Do I Dare To Call It TATTOO ART?

A tattoo artist at work during Ink Bomb 2011 in Seoul, South Korea (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I have been an artist for as long as I can remember. In fact, I remember my kindergarten teacher sending home notes to my parents telling them how much I excelled in all areas connected with art. She told them that I had great potential to be a wonderful artist. So it was only natural when I decided to attend university to study art and when I was hired by a magazine to run their art department. One of the most fascinating assignments I have had so far is to visit various tattoo shops in order to write a piece about tattoo art for our magazine.

I was a little bit hesitant to work on this project because my goal was to get a well-rounded picture of what kinds of tattoo art are popular right now and to figure out the main reasons why people are rushing to get tattoo art on various places of their bodies. My main problem was that I had never really considered tattoos art. So I struggled over how I was supposed to write a piece about "tattoo art" when I didn't agree that it was true art.

During the project, my photographer and I spent time in ten different tattoo art shops. We interviewed each owner, several tattoo artists at each shop, and various customers at each place we went. My photographer did several formal and informal photo shoots to get enough photos of tattoo art for our piece. I was honestly amazed at what I discovered as I worked on this piece. I learned that tattoo art really is an art. I learned that it is much more detailed, intricate and sometimes beautiful than I ever expected it to be.

I changed my mind about tattoo art primarily as I discussed the profession with the tattoo artist themselves. They had the most fascinating stories of how hey learned to do tattoo art and of why they desired to do it in the first place. They shared lifelong dreams of getting to make the human body more beautiful and of their years struggling through various art and drawing classes to perfect their abilities to design tattoo art.

The whole process of someone receiving tattoo art on their body is much more complicated than I ever imagined. In fact, by the time I finished my piece I had nothing but respect and admiration for everything involved in the process of making tattoo art a reality for people.

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What to Expect When You Get Your TATTOO

Marc Pinto drawing a design on a client at the Singapore Tattoo Show 2010.
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

To many people, tattoos are exotic and daring things to get into.  It's such a huge decision as the design, whatever it may be, will be permanent.  Not only might this seem daunting but the actual process of getting a tattoo can be frightening to those who have never experienced it.

Most people know that tattoos are created with a needle that delivers ink into the skin through the use of a special tattoo gun or machine.  Beyond that, many are clueless as to how the procedure might actually carry on.  It is important to realize that every tattoo artist and parlor vary in their techniques.

The first thing to be prepared for is choosing a design.  If you have a copy of something, in particular, be prepared to discuss it with your tattoo artist.  He or she may be able to make recommendations to make the image look its best on your skin.

If you do not already have a design, the tattoo artist can assist you.  The design will depend on where you want the tattoo on your body and if you prefer all one color or multiple colors. The tattoo artist can assist with making decisions based on your personality, size preference for that tattoo and the aesthetics of the design.

Once the design has been decided upon, the tattoo artist creates a stencil.  This stencil is laid out on the skin and traced.  Some artists will draw the stencil straight on the skin freehanded.  The general design can be visualized at this point on the skin.

When the design is decided upon, the tattoo process begins.  This is where things can start to change a bit.  Depending on the location where the tattoo will end up, the customer is typically seated in a position as comfortable as possible to make for easy access to the skin by the tattoo artist.  Obviously, the sitting position will vary accordingly.

The time frame is another variance.  As is easily guessed extravagant, intricate and very large tattoos will take a longer amount of time than a smaller, simpler design.  Tattoos that are excessively large, such as designs covering the entire back often require repeat visits to the tattoo parlor.

Generally, for an easy and small tattoo of one color, one can typically expect it to take about an hour or less for the design.  Some can take as little as thirty minutes.  If there are a lot of color changes or intricacies the amount of time will increase.

Price can vary depending on the geographical location of the tattoo parlor.  Other factors that are reflected in the price include the size of the tattoo, difficulty and color variations.  Many parlors charge by the hour with a general range of between $40 - $150 per hour, again depending on location and the design.  For very large tattoos, prices might change accordingly switching from a per-hour fee to a set fee for the entire process.

Once the design is finished, expect to be taught how to care for the tattoo afterward.  It may be dressed in a bandage that will need proper care for the days following.  The tattoo artist will discuss all aftercare instructions with the customer prior to letting them leave the parlor.

Getting a tattoo can seem a lot less daunting when you know what to expect.  Getting to know your tattoo artist can help one feel more at ease with the whole procedure.  Meeting the staff beforehand might also go along way to ensure comfort with those working around you.

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