Tattoo artist Nasa with daughter Cleo Bernades, 16. Nasa was "horrified" when Cleo at 15 had a stick and poke tattoo done in a bathroom while attending a youth group. Photo/ Patrick Neale
Tattoo artist Nasa with daughter Cleo Bernades, 16. Nasa was "horrified" when Cleo at 15 had a stick and poke tattoo done in a bathroom while attending a youth group. Photo/ Patrick Neale
There's no denying teenagers can be impulsive. It's hard to stop them if their mind is set. So, what to do if your teen insists on getting a tattoo? With peer pressure in the mix, things can go horribly wrong. Annemarie Quill talks to respected tattoo artist Nasa about the danger of teenagers inking themselves and friends, and what he believes is a better approach when your teenager wants a tattoo.
What was once a sign of rebellion or cultural significance has become the norm. Tattoos are everywhere. Mainstream even. They're all over Instagram. Celebrities, as well as the cool baristas at your favourite café, proudly flaunt them and it's becoming increasingly popular in the schoolyard.
Back in fashion are stick and poke tattoos. Respected tattoo artists warn against this practice if not done professionally, as it can cause serious infections.
Yet increasingly teenagers are doing home-made stick and poke tattoos on friends or themselves using a needle and Indian ink, which is readily available in regular stores. One teenager told indulge magazine that it happens at school or at home, and that they themselves had a stick and poke tattoo done in the school grounds.
Rodrigo Resende Alves Bernardes, better known as Nasa, is a world-wide recognized tatoo artist, and says he doesn't call this tattooing. He calls it "a dumb thing to do if you don't know what you're doing."
I didn't even think of the health aspects at the time. It was just a cool thing to do.
"Tattooing is art, but first of all, it's a procedure that we have medical standards for. We don't touch anything here unless it's sterile and we clean everything slowly and with great care," he says.
Tools of the trade. Nasa says "tattooing is an art but first of all it is a medical procedure that we have standards for." Photo/ Patrick Neale.
"Tattooing should never be done unmonitored, in an unclean environment, or with non-sterile equipment. You're literally dicing with death if you do that. Yes, you might get away with it, but you are risking infection and disease. It's very unsafe, but teenagers don't see it like that," Nasa says.
Nasa started tattooing at the age of 18, when he returned to his home country Brazil after attending high school in Dallas, Texas.
When growing up, he wanted to be a musician but on his return from America, he decided to become a tattooist, learning from world experts in tattooing and developing a keen interest in the cultural significance of traditional tribal tattooing, both in Brazil and his new home of Aotearoa where he researched Māori and Pacific tattoos.
Hiwirori Maynard, left, works with Nasa at the studios. Nasa has a keen interest in the cultural significance of traditional tribal tattooing, both in Brazil and in Aotearoa. Photo/ Patrick Neale
Nasa thinks it's ironic that teens are seeing stick and poke as fashionable as he explains it is actually one of the oldest methods of tattooing.
"That's the way it was done in ancient cultures, like Vikings, Celtics and many others."
Tattooing should never be done unmonitored, in an unclean environment...You're literally dicing with death if you do that...risking infection and disease. It's very unsafe, but teenagers don't see it like that,
Tā moko is the reason Nasa came to New Zealand in 1999. The first Hammerhead Tattoo shop opened in Nelson in 2001 and Bernie Shaw became his teacher, friend and matua.
Nasa has visited more than 32 countries and picked up some unique talents over the years. He specialises in cultural designs, as well as large pieces and full-body work, with a bit of his native Brazilian culture thrown in.
But Nasa, even as an experienced tattoo artist, was shocked when he found out first-hand how peer pressure can influence teenagers to get inked in potentially dangerous environments.
His daughter Cleo Bernades, then aged 15, came home one day with a stick and poke tattoo on her finger that she had done in a bathroom with her friend when they were at a youth group meeting.
