Vikas is a thorough professional and a perfectionist. He has made thousands of tattoos & have done more than 150 different types of body piercing through the years and has touched the hearts of so many people with his work. He specializes in cosmetic tattoos, portraits, and realism & facial piercings. In an interview, Vikas Malani, the celebrity tattoo artist has shared more about his work.
BV: What inspired you to take up Tattoo art? How did you start?
Vikas: Having no formal training in fine art, my passion for art led me to start sketching at an early age. As a young kid, I enjoyed scribbling and sketching random designs. My artwork includes landscape, abstract patterns, and designs. After which I progressed to body painting and developed taste for temporary tattoos in 1998. I also participated and won many art and bodypainting competitions in intercollege festivals, the same time I excelled in making temporary tattoos.
Later I decided to take tattooing & piercings professionally and acquired expert training from foreign artists. I was trained under a Spanish tattoo artist, Lydia and with the support of Dr. Kohiyar and Mr. Shantaram, started commercial tattooing in the year 2001. And finally, in the year 2003, 'BodyCanvas' was launched with my brother Micky Malani as my partner.
BV: What were the challenges you faced during your early years and how did you overcome them?
Vikas: Since there were no proper tattoo academies back then, I started to understand & learn things on my own through hands-on experience. So it was experiential learning.
We had to learn to operate and deal with the hardware aspects of our equipment ourselves.
I used to observe how each tattoo was healing and what works well with certain parts of the body as there are a few sensitive spots on the human body where certain tattoo design or style is not recommended. So, it takes a great deal and a lot of years of practice to understand this.
Another major challenge was breaking the stereotype image of how tattoos are perceived in society and overall creating a culture with so many different people who share their love for living with art literally.
BV: Would you please highlight on some the common tattoo myths prevailing in society?
Vikas: Tattoos are painful, tattoos are only for hippies, and that they are still considered a taboo in some parts of society are some common perceptions.
Common Myths are-
* Can't donate blood: It's only the first three months that you cannot donate blood. After that, you can donate blood.
* Tattoo cannot be removed: Tattoo can be removed through a laser treatment leaving no scars behind.
* Tattoo will fade when you get old: Tattoo needs maintenance. You need to moisturize your tattoo at least once in a day.
* Skin allergy and blood poisoning: People have a mindset that getting a tattoo can lead to skin allergies. With the right artist and hygiene factor, it doesn't come up as a problem.
* People who are below 18 years cannot get a tattoo: You can surely get a tattoo even if you are not 18. Getting a tattoo will not have any health hazards if you are not 18.
BV: How can these myths be eradicated?
Vikas: Over the years, the tattooing as a profession has developed considerably. Last few years we have seen some amazing revolutionary products which have changed the industry for better.
Tattoo Equipment's from Cheyenne and Dermalize has helped artists to produce much better work and also helped the clients with regards to aftercare of the tattoo. Although, the experience comes into the picture here.
Tattoos do not hurt as much as the hype was earlier, we hear almost every day our clients anticipating the pain however they realize it was a thousand times more bearable than what they heard from their friends. However, it all depends on an experienced professional tattoo studio make it feel much better for that first tattoo experience and often people say about the tattoos being faded. One must never forget that the tattoo made on the skin needs to be nourished and moisturizer needs to be applied almost every day to make sure the tattoo looks better.
BV: Please share some of the summer tattoo trends. Which are the latest tattoo designs people should go for?
Vikas: Minimal tattoo has become the most trending tattoos in 2019!
Tiny tattoos hurt less and heal quicker than usual big pieces so it is wiser to get it done during summers.
Minimal tattoos have the charm of looking great when placed aesthetically regardless of the simplicity of the design.
Almost anybody can carry a minimal tattoo, and I personally feel it is a great start if you are getting a tattoo for the first time. Because then you could keep adding more to it.
The ethos of minimalism is that "less is more." Clean, crisp, and timeless, so get miniature tattoos for a maximum impact.
BV: What are the steps one should follow while tattooing for the first time?
Vikas: If it's the first time that you are getting a tattoo, there will be a lot of questions – Who? When? Where? What? How much?
So let's start by answering each of the questions one by one –
· Who should my tattoo artist be? A very important question. Ensure that you have researched enough and chosen the right artist. It's your first one and that too, a permanent one; you don't want to spoil the experience and definitely, not your skin. Please ensure that you check the work of the tattoo artist and that they are familiar with the kind of work that you want to be done. Go meet the tattoo artist for a consultation, this is the person you are going to spending time with and the person who would be inking you. You need to be comfortable with them and trust them. Ensure that you share a bond and smile with your tattoo artist.
· When should I get my tattoo done? It varies from person to person. Some might want to get inked one a special occasion like a birthday souvenir, a reward, and recognition for yourself, parents' birthday, anniversary and so on; thus making your first ink/tattoo more special and memorable. Just ensure that you take out enough time for the artist to work on the design and finally ink it for you at the artist's pace. Don't hurry up the process, it's an art after all and as we say "Rome was not built in a day".
· Where should I get my tattoo done? Another interesting question; however, personal question! The location of the ink can be anywhere on the body depending on how visible you want it to be or how personal it needs to be and also needs to be anatomically correct. Also, the location of the tattoo needs to be decided to keep in mind their career choices. The tattoo artist might suggest some locations depending on the tattoo design and where it would look best.
· What should I get done? "Love is forever, tattoos last longer" – Choose wisely. Tattoos are permanent – choose something that you believe in and something that you will still like to look at over time. Mainly something that is positive and inspirational. Names of parents, brothers/sisters are still fine as they are biologically related. Boyfriend's name or girlfriend's name is a big NO-NO! If you still want to get it done, please go ahead.
· How much will it cost? The costs vary from artist to artist and also depends on the design. If you are as finicky as me, you would want to go for the best! Truly said, "You can't compare a BMW to a Maruti". It's quality that matters. After all, it is going to be permanent and would be staying with you forever. I would rather save and get the quality rather than compromise on the quality of the costs.
· How much will it pain? The tattoo pain is very subjective and depends on the size and detailing of the design. However, certain areas are more painful than the others; for example, over the bones (fingers, spinal cord, ribs), inner arm.
BV: Awards and Recognitions so far?
Vikas: The list goes on from working with Bollywood Celebrities on their movie projects to tattooing the world famous Cricketers. Also, participating in major social causes to empower women and other charitable causes.
We are proud sponsors to major college festivals from the city, like from Xavier's, Nationals, NM College and so on.
BV: What it takes to be a tattoo artist? Any advice to the young tattoo artists?
Vikas: Being a Tattoo artist isn't easy like people think. It's not about holding a tattoo machine and started inking straight away.
To start with Tattooing, one must know to Draw and keep practicing drawings and sketches. This will help to brush up on creativity and knowing your own skill.
Use Social Media for presence:
For good visibility use various Social Media mediums. Just like users, there are people who are looking for artist work and there's a lot of hunger for work online. So try to put all the work in your portfolio and use relevant Caption with hashtags.
Attend Tattoo Conventions:
A tattoo convention is a meeting and exhibition for tattoo practitioners and enthusiasts, as well as anyone who wishes to see the world of tattooing up close. Participate in Tattoo Conventions, start from beginners and slowly enter the Tattoo Convention Internationally.
