Greetings from Sikkim

[cheemsay]

Tashi Delek (greetings...in our language),

Hey everybody, I am an Architect by profession and a tattoo novice. I was interested in tattoos as long as I can remember but our society always gives you the cold stare if you have tattoos. Anything more that an a letter or two is a perfect topic for people to mark you an outcast. But as for me, it's an art, a personal art that I want to take it to my grave or as in my culture, go up in smoke with my soul. And, it isn't legal to open a Tattoo parlor! So, it has to be at someones house or at the back of a beauty salon!!

I got my first tattoo when I was in College, a couple of years back, nothing special a simple Tribal piece on my arm. A few months back, a friend of mine gave me his old Tattoo machine, which engulfed me even more into the world of tattooing. I started practicing on practice skins. I then started learning how the Machine really works. Bought two machines. Started researching online about the various aspect of this art. I learned to assemble, dismantle a machine, learn(ing) to Tune it properly, etc. The more I research, the more I want to know. I have, untill now, inked two of my friends. Small pieces, nothing fancy, and they are happy to show it off whenever they can!! I don't want to be labelled as a scratcher and ruin this beautiful art.

Hope ya'll help me and accept me as a member of this community.

Warm Regards,

Z.B.

[Graeme]

Welcome! You're not going to find information about the technical aspects of tattooing here, but there's still a lot of great information here in the various threads, and especially in the tattoo artist interview videos. Be sure to watch those, they're the best part of this site.

I got tattooed at Electric Tattoo in New Jersey fairly recently and when I was there Robert Ryan was talking about the Nepal tattoo convention and how much he likes it. He works it, I'm pretty sure Chad Koeplinger works it or has worked it in the past, and I think there are a handful of other artists who travel to it. Anyway, Robert was also talking about how impressed he was with how tattooing has developed in Nepal since he started going to the convention, so maybe check that out and get to meet and talk to other like-minded folk in your part of the world.