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Lance Ngata
@lance_ngata

54,736 followers

Komore for @nikoramorehu Done earlier in the year, his first piece and what a battle it was for this young man. I always express to my kaiwhiwhi that moko around the ankles is no joke. Speaking from experience when @uhiwero did mine, yea pain was bearable but also pretty intense. When being tattooed there is a pain scale of "not sore areas" VS "really sore areas"...in a moko session you can have some nice spots and some whaaakkya spots...I rekn the ankles are right up there🖕No tough guy speech here bei lol but experience, patience and a commitment to be still in important. On the table, that's the job of the kaiwhiwhi e hoa mā. From my PoV as a practitioner, this placement can sometimes feel like it's working against you. Being a pair, there are some extra design considerations around proportions and symmetry. The skin and needle depth is abit touch and go, as some lines will cut like butter with good saturation then nek minute blow out without warning, add a few unexpected leg shakes from the kaiwhiwhi, dehydrate skin and we're already effecting the end result. Other things that can make the session challenging are awkward hand positions vs client leg mobility, sensitive nerves and foot twitches, hygiene (smelly feet), blood consistency etc. NOW after all that, interrupt the workflow with a few nervous mimiz, design changes or rests/kai breaks/stoppages...hika! while we're at it let's invite that one negative whanau member as the support person to LOL at your facials and annoy the artist. I remember Nikora jolting through the outline of his moko. I found it difficult at times to maintain quality. We had a korero at that point and I shared my concerns. The bro knuckled down after that and showed some real grit! I thought to myself later, Why do I agree to do this mahi for first timers?! Coz as an artist, I'm gambling with the quality of the mahi and therefore my reputation as an artist. But then I remind myself, it ain't even about me☺️ Moko is for the kaiwhiwhi, it's an organic process with layers and lessons to learn. Nikora needed some resilience, and moko was his teacher that day. E mihi ana bro. #tamoko #maoritattoo #maustudioink #lancengata