A permanent tattoo could mean different for different people: for some it eulogises a relationship, some get it purely for artistic, creative purposes and for others it’s an expression of themselves. Regardless of the purpose, choosing the right design takes days and weeks of deliberation.

Development professional Alizeh, who wished to be identified with just her first name, got “kun faya kun” tattooed on the left side of her chest. “That’s the Quranic verse that speaks to me in so many ways and I wanted it close to my heart. I believe in ‘whenever God wills, it happens’. Maybe that’s the beginning of my spiritual journey.”

Tattoo artists believe the trend to get inked has caught up, awareness has increased manifold since just a few years ago, there’s less fear and more acceptability, and now people come up with all sorts of innovative designs that was earlier mostly restricted to names of spouses (or other loved ones) or a heartbeat.

Faeiz Usmani of Sparkle Ink Tattoos, who has been in the field for over six years, says: “Now people want to live the way they want to. Even those who were earlier opposed to tattoos have got them. A client came from Saudi Arabia who had asked an imam there about getting a bird tattoo. She was told she can get one as long as it doesn’t have a face. Contrary to popular opinion, a tattoo doesn’t cover the skin, it’s inside it.”

The mechanical engineer by qualification believes tattooing is a combination of three distinct professions. “You’re an artist as well as a doctor because you’re dealing with skin and hygiene, and also an engineer because there’s a tricky machine to operate. But the art part of it is inside you; you can’t learn it unlike machine handling that you can acquire.”

Specialising in tribal tattoos, Usmani says most of his younger clients prefer small designs such as names, heartbeat, birds, date of birth. Many of them who get names tattooed return after a few months or even weeks to either get it removed or covered, “which is usually in case of relationships”.

Charging Rs2,300 for a 1x1 inch tattoo, most of his customers belong to the upper or upper-middle class and are aged under 30 years. “Only 20pc of my clients are above 30 years of age. In each case, I get a consent form signed that they’re getting a permanent tattoo by choice and in case anything happens they’re be responsible. I specifically tell my clients beforehand to take time to research and tell me what design they want and why.”

Unlike Usmani, 23-year-old Parus Bhatti of Tattoo Drama salon is a self-taught artist who learnt the art through Youtube and has now been in the biz for over five years. At just 15 years of age, he knew he had to become a tattoo artist, going as far as preparing a homemade machine by watching videos online. Since then, he’s built a loyal clientele.

“Without any art background, I studied and learnt various styles of tattoos. While black and grey and basic coloured ones are more popular, there’s American traditional, Japanese traditional, Maori or Polynesia, new school, old school, water colour, traditional, realism, hyper realism, abstract, many others.”

Claiming to have mastered the realism style that entails shading, contrast, saturation, depth, Bhatti echoed Usmani’s experience about the kind of tattoos people got when he started out. “If I’ve made 5,000 tattoos in my life, 1,000 of them have been heartbeat designs.”

But, now he feels with the trend growing significantly, the designs are more random and interesting. “It’s more fun and creative now. Also, people openly sport tattoos now. In the beginning, my father was apprehensive, but later told me to do whatever I wanted as long it was the right thing.”

Bhatti’s clients belong mostly to the upper class, he says, but vary in ages from 18 to 50 years, a majority of them being 20-year-olds. “I always tell my clients to do their homework and confirm what they want.” The cost of a tattoo is based on its structure, design, size difficulty level and colours. He charges at least Rs35,000 for a four-inch realism tattoo.

Through the years, he has also had to face social and religious pressure, though online only. “When one of my interviews was published online, I got a lot of hate. People wished me hell and what not. But I persevered and maintained it’s an art and, most importantly, about one’s individual choice and faith.”

Umair Majeed, 23, of Umair Ink Zone belongs to a devout religious family and faced severe resistance, and often abuse, when he decided to get into tattooing. But he kept going and it was only when he bought a car from his savings that his family let him be. He’s been in the business for three years and claims to be making Rs200,000 a month. Following one’s passion and ignoring detractors is his advice for anyone wishing to get into the business. “I was into drawing since first grade. So if you can ignore negative comments, you’re on your way to becoming an artist because people here don’t understand or appreciate art.”

Crediting Parus Bhatti with teaching him tattooing for three months, Majeed followed his mentor and specialised in realism tattoos. “While training, I got my first client that earned me Rs4,000. Some even called me to Gujrat, Islamabad, Wazirabad where a lot of overseas Pakistanis live. That’s when I parted ways with my boss (Bhatti) and started my own business.”

He charges Rs5,500 for a two to four-inch basic tattoo, while some designs can even cost Rs100,000. His clients are also mostly from affluent families, as well as government officers. “Most of them are young – 18 to 30 year old. The clients who understand tattoos bring their own designs after thorough research. But tattooing names to express your love for someone is the biggest lie, I believe, because a tattoo can be covered up or removed.”

Without identifying the client, he says a girl visited him with a boy to get his name tattooed, adding that next week she returned with another boy to get that tattoo altered.

There seem to be certain rules of thumb every tattoo artist follows: disposable syringes and cups to ensure zero contact with skin, not dealing with clients aged less than 18 years unless they’re accompanied by a guardian or parent, and not entertaining clients who have no clue.

Published in Dawn, July 19th, 2021