Random Tattoos of Edmonton

Just started a new thing on my Instagram  Tattoo.tps called Random Tattoos of Edmonton. I thought this would be fun and a great way to meet random people. 😀

#instagram #randomtattoos #Edmonton

Odin's Ravens

Stephanie

Could you please tell us about your tattoo of the two Ravens and what they mean to you.

I got the tattoo of Odin’s Ravens Huginn and Muninn just over a year ago. That would have been in December of 2015. Odin’s Ravens are not pets, but rather his familiars. Huginn and Muninn were known to travel the world and gather information and every night they come back to Odin and tell him all that went on in the world during the day, and that is how Odin knows all things. They keep him abreast with all the goings on's. I always get excited when we are at practice or an event and a raven flies over us because we like to joke saying that Odin is keeping track of us, or he’s going to hear about us tonight.

At first, I saw a different design of this tattoo and I liked it and sent it to the tattoo artist and he kind of just took his own spin on it. The first one that he showed me kind of terrified me because it looked like they were attacking each other and I was like, well, it’s not quite there, I was embarrassed to tell him because I didn’t want to insult him, But then his girlfriend said it to which was good. She suggested that it needed to be a bit softer. So he flipped one, and I saw it and said that is it. The runes spell out the Raven’s names of Huginn and Muninn ...Thought and Memory.

The group I am a part of is called Odin's Ravens.  I wanted a tattoo that connected with this name because they have had such an impact on my life. We had seen them at a couple of their events and it looked like a lot of fun at first because we are all about costuming and that was enough of a draw for us. But as we got into it, we saw that there is a lot of history involved, so you're learning a lot about Viking history and how people lived a thousand years ago. I came to the realization that we are like living museums that people can go up to and they can talk to us and ask us questions they can’t ask in a museum, you can’t ask an artifact what it meant and what its life was about, what was its purpose. But they can ask us what was the purpose of those things so that we can tell them. It is about educating the public.

We are part of a larger group called Vikings Vinland.  People are encouraged to not just have their one persona, but a couple if you like. We try to display as much as we possibly can at our cultural events. Right now I portray a Norwegian but would like to develop a Hibernia Norse character from Ireland. It's fun because you have to discover what would they wear, and what were their customs. There are going to be interesting differences between one clan type to another. So I will have to look into what kind of hats did they wear, how are their dresses slightly different from the others, the day to day utensils will be slightly different.

Our group is doing something for the St. Albert's Children’s Festival. We start off with teaching a bit about the Viking life. For example, we like to ask the kids, “how many of you like french fries?” and the kids put up their hands and then we tell them, “ Vikings didn’t have french fries because they didn’t have potatoes.” and the kids are like, “No way!” (laughs) So we do stuff like that. Interact with them. We also teach them a bit about rune culture and that runes represent the alphabet. We will be taking little discs of wood that has a hole in it and each kid will get their initial put on it. But the initial will be the rune that represents the first Letter of their name. Should be pretty cool!

And on a personal level, being a part of Odin’s Ravens is about being part of a family with this group because we do so many events together. There is practice every week, so we are a really tight knit group that is like a second family. So it was in my second year that I decided I wanted this tattoo on my body.  

Do you have any other tattoos?

I have another tiny tattoo, but I can’t show it. (laughs) It’s dedicated, kinda, to Twin Peaks. I loved that show so much when I was younger. I was nineteen when I got it. It was weird when I got it because at that time it was pre-internet, and I drew it out by myself, and I wanted it to be blue because in the show there was a blue rose and it was mysterious, and they never explained it and I loved the mystery around it, and I love to think of myself as mysterious and so, on the way to go get the tattoo we passed by this nursery and it was  The Blue Rose Nursery, and I saw that as a sign that I was doing the right thing, and knew I had to get this done.

