THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, December 28, 1994 TAG: 9412240093
SECTION: ISLE OF WIGHT CITIZEN PAGE: 06 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Cover Story
SOURCE: BY JODY R. SNIDER, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 130 lines
THE FIRST ROSE Mike Mitchell ever gave his wife Brenda was tattooed on her ankle.
In fact, that rose brought the two together seven years ago, when Brenda Mitchell, 24, walked into a tattoo shop in Florida where Mike worked and asked for a tattoo.
Today, the old stigma that tattoos are only worn by criminals and sailors has vanished. And those in the main stream of society are beginning to use the fine art of tattooing to make their own fashion and personal statements.
``Picking your tattoo takes time because it's an individual thing,'' said Mike Mitchell, 34, a tattoo artist at Ancient Art Tattoo in Carrollton.
``Some people can come in and get a tattoo just for the sake of getting a tattoo. Others, it takes time. It's really not a spur-of-the-moment thing,'' he said.
Mitchell said he got his first tattoo, a skull on his chest, when he was about 19.
``I watched my friends get tattooed, and I became friends with a guy who did tattoos. He set me up, and I began tattooing people. At that time, I never had any intentions of tattooing people or getting tattooed,'' Mitchell said.
Today, Mitchell said he has tattoos valued at about $5,000 on about 15 percent of his body. He just likes the art and believes it's a unique way to express himself, he said.
``I'm shooting for 60 percent. There are certain spots on the body that don't work well being tattooed,'' he said.
According to Mitchell, it's possible to spend as much as $50,000 for an entire body suit for one person. Those with a body suit have their entire body covered in tattoos.
For Brenda Mitchell, her first tattoo was a matter of following a family tradition. While Mitchell's sisters have gotten cat and butterfly tattooes, Mitchell opted for a single rose on her ankle.
Later, she progressed to a bird on her shoulder - and then the ultimate statement - one leg of flowers, mixed with webbing that starts at her hip and runs down one leg about 5 inches above the knee.
That work is still in progress and is being done by Mitchell's husband. Because Brenda Mitchell hopes to enter law school at the College of William and Mary in the near future, her tattoos are in places that are not easily seen.
``I had my tattoos done 5 inches above the knee, on my back and backside so that when I wear business suits, it can't be seen. Women who have tattoos are looked at differently than men who have tattoos.
``The women aren't taken seriously - they tend to think you're not educated. It's something I think about every time I put a new tattoo on,'' she said.
``But anyone who likes their first tattoo comes back for another one,'' Mike Mitchell said.
``Even though you walk out of here saying, `No, this is it! I'll never get another one,' people come back. If I had a penny for every person who told me they'd never get another one, I'd be a rich man,'' he said.
At American Tattoo, also in Isle of Wight County, tattoo artist Jeff Duke said for every person who comes in, there's a different reason for the tattoo they want.
Duke, 22, said everyone's trying to be different and tattooing is one way to make a statement.
``Everyone gets a tattoo for a different reason - women like it for the decoration - it makes them feel better about the way they look. Some have even said it's a way of claiming their body back after a bad relationship,'' Duke said.
``Others do it for spiritual reasons - because they feel close to something. And there are those who like it for the artistic reasons. The artwork in tattooing is so good that you can do anything with a tattoo machine that you can do with paints.''
``Tattooing is like writing with a ball-point pen on wet tissue paper,'' Duke said about his art. ``It's that difficult. It just takes a lot of practice to get good,'' he said.
``But if you like someone's work,'' said Johnny Kane, another tattoo artist at American Tattoo, ``you give them free reign - just let them go off and do what they want.''
Kane, who has also joined the newest fad in body piercing, said between his tattoos and pierced nipples, eyebrow and nose, he gets a lot of looks in public.
``I like to go places and get weird looks from people,'' he said. ``I get attention. And it's a way to stay young.''
Duke, 29, said the newest fad is to get the navel pierced. Although neither Duke nor Kane perform body piercing, Jerry Riegger, owner of American Tattoo, can do the procedure.
``We pierce the hood on top of the navel - run the jewelry through that,'' said Duke. ``The jewelry is made from a special compound - all stainless steel. You can't use gold or silver because they have other materials in them that can cause infections.''
But the tattoos are still the most popular of the two forms.
And even though tattooing is popular with the younger set, Mitchell said he won't tattoo anyone under 18 without a signed notarized consent from a parent.
``I've got a daughter that's been wanting a tattoo since the age of 7, but I won't give her one because she's too young at the age of 15,'' Mitchell said.
Duke said American Tattoo won't tattoo anyone unless they're 18 years old.
``You have to be an adult to make a decision that's going to be with you the rest of your life,'' he said.
And just how bad does it hurt to get a tattoo? Well, pain is relative. Each customer reacts differently, all the artists agreed.
Mitchell said the ``hottest'' places on the body to get a tattoo are areas where the skin is very thin - like the ankle or the wrists.
``Some people say it feels like a hot scratch, Mitchell said. ``Others say it feels like they're being cut. But you can't get cut when you're being tattooed,'' he said.
``Tattooing is all personal opinion,'' Mitchell said. ``If you want one, you should get one. If you have any hesitation at all, don't do it,'' he said. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photos by MICHAEL KESTNER
Johnny Kane looks over a tattoo at American Tattoo in a staff photo
by Michael Kestner. Kane says tattoos and body piercing draw
attention and help make him feel young.[color cover photo]
Jerry Riegger of American Tattoo on Carrollton Boulevard works on a
large tattoo on the leg of a customer.
Brenda Mitchell prepares to have a tattoo put on her leg by Mike
Mitchell at Ancient Art Tattoo.
Mike Mitchell works on the tattoo. His arms are tattooed down to his
wrists, what is known as full sleeves.
by CNB