Under the skin

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Under the skin
August 20, 2010
Troy L. Smith
Democrat & Chronicle



If a look at his body doesn't tell you, Rochester resident Marc Lang, 24, can point to about 450 hours and more than $40,000 spent as proof of how much he loves tattoos. However, up until five years ago, Lang wasn't quite as extreme.

On his smart phone is a picture of him from a few years ago. He's on the beach with his shirt off, and you can see that he has some tattoos here and there.

These days, he's covered from jaw line to feet.

His right leg pays tribute to old horror movies: "I'm obsessed with horror movies from the 1950s. I went with the old-school movies, so I've got the original Frankenstein, the Bride of Frankenstein, the original Dracula. Eventually, there's gonna be the original Werewolf, probably the whole Dracula's castle thing and Swamp Thing."

His back references an old sports injury: "When I was 17, I broke my back doing gymnastics. My mom and I came up with this idea, so I have a spinal cord turning into a cross with an angel behind it. It's a guardian angel looking over me."

And on his left arm? "These are just more demons and stuff," he says. "They're all nightmares I used to have as a kid. I used to draw them. I had my mom find the sketches, and I had them tattooed. People say the usual stuff: 'What is wrong with you?' and 'I'm going to let you work with my kids?' I'm a cheerleading coach. People would never believe what I do for a living."

Lang's body is symbolic of the growth in popularity of tattoos over the past several years. According to a 2006 study by the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, one-quarter of Americans between the ages of 18 and 50 have at least one tattoo. (Those numbers are higher on the younger end of the spectrum.)

Since that study, tattoos seem to have gone even more mainstream. Shows like Miami Ink and LA Ink are TV-rating successes, and their stars, tattoo artists like Kat Von D, have become celebrities in their own right.

Last year, Joseph "Jet" DiProjetto, artist and owner of Love Hate Tattoo on Alexander Street, organized the first ever Roc City Tattoo Expo. DiProjetto says the event, which featured more than 50 artists from around the world, drew more than 4,000 people to the Hyatt Regency. He expects that number to increase at this year's event, being held once again at the Hyatt, from Friday, Aug. 20, to Sunday, Aug. 22.

"Last year was the first time anything of this caliber has been done in upstate or western New York," says DiProjetto. "Given how tattoos have exploded with television, celebrities and athletes, it's a lot more commonplace now than it's ever been."

To mark this year's convention, we tracked down some local residents to get the stories behind their ink



Describe your tattoo: I have a few, (but) I'll go with the one I just got, which is a yellow rose of Texas (on my chest), a monarch butterfly (on my shoulder), and across it has my nickname, Doodlebug, in green.
Who did it? My mother (Shawna Haight, aka Pebbles, a tattoo artist at Pebbles and Company on Lyell Avenue) has done all of my tattoos.
What does it mean or symbolize? It's actually for my grandmother. She died when I was younger, and her favorite rose was the yellow rose of Texas, and her favorite butterfly was the monarch butterfly. And she always called me Doodlebug. So I got it for her. My dad actually has a similar one. He has the rose and the butterfly, but his says "Mom" instead.
What else went into your <4,10.5p>decision? I really wanted to get something that, for me, would represent my grandmother's presence in my life and her importance to me. But I also didn't want to go with something everyone else had, like dates or anything like that. I knew that my nickname was something that she gave to me, something she always called me. I guess it was personal, and I felt like it was important to put it on my body so I could see it.
— Stephanie Veale
Describe your tattoo: The one that's finished is a piece that goes basically from spine to sternum on the right side of my body. It started with a Celtic knot with my favorite passage from Beowulf inside it. And that turned into a dragon that is breathing fire onto a Viking funeral boat, and the smoke from the funeral boat coalesces on my chest into three Valkyries who are carrying the spirit of the departed to Valhalla ("hall of the slain"). This took over a year and a half ... I lost count after 150 hours in the chair.
What does it mean or symbolize? It kind of symbolizes a simpler age for me, when a man was judged more by his words, deeds and accomplishments, as opposed to today ... I enjoy the history, the literature, the sagas of various ancient cultures. One of my particular favorites are the Norse. It seems to me in many respects that they had a cleaner way of living. Not all of the politics and red tape and bureaucracy that we deal with today on a daily basis. (My tattoo evokes) a return to a simpler way of life, I guess you could say.
What went into your decision to get a <4,10.5p>really big tattoo? It didn't start out as a really big one. It started out just as that knot, and then it kept growing. Through a constant dialogue with my tattoo artist, it kept growing. First it was supposed to be a shoulder cap, then we worked in the knot on the back, and the dragon, and then for the smoke to coalesce we had to bring it around to the chest.
How did you choose your tattoo artist, <4,10.5p>Dane Thorsson of Flesh for Fantasy Tattoo in the South Wedge? I saw some of his work that he'd done on a friend and went in to talk to him. I looked at his portfolio and decided that I liked his style. I also liked his knowledge of the subject matter that I wanted to have done. He is very knowledgeable about the Norse.
— Stephanie Veale
Describe your tattoo: It's a guy on a motorcycle, and the head is actually a caricature of the guy who did the tattoo, Krooked Ken. It's on the inside of my left thigh, just above my knee.
What does it mean or symbolize? To tell you the truth, I just really wanted to get tattooed by Krooked Ken. I really dig his work, and he's really a top-notch guy, which are two of the things I look for in a tattoo artist. I decided to get a guy on a motorcycle because I'd just started riding motorcycles earlier that year.
So who does your tattoos is pretty important to you? Yes. Generally, I like to get tattooed by guys who have good personalities, on top of doing good work.
How did you hear about Krooked Ken? He's a pretty big name in the industry. I met him for the first time in Philadelphia at a convention there ... and when I heard he was going to be at our convention (lest year), I really wanted to get tattooed by him. [Krooked Ken is based in the Baltimore area.]

