What it takes to create a tattoo - Iris

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href="https://web.archive.org/web/20210227033039/https://herald.dawn.com/news/print/1398897">  Print</a> </div></div>  <div dir="auto" class=" "><span class="badge inline-flex text-red align-middle"><a title="Iris" href="/web/20210227033039/https://herald.dawn.com/iris" class=" text-red ">Iris</a></span></div>  <h2 dir="auto" data-layout="story" data-id="1398897" class="story__title text-10 "><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20210227033039/https://herald.dawn.com/news/1398897/what-it-takes-to-create-a-tattoo" class="story__link ">What it takes to create a tattoo </a></h2> <div dir="auto" class=" "><span dir="auto" class="story__byline text-red "><a class="story__byline__link" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20210227033039/https://herald.dawn.com/authors/7567/fatima-shaheen-niazi">Fatima Shaheen Niazi</a></span> </div><span class="story__time "><span class="timestamp--label">Published</span> <span class="timestamp--time timeago" title="2019-06-03T05:58:03+05:00"><span class="timestamp__calendar">03 Jun, 2019</span> <span class="timestamp__time">05:58am</span></span></span> </div>   <div class="template__main clearfix modifier--open px-1 modifier--xwide ">   <div dir="auto" class="story__content overflow-hidden "><figure class="media one-whole palm--one-whole media--stretch "> <div class="media__item "><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20210227033039im_/https://i.dawn.com/primary/2019/05/5cef45092c3c3.jpg" alt="Asif Raza inks a Superman tattoo on a client’s arm at his studio | Photos by Mohammad Ali, White Star"/></div> <figcaption class="media__caption ">Asif Raza inks a Superman tattoo on a client’s arm at his studio | Photos by Mohammad Ali, White Star</figcaption> </figure> <p> </p> <p class="dropcap">No neon signs or billboards indicate that an apartment building in Karachi’s Defence area houses a tattoo studio. The entrance to a flat on the first floor offers the first indication of that: it is painted bright yellow, the same colour as the studio’s logo. Inside, walls have a grey brick pattern — with wooden alcoves decorated with knick-knacks such as vinyl records, small speakers, clocks and comic book figurines. </p> <p>In one of the rooms here, Rameez Arif makes tattoos on his client’s bodies. The walls of his studio are decorated with numerous tattoo designs — enough to distract anyone going through the painful process of getting one themselves. </p> <figure class="media one-whole palm--one-whole media--stretch media--uneven media--stretch"> <div class="media__item "><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20210227033039im_/https://i.dawn.com/primary/2019/05/5cef450a88c40.jpg" alt="Creating a tattoo requires a lot of concentration and skill since a single mistake can ruin the whole image being inked into the skin"/></div> <figcaption class="media__caption ">Creating a tattoo requires a lot of concentration and skill since a single mistake can ruin the whole image being inked into the skin</figcaption> </figure> <p> </p> <p>Arif started working as a tattoo artist nine years ago — almost by default. His wife wanted to get a tattoo, but he could not find anyone in Karachi who could make an attractive design while also ensuring that she did not get an infection. So, he decided to do it himself. </p> <p>He imported the required equipment from the United States and started researching on how to make a tattoo. The first tattoo he ever created was on his own leg. After rehearsing for a year, he finally inked his wife’s body. </p> <figure class="media one-whole palm--one-whole media--stretch "> <div class="media__item "><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20210227033039im_/https://i.dawn.com/primary/2019/05/5cef4508c059d.jpg" alt="Before a tattoo is carved on a client’s body, the artist makes a sketch on paper in order to get the design right"/></div> <figcaption class="media__caption ">Before a tattoo is carved on a client’s body, the artist makes a sketch on paper in order to get the design right</figcaption> </figure> <p> </p> <p>Today, Arif is a known tattoo artist in Karachi, with a large and rich clientele. He charges 18,000 rupees for a three-square-inch tattoo. Any other studio would do that for half the price. “I use organic ink and sterilised equipment imported from the United States [to avoid the danger of tattoos becoming infected]”, he says, explaining why his rates are high. </p> <figure class="media five-eighths palm--one-whole media--center "> <div class="media__item "><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20210227033039im_/https://i.dawn.com/medium/2019/05/5cef4509134c9.jpg" alt="Rameez Arif is not only interested in the art of inking