The all things tattoo megathread

[pininsho]

with regards to pain I think everyone is different. I found some parts around my elbow were more painful than my foot, but neither was unbearable. I think bony areas hurt more than fleshy areas. That said my foot swelled quite a lot and it hurt every morning when i swung my legs out of bed and the blood rushed to my feet and cracked the skin slightly.

 

You don't need to wax before you go, they will shave the area if they need to which is better as you are less likely to get ingrown hairs under your new tat.

 

the hair will grow back through the skin as it heals anyway so don't worry about that side of things.

 

Best thing to do it go into a few places and chat to the artists. some are great, some less so, some specialise in certain things so go and have a look at some of their work and see if you get on witht he artist - if you are planning extensive work you will be spending a fair bit of time with them!

 

hope that helps

 

eta consider the saying "good tattoos aren't cheap and cheap tattoos aren't good" you get what you pay for and as it is going to be a piece of artwork you will have forever if your favoured artist is a bit expensive for you at the moment its best to wait a bit and save up rather than going for second best. also bear in mind that some artists have quite long waiting lists.

 

Thanks for your considered response nerd, it's much appreciated.

I've been looking extensively on the net to get more info about do's and don'ts and it all seems a bit of a minefield.

The one thing I do understand is about not compromising as I want the best looking tattoos that I can get so I do realise I'll have to pay.

The designs I want are very much my own (in my mind) and aren't something I've yet to see in a tattoo parlour so I need to make sure I can get my ideas across to the tattooist as I'm not very good when it comes to drawing myself.

Can you tell me how I can find the best tattooists that have waiting lists as this seems like the best option as it would also give me some time to save up some money.

Finally, I've already decided to have a relatively small tattoo done myself and see how that goes before I have more extensive work done.

Cheers once again.

[SiMoN83]

I have another question thats bothering me, someone mentioned it in gym tonight....

 

Im planning a black and grey half sleeve, it will have a picture middle of bicep and writing on the underarm. Will this change shape and look different if i grow more or get smaller?

[nerd]

Thanks for your considered response nerd, it's much appreciated.

I've been looking extensively on the net to get more info about do's and don'ts and it all seems a bit of a minefield.

The one thing I do understand is about not compromising as I want the best looking tattoos that I can get so I do realise I'll have to pay.

The designs I want are very much my own (in my mind) and aren't something I've yet to see in a tattoo parlour so I need to make sure I can get my ideas across to the tattooist as I'm not very good when it comes to drawing myself.

Can you tell me how I can find the best tattooists that have waiting lists as this seems like the best option as it would also give me some time to save up some money.

Finally, I've already decided to have a relatively small tattoo done myself and see how that goes before I have more extensive work done.

Cheers once again.

 

OK, well firstly you need to find a good custom artist, someone who can sit down and listen to your ideas and draw something up for you. Normally they will charge a small fee to do this, which they will then take off the cost if you proceed. If they draw soemthing for you and it is completely wrong just sacrifice the money you spent, thank them and move on. If it is close but not quite right tell them and let them tweak it. work together with them on this. You may find that there style of drawing is not what you had in mind - in that case move on, you want the artist to be happy and confident working in the style you want. Be prepared to pay for more than one design drawing up and budget accordingly, although with thorough research you should be aproaching the right kind of people anyway.

 

I would say a word of caution against having a small piece to see how you get on first because it is going to cost money and be there forever, and if you take to tattooing and have a large piece of work done chances are you will wish you had saved the space for something bigger. Plus if you are saving up it will take you longer.

 

If you are having a large piece of work done you will probably not be having it done all in one go (assuming your version of extensive is the same as mine!) so you will be paying per session most likely. So you may decide you will aim to go once a month until you are finished and have 4 hours at a time and spend several months, so make sure you work out the full cost even though you won;t be paying in one go.

 

Also if embarking on a large piece make sure the artist isn;t planning to move to americ or something in 6 months - you will wan the same artist to do the whole piece and any touch ups afterwards.

That said, if the artist you want lives at the other end of the country then be prepared to travel.

