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| Butterfly - Designed and Tattooed by Shazza Bean. |
Hello Again guys and welcome to another Dark Noble Post!
I know it's an odd thing for Me to do but this Blog is going to be set following a Person rather then just a review, I have chosen to start with a field I know relatively little about, I have no Tattoos of yet and My plans were for one or two that I had designed Myself, Until i found a young Tattooist named Shazza Bean, Whose art and skill intrigued Me from the beginning, Hence why I am quite honored to be the one writing this article!
I will be complementing this article with a video of My journey from Tattoo virgin to being Inked, the video will have interviews with Artists/Tattooist, Tattoo fans and I'll also be asking people what They think of Tattooing, I will also give You the details and links to Shazza's page so that You can view even more of Her work and maybe even have one done!
I will film the video in the coming months and I will post it onto the Blog with a link to this page, so You can refresh Yourself on what the article is about, Now, this is also a chance to talk about Someone's past, how it's shaped Shazza into the Artist She is now, I hope You enjoy and take inspiration!
A brief History of Tattooing (yes i know this shouldn't be brief but i'm on a time schedule here!)
The word tattoo comes from the Tahitian "tatau" which means "to mark something."
It is arguably claimed that tattooing has existed since 12,000 years BC. The purpose of tattooing has varied from culture to culture and its place on the time line. But there are ccommonalities that prevail from the earliest known tattoos to those being done Today.Tattoos have always had an important role in ritual and tradition. In Borneo, women tattooed their symbols on their forearm indicating their particular skill. If a woman wore a symbol indicating she was a skilled weaver, her status as prime marriageable material was increased. Tattoos around the wrist and fingers were believed to ward away illness.
Throughout history tattoos have signified membership in a clan or society. Even today groups like the Hells Angels tattoo their particular group symbol. TV and movies have used the idea of a tattoo indication membership in a secret society numerous times.
It has been believed that the wearer of an image calls the spirit of that image. The ferocity of a tiger would belong to the tattooed person. That tradition holds true today shown by the proliferation of images of tigers, snakes, and bird of prey.
In recorded history, the earliest tattoos can be found in Egypt during the time of the construction of the great pyramids (It undoubtedly started much earlier). When the Egyptians expanded their empire, the art of tattooing spread as well. The civilizations of Crete, Greece, Persia, and Arabia picked up and expanded the art form. Around 2000 BC tattooing spread to China.
The Greeks used tattooing for communication among spies. Markings identified the spies and showed their rank. Romans marked criminals and slaves. This practice is still carried on today. The Ainu people of western Asia used tattooing to show social status. Girls coming of age were marked to announce their place in society, as were the married women. The Ainu are noted for introducing tattoos to Japan where it developed into a religious and ceremonial rite. In Borneo, women were the tattooists. It was a cultural tradition. They produced designs indicating the owners station in life and the tribe he belonged to.
Kayan women had delicate arm tattoos which looked like lacy gloves. Dayak warriors who had "taken a head" had tattoos on their hands. The tattoos garnered respect and assured the owners status for life. Polynesians developed tattoos to mark tribal communities, families, and rank. They brought their art to New Zealand and developed a facial style of tattooing called Moko which is still being used today. There is evidence that the Mayan, Incas, and Aztecs used tattooing in the rituals. Even the isolated tribes in Alaska practiced tattooing, their style indicating it was learned from the Ainu.
In the west, early Britons used tattoos in ceremonies. The Danes, Norse, and Saxons tattooed family crests (a tradition still practiced today). In 787 AD, Pope Hadrian banned tattooing. It still thrived in Britain until the Norman Invasion of 1066. The Normans disdained tattooing. It disappeared from Western culture from the 12th to the 16th centuries.
While tattooing diminished in the west, it thrived in Japan. At first, tattoos were used to mark criminals. First offenses were marked with a line across the forehead. A second crime was marked by adding an arch. A third offense was marked by another line. Together these marks formed the Japanese character for "dog". It appears this was the original "Three strikes your out" law. In time, the Japanese escalated the tattoo to an aesthetic art form. The Japanese body suit originated around 1700 as a reaction to strict laws concerning conspicuous consumption. Only royalty were allowed to wear ornate clothing. As a result of this, the middle class adorned themselves with elaborate full body tattoos. A highly tattooed person wearing only a loin cloth was considered well dressed, but only in the privacy of their own home.
