First Tattoo Guide

Lots of people get a tattoo on impulse without thinking the process through. That is not always a good idea for something so permanent. Tattoos are excellent expressions of special times in your life or special people. Just think it through and decide if the sentiment for today is one that you honestly want to carry around for a lifetime.

 Custom tattoos are probably more expensive than stock tattoos available at your local tattoo parlor. Your artist will need to spend time on the creation or I should say recreation of your design. Not every design that comes into the parlor is feasible. Your artist will take the spirit of your art piece and turn it into something that will be aesthetically pleasing for your body. Adding to the price of your custom tattoo will be the time your artist spends developing. Your artist will also spend more time with doing the actual tattoo because it is probably not something they have done before. Simple designs or stock designs found in your tattoo parlor will be applied quicker and will take your artist less time to create. Simple is cheaper. Custom may tell your story better.

 Your next step is to decide whether you want color or black with intense shading. Color is going to be more costly because your artist will need to change equipment more often to add the colors. It will also take more time to complete. Color does make your tattoo one of a kind. The variety of colors to choose from will make your tattoo stand out from the crowd. On the other hand black and shaded tattoos can also hold their own. Black and shaded tattoos can be very classic in appearance. A black and shaded tattoo can be very distinct because of the high contrast between natural skin color and the black ink.

 Your next decision is to select your real estate. Where on your body will your tattoo be placed. You need to decide whether this tattoo is supposed to be visible for the public or just for you. You must decide if your lifestyle will fit with public placement of your tattoo. Careers and family perceptions of your tattoo can seriously affect your life. You are free to place that tattoo where you choose. The freedom of choice is definitely up to you but you must decide if you can live with the perceptions from others.

 Tattoos placed in areas where the skin is just going to hurt more than in areas where there is more muscle or fat. Decide on your pain tolerance level before you start the process. Your artist may be able to deliver a few small skin tests to determine if your pain tolerance for that particular location is acceptable. Areas with thinner skin include ankles, head, chest and lower back. Areas where pain may not be as intense include arms, legs, shoulders and your rear end.

Designing Your Own Tattoo

Permanent tattoos are ink that has been injected into a layer of the skin to alter its pigment or color. The most common use for tattoos is artistic expression but there are other uses too. Such as: Self-expression, Advertising, Art, Religion, Identification and more.

 No matter what your reasons are for getting a tattoo, deciding on a design can be a difficult choice.

 There are hundreds of themes and thousands of designs out there to choose from. You might draw inspiration from something you see or an event that takes place in your life to help you come up with your own design. When trying to come up with a design or mark to get tattooed, a great idea is to keep a scrapbook or notebook with ideas, sketches and designs that you come across or think of and work from there. A permanent tattoo is just what it says: permanent. So when youve worked out what you think you would like for a permanent tattoo, its always to best to try before you buy, so to speak!

 One good way to do this is to try a temporary one first. You can use DIY temporary tattoo paper to print the designs you like and test them out on your own skin to see how they look. You might also like to test how the tattoo will look on different parts of your body. This can be really helpful! In reality, what you originally thought would look good on one part may in actual fact look better somewhere else on the body. So, the only real way to know for sure is to test it out. And the best way to get a good representation of a permanent tattoo is with a fake one.

 You can buy DIY temporary tattoo paper online and its also available at some stationary/office supply stores.

 Temporary transfers are made of ink and glue and last approximately 3-7 days or until removed. You can make a temporary tattoo last longer by avoiding rubbing and keeping it free from water as much as possible. While they are waterproof, water will wear down the tattoo faster.

 To remove the transfer sheet simply apply baby oil to the skin and wipe it off. Most tattoos are quite safe, but its best to check the ingredients to make sure youre not allergic to any of the inks or ingredients being used.

 Some of those who get a permanent tattoo then get hooked on it and dont stop at just one. It can be a quite addictive. My recommendation is to test them out first and avoid any later regrets from rushing in. All the best on your tattooing adventure and good luck!