Chicano Culture is an essential part of of Southern California; from Los Angeles to San Diego Hispanics have embraced the Chicano culture as apart of their identity.

Living in Los Angeles it is common to see tattoos, like the one posted below; two masks, one with a sad face and one with a happy face. This piece is titled, “Smile Now, Cry Later”.

Chicano tattoos were at a rise when gang violence was prominent in the city of Los Angeles in the 90’s. The “Smile Now, Cry Later” tattoo symbolized, having to do whatever needed to be done, with a smile, so no one would deem you as weak; then the cry about it later once you were alone.

Original tattooing began with a style called “Traditional Tattooing”, this really became the foundation for all tattooing styles and was most common among marine men, who were out at sea.

Traditional tattoos look like the drawings you see on a Sailor Jerry bottle or packaging. Typically these drawings include anchors, women, boats etc. Overall, they are very colorful and simple tattoos.

When Mexicans started to migrate over to the states and raise their families, the young kids or young adults could not relate to the “Traditional” style of tattooing.

Pioneer tattoo artists like Freddy Negrete paved the way for hundreds of other tattoo artists to continue and perfect the black and grey tattoo style. East Los Angeles was the hub for tattoo artist who were actually tattooing Chicano Art.

In the 90’s if you were a male or female and you had a Virgin Mary, your last name, a portrait of your mom, maybe even a tattoo of your car, anywhere on your body, you were seen as gang affiliated.

So many tattoos that were created during those times for certain people with a specific lifestyle, symbolized so much them. Tattoos were an essential accessory and have become so mainstream.

Chicano culture had such an impact on the history of California that it has spread throughout the world.

For instance, in Japan the Chicano culture has its own level of popularity among a vast group of people. Walter Thompson Hernandez, calls it “Cultural Exchange”, in his article titled, “How My Southeast LA Culture Got to Japan”, published in the New York Times.

The impact of cultures and the accessories that come with them, are important and in most cases timeless.

Photo by Dave Sanchez

Most people wonder how on earth someone could have walked out of a tattoo shop with a misspelled tattoo; it happens.

There are many factors that can contribute to why something was misspelled , the stencil, the elaborate font, the length of the quote or just the artist who did not do a spell check.

All of this can be avoided by just taking the extra second to make sure grammar and spelling are correct. 

In my experience with artists, there have been cases when the stencil is on, the artist checks it, the client checks it, it gets tattooed, then everyone approves and the misspelled tattoo is not discovered till weeks later.

The best advice I can give you , is to make sure when it is drawn or stenciled, that you triple check spelling. It sounds like a “no-brainer” but some people do not do it !

Avoid ending up with a misspelled tattoo that you are either going to have to cover, correct or remove !

Some names, quotes and song lyrics have meaning to us, so avoid turning something you care about into something you hate.

 

Photo By Dave Sanchez

Portraits are a common type of tattoo when it comes to commemorating a person or character. Today I will provide you with some tips on how to make sure that your portrait is tattooed at its’ fullest potential with no regrets.

The first tip is the quality of the picture that you provide the artist with; the best thing you can do is provide the artist with a tangible picture.

A picture of a picture is not ideal because it lacks clarity. When the artist has to trace the lines of the person or character, if the lines are blurry the line drawing of the person will not be as precise.

The second tip I can provide you with, is to acknowledge the size of the picture you have; this also relates back to the line drawing.

It is going to help the artist to have a picture that they can make smaller as oppose to making a small picture bigger. Making a small picture bigger will only cause more blurriness in the picture.

Also, keep in mind, what is going on in the picture itself. If the person in the picture is angled oddly, or you can only see part of their face, this will also make it difficult for the artist to see the person or character’s full face.

Remember you know how that person looks, not the artist. Unless you decide to go with someone like Micky Mouse than you can always just Google another picture.

In the tattoo portrait process, most essential element of the first part is the tangible picture. The second is looking for the correct artist.

Most tattoo artists will try to be versatile when it comes to tattooing, eventually some will find a style they love to tattoo; they will perfect it and brand themselves as an artist who can tattoo in that style.

A portrait is not a style of tattoo but a type of tattoo. Every artist is going to have a different style when tattooing a portrait. It is best that you do your research and take your time looking for a style that you like best.

Portraits can be done in color or black and grey; but even with those two options, artists still add their own style to the portrait. 

In closing, be selective of the picture itself and the artist.

 

Photo By Esteban Camacho

Photo by Dave Sanchez

 

 

Photo by Kandy M. 

Cover ups usually only happen for two reasons.

Reason one, it was done poorly and everyone guesses something different when they look at it, or reason two, at one point people may feel connected or passionate about something or someone and decide to commemorate that muse in a tattoo.

Don’t worry, you have options. To begin, you can always go with laser removal but that is boring, so why not just get another tattoo? We call this a cover up session.