And I have another on my other arm, and it is from my favorite band, Depeche Mode, that I have been listening to since I was fifteen. And these guys, I don’t know, they were at every stage of my life it seems. I had this tattoo done eleven years ago. This rose is from the Album Depeche Mode Violator which I think was in 1990? It was the first album of theirs that I had listened to. When I moved out, my mom missed it so much because I use to listen to it all the time. So she went out and bought it for herself. (laughs) Because I had listened to them for twenty years of my life, I felt they deserved some space.

Will you be getting any more tattoos?

Oh yeah. (laughs) I have a tattoo file so that when I see something interesting I keep it there for future reference.  I would like to do one family piece because my mom's side of the family are like Austrian, German, and Russian, and then my dad’s side of the family are Welsh and Scottish, so I kinda wanted to take each of the national flowers and build a bouquet and put it on my leg or something. Yes, definitely there will be more in the future.

End

To find out more about Odin’s Ravens please visit them on Facebook or visit their website.

If you are interested in the Vikings Vinland you can find them on Facebook as well.

#tattoos #tattooedwomen #bodyink #girlswithtattoos #ravens #raven #Odin'sRaven #BlueRose #DepecheModeViolator #DepecheMode #Huginn #Muninn #familiars #runes #thought #memory #St.Albert #St.AlbertsChildrensFestival #Family #TwinPeaks #mysterious #Vikings #Viking #costumes #history #livingmuseums #purpose #VikingsVinland #cultralevents #customs #Edmonton #YEG

Oops!

Not sure what happened but the Following & Followers on my @TattooTPS Twitter account were wiped. Hope we can reconnect!😀

Getting My First Tattoo

Since 2014, I had this crazy idea that I wanted to interview people who had tattoos and write about their personal stories. At that time, I was working with a photographer on my Poetry & Prose book Church Street … Where Hope Grows.  I had hoped that she would be keen on working with me to create the tattoo books that I had envisioned. But it turned out the tattoo project just wasn’t her thing.  So a couple of years later, after my poetry book was complete, I was gifted with a DSLR camera, bought a voice recorder and began to pursue my personal interests in tattoos. To be honest, I thought that it would be a lot easier to find people who would be willing to share their stories or want to be interviewed. I quickly came to realize that many people are not that open and certainly not willing to just trust a random person with something that may be very personal. Fair enough. Therefore, I am very grateful to those who have already shared their stories with me and allowed me to share those stories with an audience.

I had also considered that because I had not yet had the experience of getting inked, some people may not take my intentions as being serious or sincere. I can accept and appreciate this way of thinking. The thing is, I am a very passionate person and believe that if I am writing about something then I need to understand my subject from more than one angle. To write about tattoos and not have one not only seems completely illogical but also lame. In order to pursue this project, I had to embrace the experience and commit to it.  

When I had the opportunity to have an interview with AK Tuan Vo, I felt compelled to get my first tattoo. Well, actually there were lots of reasons why I decided that day to get the tattoo. For one, it was the day the tattoo shop had their 2x2 size tattoo for $75. For another, Tuan is a talented artist who projects affable energy. It has always been my intention to chose people who I am really comfortable with to do my tattoos. Therefore, it made sense that I would choose this day to have it done. And ironically enough, my astrology for the week kept repeating the word “to listen” which is exactly what my tattoo means. But perhaps the most important reason for me to get the tattoo on this day was that it felt so important to me that I needed to experience receiving a tattoo before I could move forward with this project.

When I entered Eternal Ink, Tuan greeted me with a charming grin and welcomed me into his work room. I liked that each of the artists had their own private room to work in. It made doing the interview so much easier because I could stay focused without the distractions of people coming and going. When I told him I intended to have my first tattoo, he seemed pretty happy to oblige. Then the receptionist got me to sign the legal forms, and we began.

When I told Tuan I was getting my tattoo on my hand, he looked at me with concern and advised that the hand was not the most desirable place to have a tattoo because it was difficult to keep dry and clean after it was inked there. He also advised that ink on the hands fades more quickly than other areas. For one second I thought about it. Nope! I felt compelled it needed to be on my hand. I showed him the design and he smiled and knew the hand was exactly where this tattoo belonged.

