para sa mga baguhan na tattoo artists.. take time to read.. The pains of his life By Robbie Pangilinan Tattoo artist Gilbert “Dice” Ceballos felt lots of pain, not only because he learned to tattoo using his own skin, but because of the heartaches and heartbreaks life made him experience. Seven years ago, Dice was in Tondo, surviving the harsh Manila life, without food, without money. “Naghuhugas ako ng kamote sa Divisoria para lang mabuhay sa konting kiniita,” he recalls. He grew up in a poor family. His mother did the laundry of well-to-do families. He was a pedicab driver, but he never gave up his dreams. “Live your dreams. Sikap lang kailangan,” he says. In the streets of Tondo, Dice learned the art of tattooing. “Walang nagturo sa akin magtattoo. Naging mapagmatyag lang ako sa ibang nagtatattoo at nagsikap na maisaayos ang ginagawa ko,” Dice shares. “Swerte ang mga tattoo artists ngayon, may Youtube para makapag-aral mag-tattoo. Dati nung panahon ko ng pag-aaral mag-tattoo, ang dami kong sinirang balat. Pero sa araw-araw na nagtatattoo ako, palagi akong merong bagong natututunan. Hanggang ngayon nag-aaral pa rin ako magtattoo. Experimental lang,” he adds. Tattooing is indeed the art of pain – of experiencing and embracing pain, of looking at and valuing pain as the beginning of something beautiful. He admits that getting a tattoo is painful, “masakit kung sa masakit, karayom yung pumapasok sa balat mo e,” and adds that the pain is tolerable, like being pinched hundreds of times. The 30-year-old body artist also does charcoal drawings, but believes that the art of tattooing is different from the rest. “Ito yung art na makikita mo yung canvas mo na masaya. Iba kasi ‘pag sa balat e, lalo na pag nakikita mong masaya yung nagawan mo ng obra,” says Dice, who has been doing this for six years already. Dice started out with literally nothing, even borrowing things just to practice his craft. “Nagstart ako ng wala, as in wala. Nanghihiram lang ako ng gamit pang-tattoo then yung kinikita kong pera,hinahati ko para sa pambili ng gamit at panggastos,” he recalls. But his dedication for what he is doing, focus on the craft, passion, and maintaining high standards saw him through. Dice now owns the Inked Hustlaz Tattoo, with partner Paul Damien Velez who is now based in San Francisco. The tattoo studio is located at the second floor of Southline Bldg. in Landayan, San Pedro, Laguna. Having been inked, by none other than himself, Dice does not have any regret about his own tattoos. “First tattoo ko is a comic character na bulldog, the first character that I drew for myself. Nagtry ako kung masakit o hindi. Masakit pala pero nung natapos ko yung design, gumaan pakiramdam ko,” he says. “Sa mga tattoo ko sa balat ko, wala akong pinagsisihan, maganda man o hindi kagandahan. Ito kasi yung istorya ng mga napagdaanan ko. Sa tuwing makikita ko sila, bumabalik yung mga alaala ng nangyari sa buhay ko,” shares the artist whose clients range from big time to “masa.” The humble Dice says he is no different from other tattoo artists. “Sa tingin ko wala naman akong pinagkaiba sa ibang artists. Yung sa akin lang siguro, bawat gawa ko ng obra may natutunan ako. And mahilig akong mag-experiment sa mga ginagawa ko,” shares Dice whose style is more of realism. Asked what his most difficult or intricate work was, Dice says he has not experienced that kind of difficulty yet, because he does the design step by step, portion by portion. “Humihirap lang naman kapag may time limit. For example in tattoo competitions, may limit yung obra na gagawin mo kaya nagiging komplikado,” he adds. For those saying that getting a tattoo is addictive, that once you get a tattoo, you can’t stop adding to it, Dice’s opinion is people who get their first tattoo often want to add more designs, especially when the tattoo turns out to be beautiful. Or, when the tattoo turns out badly, those people want to enhance or cover the design with another tattoo. For those who still think negatively about tattoos, Dice challenges them to get one. “Try nila magpa-tattoo para maranasan nila yung sarap ng pakiramdam,” he says. Dice does not ignore the fact that in the Philippines, tattooed people still catch the negative public eye as he himself experienced, having been accused of being a holdupper or snatcher when he rides the public transportation. But Dice just laughs it off, while continuing to design his dream tattoo – portraits of his loved ones and true friends. He wants to ink their faces permanently on his skin to remind him of how they have inspired him. #
Posted on: Sat, 20 Sep 2014 04:04:49 +0000
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