hhg Rome, Georgia is home to a fairly vibrant art scene. From live music to sculptures to festivals celebrating local artists, the town caters to the creative. Though some people may have mixed or negative feelings towards tattoos, others believe it is yet another art form. Body Canvas, located downtown on Broad Street, is one of few tattoo shops in town. Walking in, possible clients are greeted with heavy metal, hard rock, or screamo music, as well as tattooists like David Nicholson. Nicholson met with one of <strong>Valkyrie</strong> staff to talk about tattooing, give some advice and share stories of more memorable tattooing experiences. A graduate from Shorter University and a Rome native, Nicholson took his Art degree and put it to use in a trade a bit more hands-on than graphic design: tattooing. “I’m selftaught, but that’s probably not the best way for people to go about things,” said Nicholson. “I guess since I had a degree from Shorter, my friends trusted me, so I had a few friends to practice on. Thirteen years later, still at it.” Throughout his time in Rome, Nicholson has seen the evolution of opinions about tattoos shift towards a more positive light. “It’s becoming more common to have [tattoos] than to not have them,” Nicholson said. “The acceptance in society is changing as far as certain jobs are starting to open up, and they’re expanding Emilee Burroughs Think Story by Abbie Smith Funk EditorInk their minds a little bit, and they realize that just because someone is tattooed, doesn’t necessarily mean they’re going to be a bad employee”. Nicholson, however, has tried to steer those wanting more visible neck and hand tattoos away from those locations, especially if they are getting their first tattoo. He also advises, and sometimes he even refuses to do certain tattoos. “I’ve turned down a lot of relationship-oriented tattoos. I don’t do any type of racial fueled tattoos, any type of hate tattoos.” Nicholson went on to talk about one tattoo experience that left a Left: An artist at Body Canvas tattoos a series of Roman numerals while chatting with the girl in the chair as well as her co-workers. lasting impression---in a bad way. “I won’t mention the actual name, but I was tattooing a sevenletter name on this one girl, then two girls, three girls, four girls, all different girls. It got to the point where this girl came in and she had a quote tattoo. She said ‘It’s a seven letter name’ and I guessed the name,” Nicholson said. “Well it turns out that it was this guy’s conquest. He was talking every girl that he dated into getting his name. I guess he was sending them all to me, which I appreciate, but I told this girl, and you could see her face get real angry. She just knew what he’d been up to.” One might think that Nicholson’s good deed was the end of the story, but unfortunately, that’s not the case. The fifth girl got the tattoo anyway. Stories like these often lead to a huge part of the tattoo business: cover-ups. Body Canvas has several people a day come in and ask for a cover-up job on botched tattoos or ink memorializing past relationships. Nicholson estimates that a third of their business comes from cover-ups, which is a staggering amount, especially considering the cost and time of both original and secondary tattoos. At Body Canvas, the starting price for a tattoo is $60, and that amount increases according to the length of time it will take to complete, according to Nicholson. The longest tattoo he’s done took 10 hours. David’s (Paraphrased) Guide to Not Being Dumb When Getting a Tattoo That being said, it might be good to know about the tool being used to inject ink into your skin. “Everyone here at the shop uses Cheyenne tattoo machines. They’re rotary machines, which are a little different from traditional coil machines that you might be familiar with. They’re very loud,” Nicholson said. “You probably can’t tell, but there’s someone in the room with us that’s using a rotary right now. I find them to be more pleasant to work with and I can hear people’s conversations.” 1. Be original Not that it’s a bad tattoo, but there are so many infinity signs, feathers turning into birds, anchors refusing to sink--even though that’s their only job...Reach a little further and come up with something unique. 2. Realize limitations Tattoos can’t be super tiny and come with a ton of detail. 3. Be open to interpretation Don’t come in with a specific design. Instead, come in with an idea of what you want. Give your artist room to do their own thing. 4. Plan ahead Don’t get a tattoo on a whim. Don’t run in a shop with all your friends and get a tattoo you’ll regret. Make an appointment and think it through, because tattoos are with you for life. 5. Be patient If you hear good things about a tattoo shop, go there. Don’t run somewhere else if they don’t have time for you that day. There are also different types of ink used in the tattoo industry. According to Nicholson, it’s important to shop around to get the best colors for different kinds of tattoos. After over a decade of experience, it’s safe to say that David Nicholson knows what he is doing. For those who are considering getting their first ink (or who want more), Nicholson has some helpful advice above. On the next page, Berry College students show off their tattoos, tattooing experiences and stories. 4 Funk 5