Paint me black

Blackout is the most recent phenomena that has gripped tattoo lovers all across the world and now has reached the shores of Mumbai

Tattoos are not everybody’s cup of tea. A patch of permanent design on the skin may not be a friendly idea for most people, but the latest trend—blackout tattoos—are even more in the grey territory—or black in this case. Blackout tattoos are the new trend for the city’s ink-friendly folks. It can be described as a completely black tattoo, which covers a substantial amount of skin. They may have designs or words on them, so long as the base is a vivid black. Its roots can be traced back to Singapore-based artist Chester Lee’s creations going viral online.

Vikas Malani of Body Canvas, a Mumbai-based tattoo studio with branches in London and Delhi, explains that although the tattoo designs have only become a rage in the recent months, they have been a part of cultures since ancient times, when Incan Mayan, Indonesian and Philippine tribes used them to show their dominance or to camouflage skin defects like Vitiligo.

If a customer happens to be frustrated with the tattoo designs he/she has, there is nothing like a blackout tattoo to cover it up, according to Vikas. “It’s cheaper, simpler and less painful—than laser work,” he claims.

Sunny Bhanushali of Malad’s Aliens Tattoos, on the other hand prefers to cover up old tattoos with deigns rather than solid black. “It is much more creative and aesthetically pleasing to get a new tattoo designed over an old one rather than simply colour it all black,” he explains, “I think that blackout tattoos are lacking in creativity.”

Artists are, however, trying out several designs and experiments, like symmetrical lines or words running along the blacked out part, or blackout tattoos with faded or dotted designs at the edges. The entire process can take anything from two to three hours to two to three days, depending upon the area covered. Aftercare for such tattoos is especially important since such a big portion of skin is being tattooed.

32-year-old jewellery designer, Shyam Waghamare did not want any embellishments on his blackout tattoo. After getting portraits of his daughter and wife tattooed, Shyam went for a thick, solid black band around his calf. “I got it done on the anniversary of my father’s death as something to remember him by.”

For 30-year-old Vikas Barasia, the solid black band on his forearm with three narrower lines running parallel to it, is a tribute to his mother, who has been diagnosed with cancer. it was a way to “overcome his fears.”

“If there are a 100 customers, maybe one tells me he wants to get a blackout tattoo,” Malani admits. Still, as a cover-up job or as a bold statement, there is nothing quite like this tattoo. “It’s a big commitment, since you can’t draw over it,” says Malani, “If you can make that commitment, this tattoo is for you.”