You may be considering getting your first tattoo. Next, what do you do? It’s advisable to hold off on rushing to the neighbourhood tattoo shop, picking a random design, and then waiting to view your finished product.
Before moving on, you must make the following five important decisions.
1) Are You Ready for a Tattoo?
You must be certain that you want a tattoo because it is a lifetime commitment. It may be the best thing in the world, but would you still think so in ten, twenty, or even fifty years?
Although tattoo removal technology constantly evolves, it is still an expensive, unpleasant, and time-consuming process. So it’s preferable to think that your tattoo will last a lifetime for the time being.
2) The tattoo’s layout
The next step is to select the tattoo design you desire once you’ve resolved that you want one. There are many different tattoo design categories, such as dragon, flower, butterfly, angel, sun, etc. There are numerous options.
The majority of tattoos are created using premade templates. Simply pick the design you like (some are free, but the better ones cost up to $20) and bring it to the tattoo artist of your choice.
Visit several tattoo-related websites, read through tattoo design books, and choose the basic kind of design you desire. After you’ve done that, focus on the specific design you desire.
Alternatively, you might think about having a tattoo artist create a custom tattoo just for you if you can’t find what you’re looking for or want your tattoo to stand out.
This alternative is more expensive (the design may cost $200 to $300 or more, depending on size and detail), but more common designs will be less expensive because most tattoo artists have expertise doing them. However, you will have total creative control over the design of your tattoo, no one else will have one like it, and it will be permanent.
Never forget that a good tattoo is not inexpensive, and a cheap tattoo is not desirable.
And a word of advice: get a tattoo that you don’t believe you’ll get weary of looking at unless you plan to have it on a region of your body that you can’t see (like your back). The worst scenario is getting a fresh tattoo on a prominent portion of your body that you eventually despise.
It’s crucial to pick a design that will still apply to you in the future. This is especially important when it comes to designs with names in them.
Numerous people obtain tattoos that include the names of their children. They will always be your offspring, so this is a secure choice. But before you tattoo the name of your spouse or partner all over your body, give it some thought. What if you end up splitting up later? Will wearing your ex’s name around your neck make a new partner happy?
3) Black Or Color?
The decision of whether it will be in colour or plain black is another factor that is closely related to your design choice. The design style you want will have a big impact on this decision.
But keep in mind that black tattoos can have sharper lines. They stand out more than colour tattoos’ soothing effect because of the contrast with your skin. Contrastingly, colour tattoos are significantly richer and aid in giving your selected design more personality, but they are more expensive.
Which Part Of Your Body Is That?
There are three small things to think about before deciding where on your body to get tattooed. First, consider the size of the design you have chosen. If you’ve got your heart set on a large design, there won’t be enough room on your hands, ankles, etc… The back, shoulders, chest, and stomach are preferable for large designs.
How noticeable do you want your tattoo to be, secondly? Do you prefer it to be more covert or to be frequently on the show to the general public? If so, it’s crucial to keep in mind your usual clothing choice.
It’s also crucial to remember that some professions, including law enforcement, have severe guidelines prohibiting tattoos on the lower arms and other areas. So, check with your bosses first if that would be a problem.
Thirdly, some locations hurt more than others. Ankles, the head, and the lower back are body parts where the flesh is thinner and more bony and tend to hurt more. Tattooing your shoulders, chest, upper arm, and upper back is less uncomfortable. And more private parts of your body may be very sensitive given the volume of nerve endings involved.
5) Size
The size of your tattoo will largely (sorry, terrible pun!) depend on where it is placed on your body. After all, a twelve-inch-square design won’t fit on the back of your hand. Large tattoos will also be more conspicuous and take longer to complete (costing more).
But don’t let this convince you that getting a little tattoo is something you can do at random. A little tattoo requires just as much commitment and will last for the same time as a larger design.
Don’t rush into getting a tattoo because it’s a big decision; think it through thoroughly before deciding on any of the above options.