Sailor Jerry; father of the traditional tattoo

Ever wondered why traditional, or “Old School” tattoos all look the same? Where did this style come from? And why is it still so popular today?

Well, it may surprise you to learn that this wildly popular style of tattooing came from one man; Norman “Sailor Jerry” Collins.

Did he invent tattoos?

No, of course he didn’t. Tattoos go back thousands of years, but Sailor Jerry made them cool.

See, before the start of the 20th Century, tattoos in the West were almost exclusively found on sailors. When the shit hit the fan and the Second World War broke out, thousands of young men signed up to go fight in the Pacific against the Japanese. The base for operations in the Pacific was Pearl Harbour in Hawaii, and guess who happened to live there?

Sailor Jerry saw hundreds of young men come into his tattoo studio looking for some ink, no longer caring about society’s view on tattoos. There was a good chance they’d never make it home again, so why worry?

How he started

Norman Keith Collins grew up in California, and started tattooing people from a young age as he hopped the freight trains and crossed the country long before Kerouac ever did.

At age 19 he enlisted in the Navy, and travelled to the South Pacific, where he was exposed to the art and imagery of Southeast Asian and Polynesian cultures. This would influence his style dramatically, along with traditional sailors tattoos, and give him the distinctive look he would become famous for.

After his service he settled in Hawaii, where he tattooed people for the rest of his life.

Sailor Jerry’s legacy

His influence on the art of modern tattooing is undeniable (check out a documentary called Hori Smoku).

Sailor Jerry was the first Westerner to correspond with and learn directly from the great Japanese tattoo masters, combining their techniques with his own gusty American sensibility to come up with a new style of tattooing.

This new style combined vivid colours, bold iconography and sheer artistic ambition to create a new kind of tattooing, sometimes beautiful, sometimes bawdy, sometimes both.

Beyond this, he was also innovative on a more technical level, pioneering modern tattoo machine configurations, sterilization techniques and purple ink. One of his students was Don Ed Hardy, who went on to become a legend in the industry in his own right.

Sugar skulls and the Mexican Day of the Dead

Over the last 5- 10 years, the Mexican Sugar Skull has become incredibly popular in Western Culture, especially in tattoos.

But what exactly is it? Where does the image come from, and why are the Mexicans so morbid?

The Day of the Dead

La Dia de los Muertos is celebrated from midnight on the 31st of October through to the 2nd November. Much like Western Halloween celebrations, there tradition includes lots of festivities and costumes.

November 1st is traditionally referred to as Dia de los Angelitos (Day of the Little Angels) in Mexico and is the day to honour infants and children who have died.

November 2nd is the actual Dia de los Muertos when families honour adults whom they have lost. It is believed that on these days, the souls of the deceased return to earth to be with their families and loved ones.

Sugar Skulls

The Calaveras, or skulls, are a tradition which goes back to Aztec, Mayan, and Toltec cultures. They are created either for children or as offerings to be placed on the graves of the deceased.

Traditionally made from sugar, hence sugar skulls, the calaveras are decorated with flowers, feathers, patterns, and names, making them symbols of life rather than the morbid symbols of death we associate skulls with in Western Countries.

The decorations of the skulls has evolved into face-painting for people during the festival, and this in turn has become a huge part of Mexican iconography.

Now you can find everything from tea-towels to bedsheets with a Day of the Dead motif, but tattoos are especially popular.

Calavera Tattoos

The rise of the skull tattoo in recent times has been pretty rapid and global. The tattoos themselves come in all shapes and sizes, and range from the colourful candied skulls to the rather goth cadaverous all-black.

The skull is almost always a woman, a tradition that stems from the original rituals that centred on a Mexican goddess and Spanish saints.

Mexican Skull tattoos range from the Traditional style to photo-realistic versions, but if you’re thinking of getting one, beware that some self-righteous middle-aged, middle-class white people might get offended and start screaming cultural appropriation.

Choose a sugar skull to celebrate Mexican culture or to commorate a loved one. The distinctive images serve as reminders of the fragile boundaries between life and death and the human impulse to ritualize and revel in both loves and losses.

Death and loss is something we all have to experience.

Thinking of getting a sleeve tattoo? Read this first

Sleeve tattoos are more popular than ever, so there’s a good chance that if you’re serious about ink, you’re considering one.

A sleeve tattoo isn’t something you should do on the spur of the moment. It’s a big job, and as such you need to plan it out beforehand.

Think about an overall theme for the sleeve, if you’re getting colour or black and grey, and how much you want to spend on it - both money and time.

