How Pick a Tattoo That You Won’t Regret Later
For people who don’t have many tattoos, making a life changing and completely permanent alteration to your body can be scary. The can be many doubts when it comes to tattooing. We have all see those pages that are littered with horrible tattoos that leave a bad taste in your mouth ( see video below by Ink Master for reference).
On the other hand we have shows like Ink Master and thousand of Instagram accounts that are specifically dedicated to showing the best tattoos out there. So how do you know what's real? And more importantly how do you make sure that the tattoo that you get it not one of those sloppy looking ones that a kid drew?
Luckily, I have just the steps that you need to take in order to make sure that you get a tattoo that you will love for the rest of your life!
A little background on myself, so you know that I am not just some rando talking on the internet, is that I definitely take getting tattooed as my hobby. I have quite a few good ones and even a few bad ones. What is important to mention is the reason that I am able to make sure that you don’t get a bad tattoo is because I am sharing advice from my own personal experience. How can you help protect people from getting bad tattoos if you don't have any yourself?
1. Get Educated
Now with the internet being as widespread as it is, it is easier to learn about tattooing and tattooing culture. If you don’t know where to start I have a few good resources for you to look at.
First we have QCKND, as you have seen from my previous posts you know that QCKND has been on Youtube for many years and shares her wisdom about tattoos, life style, and getting tattooed as a new comer.
The next Youtuber is Treacle Tatts, she has also been on Youtube for a number of years and focuses on tattoo culture and tattoo culture that is on the internet. She has many videos explaining or debunking some of the myths and things that are said about tattoos online. She also tries a variety of healing products that she tries on tattoos so it is good of people who are new to getting tattooed to see.
One tattooed Youtuber that I have been following for years now is Katrin Berndt. I have also looked forward to the variety of different videos that she put out but the ones I love the most are her honest tattoo videos. Katrin is not afraid to talk about things that are wrong with the tattooed community or just her overall opinions. Her videos definitely helped me solidify my own thoughts about tattooing and tattoo culture.
Another upcoming Youtuber is Barbara Crane. She also talks a lot about her own journey and the products that she uses on her tattoos. She also has some segments where she shows her subscribers’ tattoos that may be interesting for people who don’t know which style they like yet.
2. Don’t go to a Random Local Tattoo Shop
Don’t get me wrong, local tattoo shops aren’t all bad. There are actually many small tattoo shops that have some great artists working there. The main point behind this reasoning is that the decision to just pick a close shop is that there is not much research put into the choice of shop you go to.
Before making such a life changing decision you will need to do a deep-dive and research all the the artists in your area before making a decision. You may find out that none of the artists in your area specialize in the type of style that you want. It is perfectly normal to have to travel to get the perfect tattoo.
Katrin Berndt is another tattooed Youtube that has some great tattoo advice and doesn’t shy away from the hard to talk about conversations that are needed when talking about tattoos.
3. Pick a Style
Another thing that can have people end up with something they regret is that they don’t know they exact style that they like. You may know the subject of the tattoo that you want, but if you do not know the art style that you want it in, you may leave with a tattoo that looks great but is not a style you love.
There are many styles ranging from American traditional, Japanese traditional, New School, Black and Grey, and many more. There is such a wide variety of tattoo styles out there that it can be easy to be swept up into them. If you plan to get more tattoos, keep in mind that they don’t have to be the same style throughout. The most important aspect is that you find a certain style that appeals to your eye because after all, you will be the one seeing it every day.
4. Placement and Setting an Appointment
So you may think that since you have picked a style, your work is done, you can go get the perfect tattoo.
Wrong!
The perfect tattoo will not just appear on the skin without the perfect artists. Not every artist can tattoo every style. This is why it is important to scour the internet to find a tattoo artist that does the style you love. and does it well.
While looking into an artist you need to make sure that they have clean line (no lines that are blurred or blown out), the have strong color saturation, and that their overall artwork is good. But keep in mind even if they are a great artist, they must have the proper technique to back themselves up.
After you picked the artist that resonates with you, you need to make an appointment and pick a placement. Placement is super important whether you want to be super tattooed or just have a few it is important to know where you want it because once it’s there, there is no going back.
5. Save Money
One thing that tends to get away from people is that, tattoos are expensive. You are paying for a service that will last you the rest of your life and you want it to look good, most of the better artists also have years of experience under their belt to go with it. You really are paying for what you get.
If you decided that a tattoo is too much for you and you go to a cheaper artist, you will not get the great art work that your body, as a canvas deserves. While yes, there are many artists that charge less and it does not equal their skill as a tattoo artist, if you are paying $100 for a tattoo that should be $700 there is something wrong with that.
Thanks for reading! Feel free to contact me for any suggestions you may have on new blog posts!
