Ronald's Koi Fish Tattoo

Ronald got this Koi Fish tattoo done about a year ago.

As any tattoo enthusiast will know, the koi fish is very popular among Westerners and Asians alike. Just watch Miami Ink and you'll see at least 1 person per episode requesting for one to be done!

And of course they all request for it to be done by the delicious Amy James since he is a Koi Fish expert :p

The koi fish is a tattoo of the fish Cyprinus carpio. They are often mistaken for goldfish as they closely resemble them, but they are in fact from the carp family.

Koi fish are known for their strength vitality and perseverance. These japanese tattoos are taken most commonly to symbolize luck. It is very lucky to be a Koi because they are so highly prized and well treated in Japan.

Wild Koi swim upstream to spawn. There is an ancient Japanese legend that if a koi swims all the way up the Yellow River to a point called Dragon Gate, and swims up the waterfall at that point, it will turn into a Dragon. Based on that legend, it became a symbol of worldly aspiration and advancement.

Among the different meanings/symbolism of the koi fish are :

• In Buddhism, it represents courage. Humans 'swim' through the 'ocean of suffering' without fear, just like a fish swims through water.
• Good fortune or luck
• A symbol of love & friendship
• Associated with perserverance in adversity and strength of purpose.

Sources : I Love Tattoos & Piercings & Wiki Answers

For a more detailed discussion on Koi Fish, the reader is referred here

The artist who did it was Spec and he was also the guy who gave me my first 2 tattoos (back when he was based in Midland's Penang)

I can personally vouch for this dude's work...he is absolutely fantastic and pays great attention to detail.

I must warn you though that he doesn't like people haggling over the price and he isn't someone who will put up with any attitude.

But other than that he is a totally cool dude.

Shop details :

Spec Bodyart
S048 2nd Floor, Sungei Wang Plaza,

Jalan Bukit Bintang

Kuala Lumpur 55200
Malaysia

Tattoo Artist : Frenchman Tattoo

This one was submitted by Jacques Pouliot

Jacques doing a tongue-piercing

He owns a Tattoo & Piercing shop in Campbell River, BC, which he runs with his wife.

Tattooing a client...she's biting-down on a popsicle stick :p

The finished 'product'......lower back rose tattoo with tribal underneath

He also owned/operated Dr. Doodle Tattoos in Powell River,BC for over 15 years.

He is a sample of some of his work :

You can check out the rest of his awesome work at www.frenchmantattoo.com

Here are the full details :

Jacques Pouliot

Frenchman Tattoo & Piercing

560-D 11th Avenue,

Campbell River, BC.,V9W 4G4

250-286-8339

Tours are welcome!

Thanks for the submission dude. If i'm ever in your country, i'm definitely coming over to get inked! :p

Jess' Butterfly Tattoo

This one was submitted by Jess :


My tale of self mutila… I mean beautification started when I was 16


I became obsessed with getting a belly ring but somehow never worked up the nerve to get one, partly due to my fear of needles but more so the wrath of my parents.


Almost 5 years later, I finally got pierced, with much cheerleading from Booby. So it was only right then, that she became my cheerleader yet again 7 years later when I got my first tattoo.

At Ernesto's shop

Once again I became interested in tattoo’s a long while before I finally got inked.

I think it must have been around the time I got my piercing, I was surfing the net and came across a tattoo design which I fell in love with.


It’s hard to describe but it looked kinda like a heart-shaped wreath of flowers with a tiny cross at the end. It wasn’t too sweet looking – it was pretty but it had a bit of edge to it too and it was perfect.


I filed it away under the ‘Maybe’ list of all the things I have to do in life, again uncertain about sharp, pointy needles, the possibility of being disowned, even religious implications and I guess the finality of getting a permanent tattoo........I wasn’t sure if it was just a phase.

Placing the stencil

Finally on the 16th of September 2007, Booby initiated plans with Kogs, J and I for a holiday in Kuching, designed specifically for us to meet Ernesto Kalum, the master tattooist.


For me this was it!


After 7 years I still yearned for a tattoo and being on the brink of major changes in my life, I was finally ready to be inked!

The design.....my butterfly

My issue with pain was dealt with promises that the pain is addictive and that I didn’t actually need to see the needles – in fact I looked away the entire time Ernesto worked on me!

The master at work

As for my parents, I wasn’t sure about how they’d react (more about that later) but I was hopeful that after years of hearing me and my sister (a champion campaigner in opinion reversals) talk about it, they might become immune to the idea.



Might sound odd that I needed mummy and daddy’s approval but if you lived on my planet you would. As for my faith, a little reading, a lot of talking to different people and some soul searching - I was ready.

Ernesto Kalum

So the day soon arrived.

I had wanted to get ‘my’ tattoo design from 7 years before done but my fiancée asked me to get another one instead as he wanted to get a tattoo as well and wanted me to save ‘my’ design for later when we do ours together.


