Tattoo Artists

A Very Special Breed

Know any tattoo artists? If you have a tattoo, you’ve met with one, or two…or three. Tattoos don’t have the same stigma they once had. They’ve gained a lot of popularity over the decades. Once upon a time, only roughneck guys, truckers, prostitutes, and guys in the military got them. Respectable people didn’t. It was a seedy, bad-boy/girl thing. But now, you’re almost hard-pressed to find someone who doesn’t have one. Discretely hidden or not, they’ve crossed into all social circles. Affluent people have them. Quiet, shy people have them. Lawyers, doctors, CEO’s. I know several tatted up pastors. Heck, I even know a grandma or two that’s gotten inked much later in their lives!

Sorry about your tattoo!

Skilled tattoo artists and those willing to learn have my utmost respect for a number of reasons. The first reason is perhaps for me, the most daunting. There is no undo. There’s no erase, erase. And an “oopsie” can lead to trouble. Have you seen the “No Regerts” Milky Way commercial? In all seriousness though, it is worlds harder to cover a mistake and hopefully your client is none the wiser.

Typical tattoo gun

Secondly, their weapon of choice is a moving, vibrating, buzzing apparatus. Now for those of you who personally know me, you know that my hands have always had a slight tremor. Always. I hate it. But even so, somehow I manage to crank out the portraits that I do. Strangely, my hands lose most of the tremor when I put pencil to paper. And, it’s something about pencil to paper in particular, I think. I’ve tried airbrushing and my hands are not steady enough. So I’m not sure what would happen if I picked up a tattoo gun. Would the buzzing of the gun cancel out my tremor or make it worse? Would the tremor in my hands increase because of the whole apprehension of the permanence of a tattoo and the pressure to not mess up?

Human canvases pose a number of challenges.

Thirdly, their canvas is anything but flat or stable. Their canvases can feel what you’re doing. I have several tattoos and getting them done hurts. Certain locations hurt more than others. If you have a heavy-handed artist, it hurts even more. Their canvases can jump and scream and hit you if they feel so inclined. And if you royally screw up, I’m pretty sure you can be sued. Now ask me again why I prefer my fancy paper…

In my mind these artists have a passion for doing what they do. And for a lot of tattoo owners, that means that something was that important, meaningful, and dear to them that they wanted it indelibly inked into their skin. A permanent reminder and tribute to that person, or cause, etc. Any tattoo artist worth their salt will feel the weight of such a responsibility. They will want to do that meaningful image justice. They also have nerves of steel. Not every person coming through their door to sit for a tattoo has the same pain tolerance or endurance. And not every person is comfortable with being in such close contact with total strangers.

There’s no excuse for getting a bad tattoo.

They are addicting though. When I got my first, that’s all I was going to get, no ands, ifs, or buts about it. Just one. Five tattoos later finds me debating on a sixth. If you’re itching to get one of your own, make sure you do your research. Most people who have regretted theirs didn’t do that. Half of them wandered into a tattoo shop and picked some generic thing off the wall. The other half didn’t research the artist. These days, there’s no excuse. Google artists! Most reputable artists will have online portfolios.

It’s Your Responsibility to Find a Good Artist

If you’re into portraits, Google tattoo artists who specialize in portraits. If you’re into animals and want your favorite pet tattooed on you, look for artists who can do animal portraits and do them well. Are you a fan of the darker skulls and grim reaper style tattoos or maybe pinup style? Look for artists who can do it justice. Yes, you can be that specific! And you should be. Tattoos are not cheap and they are permanent. Why shell out money for something you’re going to regret? In this day and age, if you get a bad tattoo, it’s mostly on you for not doing your research. There are plenty of fantastic tattoo artists out there. It’s up to you to find them.

Yea, I know…laser treatments can remove a bad tat, but it’s not cheap, they hurt much worse than the tattoo, AND you have to go for several sessions. Just sayin’…