to learn how to tattoo as I mentioned is already quite difficult. The industry is very closed. Not many tattoo studios actually want new people to learnl - which makes sense as in their view, you're causing wounds onto other people and you can pass disease and alot of damage if you don't care about what you are doing…there are so many things that can go wrong! But If you really love it and want this career, you will find a way to do it. There are artists in Hong Kong who are amazing and kind but also some who really are not. You should try find the right match whether you're a client or wanting to apprentice. For example when I was trying to get my Dahlia piece I tried to approach an artist in HK whose style I really liked but she ended up being completely racist. How? What did she say?! So basically I paid the deposit and booked the appointment. I got really excited as usually I design my own pieces. But I was about to give her a full freedom for this piece. We were approaching the appointment which was meant to be on the next day, I was hoping to see my design before I come there - that is my own usual process and how I got my other tattoos too. I messaged her: “Am I able to see the design since we're doing the tattoo tomorrow?” and she said: “No, that's not my process, I never show people my design” I was shocked - like whoa hold on, it's a big piece across my ribs! I wanna make sure I like it before I decide to have such a big tattoo on my body. And I paid half of the deposit already. I had a full discussion about it and told her that I don't really feel comfortable doing it her way and I didn't appreciate that she didn't tell me any of this in advance. But I had to compromise so I said - okay, let me come tomorrow, check the design and then I'll decide on the spot whether I'd like to proceed with it or not otherwise we can book another appointment. Later on that evening I saw her Instagram stories - it was stuff in Cantonese so I screenshotted it and sent it to my sister’s boyfriend who is local, it looked a little fishy as if it was related to our discussion. The first story was in English and it said something like “I dont send pictures for approvals of my process” - that's when I knew it was clearly related to me. And then my sister’s boyfriend responded to me with: “Whoaa she’s being full on racist - completely slandering foreign clients and being a complete asshole on Instagram story!” So I screenshotted it and sent it back to her and kindly asked her that I would like my deposit back and that I no longer want her as my artist. That's insane - sorry to hear you had this experience! For the wrap up - if there's someone who is considering getting their first tattoo - what would you advise them to take their first steps?
The first thing that I would suggest is to figure out what kind of design you want. And then depending on the style - look for an artist that fits and try communicating with them about your vision. Try to see if they make you feel comfortable especially if you tell them that it's your first tattoo experience, they should walk you through everything - the whole process of what you need to know and what's going to happen. This is how you will recognize that the artist cares about you as a person, not just treats you as a cheque they want to cash. Please listen to your tattoo artist (laughs), I know many people do not end up listening. It's a long process - from booking the appointment to not drinking for two days before and afterwards having to follow certain rules of staying away from eating some foods too - in order to help your tattoo heal properly. I understand it can feel annoying but if you want the most beautiful results, you have to listen to what your artist suggests for healing. Food? Wow I would never think of that - like what kinds of food? I normally tell my clients to avoid spicy food because it can sometimes cause micro reactions in your skin that you may not even notice, sometimes that affects the healing of the tattoo. And also seafood - it can also cause little allergic reactions. I ask them to avoid direct sunlight as well along with a few other things. So winter like December-February now is the time to get your tattoo? Yes, in winter it would be good. I mean, summer is also fine but just try to avoid the direct sunshine. Most importantly just listen to your artists, there are so many different types of inks, needles an tattooing processes out there. Each tattoo artist may suggest a little differently. Tattoo artists cannot control how the design is going to turn out if you do something other than what they suggest. In the end, after you leave the studio it depends on you how your tattoo heals. Follow Krishna’s tattoo profile on: @ksquared_tattoo Follow the tattoo studio: @karmatattooonpiercing Follow Krishna’s Makeup profile on: @ksquared_beauty
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AuthorAlex Edwards is a founder of Creative Womxn in Hong Kong who has media and journalism background but also experience in art community development and social media management. Archives
November 2022
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