The Online Reflector

Senior studio art major Maerose Siroky has a concentration in drawing and has chosen to do something unique with her degree. She is following her desire to become a tattoo artist.

“Actually, I originally wanted to be a forensic scientist. And then I kind of looked into doing prop design for horror films and then something about the art in that really stuck,” Siroky said.

Despite the brief interest in forensic science, Siroky always has  been interested in art; it is something that always has been part of her family.  However, in the eighth grade it became clear to her that she wanted to get involved in the art world.

“I became interested in tattoos when I watched this two-hour-long documentary that was about tattoos from the beginning.  This guy traveled all the way to Indonesia, where they still did it with the wooden spikes,” Siroky said.  “I saw the documentary, and I was like, ‘Yeah, that’s what I want to do.  This is what I can see myself doing.’”

Siroky said a degree in art is not necessary to become a tattoo artist.  However, there are some classes at University of Indianapolis that can help.     The art degree will allow her to continue to draw as well as tattoo.  Siroky said there are also more and more tattoo artists with art degrees.

“I’m keeping up with the trends,” Siroky said.

Siroky’s eventual goal is to branch out on her own.  However, that is not as simple as just earning a degree and beginning to tattoo.  The process begins with an apprenticeship.

According to the website, Tattoo Training, an aspiring tattoo artist has to learn the trade, which means working under them [tattoo artists] for a while.

“A lot of it is word of mouth,” Siroky said.  “You need to get your art out there, your tattoo style, get your clientele from someone and then eventually branch out.”

Siroky has been to many different tattoo shops and parlors and has talked to many different artists.  She has been in shops from Indianapolis to Portage, Ind., where she is from.  She even knew the Gary, Ind. tattoo icon, Roy Boy Cooper, before he passed away last year.

However, of all of these places, she has not felt connected to any of them like she has to High Caliber, a custom tattoo shop on the east side of Indianapolis.

“Nowhere has felt like home as much as High Caliber.  They have a really nice shop.  There’s a lot of space and a lot of artists.  The backyard is a Zen garden.  It helps a lot with relaxation,” Siroky said. “You don’t want someone who is tense and freaking out, because that’s when mistakes happen.  Those mistakes are permanent.”

Siroky is talking to the owner of High Caliber.  She has been getting to know the staff and trying to be involved with what they are doing.

Siroky believes that eventually tattoos will be considered socially acceptable.  She believes that it will simply turn into what type of a tattoo is acceptable or not.

“I have been at jobs where you cannot have any visible tattoos and they will not hire you if they see one.  I have known a few people who have gotten turned down because one of their tattoos accidentally showed. It has everything to do with what you are going to [go] into,” Siroky said.

She also knows that there is more to tattooing than just being able to draw.  There are many factors that need to be considered.  She said tattoo artists cannot just be concerned with how the tattoo will look in a day, a week, a month or even a year.

“A lot of artists, the good artists, will sit there with you and draw out something that is not going to change, or that won’t change that much years down the line,” Siroky said.  “They think of 10 years down the line.  How is the skin going to stretch? How is it going to sag?  How is the color going to stay?”

However, tattoos are expensive, especially for a quality one.  Deciding to get a tattoo requires finding a balance between finances and a decent tattoo.

“There’s a saying: cheap work isn’t good; good work isn’t cheap,”  Siroky said.  “I don’t want something on my body that’s going to look like garbage, especially in a year from now.  I’d be covered in tattoos if they were cheaper and well done.”

Siroky does not believe she will be able to do portraits for quite a while, claiming portraits as the hardest tattoos to create.

Siroky believes in getting to know one’s artist. She said it is not only  important to know an artists weaknesses and strengths, but to also understand that not everything transfers smoothly from paper to skin. A tattoo is a permanent thing, which means it is important to be able to trust the artist.

“It [getting a tattoo] is a very personal and intimate thing to do,” Siroky said. “They’re touching you; they are putting something permanently on you.”