Standing out - Tattoos become more popular in Jamaica

Artistes flock to Tattoo Phillip for body art

Krista Henry, Staff Reporter

Artistes and those personalities who become popular in our society tend to look larger than life.  One of the ways in which they do this is by wearing things that stand out, things that are unique. Tattoos stand out.

Behind the body designs of a number of artistes, artists and personalities, tattoo artist Phillip Shaw is crafting a generation of individualism.

Though it has been around for centuries, body art has only recently caught on in Jamaica.

A tattoo is created by puncturing the skin with an ink-filled needle.

According to Phillip 'Tattoo Phillip' Shaw, the art has become big business in Jamaica.

Recently Shaw, a past student of the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts, spoke about his craft.

At Edna Manley, Shaw was soon inspired by his love of art, and began tattooing on a full-time basis. He said, "Well it all started after I got my first tattoo and I began to develop an interest and liking towards the art form. I'm basically a self-taught artist which is the case with most tattoo artists in the world. Nonetheless, I learnt a few things here and there from other artists."

Shaw has 12 tattoos, only three were done by others.

Originally, Shaw started out working from the New Kingston Shopping Centre before moving to the 7th Avenue Plaza. He seemed not to be able to stick with one location as he was soon on the move again, finding a location on Dunrobin Avenue before moving to his own private studio.

Now Shaw caters to clients from all demographics and backgrounds, a number of whom are involved in music.

Some of Shaw's more popular clients include the likes of Vybz Kartel, Leftside, Esco, Nicky B, Future Fambo, producer Russian, DJ Liquid, producer Don Corleon, Tifa, Kris Kelly, Natalie Storm, Denique, Aidonia, beauty queens Yendi Phillipps and Brittany Lyons, media personalities like Quizz and Rodney Campbell, among others.

While Shaw gets a number of calls for consultations and for work, he believes in quality over quantity, some days opting to work on just one person depending on the time the tattoo takes to complete.

Some jobs, he says, takes up to days of continuous work, while others can take hours.

One of the more popular designs for persons involve some sort of music. He said, "I think tattoos have gotten more popular due to the way the art form has developed over the years. Back in the days tattoos were very basic and simple in comparison to nowadays, where tattoos are much more detailed and you can almost get photo quality pieces done."

As for advice on deciding what to get, Shaw recounts, "My friend came in one day and made a girl put on his name on her neck and when I was finished, he told her it wasn't gonna work out between them. I thought that was a bit messed up but I guess there was a lesson to be learnt from that - don't put on other people names."

"When thinking of getting a tattoo, look around first at various artists' work and ask around who to go to for various different people because a tattoo is a permanent thing and there is nothing worse than a tattoo that is not properly done."

Contact: tattoophillip@yahoo.com