So I decided on wings, on my ankle to symbolise freedom and independence, even as I was getting ready to be married.



Cliché I know, but I wanted it anyway.

I had picked a few styles of wings that I liked but Ernesto, being the artist that he is told me that :


1. I had to choose between a fairy or butterfly as wings alone wouldn’t look nice so I picked a butterfly


2. He would design it himself with tribal strokes which I was delighted about


3. The size I wanted, a teeny tiny one wouldn’t cut it, it had to be much larger.



When he showed me his sketch it was a real shock to my system as I wasn’t ready for something so obvious!

Trying to avoid looking at the needle!

Had I had come to Kuching wanting my original design I might have been disappointed with a redrawn version of it. Instead I loved the butterfly Ernesto had designed for me and suddenly the size didn’t seem to matter.

In the words of Booby, your tattoo chooses you as much as you choose your tattoo.

The process itself wasn’t as painful as I had expected it to be.

Being near the ankle there were times when I dug my nails into J’s hands (Sorry J!) but for the most part I looked away and tried to hold a conversation with Ernesto and the girls.

Admiring my first tattoo!

The next few days I kept admiring it and lo and behold mum actually thought it was pretty.


Dad on the other hand took 2 weeks to ask, ‘What’s that scribbled on your leg?’

My butterfly!

Even now, every time I look at my tattoo or when someone mentions it I smile.


It’s not just that I think its pretty; it’s the entire process, the memory and the meaning of it that just comes flooding back to me.

Thanks for the submission babe :p

Beckham's New Tattoo : Posh In The Nude

David Beckham recently got his 11th (!!!) tattoo done.


It is a 7-inch tattoo on his left arm and is apparently a symbol of his devotion to his wife

It features the Spice Girl lying on her back surrounded by stars and baring her breasts with her knees raised up seductively.

The new tatt extends the length of his left forearm is wrapped around an existing Hindi inscription of wife Victoria's name.

David is apparently a huge fan of Michael Scofield's (Prison Break) bodywork and is keen on doin the same to his body

Wenworth Miller @ Michael Scofield's ingenious' bodywork

Both of David's arms are already covered with tattoos

Among the other tattoos that David has are :

His 3 children's names, Brooklyn, Cruz and Romeo, on his back

A figure with arms outstretched, tattooed across his shoulders and down his spine, which David calls his 'guardian angel'

A winged-cross on his neck

A lot of the tattoos on his right arm reflects his soccer career as well as his religious and spiritual beliefs.


Among them are cherubs, angels and a latin inscription which reads : "Let them hate as long as they fear" which is apprently directed at those who have slammed his talents

The Roman numeral for '7' on his right arm : his jersey number

Then there is the famously mis-spelt tattoo of his wife's name, wrtten in Devnagari. Under the name is the Latin phrase "Ut Amem Et Foveam" which translates to "so that I love and cherish."

The extra "h" in the tattoo, making it Vihctoria

David has received a lot of criticism for his tatts but we absolutely adore them!

Sources : China Daily & Bellaonline

Pictures : Google Images

Kogi's Traditional Borneo Tattoo

Kogi had been wanting to get a tattoo for ages but the thought of the pain terrified her so much that she kept putting it off.

When we took her to Ernesto's shop, she initially wanted to get a rose tattoo but could not find a design she liked.

She basically wanted something as simple as possible so that it would be over quickly :p

However after Ernesto told her that getting a tattoo done traditionally is a lot less painful compared with the machine, she immediately elected to do that.

And since Ernesto is quite particular that if you get a tattoo done traditionally it must be a Borneo design, she let him design one for her

Applying the stencil

Below are the instruments used in traditional tattoos. There are two sticks - one which 'holds' the needle and the other which acts as a hammer

The tools

Stick with the needle. Just like the machine, it is frequently dipped into the ink

One stick is held onto the skin with the needle or sharp stick going into the skin and the other is used as a type of hammer, tapping ink into the skin. The thickness, durability and type of stick are varied to which the tattooist prefers.*

Ernesto (artist) on the right and The Nurse on the left

A traditional tattoo typically involves 2 people : the tattoo artist and the person who stretches the skin, nicknamed "The Nurse" :p

Stretching of the skin is very important to the process. Like with the sticks each artist has their own preferred way of having the skin stretched.

Stretching is different on each part of the body and the correct stretching reduces the time taken to do that tattoo, considerably.*





The Nurse also continuously applies some sort of salve (as seen in pix above on his left hand) onto the area to be tattooed..i think to keep it moist so that the ink will be absorbed better.

All done!

Although it was supposed to be painless, the girl screamed throughout the whole process, which thankfully only lasted about 30-45 minutes.

The smile i'm guessing is not only due to the great tatt, but also due to the fact that she's not under the needle anymore :p

For a video on traditional tattooing, click here

*Source : Wikipedia & personal observation