Do you have more than one tattoo? What went into <4,10.5p>your decision to get this one? I have quite a few tattoos. I generally come up with an idea and decide whether it's something I want to have permanently. And that's pretty much as far as I go with it most of the time. Some of the spots that I choose are to see what I can endure, as strange as that may seem. I am interested to find out what my limits are. I have a general plan, and some of it is based on figuring out what it is that's going to make me break.
— Stephanie
Veale
Describe your tattoo: I have a piece that consists of six leaves, two larger leaves on my right shoulder blade and four smaller ones coming up over my shoulder; the lowest leaf is on my right upper arm. On my back, the leaves are more green/yellow, and as they come over my shoulder they are darker with more orange/red tones in them (signifying the changing of the seasons from summer to autumn).
What does it mean or symbolize? There's really no hidden meaning to the tattoo. I was born in October, and for as long as I can remember I've always loved autumn. The fall season and Halloween have always been a big deal in my family, so I think it's just natural that I grew up to love it as well.
So why did you get the tattoo? Even when I was little I knew I wanted tattoos. There really is no specific reason why I have tattoos. My dad has tattoos, my favorite being a werewolf on his bicep that he's had since I was a kid.
What inspired the design? The actual design was put together by Brian Wahl when he worked at Love Hate Tattoo. I knew I wanted sugar maple leaves; I also knew I wanted them to start on my shoulder blade and come over my shoulder, but he's the one who drew it. He drew up a bunch of different sized leaves and placed them where he thought they looked good, so I can't even take much credit for the actual placement of the leaves. The color scheme was totally his idea, too. Originally, I wanted all of the leaves to be darker, more autumnal colors, but he was like, "It would be so cool if they started as summery colors and changed to autumn colors as they came over your shoulder." I loved his idea and ending up going with that.
— Leah Stacy

Describe your tattoo: "Sacred line work" is what I would call this cluster. What you are looking at is a collection of three essential items, one being a clock that reads 1:08, citing Revelations 1:8 — "I am the alpha and the omega, he who is, he who was, and he who is yet to come." Metatron's cube is the large piece on my lower back. Metatron's cube stems from the Flower of Life, which is on my right side.
What does it mean or symbolize? Metatron's cube has great religious significance. Metatron was an angel in Judaism, and it was said that he formed the cube with pieces of his soul. The platonic elements were named such because Plato theorized that the basic elements were made of them. But really, they are appreciated for their aesthetic beauty.
Why did you get the tattoos? You must understand that these pieces of "Sacred Geometry" are all about proportions, the proportions of living and aesthetically beautiful things. I can't tell you enough about the math behind them to do them justice, but they are very important in religions across the board. In short, these pieces are visual depictions of how I have come to believe in God.
What inspired the idea for the design? The text on my back is original work. The top line reads "Death don't mock me because I still pray." It is the closing line of a long piece of poetry prose that I wrote. The short poem below reads, "The Nautical Girl put her breath to my neck and whispered words under the current that I found etched inside." Those are both short prayers that were given to me. The Nautical Girl is my angel. She is God working through me, allowing me to be an artist.
Who did your tattoos? Dan Ross of Art to Zen in Charlotte did all of this work.
— Leah Stacy

Describe your tattoo: I have the words
"L'Amour Fou" tattooed near my left hip bone.
What does it mean or symbolize? It means "Foolish love." A really good friend of mine, who died in 2008, had the same tattoo.
Why did you get the tattoo? A bunch of us went and got the same tattoo, all in different places. I actually got mine in the exact place she had hers.
What inspired the idea for the design? The fact that she already had it. We all put our own spin on it, but I chose a font that looked similar to the one she had.
Are you planning to get any more tattoos? That would be a resounding "yes."