Types of sleeve tattoo

There are four main types of sleeve tattoo:

1. Quarter: Covers the area from the top of the shoulder midway to the elbow.

2. Half: This extends from the top of the shoulder to the elbow.

3. Full Sleeve: This reaches from the top shoulder to the wrist.

4. Hikae: This is a Japanese-style sleeve tattoo that covers the chest area and extends either to the elbow or the wrist.

As mentioned before, planning is the key when it comes to sleeve tattoos. Jot down some ideas about what you want and talk it over with your artist. If you’re a little bit artistic yourself, try a few sketches and bring them in to show roughly what it is you’re looking for. Any good tattoo artist will be happy to work with you on this and develop your ideas.

How long does a sleeve tattoo take?

The time for any tattoo is dependent on the size and detail of the design. A full sleeve should take a minimum of 12 hours on average, broken up into several sessions.

A sleeve tattoo shouldn’t be rushed. Many people have a vague theme/design as a base, and then add milestones in their life to it over the years. Others see something the Rock has and want to copy it immediately. The choice is always yours, but a tattoo is for life, and a sleeve tattoo is a BIG tattoo for life, so think carefully about it.

5 of the best tattoo cover-ups we’ve found on the internet

Now, we don’t mean something your tattoo artist has done wrong – at the end of the day, what you have put on your body is your responsibility. We’re talking about fixing an ex’s name or covering up that homemade tattoo your friend gave you when you were 14. You know, complete shit.

Here are five of the best tattoo cover up ideas we found on the interwebs. All credit due to the original artists.

The Ex-partner cover up

True love never dies… until it does about 6 months later when you’re both over that honeymoon period. When that happens, turn your soul mate into a literal soul mate, with this kick as idea.

When in doubt, call Batman

And we’re not even joking. Because the Dark Knight is, well, dark, he’s perfect for covering up old tattoos. Darth Vader and Black Panthers (the animal, not the Marvel character) are also great for this.

Own your mistakes

Ok, so you made a mistake. One way to fix it is not to try and cover it up, pretending it never happened, but instead to own it. Johnny Depp famously had Winona Ryder’s name tattooed on his arm when they got engaged, but when they broke up, instead of having it covered up or lasered off, he changed it from Winona Forever to Wino Forever.

The dreaded cheap portrait

The internet is flooded with terrible tattoos of loved ones. This is what happens when you go cheap on your ink. If you want a photo-realistic portrait of a loved one, then you’re simply going to have to pay the money for it, otherwise you might end up with some sort of Zombie/Demon image of your beloved daughter to carry around with you forever.

Get creative

A fix job doesn’t necessarily mean covering up your old tattoo. If you’re creative enough you can incorporate it into a new design. The one above is brilliant because it simultaneously creates a new, decent tattoo, while acknowledging at the old one.

How to tell if a tattoo is infected

Here at Sunset Studio, we take every precaution when it comes to hygiene. All our equipment is sterilised and we only use disposable tubes with high-quality Eternal Ink.

However, no-one is immune to stupidity or bad luck. If you get a tattoo and then go roll around in the muck, there’s a good chance you’re going to get an infection.

The trick is to spot the warning signs before things get really out of hand. An infected tattoo is a dangerous thing, and if left untreated can have serious consequences.

Spot the warning signs

After getting a tattoo, redness, itching and tenderness are all to be expected, so don’t panic. With some basic aftercare instructions and some Protat aftercare cream, you should be fine and everything will be healed and back to normal in a couple of weeks.

If however you tenderness turns into genuine pain, then you might want to pay attention.

If you start to notice any kind of red lumps or sores, then there’s a good chance your tat has become infected. Thing will soon start to get out of hand with thick white or yellow puss. If you experience a fever or nausea, then it’s time to get to the doctors.

A tattoo is an open wound, and as such is a gateway for bacteria to enter the body. If you’re unlucky enough to get an infection, it might not even affect the tattooed area! Symptoms might start to show as aches and pains throughout the body, or vomiting and diarrhoea.

Long story short, if you feel sick after getting a tattoo, go get it checked out.

What to avoid

The best thing you can do for a new tattoo is to keep it clean.

Listen to your artist and buy whatever creams they suggest. We use Protat aftercare, it’s one of the best on the market. It will help keep your skin hydrated.

Avoid direct sunlight, the ultra violet radiation will damage your already sensitive skin. Stay away from swimming pools and anything that may get your tattoo dirty. If you’re into sport that involve a lot of sweat, you’re just going to have to take a break for a while. The last thing you need is a staph infection.

Some people, especially those with immune conditions, have more severe immune responses to the procedure and inks used, but this is very rare.

Just be sensible and look after yourself – and your tattoo- and you’ll be fine.