In most cases getting the tattoo covered up is an option for most, either because they still want a tattoo in that spot or they still like the idea of the tattoo and they just want to fix it.

Getting a tattoo covered is not as easy as it may seem; most of the time, the new tattoo needs to be a bigger piece and more than likely darker in color. Shading will be essential in covering up line work.

Depending on the size and color of the tattoo, there is a good chance that the cover up will entail more than one session.

The best thing you can do is consult with an artist!

Let us not add to the reputation of a regrettable matching tattoo. As someone who has three matching tattoos with three different people, I can provide you with FIVE tips on how to NOT regret your choice!

1. DON’T DRINK AND GET INKED: This is probably the most common factor as to why a tattoo may become regrettable. In some cases, people tend to skew their judgment when intoxicated. What may seem like a brilliant idea at happy hour may not be so brilliant the next day. Skewed judgment can result in an elevation of spontaneity which brings me to my next tip…
2. DO NOT BE SPONTANEOUS: Spend as much time planning matching tattoos as you would any other tattoo session. Being spontaneous can be worse than being drunk in some situations, this is one of those situations. Do not be spontaneous about something that will permanently be on your body. It is a special feeling to have when a person feels close enough with another person to move forward with such a permanent piece of art, so think it through.
3. TAKE TIME TO THINK IT OVER: Once you have decided on what you wanted, still take an extra day or two just to think it over. If this piece is really significant to you, a couple more days will not change that.
4. BE CREATIVE: There are so many common tattoos out there on sites like Pinterest.  As blogger Ian Lecklitner says in an article, “think outside the box”. Personalize your tattoos to fit the situation. (sisters, a couple, best friends, doing a memorial piece etc.) Customize the tattoo to your own personality. The picture I’ve posted below is of a couple that was inspired by other paintings and tattoos they had seen on Dave Sanchez’  Instagram; the tattoos can stand on their own and do not really need the other person’s tattoo to compliment it.
5. DONT REGRET THAT YOU DID IT: In the end, what’s done is done. If you follow the tips I have given you above, more than likely it will be a tattoo that you really love. So, if you should ever part from the person you got it with, it is still going to be an amazing tattoo. Understand that it has meaning to you, otherwise why would you get it in the first place?

Photo By Dave Sanchez

 

Photo by Dave Sanchez

Tattoos HURT! I have many clients who are covered in tattoos and still have to endure the pain. Discomfort should be expected, but there are ways of reducing the anxiety and physical pain that come with getting tattooed.

In preparing for an appointment, I inform the clients that they should eat beforehand, stay hydrated and do whatever necessary to arrive to the appointment as relaxed as possible. The tattoo process will be much easier if the client stays calm, breathes and does not cry or panic.

If the client is having a really hard time adjusting to the experience, I then recommend a numbing cream. There are varieties available online and are not hard to use. All you do is apply to the desired area of the skin an hour before your appointment, wrap it in plastic with a saran wrap and wait for directions from the artist.

I constantly have clients asking, where the most painful spot on the body to get tattooed is; typically the most painful spots are going to be where the skin is thin. Everyone’s pain tolerance is different, so do not base the placement off what most people say hurts or does not hurt.

As a personal assistant to a tattoo artist, I deal with some clients who come into my shop and may try to negotiate prices. I book sessions that range from $80-$1200 per session. To most people, that can be rent or a car payment.

Let us break down the, “Why?”. Tattoo prices work just like any other service, the better the quality, experience and the artist, the higher the cost. Aside from that, take into consideration what the artist must do, consult, draw, stencil, physically tattoo and converse.

One, consulting a client is a whole process in itself because the client will always have a million ideas and most times with no direction. The consultation can sometimes be an appointment on its own, but some artists do it the day of the appointment to eliminate the amount of redraws. Two, following the consultation, comes the drawing. The artist will draw, re-draw and draw the sketch again because the client will always want to make changes; small changes can result in the artist having to do a whole other drawing. Drawings can take thirty minutes to an hour, depending on how many changes are made, how detailed the piece is or how big the design is. Thirdly, once the client is finally done providing feedback for the artist, the stencil will be printed and placed onto the skin. Fourthly, acknowledge how much detail your tattoo has, the more detail the higher the price. The fifth reason there is, relates to the actual tattooing process; a tattoo session can last anywhere from thirty minutes to sixteen hours, time is an essential key factor. Sixth of all, supplies are not free, everything you see the artist use has a price, ink, needles, sprays, tattoo machine covers, towels, wraps, wire wrap etc. Lastly, the appearance and upkeep of the shop is something people tend to overlook, but if you go to an artist that has their own studio or a well-kept shop, it makes a difference. For example, the shop I work at has a private tattoo room, there are chairs, a table, TV, Netflix, surround sound, and the view of a Koi pond; all in all, it is the overall experience. Those are some factors to consider while thinking of price the artist or assistant may be quoting you.

Dave Sanchez Tattoo Website

Tattoo Price Breakdown