 

If you are wanting to see lots of different tattooists work to comapre, chat to them etc you could do far worse than going to a tattoo convention. There you can see many many artists from around the country, see their work, often see them actually working and will really help you. Try tattoo jam in doncaster in august, its a big convention http://www.tattoojam.co.uk/. chat to people, chat to artists look at their work etc

 

if you are walking around and you see someone with a tattoo that you really like then just go up to them and ask the about it, say you like it and ask them who did it. I am sure most people won't mind - i don't mind if people ask me about mine - make the most of the warm weather when people have more flesh on show.

 

you could also buy some tattoo magazines and have a look at the galary pics to see if there is an piece siilar to what you want in style - then look up the artist online.

 

 

Ok, I think that should answer some of your questions! what kind of piece is it you are thinking of?

[nerd]

I have another question thats bothering me, someone mentioned it in gym tonight....

 

Im planning a black and grey half sleeve, it will have a picture middle of bicep and writing on the underarm. Will this change shape and look different if i grow more or get smaller?

 

not especially unless you get significantly larger or smaller. If you get the positioning right then you can use your muscle shape to really add to the design, work with your body not against it.

[g1zmo2009]

dose anybody know were i can get on a course for tattooing and how much it wud b

[pininsho]

OK, well firstly you need to find a good custom artist, someone who can sit down and listen to your ideas and draw something up for you. Normally they will charge a small fee to do this, which they will then take off the cost if you proceed. If they draw soemthing for you and it is completely wrong just sacrifice the money you spent, thank them and move on. If it is close but not quite right tell them and let them tweak it. work together with them on this. You may find that there style of drawing is not what you had in mind - in that case move on, you want the artist to be happy and confident working in the style you want. Be prepared to pay for more than one design drawing up and budget accordingly, although with thorough research you should be aproaching the right kind of people anyway.

 

I would say a word of caution against having a small piece to see how you get on first because it is going to cost money and be there forever, and if you take to tattooing and have a large piece of work done chances are you will wish you had saved the space for something bigger. Plus if you are saving up it will take you longer.

 

If you are having a large piece of work done you will probably not be having it done all in one go (assuming your version of extensive is the same as mine!) so you will be paying per session most likely. So you may decide you will aim to go once a month until you are finished and have 4 hours at a time and spend several months, so make sure you work out the full cost even though you won;t be paying in one go.

 

Also if embarking on a large piece make sure the artist isn;t planning to move to americ or something in 6 months - you will wan the same artist to do the whole piece and any touch ups afterwards.

That said, if the artist you want lives at the other end of the country then be prepared to travel.

 

If you are wanting to see lots of different tattooists work to comapre, chat to them etc you could do far worse than going to a tattoo convention. There you can see many many artists from around the country, see their work, often see them actually working and will really help you. Try tattoo jam in doncaster in august, its a big convention http://www.tattoojam.co.uk/. chat to people, chat to artists look at their work etc

 

if you are walking around and you see someone with a tattoo that you really like then just go up to them and ask the about it, say you like it and ask them who did it. I am sure most people won't mind - i don't mind if people ask me about mine - make the most of the warm weather when people have more flesh on show.

 

you could also buy some tattoo magazines and have a look at the galary pics to see if there is an piece siilar to what you want in style - then look up the artist online.

 

 

Ok, I think that should answer some of your questions! what kind of piece is it you are thinking of?

 

You've given me some interesting things to think about there nerd so once again thank you very much. I didn't know there was such a big tattoo expo going on in this area so I'll definitely pop over to Donny to take a look.

The large piece I'm looking to have done is a Maple tree on my back and shoulders similar to this http://lower-back-tattoos.net/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/tree-lower-back-tattoo.JPG but with more branches going across my shoulders and with the trunk and roots a little less dense. The leaves would mainly be autumn colours and, although quite small (1 to 1.5 inches across) would need to be of this quality http://www.remistattoo.com/gallery2/download-19472-3/maple_leaf_tattoo.jpg with the fine detailing and subtle colour change within each leaf itself.

So hopefully you get an idea as to what I'm looking for quality wise and you're right to say that it will need to be done over many months. The final result is all important.

The small piece that I'm looking to have done as a kind of tester is a chain around my ankle that is once again, my own design but that's relatively simple but with a few unique features which should tell me whether the tattooist is capable of doing a job to the precise instructions that I give him/her. Because it's on my ankle I can watch him/her all the time to make sure they're doing it right which I can't do when I'm having my back done.

