WORDS & PHOTOS BY KARISHMA NONIS

@tofuxtatts

Growing up I’ve always admired alternative fashion. My mother’s best friend is a goth and had a heavy influence on who I am today. She used to gift me mini fake black nails with skulls on every time and I admired her bulky black platforms. 

Going into high school was the point in my life where I started to dress differently. I wore my hair differently to others, I listened to metalcore/ heavy metal and experimented with heavy black liquid eyeliner ‘as black as my soul’. I wore band t-shirts all the time on non-school uniform day and hairsprayed my bangs until they were semi-stuck to my head.

Being alternative and different in society is hard; the added layer of being Asian is another complication. I was severely bullied for it and was known as the scary kid – I even had rumours spread around about me that I self-harm. Furthermore, I sometimes feel like I’m not taken seriously by my family. Although my mother has always been supportive of the way I look (despite sometimes worrying about how painful some of my tattoos would be), some of my distant relatives aren’t fans of my appearance.

I REMEMBER LOOKING AT HIM AND THINKING ‘THAT’S WHAT I WANT. I WANT TO BE COVERED’.

This ink journey of mine started at the age of 10 when I was stood in Claire’s looking at jewellery with my mum and a heavily tattooed man walked in – every visible part of his body was inked, and I was in awe. I remember looking at him and thinking ‘That’s what I want. I want to be covered’.

I eventually got my first tattoo when I turned 18 and it was of a black and grey rose on the lower part of my right arm (which you can slightly see in the image above). When I walked into the tattoo studio, I was nervous. I had been complaining for years about having to wait till I was 18 and here I was, sat, waiting for my first ever tattoo! I didn’t know what to expect or how the session would turn out. I went in with the first photo I could find for inspiration of someone else’s tattoo. I don’t think I was 100% sure I wanted that design, but I knew roses were popular so I knew I wouldn’t regret it in the future and still don’t regret it to this day. But I do advise that if you want a tattoo, make sure it’s something you know you won’t regret because it’s permanent.

The pain was bearable and weirdly, I loved (and still love) the feeling I get from the tattoo machine - it’s liberating and addictive. I get excited knowing that at the end I get to walk away with a finished piece of artwork embedded in my skin, and this makes it easy for me to sit through both long and short tattoo sessions.

I’M NOT STOPPING UNTIL MY WHOLE BODY IS COVERED!

I then got into colour tattoos which I think I’ll be sticking with for the foreseeable future. With colour tattoos, it’s been a struggle finding the colours that would stand out on my skin tone. There are many videos and blogs out there advising people with darker skin about which colours will stand out and which will neutralise with your skin which dulls the colour. For those wondering, blues, reds, oranges, greens, purples, and blacks look good on with people with my skin tone.

I love all my tattoos, and most are meaningful to me, but I want to tell you a bit more about three of my favourite tattoos at the moment.

I have tattoo of a snake on my chest which represents death and renewal. Just as a snake sheds its skin, I too shed mine as I am constantly changing and growing as time goes on. The tattooist decided to continue with this piece on the top of my back to give the illusion of the snake going through my body which I thought was so damn cool!

I’m also absolutely in love with my bird/ throat tattoo which I had done recently. It’s the first thing you’ll notice when looking at me as it sits perfectly on my neck and the colour stands out against my skin tone.

Finally, my back piece which I decided to go fully large scale with a Japanese Koi fish (which I am still working on finishing). My second session for this piece took 7 hours lying on my stomach! The Japanese Koi fish represents good luck, courage and perseverance in Japan - I absolutely love Japanese food and their culture. I’ve always wanted to go to Japan as I think it’s a really beautiful country and I want to experience their culture.

I think I’m addicted to tattoos at this point and I’m not stopping until my whole body is covered! The spontaneity probably comes from being very impatient. If I see a design I like, I’ll get it. My plan is probably to be fully covered before I turn 25, but that’s still not set yet as tattoos can be expensive. I think the parts that I’m still unsure about tattooing would be hands and feet only because these parts for me are very bony and I’m worried about a blowout (a side effect that results from a tattoo artist's inefficient handling of the needle).

Thank you for reading my tattoo journey. If you’re thinking of getting inked – do it and don’t worry about what others will say if that’s something that’s holding you back. But as I said, make sure it’s something you won’t regret. 

About Karishma

Karishma is a marketing student at university with a love for art and enjoys painting in her spare time. Born in Malaysia, Karishma is mixed Malaysian, Tamil, Dutch Portuguese and Chinese, and moved to the UK when she was a baby.