“In ancient times, Chinese people called their land Shen |hou, the land of the divine. Chinese traditional culture is a divinely-inspired culture, and legend has it that scholar Cangjie was sent down to China by the heavens. Cangjie was born with four eyes, enabling him to see through all creations on earth. He is the person who created Chinese writing.” ~ Joyce Lo. Epoch Times and Zhu Li. Epoch Times. http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/2230261-the-profundity-of-the-character-listen-in-chinese/?utm_content=bufferaa31c&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer

The image is a Traditional Chinese character for “ting”, or “to listen”. It means to listen with your ears, your eyes, and your heart.  This little symbol held so much meaning for me. First, as a person who has ADHD, acquiring the skill to quiet my mind and be able to be quiet and focused can be a real challenge. While having a conversation with someone, sometimes my mind can move quickly and races forward onto what I want to say next without taking the time to listen to the response I asked for.  This can be challenging in daily life, but even more so for a writer or journalist. Therefore, I see this as a symbol of my commitment to being a journalist. I also believe that my inadequacy to be a good listener has been a key factor in why I have made some poor decisions in my life. I think if I had been a better listener in some circumstances, I would have made some better decisions. Which is really ironic because, in astrology, I am a Gemini North Node, which means a part of my life purpose is to learn to listen. The reason why I chose to put it on my hand was so that it would always be in plain sight for me to see as a gentle reminder to myself to listen.  Even the placement of the design was important to me. I felt it needed to be directly under and in the line of the index finger so then when the index finger is brought to the lips it would be symbolized as the visual of “shh” ...to be quiet and “listen”.  Ya, what can I tell you, I’m a symbolism and communications geek.

  

Before the ink and hardware came to view, we worked on what the actual size of my tattoo would be. It was important that it was big enough so that the lines would not blur together and yet small enough so that it didn’t overpower my hand. Tuan then made a stencil and I gave it the thumbs up. After putting the image onto the stencil, Tuan methodically set up his area by putting down a sterilized disposable workspace pad on the counter and then carefully wrapping and bagged his instruments.

In my previous research, I had read how it is vital to make sure that your tattoo artist is really careful about keeping the area clean, sterilization and wearing gloves. As I watched Tuan set up for the tattoo, I was in awe of how much prep work went into getting everything ready. Even the padded surface where my hand was placed was wrapped in disposable plastic. These guys don’t fool around with hygienics.

As I lay my hand palm down on the plastic, Tuan thoughtfully positioned the image onto my hand and then had me verify if it was the correct placement. It was exactly where I wanted it. After cleaning the skin, applying an ointment and replacing the design, he was ready to begin applying the ink. With a gentle voice, Tuan wanted to know if I was ready. And ready I was. Did I mention I am really uncomfortable with needles? And that is when my hand began to sweat. This made me laugh because now I understood why the cushioned apparatus was all wrapped up. It would be a normal reaction to sweat.  I was actually very excited to finally be experiencing what it felt like to get a tattoo.  I decided not to watch, but instead, analyze the sensations I was feeling.

It didn’t feel like needles. At first, I really couldn’t feel anything, or at least not until what I think was when he went to the spot he had done already that I actually felt the discomfort. Everyone feels pain differently, at different levels and through different sensations. The only way I could describe it would be the equivalent to a tolerable burning sensation. And because I had such a small area to be done, it was done in no time at all. Perhaps twenty minutes. Therefore, to know what it feels like to sit for an hour would be a different experience and will have to wait until my second tattoo.

I was pleasantly surprised that my band-aid was clear and breathable so that I could see it and watch the healing process closely. Tuan had again warned me to keep it out of water for three days and how to clean the area should it get wet. And I was sent home with an aftercare note.

