Tattoo Lettering

For those who are thinking about a new tattoo design, there is a lot of legwork to cover. And if you don’t believe that to be true, then you might end up being one of those with ink that you hate. Gone are the days of just thumbing through a few dusty design books to find your (im)perfect design.

This is crazy! Call it short-sighted, or having too much faith in tattoo removal technology (dubious odds, at best), but for something that will be on your body for your entire life, you really need to take a few steps back, slow down, and take your time making a design choice. Here are a few steps that you should consider taking so that you don’t end up with a visible reminder of your bad decision.

Your first step is to determine where the tattoo will be positioned. There’s no sense in looking for a design just yet, because many designs only “work” in certain areas. For example, designs for hip tattoos often will not work as lower back tattoo desings. It’s even a good idea to apply a similarly-sized temporary tattoo in your target location so that you can be sure that you like the placement.

After the location is selected, begin to narrow down your design choices. You are probably attracted to certain styles of designs already, e.g. tribal tattoo designs, cartoonish designs, abstract designs, etc. After narrowing it down to a category, refine your selections until you come up with your own shortlist.

Now comes the fun part: you’re going to try that tattoo on and model it for a few days. What you will want to do is grab several sheets of professional transfer paper that tattoo artists use in studios to transfer tattoo designs onto your skin. You can find samples on this tattoo finder blog. You’ll trace your design onto the transfer paper (you can even use a lightbox), and then have a friend transfer it to your skin. Grab some fine-tipped, colored permanent markers, and have your friend fill in the design. It doesn’t have to be perfect at this point; all you want to do is make sure that the size, location, and design are suitable.

Now you’ll just observe that design in its natural habitat! Don’t obsess over it, but glance at every time you pass the mirror, see how it works with the clothes you normally wear, make sure you can adequately cover it up when you need to, and be sure that you like the design and placement. Don’t be afraid to try on more than one design either; often, your second or third design choice will actually suit you the best. It should only take a few iterations until you find a tattoo you’ll love.

Additionally, if your tattoo will include a lettering style, don’t limit yourself to what you see in the parlor’s books. There are literally thousands of freeware fonts that you can download and install on your computer. You can use a graphics program (even a free one like gimp) to add the tattoo lettering to your design of choice, and then transfer it to your skin with the rest of the test tattoo. Like the design, you’ll eventually find a font that is perfect for your new tattoo.

To some, this sounds like a lot of work, and that’s true. But this tattoo will be with you for a lifetime, so you will want to do your research. Use a tattoo finder to locate a great design, browse through the many free fonts available online, and test drive all of the promising tattoo designs before you ink them permanently. Your effort will be rewarded many fold in the years to come.

But herein lays the problem: no one is sure what aftercare procedure is the best for everyone. But there are many similarities among the aftercare procedures, and professionals agree that healing a tattoo fast does not necessarill mean healing a tattoo well. So the best approach is one that covers all of the common denominators in the programs, as well as other low-risk steps.

Before getting into any specifics, it’s important that you follow your tattoo artist’s directions precisely. If their guidance conflicts with this article, always refer to their instructions. But in the absence of directions, here’s what you need to know.

Tattoo Aftercare Do’s

• Do use an approved aftercare moisturizer / healing cream
• Do leave your tattoo covered with the initial bandage for the recommended minimum time period (usually four hours or more), and do remove the bandage in no more than 12 hours
• Do keep your tattoo out of direct contact with water (this includes the shower)
• Do keep your tattoo moisturized
• Do pat your skin dry when the tattooed area gets wet

Tattoo Aftercare Don’ts

• Don’t expose your tattoo to sunlight until fully healed
• Don’t go swimming or take baths
• Don’t let your tattoo dry out
• Don’t over moisturize your tattoo
• Don’t pick your tattoo scabs
• Don’t cover your tattoo with a bandage once the initial bandage has been removed
• Don’t scratch your tattoo or allow it to bruise

Tattoo Aftercare Procedure

1) Your shop should give you directions on how long to keep the original bandage (or film) on your tattoo. Absent a timeframe, wait at least four hours after leaving the shop, and then wash your hands thoroughly with an antibacterial soap. Like when you were a kid, sing the alphabet song while scrubbing to make sure you wash long enough!

2) Carefully remove the bandage that was placed over your tattoo at the parlor. With a mild antibacterial soap, carefully wash the affected area, removing any of the ink residue, greasy covering, blood, etc. You can tell that the area is clean when it just feels like wet skin. Be very careful with your skin. Pat your tattoo dry — do not brush or rub dry.

3) Apply a thin layer of moisturizer / healing ointment. Popular brands recommended at parlors include A&D Ointment, Neosporin, and Bacitracin. There are also tattoo-specific products that are designed exclusively for aftercare, and they include Tattoo Goo, H2Ocean Aftercare, and Black Cat Tattoo Cream. If you have a large, expensive tattoo, or a tattoo with deep colors that you want to protect, they are probably worth the investment.