William Dampher is responsible for re-introducing tattooing to the west. He was a sailor and explorer who traveled the South Seas. In 1691 he brought to London a heavily tattooed Polynesian named Prince Giolo, Known as the Painted Prince. He was put on exhibition , a money making attraction, and became the rage of London. It had been 600 years since tattoos had been seen in Europe and it would be another 100 years before tattooing would make it mark in the West.
In the late 1700s, Captain Cook made several trips to the South Pacific. The people of London welcomed his stories and were anxious to see the art and artifacts he brought back. Returning form one of this trips, he brought a heavily tattooed Polynesian named Omai. He was a sensation in London. Soon, the upper- class were getting small tattoos in discreet places. For a short time tattooing became a fad.
What kept tattooing from becoming more widespread was its slow and painstaking procedure. Each puncture of the skin was done by hand the ink was applied. In 1891, Samuel O'Rtiely patented the first electric tattooing machine. It was based on Edison's electric pen which punctured paper with a needle point. The basic design with moving coils, a tube and a needle bar, are the components of today's tattoo gun. The electric tattoo machine allowed anyone to obtain a reasonably priced, and readily available tattoo. As the average person could easily get a tattoo, the upper classes turned away from it.
By the turn of the century, tattooing had lost a great deal of credibility. Tattooists worked the sleazier sections of town. Heavily tattooed people traveled with circuses and "freak Shows." Betty Brodbent traveled with Ringling Brothers Circus in the 1930s and was a star attraction for years.
The cultural view of tattooing was so poor for most of the century that tattooing went underground. Few were accepted into the secret society of artists and there were no schools to study the craft. There were no magazines or associations. Tattoo suppliers rarely advertised their products. One had to learn through the scuttlebutt where to go and who to see for quality tattoos.
Today, tattooing is making a strong comeback. It is more popular and accepted than it has ever been. All classes of people seek the best tattoo artists. This rise in popularity has placed tattooists in the category of "fine artist". The tattooist has garnered a respect not seen for over 100 years. Current artists combine the tradition of tattooing with their personal style creating unique and phenomenal body art. With the addition of new inks, tattooing has certainly reached a new plateau.
Following An Artist/Tattooist: Shazza Bean....
This is the chance for the Artist Themselves to explain Their journey and how They have come to be where They are, what They have been through and how They see Their future, the pictures in this section are all of Shazza's work and I think really show Her flair and personal touch in each one, i hope You enjoy and learn!
My
love for tattooing really began when i was in my early teens. I've
always been fascinated with unique souls that roam around locally and
they near enough always had some sought of tattoo art. It revived the
mundane day to day life style that we all have to go through. Seeing
people decorate themselves with unique pieces of art really made me
smile and want to delve deeper into tattooing. I've always drawn
since i can remember and it was something iv always yearned to do.
The more i created the more people where interested in my work and
told me i should try and get into tattooing.
By the age of fifteen i
was obsessed with tattoo art, not the reality shows or the fads that
cling onto it... But the art and artists themselves. I worked hard
and researched a lot, made a portfolio and at the age of seventeen i
started looking for an apprenticeship. I couldn't see myself doing
anything else and i made it my goal to try my up most best to find
somewhere to take me on and teach me. Unfortunately many didn't take
me seriously.
The generation i'm part of is full of young, naive,
selfish minded people who are only in for the benefits and it made it
extremely hard to find an apprenticeship. A lot of studio owners
laughed in my face and labelled me a 'wanna' be' but i kept drawing
and searching around. My step dad knew of a friend who had just
opened up a studio in dover, i leaped at the chance and he gave me an
apprenticeship. I was there a couple of months before i realized that
where i was wasn't a healthy place to be and my first experience of
seeing a 'scratcher' at work. I was shocked at the lack of passion
and respect people within the studio... So i walked out.
