Does
getting a tattoo hurt? |
Some people claim to feel nothing but pressure
or a slightly irritating feeling and nothing more. Some claim
that it is "annoying". Others admit that it is quite
painful but not totally unbearable. How it feels depends on the
person. Each person, and how their body tolerates pain, is different.
None will report the same exact sensation. |
The feeling can range from cat scratch to
burning to electricity or just the feeling of being written on
very stiffly with a ballpoint pen. In the end, getting a tattoo
feels like getting a tattoo. Try it and find out. :) |
Ladies please
take note: You may notice that the sensation of the tattoo may
be amplified if you're getting work done a week before or during
your menstrual cycle... |
|
How
long does it take for a tattoo to heal? |
Tattoo healing times can differ
greatly from person to person. Most people are healed within 2
weeks, others can heal at a much slower rate. I've seen tattoos
that have taken up to a month to heal. And just because it's healed
on the outside, doesn't mean the tattoo is completely healed underneath.
|
Healing time can
depend on the individual and their health. The better your health,
the faster you'll heal. Skin type can also be a factor in this. |
Healing time can
depend on the body part. Some areas will heal faster than others
depending on how much you use the body part. Joints and places
that flex or bend on a regular basis can take longer to heal.
This includes hands and feet, which can take up to a full month
to heal because of the difference in the texture of the skin in
these spots. |
Each artist works
differently and certain individual techniques may overwork the
skin and cause the tattoo to take a bit longer to heal. |
Tattoos that scab
may often take a bit longer to heal than a tattoo that peels. |
More information
on healing and aftercare can be found here. |
|
| Does a tattoo always
form a scab? |
Nope. Some tattoos
will scab, some will peel. Sometimes
a tattoo will do both. Either is possible and quite normal. There
is no way to predict whether your tattoo will scab or peel. This
can vary with each individual and each tattoo as well as each
body part and the aftercare used. |
|
When
I go to get my tattoo, what
should I wear? |
Wear
something comfortable...
and breathable. Layer clothing so that if you get overheated,
you have a way to cool down. Wear old clothes... tattoo ink stains! |
Wear something
that allows the artist easy access to the area you'd like tattooed.
The artist needs no more exposed than the area in which he or
she is going to be working with a few inches surrounding to be
able to wipe excess ink away. |
|
Do
you numb the area before a tattoo?
|
No. To prescribe any type of anesthetic you
must be a doctor and there is no way I'm going through medical
school to be able to give a person a painless tattoo. |
People have been getting tattooed (and
things much, much more painful) for thousands of years
with no numbing needed. In fact, it was done to prove how
much the body could endure. A rite of passage
to prove your worth to the tribe.
|
If it was painless it would be all too easy,
everyone would have tattoos and it would be a worthless commitment.
If you want that tattoo bad enough you'll sit through it. You'll
earn it. Even if you're not proving your strength to society or
your peers... you're proving it to yourself. :D |
|
Does
one color hurt more than another? |
Absolutely not. You'll hear some people saying
that one color hurts more than another color. This makes no sense.
It's not the color or ink that causes the sensation, it's the
needles. You can run water through a tattoo machine and it will
feel exactly the same way. |
A lot of people claim
that black ink hurts more. I've heard some claim that yellow
and white ink (or very light colors) hurts more. Why? Black
is normally the first color that hits the skin... and that can
cause a bit of shock to the system. The skin hasn't been worked
yet and the feeling is very new to your body. Once it goes on
for a while you tend to adjust and get used to it.
|
White or other
very light colors are often the last colors used. The skin has
already been worked so it's a little tender by this point. Sometimes
that last color can seem like the worst, especially since you're
anticipating the end of the process and enjoying your new addition.
This is what you've worked so hard for. |
|
Can
I have a few drinks to loosen me up before my tattoo? |
Not if you expect me to tattoo you. It won't happen.
Alcohol is a bloodthinner so it will cause you to bleed more.
The excess flow of blood can cause immediate fading. Being that
I take great pride in my work, I can't see wasting my time and
effort putting all my love and energy into a piece if the person
on the recieving end doesn't care what their ink looks like
when it heals. My work is my signature and my good name. If
it looks bad so do I.
|
The bottom line is that I'm not drunk when
I work on you... show me the same respect. If I smell alcohol
on you, you will not be tattooed. No exceptions. |
|
If
a woman gets a tattoo on her
stomach (abdomen) and then decides to have children, will the
tattoo stretch out of shape? Will it ever go back to normal? |
This depends
solely on the individual.