So that's the basic outline of what I'm wanting done but another question that I want to ask is whether you can have the design drawn/painted onto your body first so that you can tweak it until you get it absolutely right and then take a photo and blow it up so the tattooist can see exactly the precision and fine detail that you require? Would that be an option do you know?

Once again thanks for your comments.

[scottsmith]

dose anybody know were i can get on a course for tattooing and how much it wud b

 

There are no courses that you can go on. What alot of people do is practice drawing, then practice some more. People who have recently completed a Fine Art Degree or something similar and want to get into Tattooing, they tend to buy a full set up and practice using fake skin, or better, part of a dead pig with skin still attached.

 

It's a hard trade to get into, as alot of trust is put into people who tattoo. I have tattooed my tattooist before when he did my ribs, I asked for a go and he said go for it. I tattoo'd the back of his leg with a Rave Smiley, turned out pretty well too, the main problem I had was keeping my hand steady.

 

Whilst doing this practice, it would be good for you to visit studio's to see if they need any help in store, taking booking etc, it will then get you used to an environment in a studio. You can also watch artists complete work and learn alot from them. The studio would then consider taking you on as an apprentice. This is currently happening in Lifetime Tattoo in Derby (where I had my sleeve completed). The guy works on the main desk, takes bookings but is also practicing tattooes and drawing all the time.

 

I've always wanted to get into tattooing and buy the set-up and go for it, but I haven't got the confidence to tattoo people yet, hopefully I will have soon.

 

Good luck in your search and practice.

[nerd]

You've given me some interesting things to think about there nerd so once again thank you very much. I didn't know there was such a big tattoo expo going on in this area so I'll definitely pop over to Donny to take a look.

The large piece I'm looking to have done is a Maple tree on my back and shoulders similar to this http://lower-back-tattoos.net/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/tree-lower-back-tattoo.JPG but with more branches going across my shoulders and with the trunk and roots a little less dense. The leaves would mainly be autumn colours and, although quite small (1 to 1.5 inches across) would need to be of this quality http://www.remistattoo.com/gallery2/download-19472-3/maple_leaf_tattoo.jpg with the fine detailing and subtle colour change within each leaf itself.

So hopefully you get an idea as to what I'm looking for quality wise and you're right to say that it will need to be done over many months. The final result is all important.

The small piece that I'm looking to have done as a kind of tester is a chain around my ankle that is once again, my own design but that's relatively simple but with a few unique features which should tell me whether the tattooist is capable of doing a job to the precise instructions that I give him/her. Because it's on my ankle I can watch him/her all the time to make sure they're doing it right which I can't do when I'm having my back done.

So that's the basic outline of what I'm wanting done but another question that I want to ask is whether you can have the design drawn/painted onto your body first so that you can tweak it until you get it absolutely right and then take a photo and blow it up so the tattooist can see exactly the precision and fine detail that you require? Would that be an option do you know?

Once again thanks for your comments.

 

The tattooist will do a transfer onto your skin to get the right location and will show you this before he/she starts to work, possibly rubbing it all off and repositioning or making some tweaks. you will check this before they actually start working on you.

if the "tester" piece you want done is not the same kind of style as the other piece then it is really not any guarantee of the kind of work, i mean if you had a tribal ankelt tattoo and then wanted this large piece on your back then you would not necessarily want the same artist doing it. The other thing you need to bear in mind is that the tattooist is an artist, with their own style of working - i believe that any custom peice like ths has to be a collaboration between you and the artist with some give and take on both parts of the design. I can't imagine many would take too kindly to being told how to perform their craft.

when you are having your backpiece done you will probably be stopping for breaks every couple of hours and can have a look at the progress being made.

You could check out this guy: http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewPicture&friendID=25408252&albumId=1037777 he has done some of my work, and very well too plus he is a really nice guy. not in sheffield though unfortunately

 

eta also check out this guy he is also very good http://www.myspace.com/tachotattoo

Edited July 2, 2010 by nerd

[pininsho]

The tattooist will do a transfer onto your skin to get the right location and will show you this before he/she starts to work, possibly rubbing it all off and repositioning or making some tweaks. you will check this before they actually start working on you.

if the "tester" piece you want done is not the same kind of style as the other piece then it is really not any guarantee of the kind of work, i mean if you had a tribal ankelt tattoo and then wanted this large piece on your back then you would not necessarily want the same artist doing it. The other thing you need to bear in mind is that the tattooist is an artist, with their own style of working - i believe that any custom peice like ths has to be a collaboration between you and the artist with some give and take on both parts of the design. I can't imagine many would take too kindly to being told how to perform their craft.

when you are having your backpiece done you will probably be stopping for breaks every couple of hours and can have a look at the progress being made.

