Art on the body

The KwaThema tattoo artist has come a long way to being a professional tattoo artist, saying back in the day when he fell in love with tattoos he used needles, thread, matchsticks and rubber bands.

“I remember when I fell in love with tattoos and a friend of mine said he could do it with just those materials. After he did the damage I vowed to myself to learn how to do real tattoos,” says the artist.

Since then he has never looked back on body art and has worked himself up to having a parlour where he does professional tattoos.

He says it wasn’t as challenging to learn how to use the proper materials and machinery because he is an artist by nature. It was just a matter of honing his skill while inking a client.

“I got lessons from other artists and after I mastered the skill, I started doing it on myself, then later friends, and I eventually started getting clients coming to my doorstep.

“Even though it was daunting to turn what I saw as an interest into a business, it pushed me to do my research and try and be the best in the game,” he says.

Savage isn’t shy about the fact that there are challenges in his business, namely getting good quality ink and knowing exactly what people’s skin types are.

But with the help of his mentors he now knows how to identify imitations from the real deal.

He says what sets him apart from other local artists is the ability to fix tattoos and shade. He explains that most other artists fail in that department.

His ultimate long-term goal is to teach other young artists who might be interested in body art so they may also turn it into a business.

“In the past tattoos where seen as taboo in our culture, but now that our parents are seeing it on television and on celebrities they are more open to it.

“Some people prefer their art hanging on the wall, while others prefer to wear it on their skin,” he adds.