I run a small tattoo business in Niagara Falls, Canada so this article's main goal is to clear up endless line of questions I receive from my friends, friends and colleagues from different countries of our beautiful Planet. Having over 20 years of tattooing left behind I believe I am a person who knows something about making tattoo and to make sure everything I do is done more or less the way it should be done. I together with my friends visited many tattoo seminars on all continents of the Globe, met almost all key persons of the tattoo making industry so now I'd like to share my experience to those who thinking whether they to start tattoo making business (or hobby) or make better their skills and knowledge. I am planning to share some of of my professional secrets gained since 1980's as a line of publications that hopefully will help those who are interested in tattooing, modern tattoo trends and amazing history"legendary history of this art to get better
understanding of what this world calls the Artistic Modification of Your Body, Body Art or Avantgarde Art. Let's start!
"Tattoo" as a word was borrowed from Polynesian word "tatau" and means literally "painting" or "picture". English language got this word thanks James Cook - the brave English traveler and researcher. No doubts Europe had tattoo art before still Europeans didn't have a word to name this art so the birth date of Tattoo word is 1773 when James Cook added the word to his report.
There are three main types of tattoo:
1. Permanent
To tell the truth - there is not much to add here - once made it will be quite a task to get rid of it thanks special tattooing techniques and tattoo ink used for making permanent tattoo.
2. Temporary
One of the most popular kind of tattoo. The most people's opinion is that to get tattoo is a hard decision because tattoo is considered to be permanent so what looks good when you are a teenager will most likely not be so in, say, 40.
Also no doubt that "Marry me Merry Mary" tattooed all over your chest will not look that cool if Mary decided to answer "No". Temporary tattoo makes it possible for you to get whatever you like "to wear" for a while and make up your mind if you really need it.
3. Cosmetic
Cosmetic tattoo's main purpose is to hide scars, different types of skin problems such as spots or psoriasis. Additionally cosmetic tattoo is used for permanent makeup.
Tattoo ink (or Tattoo Dyes, Pigments):
Tattoo ink is literally the core and base of quality tattoo. Having good ink you can be sure that your work won't end up as a blurry and not attractive spot and also that colors won't fade out fast. Cheap tattoo ink means bad quality tattoo and so here we are: don't try to save money on tattoo ink folks! There is a wide choice of tattoo ink on the market now. It is a huge industry so serious universities and research centres are spending their time, knowledge and money to get better and better new ink formulas that will be better and better -competition within tattoo business is serious. Now we have such colors tattoo makers in XX century would sell their souls for! Colors are selected and mixed using computer to get absolutely strict color fit, we've got Ultraviolet glowing tattoo ink... true paradise for those who are in tattoo business and of course for those who are creative!
My suggestion is to purchase tattoo ink in bulk at wholesale prices, preferably from an outlet. Be attentive and careful! - there are a great deal of fake ink! Trust no one - test first. There are too many fakes on tattoo market in the States and in Canada so make sure you have a trustworthy tattoo vendor to buy from. After all it's you who will answer for the final result and you cannot tell if your client has a gun to visit you again with...
Tattoo Machines:
Tattoo artists employ such terms as "machine", "gun", "iron" and others. My preference is just a "machine" ,for it is exactly what it says - machine that makes tattoo. There are plenty of different makes and models of tattoo machines to choose from. My personal preferences as well as general information on tattoo machines will be explained in my next articles because it is quite the same as with tattoo ink - a great deal of information to share, a lot of stuff to pay your attention to and many things to remember when you are buying your first tattoo machine.
Tattoo needles:
To have a good tattoo needles is a serious thing you should remember because it is a metal part that has direct contact with the skin of your client and must meet all hygienic requirements. Make sure that needles you buy come from reliable source. Otherwise you can finish your tattoo career in a jail and shouting that you "didn't know that it might cause blood infection"... Once again - guys: trying to find things cheaper is OK but keep in mind that you want the quality stuff also! With the needles it is very important.
OK folks. This one was kinda the way to introduce myself. In the next ones I'll share my thoughts on what tattoo tattoo supplies to use and where to buy them. Thanks for your time folks!
