REMEMBER - THE ONLY PEOPLE WHO CARE IF YOU HAVE A TATTOO OR NOT,
ARE THE PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT TATTOOED!!
- Does it hurt?
- Will it fade?
- How do I know if I'm in a good, clean studio?
- How long does a Tattoo take to heal?
- What if I change my mind?
- Will you send me some design?
- How much is a Tattoo?
- How long can I be tattooed for in one sitting?
- I'll get drunk before I go for my Tattoo!
- How old do you have to be to get a Tattoo?
- Can I get an evening apoointment?
- How do I become a Tattooist?
DOES IT HURT?
Well, everyone has a different tolerance of pain, and it can range from mild discomfort to very sharp stinging, but really anyone who is that bothered about a short period of discomfort leading to a lifetime of decoration should be questioning whether they are ready for a tattoo.
WILL IT FADE?
Not in the normal course of things, but prolonged exposure to sunlight or worse still a sunbed will affect the colour of a tattoo. Sunblock will help, but as your skin darkens so it will affect the shade of the ink beneath it.
HOW DO I KNOW IF I'M IN A GOOD, CLEAN STUDIO?
No responsible tattooist would work with equipment that wasn't sterile, and the presence of an Autoclave in the working area should help set your mind at rest, any reasonable questions should be answered by the artist with confidence and without hesitation.
As far as ability goes, a comprehensive collection of albums of past work should be available to look at, and all queries should be handled professionally. A good rule of thumb is how you feel in the shop, if all feels well and there is no attitude or arrogance present then it should be a rewarding and lasting experience.
HOW LONG DOES A TATTOO TAKE TO HEAL?
A tattoo will surface heal in approx. one week, varying from person to person, but the healing process beneath will take up to one month, during which time strong sunlight and extremes of temperature should be avoided. See our caresheet for our advise on aftercare.
WHAT IF I CHANGE MY MIND?
If this is even a fleeting thought in your mind, forget about a tattoo, you aren't ready for one!
If something changes ie. your beloved, whose name you so lovingly had put into your skin, bins you at the drop of a hat, you can always have a design reworked to erase that painful memory, any good artist can cover anything with a bit of thought.
There are several ways to 'remove' a tattoo, but in all the methods available I have yet to see a result that I would call acceptable. Going back 20 years and beyond, a tattooist would tattoo nitric acid over a tattoo, which was then worked over with a silver nitrate pencil, causing the wound to turn sceptic and in due course the festering and resulting pus would draw the ink out, after a fashion. (Yes, this is a horrible technique and not widely used anymore, and it also leaves a mark like a burn scar).
At the same time the medical profession were experimenting with skin grafts, which do get rid of the tattoo but involve lenghty and painful treatment and still leave scarring.
During the 1980's laser technology which had been developed primarily for the treatment of unsightly birthmarks were used in the removal of tattoos, which they do, but as well as taking out the tattoo ink they also take out the skin pigment, leaving a white scar that will not tan. They also do not remove green ink at all, which is a huge flaw in the process.
When a tattoo is applied, and usually it is the product of unprofessional work that is needing to be removed, a certain amount of scar tissue is created, and no process currently available will undo scarring once it has formed.
All the treatments available need to be carried out by properly trained professionals, and usually medically qualified ones at that, so I really don't see a process that could be employed in the short term and outside of a clinical environment.
WILL YOU SEND ME SOME DESIGNS?
No, because we are not in the business of handing out designs for free that we have created for use in our studio, to be taken somewhere else to be tattooed. We will gladly design anything, for free, if it is to be applied in our shop, otherwise get out there and find it yourself! (if you are reading this you are already on the internet, so get to it).
HOW MUCH IS A TATTOO?
How long is piece of string? It depends what tattoo you are talking about. Tattoos start from £15 for a small Japanese symbol and go up to as much as you want to spend. Areas like the base of the spine or the stomach take considerably longer to apply and therefore this is reflected in the price.
HOW LONG CAN I BE TATTOOED FOR IN ONE SITTING?
We have found that most people are OK for one and a half to two hours, after which time it becomes steadily more uncomfortable, but more importantly the area will start to bleed and with it out will come the ink, meaning it will need to be re-coloured at a later date, wasting your money and our time. (and my hand will only function so long on one job!)
I'LL GET DRUNK BEFORE I GO FOR MY TATTOO!
Don't, or if you do, don't come in as we will not tattoo drunk people.
HOW OLD DO YOU HAVE TO BE TO GET A TATTOO?
You must be 18, it is the law, and there is no such thing as parental consent. Tattooing a minor is a criminal offence and can get us in serious trouble; proof of age will be required if your age is in question, without it you will not be tattooed.
CAN I GET AN EVENING APPOINTMENT?
Sorry but we don't work evenings, and the last thing you would want is a tired tattooist whose concentration is waning.
HOW DO I BECOME A TATTOOIST?
Well, this could take all night, but I'll try to keep it short. First off, do you have any tattoos - if you don't, forget it now, as you can't be that interested if you haven't!
Second, there are no schools or courses available, it's either a lengthy apprenticeship or teach yourself. No-one will teach you for free, you will need to invest anything from £5000 to £15,000 to buy an apprenticeship (I don't even consider them as it's too much hassle) and then work in a shop as general dogsbody, unpaid, for anything up to 2 years. You are after all asking them to set you up in the same business as them and whether in their shop or your own you will affect their trade.
A comprehensive portfolio of your own artwork is essntial but that alone will not get you a job, only fanatical obsession with tattooing will do that, and that begins with a lot of inkwork on yourself!(see point one)
OK, that's the bad news, here's the other options.
Get your level of artwork to a standard that you could use on a professional basis, then start in the direction of tattooing.
After spending time and money hanging out in the shop of a decent tattooist getting tattooed and watching their techniques like a hawk you may be able to get access to some machines and equipment that you can play with, and then you experiment on your own legs, this is imperative as, if you won't do yourself then you have no right to work on other people, and you also need to know how you feel in relation to the tattoos you have had from other people; if you don't like that idea, see point one.
If you're still reading, it won't take long to get a grip on the basics and soon you can begin seeking volunteers - the learning curve is drastic and directly reflects the number of pieces you have done. Soon you may have built up a portfolio of tattoos that you have done and then you may be able to get a spot in someone's shop, but again, these don't come free and you will be looking at a minimum of £5,000 for a chair per annum, but you can easily cover that if you are prepared to work hard (in general 8/9 hours a day (5/6 tattooing, the rest in prep work), 6 days a week, all year round).
I'm not being purposely negative, but this is a very demanding profession, and requires a degree of commitment that most people are not prepared to give, but it is extremely rewarding with perseverence - I have been tattooing since I taught myself with a box of old equipment (long since retired) purchased over 20 years ago and I have never looked back, but it was a long haul for the first 7 or 8 years.