the human body but also does graphic and interior designing. His talent is evident from the bright and creative decor he has chosen for his studio. Instead of simply plastering the walls with samples of work done for his clients, he has made an extra effort to give his studio the appearance of a creative space by adorning it with photos, art pieces and sketches"/></div> <figcaption class="media__caption ">Rameez Arif is not only interested in the art of inking the human body but also does graphic and interior designing. His talent is evident from the bright and creative decor he has chosen for his studio. Instead of simply plastering the walls with samples of work done for his clients, he has made an extra effort to give his studio the appearance of a creative space by adorning it with photos, art pieces and sketches</figcaption> </figure> <p> </p> <p class="dropcap">Asif Raza, too, runs a tattoo studio in Defence, Karachi. His workplace, on the fourth floor of an apartment building, also looks like any other residence in the neighbourhood — until you get in. </p> <p>The waiting room of his studio has ivory walls and a wooden floor. On a wall behind a table, a board carries a number of tattoo designs. Inside a small room at the farther end of the waiting room, a client is getting a tattoo. His feet can be seen and the buzzing sound of the tattoo gun can be heard through a glass door. He twitches his feet every time the tattoo needle scratches his skin. </p> <figure class="media one-whole palm--one-whole media--stretch media--uneven media--stretch"> <div class="media__item "><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20210227033039im_/https://i.dawn.com/primary/2019/05/5cef450ae0ab6.jpg" alt="Rameez Arif creating a tattoo design that he believes will bring him on a par with international tattoo artists"/></div> <figcaption class="media__caption ">Rameez Arif creating a tattoo design that he believes will bring him on a par with international tattoo artists</figcaption> </figure> <p> </p> <p>Raza has been working as a tattoo artist for the past 11 years and creates conceptual designs which can be permanent as well as temporary. “Some people want the names of their love interests inked on their bodies, especially on Valentine’s Day,” he says. “Many of them return to get the names modified after a breakup.”</p> <p>Raza is passionate about his work but he occasionally receives threats that leave him nervous. “I receive threatening phone calls sometimes,” he says. The callers tell him to shut down his studio because “tattoos are not permissible in Islam.”</p> <figure class="media one-whole palm--one-whole media--stretch "> <div class="media__item "><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20210227033039im_/https://i.dawn.com/primary/2019/05/5cef450a596c8.jpg" alt="A refelection of the waiting room at a tattoo studio in Karachi"/></div> <figcaption class="media__caption ">A refelection of the waiting room at a tattoo studio in Karachi</figcaption> </figure> <p> </p> <p class="dropcap">Ghulam Mustafa developed an interest in tattooing at the age of 17. He rigged a tattoo machine by attaching a needle and a motor to a toy gun and learnt the art of tattooing from an older mentor. </p> <p>Soon, he found a large clientele among Hindu men and women. “They believe they will not get married if they do not get tattoos. They have had this tradition [for centuries],” he says. He would charge people 100 rupees for tattooing someone’s name on themselves. </p> <figure class="media one-whole palm--one-whole media--stretch "> <div class="media__item "><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20210227033039im_/https://i.dawn.com/primary/2019/05/5cef4508e2386.jpg" alt="Zain Ali, a regular client at a tattoo studio in Karachi, has an array of tattoos on his arms"/></div> <figcaption class="media__caption ">Zain Ali, a regular client at a tattoo studio in Karachi, has an array of tattoos on his arms</figcaption> </figure> <p> </p> <p>However, Mustafa’s family and friends did not like his work. They insisted that making tattoos on human bodies was un-Islamic. In 2017, 10 years after first tattoo venture, he decided to quit. He now does Islamic calligraphy on rice grains, turns them into jewellery and key chains, and sells them at an amusement park in Karachi. </p> <hr/> <p><em>The writer is a staffer at the Herald.</em></p> <hr/> <p><em>The article was published in the Herald's May 2019 issue. 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class="flex__item w-11/12"> <div class="clearfix"> <span class="comment__author text-3 uppercase float-left text-grey">Akram</span> <span class="timeago comment__date uppercase text-3 pb-2 float-left pl-2 text-grey content-before-dash" title="2019-06-03T10:46:00+05:00"><span class="timestamp--time timeago" title="2019-06-03T10:46:00+05:00">Jun 03, 2019 10:46am</span></span> </div> <div dir="auto" class="whitespace-pre-wrap break-words leading-normal comment__body text-grey-light text-4.5">Tattoo is total ugly disgusting. Must be ban. Not good muslim. Everything bring ugly culture from America.