The Artist-Client Relationship: Building Trust for Better Tattoo Outcomes
First, let’s talk about tattoos – the beautiful, and in many ways, irrevocable, markers that we elect to adorn ourselves with. In fact, tattoos can be thought of as more enduring than marriage; statistically speaking, they are certainly longer-lasting. And, unlike mortgages, they are also more visually evident. Due to the durable nature of tattoos […]
First-Timer’s Guide: Mental and Physical Preparation for Your Tattoo Journey
Getting your first tattoo is a great way to express yourself creatively and patiently, and it’s almost like hosting a dinner party for someone you admire and respect, although you’ve never met them. You’re going to be excited, yet anxious and I’m sure you’re wondering “what have I gotten myself into?” To begin, I’m not […]
Blackwork to Watercolor: Understanding Different Tattoo Styles and Their Longevity
There is something with a Faustian twist about tattooing, is there not? A permanent compact with one’s skin, an agreement in the form of a question: “Are you quite sure that you will like this dragon clasping a rose, when you are collecting your old age pension?” The Romans called the tattooed Britons “Picti,” the […]
Tattoo Aftercare Evolution: New Methods That Speed Healing and Preserve Color
The human body, which acts as an amazing container of flesh and capillary, has served as the first canvas for all human beings. But for ages, the effort of maintaining that canvas protected from the day of the puncture has, frankly, been like treating any minor wound from a battle with whatever cream grandma had […]
Digital Revolution in Tattoo Design and Application
Tattooing, one of the oldest art forms practised by Egyptian mummies, Polynesian chieftains and that fellow at college who got rather too keen on the whole concept during freshers week, is undergoing what one might perhaps say was a kind of jolly good shake up. Nowadays, the modern tattoo parlour is much like a cross […]
Apprentice to Master: The Career Path of Successful Tattoo Artists
The career path of becoming a tattooist is not the same as deciding to become an accountant. You cannot take a detour by going to the job centre, picking up a paper and emerging three months later with a diploma entitling you to be a decorator on skin. No, the route to becoming a tattooist […]
Tattooing Over Scars: Transformation, Healing, and Technical Considerations
Scars represent narratives we didn’t necessarily want to write—surgical wounds, accidents, teenage pranks, and a self-destructive impulse. Nevertheless, the tattoo parlours and studios of the world, from Tokyo to Tottenham, have experienced a slow but steady transformation for decades. Tattoo artists practicing scar coverage have elevated the state of their artwork to something approximating restorative […]
Aging Gracefully: How to Ensure Your Tattoos Look Good Decades Later
Let me tell you, I’ve watched thousands of people make decisions they later regretted. But here is something that most won’t tell you: that fabulous ink you are walking around with right now? Well, you see, it is living tissue. It is not static art work hanging on the wall—it is part of your largest […]
The Psychology of Tattoo Placement: What Your Tattoo Location Reveals
Psychology of tattoo placement has intrigued anthropologists, psychologists, and lovers of body art for millennia, and for good reason. Where you decide to dye your body is more than just a tattoo; it’s a story that is more revealing than the imagery itself, a language that is written not in ink, but in the rich […]
Tattoo Cover-Up Masterclass: Turning Regrets into New Art
So here you are, looking at that tribal armband you got in 1997, or maybe the name of a person that makes you shudder when you catch a glimpse of it in the mirror. The first thing to know is that tattoo cover-ups have gone from some sort of desperate attempt to be discreet, to […]