Cleo Bernades, 16, at Hammerhead Studios, Mount, stands next to a framed photo of a client of her father Nasa. Photo/ Patrick Neale
Cleo, now 16, told NZME it was done "on impulse". She said she knew she had to front up to her family as her tattoo was clearly visible on her finger.
She first showed her stepmum Kate what she had done, and then her dad Nasa who went "absolutely mad".
"Dad's reaction was horror and disbelief. He was just being protective. He made me get a blood test done right away, and now I understand why," Cleo says.
"I didn't even think of the health aspects at the time. It was just a cool thing to do. Everyone was doing it, so I just stood in line and got it done too. I thought it would quickly fade, but it is there forever," she says.
Now, when Cleo's friends say they want to get a tattoo, she tells them not to do it, or to at least think about it for some time.
"I really think it's important to think it through and not to just go and do it. You have to make sure to get something that has meaning to you. Don't go for the stick and poke at your friend's house.
I know I was stupid and it's not worth risking your health for. Go to a proper artist with ethical standards and a good reputation. Otherwise you'll regret it later."
When Cleo was just 6 years old, she was given a pink tattoo machine by her dad, and with this, she did a tattoo on Nasa's leg. She chose a flower design, but Nasa asked her to "make it a little more manly" so she added two fangs. For 10 years now, he has worn it proudly.
Cleo Bernades with a photo of herself tattooing Nasa when she was 6, and a framed story about her being a young tattoo artist. Photo/ Patrick Neale
Nasa agrees with his daughter on the health risks around DIY tattoos and as a professional, he usually tells teenagers who approach him for a tattoo to come back when they are 18, but he says each case is different.
"You get pretty good at reading people in this line of work. If I don't vibe with a person or their reasons why they want to get tattooed, I won't do it. Whatever the age but especially with teenagers, I don't do their first tattoo on the hands or neck, and I won't even consider it without their parents' consent," he says.
"Tattoos are not about fashion. It has to be about something that is meaningful to you. You have to get it for the right reasons," Cleo adds.
At Hammerhead Tattoos, things start with a consultation interview, when Nasa or one of the other talented artists will ask questions, make suggestions, and sketches.
"I don't just present some designs to people. I look at their skin, take measurements, and have a good chat. We very much do it together," he says.
Teenagers Maggie Blackmore (left) and Lily Russell-Quill watching tattoo artist Nasa design some concepts for a tattoo. Photo/Patrick Neale.
His advice for parents with a teenager who insists on getting inked is to come in with their teen, so they can see what it is all about, how professional the artists are, and get a taste of the atmosphere at whichever tattoo studio they choose.
"It's not about you, it's about them. You might like butterflies, but they might have a different idea. Even though I want the parent's consent, I don't let the parent take control," Nasa says.
Nasa working on the tattoo of Lily, 16, says it is important to establish trust between artist and person he is working with. Photo/ Patrick Neale
"The teenager owns their own body. I'll ask the parent to leave the shop if I have to. I will give advice and listen carefully to the teenager, as it is important that we trust each other.
If they really want it, they will do it anyway, so go with them and make sure it's done in a professional way. For us, it's not just a job. It's about the people and that becomes part of you."
Mother and daughter tattoos
While it still is a big no for many parents, teenagers see tattoos as a way to express themselves and their individuality.
Nasa explained that getting a tattoo can be a rite of passage for a 16-year-old.
"Supporting your teenager, or even doing it with them can be a meaningful and beautiful experience."
When my own 16-year-old daughter Lily told me she wanted a tattoo, I encouraged her to go and see the best, which in my opinion, after researching and canvassing others' feedback is Nasa.
Choosing a tattoo artist is a personal thing depending on what design you want, so I would encourage anyone to do their research, look at portfolios and ask to speak to existing clients. Meet the artists to see if you connect well. There are many talented artists in the country, but for me, it had to be Nasa.
Nasa opened his first studio, Hammerhead Tattoos, in Tauranga on Willow St.
