Tattoo Artists in Oaxaca, Mexico

Angy is working at the counter, doing a pencil drawing of a 1950s pin-up - with a twist. A young woman had come into the studio the day before, wanting a tattoo on her leg of a vintage pin-up girl, but part of the body to be non-traditional, as in one leg and half the head perhaps with skeletal bone exposed, the rest shapely and feminine; as in a Mexican catrina, as Angy puts it, "but with a bit of flesh on her body." The customer is due back today at 4 p.m.

Two men in their twenties come in to look at tattoo samples. They sit down and browse through two albums for about 40 minutes, then arrange for one of them to come back the next day for a fairly large black tattoo of the Pumas Mexican soccer team logo. Then two younger girls come in looking for eyebrow rings or other similar adornments, in the 250 - 300 peso range.

Kai's studio does a brisk business. He charges a minimum fee of 400 pesos for a simple tattoo, a tribal, literally "tribal," as they're known, or perhaps a letter. It was the same minimum charge at the Tattoo Fest: "Sure, some tatuadores will do a tattoo for 150 - 200 pesos, but most of us prefer to start with prices where we can take our time to do quality work that the customer will definitively appreciate, and therefore want to come back, show off to friends, and so on. I've been doing tattoos long enough, and my quality is such that I should command that kind of price, and the customer is more than satisfied."

Kai and Tuna charge within the same range. They both are happy to work by the job, or per daily session. Kai charges 1,000 - 1,500 pesos per session, which can result in a fairly substantial, detailed, color image. Tuna will do a full back for 10,000 - 15,000 pesos. Each has done large, complex multi-color tattoos for as much as 20,000 pesos. That seems to be the top price in Oaxaca.

There appears to be a desire to reinvest profit into securing a better work environment, and higher end equipment. Regarding the latter, in most cases it's simply a matter of imported machinery and supplies commanding a higher price, and the fact that the options for Mexican-made equipment and supplies are much more limited. Hence the desire to search abroad for more diverse product lines. "Don't get me wrong," Tuna cautions, "there is high quality equipment manufactured here in Mexico, but we lack the range in products, and of course everything imported is perceived as better and therefore fetches a higher price."

Continuing education also seems to be a priority for tatuadores. A few years ago Kai traveled to Guadalajara to take an intensive course. According to Angy, sometimes tatuadores will take a brief, area-specific art or drawing course to enable them to keep up with market demand. Most tatuadores do not have training in fine arts, so seizing the opportunity to learn is something to which many aspire. In some cases rather than turn away a prospective customer for lack of particular expertise, it's better to invest in learning a new aspect of the trade through training.

It's rare for a tatuador to turn away business, but it does happen. It's usually a result of the artist not being able to do quality work based upon the requested design, than finding it repugnant. Perhaps it's simply that tatuadores do not often encounter someone who wants, for example, a swastika on the forearm. "Usually what happens is someone comes in and wants a small tattoo, of whatever, on a finger or arm, and I know that I cannot do a good job given the requested size, or that after a short period of time the quality will diminish," Kai admits. "So I suggest something different, something larger or with a different color scheme, or for a different part of the body. Sometimes the customer agrees, sometimes he leaves, and sometimes he insist, in which case I decline the job."

"We can all use more business, but it's a skilled trade which we want to elevate in terms of its reputation, so we must all strive to maintain standards, as well as our personal integrity;" Kai asserts.

The main reasons that customers do not return is lack of funds for either additional tattoos or to continue with the same project, or pain. "Different people have different pain thresholds," Tuna advises. "The sex of the customer sometimes is a determinant of the pain one can expect will be felt, depending on the particular part of the body. Working on the same part of the body can affect men differently than women." Only 50% of Tuna's work is repeat business.

Kai has a preference in favor of working on men rather than women. Why men? Men tend to want larger tattoos, which translates to more artistic license and a greater ability to produce a true masterpiece. "But don't get me wrong," Kai adds defensively, "I love working on women, and do just as high quality work, always."

Customers in their twenties make up the largest age group. Otherwise, occasionally a teen comes in with a parent, perhaps 20% of tattoo-seekers are in their thirties, and a much small percentage comprises an older clientele.

Advice for Americans, Canadians, Europeans and Those from Further Abroad Wanting a Tattoo in Oaxaca

Tuna admits that in Mexico there are perhaps two high quality tattoo artists per 300 tatuadores, stating that in the US the numbers are very different, two per hundred. It's difficult to accept his figures, having seen several quality tattoos on the bodies of Oaxacans, and having had an opportunity to speak with many Oaxacan tatuadores and evaluate their dedication to the skill, and their desire to elevate its reputation through self-improvement. Tuna contends: "If someone wants a tattoo that I know another tatuador can do better, I refer him to a colleague. That builds public confidence. For me, I know that in black, I'm at the top of my game