Recently, Team Propergaanda reached out to a self-taught tattoo artist based in Lahore named Iman Sara. She is an NCA graduate who got her degree in fine arts and miniature painting. In her interview she expressed how great it feels to be a female tattoo artist in Pakistan, “In the past two years, demand for tattoo artists has increased in the country, especially female ones as there are many women who want to get a tattoo but don’t want it to be visible. So it’s just more comfortable for them to get the work done from a tattoo artist who’s a woman,” says Iman.
The inspiration: Iman has always loved tattoos, “As a child and teenager I would always draw on myself, dreaming of getting tattoos one day. I did end up getting a few tattoos from abroad every time I went out of the country,” she recalled. But after covid, vacation was out of the question so Iman found a tattoo artist in Lahore, “When I was at that appointment, I was talking to him, and he told me he just bought a tattoo gun and practised on himself, got good and started doing it for others,” Iman says he made it look easy for her and that’s what give her hope to become a tattoo artist herself. “When I researched more about it, I realised it is easy if you’re ready to practice and invest in the initial equipment. And I did exactly that!”
Where did you learn tattooing: Iman learned everything about how to tattoo from the internet and practised on fake skin, fruit, and herself, “I tried reaching out to another artist in Karachi for tips, but I felt the response to be very vague and not helpful at all. So I did all the research myself, from what equipment to buy, to how to do the whole process in the correct way!” What’s it like to be a tattoo artist in Pakistan? Iman thinks there’s a lack of good tattoo artists in Pakistan and there’s quite only a handful of female artists in the whole country, “ But there’s definitely a huge demand, specially for female artists, because a lot of girls want tattoos on concealed areas and they only trust women to fo the job for them. So honestly I love it!” Most unique tattoo design. Does it have any backstory? According to Iman, this back piece, inspired by Mughal and Persian miniature paintings, is her the most unique tattoo that she has done, “It depicts the simurgh. The simurgh was considered to purify the land and waters and hence bestow fertility,” Iman explains that miniature paintings are incredibly surreal, “This client of mine lives in America, but we plan to extend this tattoo to create a whole back piece that is all inspired by elements from miniature paintings. Which I personally love because of my background in miniature,” she added.
The hazards and care of getting a tattoo Guiding towards a lot of steps so that the tattoo doesn’t get infected, Iman fully researched about all the hygiene and care one should follow, “Always have a fresh set of things for every client, that includes a fresh table layout, new gloves, an ink cup, new ink, and new needles. I always open a new needle from its sterilised packaging right before I start the tattoo and as soon as the job is done, all the used stuff is thrown away,” the artist also tries to use biodegradable stuff to minimise the amount of plastic she discards.
Before starting the process, Iman cleans the skin with alcohol to disinfect the surface. Once the tattoo is done, she cleans it with special tattoo soap, and covers it up with a tattoo bandage to keep it protected. Iman uses stuff from either Uk, Spain or Turkey. She says the kind of ink and machine you use is very important for a good tattoo, “I make sure I get the best stuff possible!” She also guides her clients that the healing process will take around 2-3 weeks which includes keeping it clean and letting it heal while following all the aftercare, “If all the instructions and safety guides are followed then chances of infection are low.”