On the second day, I began to feel a bit concerned when I noticed that the ink was expanding, making the tattoo look like the details were bleeding out. Before going into a panic, I read my aftercare note and saw that they said this kind of thing is a natural occurrence. On the fourth day, I took off the clear band-aid and cleaned the tattoo with warm water. I was so relieved to see that the ink had not bled, and was indeed a detailed tattoo. I have since then found the area to be itchy which is normal with the healing of skin, and continue to apply a cream.

I must also disclose how happy I am to have put this image on my hand. Not for the reasons, I shared earlier, but rather because I really, really like to look at it. As a writer, having this beautiful ancient character of wisdom and virtue become a part of me is a wonderful yet humbling thing to embrace. Every day I am greeted with a written message of my personal goal that I would like to achieve. Although the hand was a risky placement, I have no regrets and I am actually delighted to have placed the image there. I absolutely love my tattoo and really looking forward to getting started on the next one.

To see more of Ak Tuan Vo's work please visit his Facebook page or follow him on Instagram. 

#firsttattoos #tattoo #inked #bodyart #tattooartists #Edmonton #eternalink #edmontontattooartist #edmontontattoo #yeg #aktuanvo #Chinesecharacters #symbols #handart #writerslife #experiencinglife 

Interview with AK Tuan Vo

The first time I saw Tuan’s work was at the 2017 Edmonton Tattoo & Art Festival. He was tattooing a grasshopper onto a woman’s lower back. It really was an amazing piece of realistic artwork and the end result was fantastic. Tuan was very focused on what he was doing and so it was his wife that I spoke to. But  I could tell from this brief encounter that he was a kind person. And a kind person who was also a talented artist was exactly the combination I wanted in the person who would be the one to work on my first tattoo. Therefore, two weeks later, I popped by the Eternal Ink Tattoo Shop on Whyte Ave and made an appointment to meet with Tuan. Once again, I was impressed with his sincere friendliness.

                                           AK Tuan Vo. 2017 Edmonton Tattoo & Art Festival 

My interview with Tuan fell on a Wednesday which is also the day when Eternal Ink has their 2x2 tattoo for $75.  Not only was I excited about getting my first tattoo, but also to have the opportunity to talk with Tuan Vo.  When I announced to Tuan that he would be giving me my first tattoo he seemed very happy.

The Interview

How long have you been a tattoo artist?

Tuan:

I am a newcomer here. I am from Ho Chi Minh City, in Vietnam. I just moved to Canada around one and a half years ago. I just tattooed in Vietnam for three months. My experience with tattoos is just two years.

  Before, I graduated from college in graphic design and worked one year for an anime studio. It was a small studio in Vietnam. It was a small company from Japan. I painted colour for the frame, every single frame. The anime is called Gurren Lagann. I remember I spent more than two or three weeks for painting more than two or three hundred pictures, and when I saw it, the finished product, it lasted about five seconds. (laughs) So fast … oh there’s my work ...and then it’s done. All that work and it goes by so fast.

  I also worked for a three-dimensional video characters studio that was Japanese for one year. And then at Gameloft Vietnam, they make mobile games. That was for six years as Project Lead Artist position. I was a video game cartoon designer before I jumped to tattoo job. I designed some character for a video game.

I did a little bit of research on the history of tattoos in Vietnam. There was information saying that at one time the Vietnamese people were once called the Tattooed People. This was back in the Ly and Tran dynasties. They say that tattoos were mandatory of the government and the military. Then in time this completely changed to tattoos being taboo and not accepted. Could you tell me more about this?

Tuan:

I don’t know about this history. Some people have opened their minds to tattoos, but most people in Vietnam, they don’t like it because a long time ago they just know that tattoo were for the gangs or the bad guys. So until now, they keep thinking this way. When they see someone with tattoos on their body, they think, oh he’s a bad guy.

Have you heard of the milk tattoos or ever seen them?

