You’ve scoured countless Pinterest boards, you’ve been to more tattoo conventions than you can remember, , and you’ve had a pang of jealously when your best mate showed you their latest skin addition. You’ve made the decision, you know what you want, you’re getting a tattoo. Yay! Welcome to the ever-growing club, but first, a few things to think about before you rush off to get inked. To make sure your new addition is a beauty and lasts a life-time, consider these 5 simple things before putting down that non-refundable deposit.
Budget
Tattoos are expensive, there is just no way around it. A lot of time and effort goes into that piece of art on your skin – prep work, sketching, research, ink, needles, the list goes on. Cheap, rushed, and unsanitary are not words that should be associated with something that is going into your skin for life. First step to getting a tattoo? Budget accordingly. How do you do that? Start by deciding how big your tattoo is going to be.
Location (You) and Location (Studio)
As you’ll be paying for the tattoo artist’s time and materials it is natural to assume that the bigger the tattoo the bigger the budget. Where would you like your tattoo to go? Think about curvature, muscle mass and nerve endings as these will play big parts in the way the design looks and how sensitive the area will be when getting tattooed. For example, your feet with limited tissue will be more sensitive than that of your outer thigh.
Once you know what you want, and where on your body you want it, you’ll need to start considering where you’d like to go to have it done. Geographical location of a studio can have a huge effect on what you’ll be paying for when it comes to your tattoo.
The average price in the UK is around £100/HR but the closer you get to central London this goes up to £300/HR. However, don’t assume that the highest price equates to the best quality of work. Consider studio reputations and their artists as there are plenty of reputable studios, like Fudoshin Tattoo in South Woodford, who house amazing artists who do phenomenal work for a good price.
Artist
When you have a general idea of where you want to go start looking at studios and their artists in that area. If there is a particular style of tattoo you want to get done, look at studios and artists who specialise in that specific genre as different tattooists specialise in different techniques for a reason. While there may be artists who can cover a wide range of genres, often it is better to go to an artist who specialises in the area you want to get the best possible result.
Aftercare
After care, after care, after care – say it with me! After care is so important when going through the tattoo process. It may be the last in line, but it is also the difference between a beautiful finish and an infected-washed-out-atrocity. Several things affect aftercare so be prepared ahead of time. Make sure you have the proper cleansing materials, certified tattoo lotion or coconut oil, and before you leave the tattoo shop that tat is wrapped! Nothing worse than a piece of sneaky bacteria getting in there and ruining the whole tattoo because you have a thing against cling film. And finally, consider the time of year it is as the current season will also have an affect on your tattoo’s outcome. For example, if you got work done on your thigh in the middle of winter, be sure to wear loose clothing so no ink is lost and apply extra lotion or oil so the tattoo does not get too dried out.
by Natasha MacKenzie
The post 5 Things to Consider When Getting a Tattoo appeared first on Felix Magazine.
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