Photo from Stay True Tattoo – 1111 Avenue J, Lubbock. (Facebook)
By: Joshua Bray
Every tattoo has a story to tell.
In 2012, the History of Tattoos’ website states, about 45 million Americans had at least one tattoo, and 30 percent of college graduates in the United States have permanent ink.
The same website reports 17 percent of people who have tattoos regret them; however, 5 percent of those people cover up their tattoo instead of removing it.
Mike Lego, a local artist at Stay True Tattoo, specializes in tattoo cover-ups and said while names are the most common tattoos that need covering up, he said he will offer special deals for people looking to get new ink over gang or racist symbols.
“They come to a point in their life where they realize it’s just senseless,” Lego said. “It’s just a waste.”
A customer showing off her work, courtesy of Stay True Tattoo – 1111 Avenue J, Lubbock. (Facebook)
Although it is not offensive, Regan Dunman, a junior at Texas Tech University, said she has a ladybug tattooed on the back of her neck and wants to get it covered up. Getting the art to honor a nickname her grandmother would call her, Dunman said she is ready to let it go for a more professional style.
“I got it at two in the morning in a kitchen,” she said as she laughed recalling the experience. “I was at a party and one of the people there said they were trying to become a tattoo artist, so they had all their stuff. He was like ‘I’ll give anyone a free tattoo if they want one.’”
Dunman said she regrets the tattoo because it does not look as good as she had hoped and wants to get a tattoo that represents her relationship with her grandmother in a more sentimental way.
Lego said sloppy work is why people should never get a tattoo out of a house. According to Lego, professional artists call people who tattoo out of their homes, “scratchers”, or “kitchen magicians.”
Byron Wishmeyer, local tattoo artist and owner of Emerald Empire Tattoo & Tattoo Laser Removal, said if someone is looking for a cover-up, they should ask to see examples of an artist’s work.
Wishmeyer said a big part of the cover-up process at Emerald Empire is laser removal. Wishmeyer states it takes one or two
Tattoo artist working on a client at Emerald Empire Tattoo & Tattoo Laser Removal – 1108 Main St, Lubbock. (Photo by: Joshua Bray)
sessions of laser removal to lighten up a tattoo for a cover-up.
“I want people to not think they’re getting a cover-up,” he said. “I want them to get the art that they want.”
He said getting a tattoo completely removed it can take up to seven sessions of laser removal.
Partnering with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Wishmeyer helps provide people leaving the prison system with discounts to remove tattoos.
“Anything that will impede them from getting a job,” he said, “we will help them out.”
Wishmeyer recommended people do their research when deciding what artist and tattoo shop to go to.
Tattoo in progress by Byron Wishmeyer at Emerald Empire Tattoo & Tattoo Laser Removal- 1108 Main St, Lubbock. (Photo By: Joshua Bray)
“Visit the studio. Do that consultation before you decide to get art by that artist,” he said. “It’s important that you can build a good rapport with them and be comfortable, because you don’t want to get tattooed by somebody you don’t like, because you’re going to spend hours with them.”
Wishmeyer said a good way for someone to get a tattoo they won’t regret is to get a tattoo for themselves, whether it has deep personal meaning or not.
“You should get a tattoo for you, not for anybody else. I have some tattoos that have a lot of meaning, but I have others that I’ve just sought out the artist for their art and when we got together, I told them to just do their thing.” Wishmeyer said.
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