BODY ART - A mobile freehand tattooist's journey

THE precision of a free-hand tattooist is always beyond commendable, especially when one has mastered artistic creativity.

This describes Lorosio Rafaele Qaqa’s brilliant work.

A free-hand tattooist who hails from Vunitarawau in Qeleni, Taveuni, Lorosio is quickly becoming a sought-after tattooist in the local market today.

Creating flawless permanent body art is a skill that many cannot master, and one must be good at it to live off it.

Even though Lorosio now earns a living from tattooing, it wasn’t something he had initially wanted to do.

Like many who found employment after school to make ends meet, Lorosio became a security officer in Nadi.

He was once a security officer, a job that put food on the table and paid bills. However, as time went on, the job wasn’t really meeting his other important financial obligations.

“I wasn’t earning enough to cater for my family at home,” Lorosio said.

“At one point I even thought about what I could be earning if I went back to the village and plant yaqona compared with working as a security officer.

“I later decided to leave work so I could consider what to do next.”

One day while at home watching a local TV program Lorosio heard about a successful Fijian sharing his business story.

“The success story on TV motivated me to start a business,” he said.

“I thought about what I was good at and realised that I have always loved to draw — it was something I would do when I had free time.

“I loved to draw as a young boy, so I thought why not get back into it and maybe earn a living from it.”

Lorosio’s knowledge of tattooing began when he went to school at Holy Cross College.

“At school you would follow whoever was doing something cool and back then tattooing was something we did as boarders,” he said.

“If someone did it, the rest of us would want to try it out too. School was where we learned to build tattoo machines that operated on batteries.

What little knowledge he had about tattooing, he incorporated it with what he researched online and managed to create his own tattoo machine.

Lorosio says a self-taught tattooist is always learning, from tattoo techniques, how to assemble and use new machines and even mixing colours for shading – these are all acquired skills.

“In Nadi I started tattooing with a homemade machine. I did tattoos for neighbours and it grew from there.

At one point, he was approached again to go work at the security company where he used to work. He realised tattooing was something he could improve and earn more from.

“When I started tattooing I wasn’t earning as much as I should but that is how every small business starts. Today, I do tattoos that cost more, I did a leg wrap for $1600, back then I did work for only $30 to $40.

Now he does a lot of work at resorts.

“I noticed the difference in work hours – for tattooing I can work for only an hour or two and earn more compared to working for eight hours and earning less as a security officer.

Before making it big, Lorosio did tattoos with his self-built machine, it was not until returning from a work trip that he was able to buy himself a good machine.

Lorosio is a Republic of the Fiji Military Forces’ Territorial Forces (TF) personnel, so he would be called unexpectedly to serve overseas.

“In 2013 I went to Golan Heights for work, and I was able to buy myself new machines. It was really the break I needed to get the business idea running.

“When I returned after serving at Golan I did my business license.

Like any business, the beginning comes with its fair share of challenges. In order to grow his client base he had to do more.

“When I started in Nadi I didn’t dive right into it, I did my research and learned more about being a freehand artist. It was a challenge getting into the market and learning the tattoo techniques.

“Seeing how the market rolled I had to change my strategy. Instead of having a tattoo studio I chose to be mobile.”

Mobile tattoo artist do not work at a fixed location but travel to their clients for work – making it convenient for clients who have busy schedules.

Lorosio realised if he remained at a particular place, business would not operate well.

“Tattooing is not like other businesses, it depends on bookings and people’s schedule. I also work around people’s pay cycle so that it’s more convenient for them and for myself.

He says he continues to learn about the art.

“I do make mistakes but I learn from them and make sure I do better. We all grow when we learn from challenges in life, the same applies to business. I’m a freehand artist, a challenge as well for me is having clients want tattoo transfer paper designs. These are not authentic work and they are difficult for freehand artist to follow.

“Also, for an iTaukei, a challenge is having to work on parts of the body that are considered taboo, but as you do more work you learn to be professional and become comfortable in your space. We, my wife and I, usually fast over the work I do, especially work that I do for tourists because the art is not only done in Fiji it represents Fiji to the world.

He said he never gets discouraged when business is slow.

“I’m happy with how I operate, and I’ve seen the benefit of being mobile. The business has opened a lot of doors for me. I’ve met many people and I’ve grown as a person while meeting them.

“I’m not well-educated but to be able to make a difference and see my work go beyond a studio is great.

“Seeing tourists come and get tattooed means a lot as it’s a wearable art that they take with them when they return home. It’s truly a blessing and I commit my life to it now. I’m able to support my family and venture into other small businesses as well.

“I also assist women with designs — I cut designs on stencils for masi and screen printing. I’m also getting ready to travel down to Taveuni to start a new project that will assist youths there. I hope to help youths especially school-dropouts. Now that there is an increase in drug use like meth and HIV cases it’s important to help our young people.

Lorosio hopes to share his passion and show young people that anything is possible if they tap into their talent.

“My advice to young people or someone who wants to do something new is – sky is the limit. I encourage you to use your hidden talents.”

Lorosio usually takes bookings through his Facebook account Rafa Tattoos Fiji.