Tuan:

  Yes, I have seen this. My Master, he knows a lot about this and has done this. My Master is a young guy, just 37 years old, but he’s one of the first tattoo artists in the south Vietnam. He is well known there.  He just tattoos.  But a lot of people in south Asia they did this, the milk tattoo. It is the breast milk from the mother, her first born. It is invisible but when they drink beer or some alcohol, it will be visible and is white. It is cool, but, I’m not sure it is safe.

What was the first tattoo that you received?

Tuan:

  I just have only one. (laughs) It has four symbols of my life. It is the sun, the dragon water, the eagle and the tree of life. Symbol of Aztec. The tree of life, life after death. Strength and creative. I chose these designs because I really like the symbols. The sun is the calendar of the Aztecs.

  I got this tattoo two years ago. I had it done when I was an apprentice. My close friend who is a brother to me was also an apprentice and he gave this tattoo to me. I call him my brother, but he is a close friend. He did my tattoo in two sessions.

What was the first tattoo that you gave to someone else?

Tuan:

My first tattoo I did was for my friend's wife. It was just a snowflake. Just small. But I remember I spent one and a half hour, this took me a long time. It was small but there were many details, so I was really nervous. (laughs)

So when you came to Canada, was it your goal to become a tattoo artist?

Tuan:

  When I moved here, to Edmonton, I could not find the job of video games, so I decided to do the tattoos again. At first, I’m looking at some job of the video game, but they don’t have, so I think I like tattoos, so my parents said, “you can try”. I decided that since  I was an apprentice for three months before I came to Canada and I really liked it, I would try. You know, I like drawing every day, and it is one of my dreams to design some character of art that stays on the skin. (laughs) Like the angel and the demon, I did for one year, is like video game character design.

  I like to just draw sometimes because it makes me feel less stress. For tattoos, I like to do animals or something that is natural or has a realistic style. I also like to do some fantasy, like dragon or fairy tale and has lots of detail. I really like to do detailed work that has tiny details.

So, here in Edmonton,  I put some of my portfolios on Kijiji. There was a small and a large picture. After two months the owner of this shop, Eternal Ink, Walter, called me. He hadn’t opened this place up yet. I was his first tattoo artist here. When he found me, I was studying at the NorQuest college for English and I just worked part time for him. But after one month, I thought I had better work full time because then I would be able to learn English much faster than at school. (laughs) I am much better at reading and writing than I am at speaking and listening.

Looking at all the designs on the wall ... Are all these yours?

Tuan:

Yes, they are already tattoo design. It’s done. When I stencil, I keep the stencil and I put it on the wall, just like my collection. They stay original. I like doing custom designs, only one is unique, I like to do custom designs and not two of them, not a second one.

Here in North America, people use to think the same about tattoos just like the people of Vietnam. But because of artists like you who are bringing the true art form to the tattoo industry, people are changing their perspective about tattoos. Your generation of tattoo artists is breaking the stereotypes and new grounds for tattoos. How do you feel about that?

Tuan:

(smiles) Yes … I hope ...I will try.

End

Being that Tuan was still fairly new to the English language, there were moments when we did struggle to communicate some ideas fully, but honestly, those moments were few.  When I first began the interview, I was keen on learning more about the Vietnamese culture, thinking that since Tuan had begun his tattooing career there, the culture would have a great influence upon him. But instead, I learned a wonderful lesson of how we are influenced by our interests in other people's cultures. Although Tuan had embraced some of the influences from his own culture, he was also greatly influenced by the modern Japanese culture and the ancient Aztec culture for the basics of his artwork. And now that he is living here in Canada, there will be other influences that will inspire him.

Tuan is a natural artist who has great discipline and patience for details. I really look forward to seeing what he will be producing over the next few years. It truly was an honor to interview him. And of course, I was thrilled to get my first little tattoo, which turned out amazing!

To see more of Tuan's work, please visit him at AK Tuan Vo Facebook or on Instagram.  Or make an appointment with him through Eternal Ink on Whyte Ave, Edmonton. 

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Blessings