Having worked from several locations since, and most recently last year at the container village Our Place. Nasa and his wife Kate have just opened a stunning new Hammerhead studio on Maunganui Rd.
From left to right Kate Bernades, Nasa, Veronica de Oliveira aka Lady Dragon, and Hiwirori Maynard outside the new Hammerhead Tattoo studio Photo / Patrick Neale
I first met Nasa and Kate Bernades in 2012 when I interviewed them for story about tattoo trends. Kate appeared on the indulge cover showcasing her stunning colourful tattoo on her arm.
Nasa had asked me then if I had a tattoo. I replied, "that's never going to happen". Nasa replied, "I know that one day you'll change your mind and when that happens, come find me."
In the past, I was misinformed and judgmental about tattoos. My beliefs have evolved over time. That was then and this is now. I've had lots of different life experiences since and have met many more people, both with and without tattoos who have helped me learn more about all types of tattoos and their cultural significance.
This has really changed my opinion to the extent I became interested in researching the history of tattoos from all different cultures.
Getting these tattoos done by Nasa with my daughter Lily on my birthday was an incredibly meaningful experience.
Tattoo artist Veronica de Oliveira aka Lady Dragon working on a design Photo / Patrick Neale
Lily and I had our first meeting at Our Place with Nasa in which we discussed ideas for our tattoos and what they meant to us. We both knew 100 per cent what we wanted, and that he was the artist to do it.
His clients who I spoke to, including tattoo fan Jack Rudd who owns NZ Body Scans and who had his first tattoo at just 14 (with parent consent). Rudd told me to "just trust in Nasa to do what he does and let him do his thing".
The interior of the new Hammerhead Tattoos studio is both striking and a welcoming space with stunning artefacts, photos and art that Nasa and Kate have collected over the years — each of which tells a story.
Music plays and there are plants and different lounge areas. The artists work in glass studios so they can be seen. They are fully focussed on their clients. On the wall hangs the framed indulge cover with Kate as the cover model years ago.
The atmosphere is anything but clinical, but the studio is clean to hospital standards. Nasa admits he is a bit of a "clean freak" when it comes to the tattoo studio.
As we were doing another story, we spent an hour talking beforehand with Nasa, Kate and Cleo. An important part of the process is to develop a trust and connection with the artist and in our case we were lucky to meet his family and other artists too.
We even spent time debating music to have our tattoos to. Nasa likes to work to heavy metal music which he finds relaxing and which helps him focus. Whereas I didn't feel that I would find heavy metal relaxing like Nasa does, though we are keen to keep him happy as he is the one with the needle!
We compromised and found something that we both love — LAB (which we ended up playing over and again during the tattoos) so that will always be part of a great memory too.
Even the phrase "no pain, no Nasa" on the wall didn't scare us off.
— Annemarie and her daughter Lily had consultation and tattooing by Nasa at Hammerhead Tattoos, 237 Maunganui Rd, Mount Maunganui.
What the law says on teenage tattoos
New Zealand doesn't have a national legal age restriction for getting a tattoo. Some regional councils have bylaws preventing tattooists from providing services to those under a certain age. Most of these only place a restriction on the age of parental consent — this means that if you're under the age limit but have your parent's/legal guardian's permission, you won't be prevented from getting a tattoo.
Some councils have bylaws saying that you have to be 18 before you can get a tattoo without your parent's permission. Others don't require a parent's permission after 16.
Tattooists belonging to the Tattoo Artists Association of New Zealand (TAANZ) won't tattoo anyone under the age of 18 without the permission of a parent or guardian.
●Risk of infection or scarring ●Diseases like hepatitis or HIV ●Later regret as tattoos are forever ●Judgment by potential employers
Five things to look out for when getting a tattoo
1. Cleanliness. The environment should be spotless. 2. Don't just follow a trend. Choose something meaningful. 3. Take your time and consider the reasons for getting one. 4. Consider the artist's portfolio and credibility. 5. Remember that a tattoo is for life.