4) Three to four times per day, apply a small layer of anti-bacterial ointment to your tattoo. You will want to use enough to moisten the tattooed area, but not so much as to leave streaks or allow it to build up. Your goal is to moisturize the area only, so start with a small amount and work it in with your fingers.

The problem with over moisturizing the skin is fading inks. If you slather on a thick coating of Neosporin and keep it saturated throughout the day, your tattoo might heal in just over a week — but the inks will fade. If, however, you lightly coat the area three to four times per day, your tattoo might take two to three weeks to heal, but the colors will set properly. The lesson to learn is healing quickly does not necessarily mean healing properly.

5) Cover the tattooed area with light, loose fitting clothing, and be mindful of your tattoo. Don’t scratch or pick your tattoo! If you must, gently slap the skin or use rubbing alcohol to relieve any itching or irritation.

While there might seem to be quite a few steps to follow, each step is quite simple. The bottom line is that you need to be mindful of your tattoo, and allow the body to heal itself as naturally as possible. You will do everything you can to assist that process, but you don’t want to rush nature. If you can do that, and stay diligent with your care for 2 to 3 weeks, you will be blessed with a deep tattoo that can be enjoyed for years to come.

Luckily, most people find caring for a new tattoo easier than finding good tattoo designs. If you’re looking for shoulder tattoos, girly tattoos, Irish tattoos, Tinkerbell tattoos, hip tattoos, or pictures of tattoos, be sure to look into using a quality tattoo finder. For product reviews, tips for getting the most out of your design, proper tattoo care ointments, and more, be sure to check out the EasyTattooFinder blog.

1) First and foremost, do your research. There’s no sense even looking into the tattoo artists or the cleanliness of the environment unless the parlor itself comes highly rated. These days, this is simpler than it sounds, thanks to our favorite online research and rating tools. Plus, you’re not looking for the best parlor yet — just eliminating the worst.

2) Ask around. Chances are that your friends and acquaintances have tattoos and you can ask about their experiences. Of course, if their tattoos are awful, don’t bother asking! While this is out of some peoples’ comfort zones, people you’ve never met are often open to talking about their tattoos. If they are in public view, the owner wants them to be seen, and will be flattered that you thought enough of their ink to task them about it.

Once you’ve gathered these personal references, do some web searches for each of the specific parlor names. Search for phrases like “tattoo-shop-name complaints,” “tattoo-shop-name problems,” etc.

Your local independent paper is a great way to find at least one leading local tattoo parlor. Tattoo shops very often advertise to these audiences, and if the ads are long-running, odds are very high that the shop is favored in the community.

3) Do your safety checks. Now that you have a shortlist of potential providers, take a trip to each of the shops. You’re looking at safety and cleanliness at this point.

• Are the tattoo artists wearing gloves?
• Do the tattoo artists thoroughly wash their hands and forearms prior to beginning a tattoo?
• Are people smoking in the shop?
• Is the parlor licensed?
• Is the parlor clean?
• Do the artists pull their needles from the autoclave (sterilizing equipment) prior to each tattoo?
• Does the parlor use single-use materials, such as inks, ink cups, needles, etc?
• Is each client shaved and properly disinfected prior to beginning work?
• Are plastic bags present and wrapped around hand-held equipment? This helps prevent cross-contamination.

4) Find an artist. If you’re satisfied that the shop is clean, it’s time to look for a specific artist. This is a matching process. While most artists are very versatile, if you’re looking for a skull tattoo, wouldn’t it make more sense to get it from someone who specializes in skulls? Often by looking through the art books in the parlor, you can get a feel for the style of each artist.

When you meet the tattoo artist, they should be friendly and helpful. They get a lot of window shoppers, so don’t expect them to be bubbly and excited to meet you, but they should still be accommodating. They should never try to talk you into getting larger or more intricate tattoos. Any artist who has been in business knows that the most satisfied clients are informed clients. Experienced tattoo artists will usually offer their opinions and guide the process, they should never push you.

If you feel that you are being pushed into something that you don’t like, or if the artist is dismissive of your questions, you might need to move on. Many experienced artists prefer working on intricate, large designs, so you might just fall under their radar. Not to worry: there is someone out there perfect for your tattoo.

5) Don’t price it. Never, ever, under any circumstance, comparison shop for prices. The cost of your tattoo is the absolute last consideration that should enter your mind. This tattoo will be with you for a lifetime. Trust it only to the best shop you can find and don’t let price affect your decision.

6) Choose your location. Sensitive areas and areas closer to bone tend to be more painful, but you shouldn’t let pain determine your tattoo’s location. Hip tattoos are very popular, as well as lower-back and shoulder tattoos. Growing in popularity are hand tattoos and foot tattoos, while the old standbys like arm tattoos are still going strong.

7) Choose your design. Similar to pricing your tattoo, don’t settle for any old design you find in their books. With the abundance of tattoo designs available in online galleries, there is no reason you can’t find the perfect tattoo for your skin. Your best option is to make use of a quality tattoo finder to browse designs. You’ll be able to find and download artwork, and see real life pictures of what the tattoos look like on people.