Sometimes the abdomen will stretch
but remain smooth, unmarred by stretchmarks. Most likely the tattoo
will go back to normal in this situation. However, if stretchmarks
do occur, they will run over the weakest areas of skin. Areas
prone to easiest stretching would be where the skin was perforated
before... if a stretchmark runs through your tattoo you have less
than a 50% chance of it going back to normal, no matter what you
do. |
Stretchmarks
from pregnancy have the potential to run anywhere from the tops
of the thighs to just under the breasts and from hip to hip across.
|
Ladies,
think very carefully about getting a tattoo in this area if you
plan on having children and keeping your ink looking good. There's
little to nothing you can do to completely prevent stretchmarks
from occuring if it runs in your family. Even if it's skipped
a generation... |
|
Can
stretchmarks and scars be covered by a tattoo? |
They
will still be noticable, but most of the time they can be tattooed
over and disguised. I advise finding an artist who is experienced
with working on these types of tissue as it can require more care
when being tattooed. The scars or stretchmarks must be healed
thoroughly (sometimes a year or more to be sure) or you may wind
up with a mess... |
|
Is
it true that tattoos are addictive? |
Yes, but not in the traditional
sense... It's not very often that a person gets one tattoo
and quits. They may even wait years before the next tattoo, but
sooner or later they get back in 'the chair'. :) |
|
Tomorrow
is my 18th birthday. Can I get my tattoo now? |
Nope. New York state law prohibits the tattooing
of minors. There is no parental consent.
I don't have any plans for breaking the law and I don't plan on
being fined or doing jail time because you wanted a tattoo a few
hours early. Sorry. You've waited this long, another day won't
hurt. :P |
|
I
know what I want, but I can't draw it. Can you design a tattoo
for me? |
As an
artist, I can and do design custom tattoos (in fact, I prefer
it- a tattoo should be unique to the wearer), however, between
working, designing flash and spending quality time with my family
I can only design tattoos for people who will be clients of mine.
I apologize and I do wish I could draw for everyone that requests
it but unfortunately I would have no clue what to charge for an
original custom piece that I would never be able to do on anyone
else again. For these
reasons I do not design or sell custom tattoos over the internet.
Hint- I like tattooing the
designs that I create... ;) |
|
I've
seen ink that glows in the dark/under a blacklight. Can I get
a tattoo like that? |
You can, but not from me. The chemicals
and phosphorus used to make the ink glow are not fully proven
to be safe. Some people can get tattooed with it and be fine,
others report very bad reactions after a few years. In my opinion,
blacklight inks haven't had enough time to be thoroughly tested
and proven safe... I'd rather my clients not be test subjects. |
|
Can
a tattoo be done in white ink? |
|
Yes. Unfortunately, you have to get really lucky
for a white tattoo to stay white. The paler you are, the better
off you are, but finding an artist who works well with white
and is willing to do a white tattoo may be difficult. I've done
tattoos on people who soak up white like there's no tomorrow
- but unfortunately, not everyone can hold white that well.
|
White generally stays better in small areas
like highlights. Larger areas are a bit tougher, but on
some people, not impossible. From what I've heard, most
artists won't even bother with white... (which is really dissappointing)
they won't even attempt to work with it. I, myself, would be lost
without white. I love using it. I like it even better when it
stays well...what you have to remember is that all colors are
affected by the pigment of your skin, not just the white. Even
though it may not show up perfectly paper white (it rarely ever
does), if it shows, it shows up lighter than your skin tone- and
that's the point. It may add a little
more dimention and liveliness to a piece by making certain points
stand out a bit more prominent. |
A solid white
tattoo with no black outline will not be very noticable. You may
get a lot of questions asking if it's a scar, brand or some other
form of mark. It will not stand out bold from your skin. If you
tan, it will be even less noticable and may be one of the first
things to fade with repeated sun exposure. |
After working
with it in small areas, your artist may be able to better decide
if white will stand out and stay in your tattoo. Normally, the
deeper the pigment of your skin, the less you'll notice white.
|
Tattoo artists
inexperienced at working with white may try to 'grind the ink
in' to get it to stay. This only creates scar tissue, not brighter
color. |
|
Why
does my tattoo raise up from time to time? |
| Some scarring occurs
with every tattoo. Most of the time it's not really noticable.