A year went
by and i focused on my a level art and worked hard on improving my
drawings. I went out and asked all the studios again. One studio had
just opened up in my local town and that's where i met dan. Really
nice guy but seemed a bit quiet from the local 'scene'. I asked him
at first if i could use the extra space in his studio to paint and
sell my art.... Which later on turned into an apprenticeship.
Dan had
limited knowledge but was very supportive and taught me the basics to
get me started. He allowed me to practice tattooing within the studio
on pig skin, oranges and fake rubber skin. The more confident i got i
progressed onto tattooing myself. The more i was able to do the more
i fell in love with tattooing and was eager to tattoo friends. I then
took it on my own shoulders to teach myself. Dan had shown me the
ropes and i really wanted to learn more but he just didn't know how
to teach me. It was a scary decision but i knew i wanted this so much
i began asking friends who where willing to allow me to tattoo them.
A lot of local tattooist shunned me because i was learning to tattoo
myself but i stood my ground and kept working hard.... I knew in my
heart that i wanted this more than they could understand. My early
work wasn't special and i was so emotionally evolved that if i made
the slightest mistake id break down. People started to make rumors,
bully me and even spit at me. It was sad to see people be so hostile
within the 'tattooing community' and speak so little of me. I had
limited equipment so taught myself to tattoo with one machine.
I also
was homeless and had a lot of mental health problems... Which many
used to their advantage. Yeah i felt like a victim and kind of lost
hope a lot. Was fed up and stuck in a small town full of very
judgmental people but thankfully i had a lot of support from friends
who urged me to keep at it and saw the potential i had with my art
which i rarely saw... Lol 'artist mentality'. I taught myself for
around 15 months when out of the blue a friend i had made on good ol'
facebook got in contact with me about an apprenticeship! He was a
youngish tattooist himself who was wanting to start up his own studio
and he said he wanted to take me on and teach me!!! I was over the
moon and was so happy. He showed me the business side to tattooing
and i helped him decorate the soon to be studio. A couple of months
later the studio opened and tattooing began. 
The atmosphere was
amazing and the two tattooist i was working with where insanely
talented. My work seemed to jump leaps and bounds... I learnt more
within the 3 months than i had done in the whole 15 months i had
tried to teach myself. I started to reap a lot of blessing with my
tattooing. I made a lot of lovely friends, had lots of people come to
get my custom work and even had support from editors of skin deep
magazine!!! 
I was finally starting to see myself as a tattooist.
Unfortunately personal problems started to effect me and my work...
And i had to leave. I was heart broken and sort of dug myself a
deep hole, became a recluse and had a mental breakdown. I thought
that was it. I had a lot of family/health problems which followed and
kept me out of work for 8 months.... ' when it rains it pours'. After
a lot of real bad life shit i knew i had to stick up for myself and
fight for my dream. So i started to search again for somewhere to
tattoo. I asked dan if i could work within his studio again. He
agreed and now i'm starting to tattoo full time. I've been back
tattooing for around 3 months... And i'm taking steps into being a
tattoo artist!
I have a long way to go and a lot to learn but i'm so
happy to be tattooing. All the hard shit has made every blessing that
even more sweeter and makes me focus more on my art, not the
negativity. Through out the ups and downs i've always had a circle of
true friends support me and inspire me. Also talented tattoo artists
compliment and give me advice which i'm forever thankful for.
If you
want something enough and are truly passionate about it.... Work
hard!!!!! It wont be easy and you will most probably hit a lot of
lows... But if you want it enough you will succeed within time.
Thank
you to everyone who has been there for me and my tattooing. Thank you
to all who gave me their skin to learn and thank you to all who
continue to support my progress. I wouldn't be doing this without you
xxx
Shazza Bean – that girl with an chemical imbalance who likes to
make art on peoples skin loves x
I hope You have enjoyed this special on Tattoos, remember to check back for updates as I learn more about Tattoos and the way They impact on Us and society, I will also be doing specials on the YouTube show, including My journey to getting a Tattoo(lucky little buggers You are, I have a major needle phobia but I'm going to do this!). I'll put the links below for all the pages concerned!
SPILLING INK: https://www.facebook.com/shazzaspillingbean?fref=ts
Dark Noble's YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWwvroVCDE0q7zBajDDPk6A
Here are a few more of Shazza's art pieces for you to check out!
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