</div> <div class=""> </div> </div> </div>  </div>  <div class="comment pb-4 mb-4 border-b border-b-grey-default border-b-solid" id="37237"> <div class="flexold no-gutters"> <div class="flex__item w-11/12"> <div class="clearfix"> <span class="comment__author text-3 uppercase float-left text-grey">Uncle</span> <span class="timeago comment__date uppercase text-3 pb-2 float-left pl-2 text-grey content-before-dash" title="2019-06-03T12:00:40+05:00"><span class="timestamp--time timeago" title="2019-06-03T12:00:40+05:00">Jun 03, 2019 12:00pm</span></span> </div> <div dir="auto" class="whitespace-pre-wrap break-words leading-normal comment__body text-grey-light text-4.5">@Akram Bai, internet is also american. Do not use it.</div> <div class=""> </div> </div> </div>  </div>  <div class="comment pb-4 mb-4 border-b border-b-grey-default border-b-solid" id="37238"> <div class="flexold no-gutters"> <div class="flex__item w-11/12"> <div class="clearfix"> <span class="comment__author text-3 uppercase float-left text-grey">Zulmai khan</span> <span class="timeago comment__date uppercase text-3 pb-2 float-left pl-2 text-grey content-before-dash" title="2019-06-03T12:12:57+05:00"><span class="timestamp--time timeago" title="2019-06-03T12:12:57+05:00">Jun 03, 2019 12:12pm</span></span> </div> <div dir="auto" class="whitespace-pre-wrap break-words leading-normal comment__body text-grey-light text-4.5">Tatoo is directly linked to IQ</div> <div class=""> </div> </div> </div>  </div>  <div class="comment pb-4 mb-4 border-b border-b-grey-default border-b-solid" id="37249"> <div class="flexold no-gutters"> <div class="flex__item w-11/12"> <div class="clearfix"> <span class="comment__author text-3 uppercase float-left text-grey">Shazia</span> <span class="timeago comment__date uppercase text-3 pb-2 float-left pl-2 text-grey content-before-dash" title="2019-06-06T08:48:08+05:00"><span class="timestamp--time timeago" title="2019-06-06T08:48:08+05:00">Jun 06, 2019 08:48am</span></span> </div> <div dir="auto" class="whitespace-pre-wrap break-words leading-normal comment__body text-grey-light text-4.5">Prohibited in islam</div> <div class=""> </div> </div> </div>  </div>  </section> </div> <footer> <div class="pt-2 px-2 mb-2 cf">  <div class="ad " aria-hidden="true"> <div class="js-ad clearfix" style="max-width:728px;max-height:90px;text-align:center;margin:0 auto;overflow:hidden;"> <div class="radWrapper ad__wrapper"> <div id="div-gpt-ad-1509519280329-0" class="ad__wrapper__slot" style="width:728px;height:90px;"> <script> render('div-gpt-ad-1509519280329-0') </script> </div> </div> </div> </div>  </div> <div class="container-fluid border-t border-t-grey-default border-t-solid"> <div class="flexold"> <div class="flex__item sm:w-1/3 w-full"> <div class="subscribe my-2 text-4 text-red pl-2">Subscribe via phone <span class="">111 444 777</span></div> <ul class="nav nav--herald-footer pl-2"> <li class="nav__item"> <a href="/web/20210227033039/https://herald.dawn.com/about">About</a> </li> <li class="nav__item"> <a href="/web/20210227033039/https://herald.dawn.com/contact">Contact</a> </li> <li class="nav__item"> <a href="/web/20210227033039/https://herald.dawn.com/subscribe">Subscribe</a> </li> </ul> </div> <div class="flex__item sm:w-2/3 w-full"> <div class="float-right my-2"> <ul class="nav nav--herald-footer--gray"> <li class="nav__item"> <a target="_blank" href="//web.archive.org/web/20210227033039/https://www.dawn.com/advertise-dawn/" class="uppercase">advertise</a> </li> <li class="nav__item"> <a target="_blank" href="//web.archive.org/web/20210227033039/https://www.dawn.com/privacy/" class="uppercase">privacy</a> </li> <li class="nav__item"> <a target="_blank" href="//web.archive.org/web/20210227033039/https://www.dawn.com/terms/" class="uppercase">terms and conditions</a> </li> <li class="nav__item"> <a target="_blank" href="//web.archive.org/web/20210227033039/https://www.dawn.com/code-of-ethics/" class="uppercase">code of ethics</a> </li> <li class="nav__item"> <a target="_blank" href="//web.archive.org/web/20210227033039/https://www.dawn.com/reproduction-copyrights/" class="uppercase">production copyrights</a> </li> <li class="nav__item"> <a target="_blank" href="//web.archive.org/web/20210227033039/https://www.dawn.com/" class="uppercase">dawn.com</a> </li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> <script> window.onload = function() { $('.js-subscribe').find('input[type="text"]').each(function() { $(this).val(''); 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