FFWD Weekly
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Fashion by Carla Daluka I’ve always thought I should write a book on the ridiculous things I’ve overheard over the years. It first struck me that women’s washrooms were the prime location for such conversations, but then I sat around the reception areas in tattoo parlours. The snippets I heard included things such as a man not wanting anything too "harsh" and therefore deciding the Canadian flag with a pot leaf instead of a maple leaf would be "rad," or any number of people wanting a ladybug the size of my baby toenail made "smaller." I’ve developed a new found respect for the people that man these posts. My curiousity was piqued, so I decided to find out more about them. Like "The View," the artists featured come from very different backgrounds – a man in his mid-20s who is working at his dream studio, a self-taught artist who has been tattooing for eight years and owns his own shop, and one who has been at it only two years, essentially just starting out, who already co-owns a shop and is building an impressive reputation. Introducing the three men in the spotlight: Brett Schwindt, tattoo artist at Smilin’ Buddha, Steve Peace, owner and tattoo artist of Symbols of Strength, and Scott Veldhoen, co-owner and tattoo artist for Eternal Image Tattoo. When I first set out to write this article, I feared there might be some sensitive egos to deal with – after all, these tattooists are technically each other’s competition – but I can honestly say I was taken aback by the mutual admiration society presented to me. When talking to these men, I was quite curious about the trends this art form has followed over the years. Scott, who has been tattooing for about two-and-a-half years, gave me some insight into the early years. "After the war, women were getting the backs of their legs tattooed. Seamed stockings were very expensive, so if their legs were tattooed like that, their regular stockings looked that much better." Around this time, the pin-up girl tattoos were becoming popular as well. This seemed to be a staple in the whole tattoo culture. Fast forwarding a bit, everyone was in agreement that the unicorn and eagle were stereotypical ’70s tattoos. Their views, however, deviated at this point "The early ’80s still saw a lot of unicorns. The Japanese style work was also getting quite popular. Through the late ’70s and early ’80s, the Ed Hardy classic styling became popular as well," Scott says. This is where things started to get interesting. At this point, Mike Peace, receptionist at the Buddha, who Brett has been working on for several years, and is 60- to 70-per-cent tattooed, flashes me a small unicorn on his shoulder. "Now that’s an ’80s tattoo," Brett explains. Down the road at S.O.S., Steve mulls over this same question. "Eighties tattoo, let me think, this will probably do." Steve then raises the sleeve of his T-shirt to reveal a tattoo that would make any true Sasky girl weak at the knees – the work is about the size of a man’s fist, and reads "Judas Priest." Steve laughs, adding it is being lasered off. My heart sinks. "As for the ’90s, they started out with a lot of graffiti art images. Belly script was also big. Tribal styling is still very popular, especially armbands. A few months ago, it seemed all I did was the ‘I AM’ tattoo," he says. "People still get so many small tattoos, which is cool, but the big ones are a lot more fun. I just did a giant octopus on a guy’s upper arm which was huge. It’s great when someone brings in their own design and they let you elaborate on it. When you’ve drawn for three hours and they love what you’ve done, it’s a great feeling." Scott agrees that bigger tattoos are definitely more fun for the artist. "More than ever, I think men and women are getting half and full sleeves. The artwork is getting so much better, and I think people want to show that off. But, the things I do the most of are still tribal bands and Canadian flags." When I question team Buddha about people getting bigger work done, Mike opens the appointment book for that day. "Two small daisies, a half-hour each, butterfly, butterfly, maple leaf on the ankle, symbol on a girl’s stomach (tiny) dolphin...," he trails off. "The dolphin is the unicorn of the ’90s." I inquire if women’s preference for small tattoos is because they are harder to work on than men, and everyone disagrees. "Women have a higher threshold of pain, it’s a myth that men are easier." Both Steve and Scott echo the sentiment. They also agree that more women than ever are getting worked on – about 50-per-cent female customers visit all three of these shops. Picking up any tattoo magazine, you feast your eyes, more than ever, on pin-up girls and Sailor Jerry- classic work – traditional artwork with simple lines and muted colors. (Everyone admits that pin-ups are some of their favourite things to do.) I am curious if these trends have hit our fair city. "Sailor Jerry style is huge in Southern California right now. It’s getting bigger here. It looks very simple, but it’s really hard to do," Scott says. For now, Calgarians are satisfied with their Canadian flags, but more than ever, people are making these gentlemen happy and wanting big elaborate pieces. Remember, tattoos are not just for bikers anymore.

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