When the tattoo becomes irritated the scar will raise up for a
bit. This can be caused by sun exposure or sunburn, slapping,
scratching, rough clothing or even stress. Given time to calm
down, the tattoo will lay flat again. |
The same reaction
commonly occurs with stretchmarks. If you have them, I'm sure
you've noticed. |
|
My
tattoo is raised all the time. Why? |
If the tattoo
is raised constantly, chances are it's
permanantly scarred. This can happen with sensitive skin or skin
that's prone to keloiding. It can also happen if the artist goes
too deep or overworks the area. There isn't really anything that
can lessen the scar tissue. |
|
There's
a rash around my tattoo! Am I having an allergic reaction? |
Possibly, but probably
not. In most cases, the rash (which
looks like small pimples) is caused by over moisturizing the area.
Chances are, you're applying some sort of ointment or lotion to
the tattoo. All that moisture needs a way to escape and can do
so in the form of pimples... A rash can also be caused by something
as simple as clogged pores or sometimes, ingrown hairs. Once the
tattoo has finished scabbing or peeling, you can apply rubbing
alcohol to the rash to help dry it out. Don't try to pop the pimples...
this can cause scarring and may lighten the tattoo in that area.
|
It
is possible that you're allergic to the ointment or lotion that
you're applying. You can try switching brands... but make sure
you consult your artist about the condition of your tattoo before
changing anything in your aftercare procedure. They should be
able to help you find an alternate way of caring for the problem. |
If
you're having an allergic reaction to the ink, the spot with
the 'offending' ink will raise up, itch and have an extremely
hard time healing. At times it may 'weep' and look a bit lumpy.
Allergic reactions typically occur just after the tattoo is
finished, and noticed as the tattoo tries to heal. Sometimes
an allergic reaction can occur years after the tattoo has been
done and healed- but that's pretty rare from what I've seen.
The most common allergy-causing color is known to be red (a.k.a.
Red Reaction), but it is possible for a person to be allergic
to any color. If you're known to have severe allergies, ask
your artist about doing a spot test.
|
|
I
saw a picture in your gallery and it's perfect for me. Can I take
it to my artist to have him/her tattoo it on me? |
This is part of a big sore spot for me...
I feel a tattoo should be unique to the wearer. Many of my clients
request custom work... some have ideas in mind that they've been
planning for weeks, months and even years. Some make sure that
everything in the tattoo has a specific meaning or symbolism.
They and I have slaved over designs for hours getting everything
right and putting it to skin. What right does anyone else have
to take that artwork that is so very important to them and render
it exactly on their skin. If you write to me asking to use a design
in my gallery just the way it is, don't be surprised when you
get a big no in response. I have no problem letting my art and
tattoos influence and inspire another piece, but blatant copying
is LAME and any professional will tell you the same
thing . Be your own person. |
|
I
found the perfect picture of a tattoo in a magazine/on the internet.
It's already set up just the way I want it. Can you tattoo it
on me? |
This is the other part of the sore spot.
If a person comes to me to design a tattoo I give them my
word that I will not reproduce it on anyone. It's the same
if you come to me with a picture of someone elses tattoo. I can
use it for inspiration and influence in a new design, but I will
not copy it exact. If you're insisiting on getting it exact,
all this shows me is a lack of respect for other people and a
big lack of creativity and originality. I find it extremely dissapointing
and sad that some people cannot figure out what means something
to them and work from there. |
Creativity and originality go a long way
with me. ;) |
|
What
happens to the picture or artwork after I get a custom tattoo? |
I can design a
custom tattoo for you or you can bring in any artwork that you
like. Once the tattoo is finished the stencil for that tattoo
is destroyed. I do not keep custom artwork to add to the flash.
I will not put personal artwork or art that's not specifically
meant to be tattoo flash into public circulation. I have heard
of this happening and, rest assured, this will not happen with
me. |
|
I
see in your bio that you are self-taught.
I've been thinking about teaching myself to tattoo. Do you have
any advice that can help me out? |
Yes, I do have advice. Seek out a professional
apprenticeship under a qualified mentor.
Even if you are working on your own, there will come a
time when you can't learn anything more from books, videos or
trial and error. |
| When people use the words 'self-taught'
I want to choke. There is no such thing. Everyone who learns this
trade does so through someone else. By watching or speaking to someone
else. |
| I wouldn't be nearly as far as I am now without all the people
who have helped me along the way. I consider myself very lucky to
have come this far. It took a lot of hard work, sacrifice and suffering
to put me where I am- and I'm
still nowhere near where I could have been. I still have a lot to
learn. The process is constant.
It's when you think you know it all that you need to lay down your
machines and leave the industry. No one knows everything there is
to know... There's always someone who knows something more and can
teach you things you didn't know the day before. :) |
Find an artist you trust and get an apprenticeship.
You'll thank yourself in the
long run. |
