Tattoos trends come and go on Echuca skin

Another furphy is that tattoos are the domain of youth.

Almost half of Australians with tattoos did not get their first tattoo until they were 26-years-old.

Adding to the theme that people were more considered in their decision to have permanent artwork attached to their frame is that one in 10 people got their first tattoo in their 40s.

Of the Australians with a tattoo, more than half choose to go under the needle again.

The addictive nature of tattoos often sees people return for more than a handful on their body.

People are very particular as to the placement of their tattoos, going by what I’ve read I think it has a bit to do with the pain threshold.

Bicep and back are the most common tattoo placements, while the neck and – according to the experienced – more painful ribcage and feet artwork are also common place.

Funnily enough it is women who tend to have ribcages and feet tattooed.

Australians spent almost $100 million on tattoos through 2019, the last year-long non-COVID affected period, at almost 1000 studios.

Reggie Rankin had one thing on her mind the day she turned 18, and it wasn’t rushing out for her first legal drink or first solo drive – it was getting her first tattoo.

Sixteen years later she is the Senior Tattooist at Echuca’s Tattoo Nation and the man who applied that tattoo, Squirrel Bowald, is working alongside her in the studio.

The Tattoo Nation team of four is renowned for its artwork in the region, with Squirrel’s daughter Maia a first-year apprentice and a senior apprentice, Madi, rounding out the talented tattooing team.

Squirrel recently marked his 21st year of business in Echuca and is more than qualified to speak on the intricacies of the craft.

He said of his female-dominated team that the industry was proud to be on a level playing field for males and females alike.

“It’s one of the only platforms where you can earn your worth,” Squirrel said.

“A female who is a great artist can earn more than the guys.

“We are one of the first industries where females can out-earn males.”

For those of you looking to get your first tattoo one of the current trends are old-fashioned pocket watches.

“Pocket watches and stop watches are among the in things at the moment,” Squirrel said.

“When you are doing four or five of the same thing every week you know it is a fad.”

“I blame Pinterest (a visual search engine on the internet for those uninitiated),” Reggie chimed in.

Old-school hand compasses preceded the watch phenomenon and prior to that any kind of heavily made-up clown face was being etched onto Echuca bodies.

Reggie said Indian portraits remained popular, and timeless, as did the traditional rose tattoo.

She said of Echuca’s tattoo population that it was probably difficult to find communities that did not have a high percentage of tattooed people.

“You would be hard pressed to find a place that isn’t heavily tattooed,” she said.

Underlining the statement was an 87-year-old man who had his first tattoo only last week.

“It was his wife’s idea and had a cancer survival story behind it,” Squirrel said.

In a back and forth typical one upmanship between the pair, Reggie then explained her oldest client.

“I had a lady on her 85th birthday come in for her first tattoo,” she said.

“Her husband had just passed away and she was getting her husband’s name tattooed on her because he would never let her get tattooed.

“She was really cool; she was also going on her first Harley ride.”

The pair even had an argument about their first drawing competition victory, Squirrel claiming a one-year victory when he collected the blue ribbon as a four-year-old.

“I won a John Wayne hand gun, as a four year old, couldn’t even pick it up. It was cast iron,” he said.

The first tattoo Reggie etched onto a body was her own.

“It is terrible, it was a flower. But the first one I did on someone else won a prize,” she said.

When the art-loving pair aren’t tattooing you will find them pursuing another form of expression through painting or sculpting.

“It’s in our blood, if we are not tattooing, we are painting, if we’re not painting we are sculpting.”

But not everything always goes to plan with clients, some will change their mind after the event and tattoo removal is now a small part of the business.

“I have removed a tattoo from myself, purely to teach myself how to do it properly,” Reggie said.

She said moreover tattoo fans will opt for a cover up with a bigger tattoo, rather than laser removal.

“It’s a university degree in Queensland to remove a tattoo. We are constantly increasing our knowledge,” Reggie said.

As for the reason a tattoo is applied in the first place, Squirrel said there was no simple answer.

“Some people are really deep about it and put a ton of meaning into their tattoos. Others are ‘I like that, stick it on me here’,” he said.

Squirrel put his artistic view on tattoo choices by explaining his passion for art.

“I love specific paintings because they speak to my soul and I love other ones just because they’re cute,” he said.

“People get tattoos for every reason you could imagine

“There doesn’t need to be a reason to be an art lover. Some people just want to look really ferocious and unapproachable.”

Reggie said while the artwork she applied would add to the body’s aesthetics, it would not change people’s shape or size.

“People sometimes come in with a magazine of a buffed gym guy and say they want that,” she said.

Squirrel said some people may buy underwear because of the way it looked on the underwear model, but once they put it on it would not necessarily be the same look on them.

