[BLOG] Tattoo Documentary: “Skin Deep”
So happy I came across this doc. Beautifully done. It’s a documentary about the art of tattooing, the meaning, and shows some interviews with different tattoo artists about what the culture of tattooing really is. I love the colors and the background music used in the different scenes showing people’s tattoos on several parts of their body just fits the vibe well. It makes me miss hanging in a tattoo shop.
I absolutely love the intro because you’re hearing the sound of the tattoo gun in the background. I have two tattoos so hearing that sound just made me realize I need more. No, not want. NEED. That sound is really addicting, ask anyone who has a bunch of them. It was just a terrific way to start the doc and kept me wanting to see more.
One scene that made me laugh was an artist who got a tattoo of George Costanza from “Seinfield” (one of my favorite shows) . It’s a portrait of him and it says one of his quotes “yada yada yada”. “There’s a reason why I got it, and it’s an awesome way to express yourself” she said before we get a close up of the George Costanza tatt on her forearm, which is actually done really well! A lot of the closeups of the people shown in this doc are just really raw and it makes you wanna dig deeper into the story of what tattoos mean to these people.
They also get into the stigma of tattoos. It’s become more of a phenomenon in my generation to expose them. Back then, it was more of a thing you kept under your shirt or in an area it couldn’t be visible. Nowadays we see more neck tattoos, thigh tattoos and even face tattoos. I would hold off on that but it’s become more of a “show & tell” thing. In today’s society nothing is truly private so people don’t hesitate to become a walking art exhibit and be proud of their body designs. Not to mention we see younger ages getting tattoos. It’s an “acceptance” one of the tattoo artists says. We see 15 year old’s getting tattoos and we see it as a “shrug”, eh no big deal.
This documentary is definitely a must watch. It’s part youth culture series in Ireland created by “Thinkhouse”. Loved it, it’s just cool to see artists really show passion for their work. It’s their lifestyle, it’s their culture.
This made me want to get a tattoo very badly as well. I have one on my chest (hurt like hell) and one on my wrist (hurt even more like hell). Check out the documentary below!