You could check out this guy: http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewPicture&friendID=25408252&albumId=1037777 he has done some of my work, and very well too plus he is a really nice guy. not in sheffield though unfortunately

 

eta also check out this guy he is also very good http://www.myspace.com/tachotattoo

 

Thanks for that again.

It's good to hear that a transfer can be done. Obvious really isn't it (doh.....). Shows you how naive I am about all this.

You're right about the 'tester' piece on my ankle as well although I'm also having this done to see how painfull having a tattoo is as I've heard the boney areas are the most painful, therefore if I can deal with that then a larger tattoo on the fleshier parts of my back shouldn't be a problem (although I'm still concerned about the pain of having a tree trunk going along my spine).

I agree with your point about the artist being able to do his best work in his own style which is why it's important for me to find the right artist rather than trying to get somebody to work in a way they're not used to or capable of doing. The MySpace links look pretty good but I'd like to see more shading done with the colours rather than just the grays. A lot of colour work seems to be done in solid block and lacks a certain realism. I'm looking for major realism. For example I wouldn't want a black line around the leaves/branches/trunk etc for that seems to reduce the realism, like this http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewImage&friendID=25408252&albumID=1037777&imageID=69888442. If you look at this http://www.remistattoo.com/gallery2/download-19472-3/maple_leaf_tattoo.jpg the outline is very subtle and is the same colours and shades as the rest of the leaves. It really does have to be that good. I want the tree to be almost photogenic. Let's hope I see somebody in Doncaster that can produce this kind of work.

This one looks pretty good http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewImage&friendID=25408252&albumID=1037777&imageID=66054557.

Thanks again for your help and advice.

[nerd]

Thanks for that again.

It's good to hear that a transfer can be done. Obvious really isn't it (doh.....). Shows you how naive I am about all this.

You're right about the 'tester' piece on my ankle as well although I'm also having this done to see how painfull having a tattoo is as I've heard the boney areas are the most painful, therefore if I can deal with that then a larger tattoo on the fleshier parts of my back shouldn't be a problem (although I'm still concerned about the pain of having a tree trunk going along my spine).

I agree with your point about the artist being able to do his best work in his own style which is why it's important for me to find the right artist rather than trying to get somebody to work in a way they're not used to or capable of doing. The MySpace links look pretty good but I'd like to see more shading done with the colours rather than just the grays. A lot of colour work seems to be done in solid block and lacks a certain realism. I'm looking for major realism. For example I wouldn't want a black line around the leaves/branches/trunk etc for that seems to reduce the realism, like this http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewImage&friendID=25408252&albumID=1037777&imageID=69888442. If you look at this http://www.remistattoo.com/gallery2/download-19472-3/maple_leaf_tattoo.jpg the outline is very subtle and is the same colours and shades as the rest of the leaves. It really does have to be that good. I want the tree to be almost photogenic. Let's hope I see somebody in Doncaster that can produce this kind of work.

This one looks pretty good http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewImage&friendID=25408252&albumID=1037777&imageID=66054557.

Thanks again for your help and advice.

 

The thing with the pain is that it DOES hurt being tattooed but it is not at all unbearable. normally i find that the first 15 minutes are painful but then your natural pain relief kicks in and you just kind of relax into it. If a certain bit is really painful just practice steady breathing for a few minutes and keep your body relaxed and soft. I find that asking for a second to just relax my muscles if i have tensed up and then breathing in to a count of 7 and out to a count of 9 for a couple of mins helps! And if it is hard for you the pain you could always just take a cocodamol and an ibuprofen. But not aspirin as you will bleed more.

The link I gave you for woody doesn't show all his work, he did some of mine and it is very colourful and the shading and colour he has used are briliiant - I have recieved a LOT of compliments for the piece he did. most of the pics he has up at the moment are grey shading, but he works very well with colour.

If you are not wanting a black outline just discuss this with the artist.

anyway, I will shut up now!