An imprint of sentiments

Tattoos talk about one’s style and beliefs. For some, these are sweet reminders of one’s loved ones and for others, they are representations of what they hold special in life. Some of the trending tattoos this season are related to one’s passion and remembrance.

Pradeep Menon, who founded Dark Arts The Tattoo Studio, Koramangala says that memorial tattoos are getting popular by the day. “People are getting portraits of people they were close to and have passed away. To work on these, I ask them the specific details and check with available photographs, to get the tattoo right,” says Pradeep.

He adds that cover-up tattoos are also popular. “These refer to tattoos that were done in the past or on the spur of the moment. People regret these later and want something to cover it up,” he says. Sourya Bhattacharia who works with a startup, got a tattoo of his nephew done on his forearm, by Pradeep. He says that he always wanted to get a portrait done. “My nephew passed away a few months back, and this tattoo is a tribute to him. It is like keeping a part of him with me and that he is watching over me. This was also meant as a surprise for my sister,” he says.

Other tattoo artists like Sai from InkPrik Tattoo Studio point out that religious tattoos with lord Shiva, lord Ganesha and more are in style now. “There are people who are getting them done because of religious and spiritual sentiments and others who think it is a style statement,” he says. He points out that ‘remembrance tattoo’ and cover-up tattoos are also a fad. “Many get a portrait of a person done, on a specific occasion. Sometimes they gift the tattoo to the person on their birthday,” he adds. With a smile, he says, “Varying from an ex-husband’s name to a messy tattoo, I have also worked on covering up bad tattoos.”

Tattoos related to one’s passion are also in vogue, adds Sai. He says, “I have made a cupcake tattoo for someone who was interested in baking. I also made a compass tattoo for someone who is interested in travelling around the world.”

There are a few like Rajesh Shivanna, the owner from ‘Rocks Wild’, who feel that not much has changed in terms of design. “But what is emerging is that people are very clear about what they want. Earlier, people would walk in and say that they want a tattoo on a specific part of the body and a tattoo artist would have to suggest a pattern accordingly,” he says.

He adds that in the past, there would be more of black and print-like tattoos sans shading but tattoos are more elaborate now. “Tattoos use more shading and coloured inks now. Also, people are looking for real-looking tattoos. This means that a tattoo with a flower in it will not necessarily have the black lines bordering around it; the tattoo is directly worked on like a painting,” he says.

Sagarika Nayar, an engineering student who like many other young girls loves tattoos of flowers and feminine designs, has a flower-based tattoo design on her navel. “I love flaunting the tattoo when I wear crop tops. Unlike many other flower designs that I have seen, mine has a lot of shading and fine detailing to it and doesn’t look like a picture. The image is very realistic,” she says.

She points out that tattoos which are close to reality are the in thing now.
 “I plan to get a quote tattooed on my sleeve too. Words done in a fashionable font, never go out of fashion. Also, they add to a bright morning, as you wake up seeing it,” she
sums up.