They said the optimum situation was for people to be tattooed was for them to be feeling well rested, and be healthy, when they came in for their artwork.

In a quirky component of the industry, clients often make snap decisions on tattoos and at a later stage situations may change dramatically.

Relationships are one such quirk where undying commitment is shown in the form of a name or face tattoo of a current partner.

Squirrel’s take on the scenario is that people should be very considered in making a decision, adding he had often provided advice on the subject.

“As many names that we apply to people get removed,” he said.

“Sometimes it is not so much removed, but covered up,” Reggie said.

And the cost for the art to be applied ranges dramatically, from a small hourly cost for initials or a simple piece of artwork to the now enormously popular sleeve (a large tattoo or collection of smaller tattoos that covers most of the person’s arm), which can carry a price tag averaging from $2000 to $5000.

The more interesting tattoos are too numerous to mention, but Squirrel said it was fun to apply famous faces to a client.

“One client has a Sean Penn tattoo, from the movie I am Sam,” he said.

“It is an image of the scene where he is getting his mug shots taken by the police. I did that on a hand.

“I’ve done John Coffey from The Green Mile and we’ve even done a portrait of Connor McGregor (the flamboyant Irish UFC fighter).”

A student of history, Squirrel explained just how far back in history the art form (somewhat in its modern form) went in Australia.

“Thomas Edison patented a metal engraver initially, but S.F (Samuel) Reilly - the only tattooist in a professional studio at the time - adjusted the stroke, shortened it, and you had the world’s first electric tattoo machine.”

He said even Sir Joseph Banks (the botanist who accompanied Captain Cook on his pacific travels way back in 1769) was tattooed from his bottom to his knee with a Polynesian “tattow”.

So with Edison and Banks in your corner, the modern tattoo has a proud history on which to rest.

Greg McGregor

Greg McGregor has a simple explanation for the artwork that adorns his body, it’s a cover up that turned into an art gallery.

“Initially it was to cover up a couple of old tattoos, but once Squirrel got started it hasn’t stopped,’’ he said.

Greg has a salute to his hot rod and motorcycle passion on one arm, the Harley Davidson logo, along with the mascot of Clay Smith Cams and another hot rod character in Rat Fink (denoted by RF).

“I’ve got a shed full of Harleys, three at the moment,” he said.

On the other arm, in another cover up, is a colourful jungle collage featuring a gorilla, leopard and parrot.

Greg’s assessment of his tattoo artist is glowing

“It’s his work. It’s only my arm.

“They (Squirrel and Reggie) are people where their brain connects to the fingertips really well.

“They are art freaks; what they see comes out of their fingertips.”

And the work is yet to finish.

“I’ll be going back in August for some more work,” he said.

Merina Van Roijen

Merina’s first tattoo was on her stomach, the Chinese sign for love and happiness, which are her two priorities in life.

Her leg piece represents the transformation of her life.

“You can see the woman starts off curled up and small and then she transforms, grows, changes - this is symbolic of the growth in my life,” Merina said.

She said the girl on the swing with the black dog was a reminder of her dark days of depression, and her will not to go back there.

“I used to go to the swings a lot when I felt really down, and the black dog is depression, and also a dog I remember from my youth,” she said.

“The day of the dead face is a reminder of those I have lost that I love. My step-dad among them.”

The leg piece still has to be finished. For more of Merina’s artwork go @fitwithmerina on Instagram.

“I would like my whole leg covered and my arm. Not sure what yet, I find things that mean something and inspire me.

“Reggie does all my tattoos, she is amazing and I trust her. I drive three hours from Melbourne now to get tattooed by her.

Merina said the girl handing the boy the pink balloon was about always being kind to those in need, bringing light into people’s lives that feel darkness.

“Tattoos are a part of me because they allow me to tell a story, my story,” she said.

Sarah Warren

“My leg tattoo (day of the dead girl) is because I’ve always liked cultures that celebrate their loved ones’ lives. We all have lost someone or something that we once cherished, why not keep that memory alive.”

Sarah’s arm tattoo is somewhat of a match for her other major artwork, celebrating her love of the rose.

“They both took a little while to complete, I do three or four hour sittings. My leg would've taken around six months and my arm around 11 months.’’

Her next tattoo is a back piece of an American Indian horse.

“My passion is horses and most of my horses are named after the Indian tribes. So it was just fitting to have it on me.

“My fiancé loves my tattoos and so do my family and friends.

“Reggie has done all my work, she is an amazing artist with a outstanding talent.”

Sarah now works at Drovers Saddlery, in the retail space.

“All my other jobs have been in and around construction ,so I wasn't around too many people.

“I'm always asked 101 questions about them all which I'm happy to answer.”