It’s a fun experience going in and getting a tattoo. This is even truer if it’s your very first tattoo! If that’s the case, you need to go in with some rules of thumb to follow to make sure you make the right decision. Let’s take a look at 4 points to keep in mind.

1. Don’t use flash artwork. There is a lot of really good flash art work out there, but it would make your tattoo much more meaningful if you either altered an existing design to your tastes so that it’s original or came in with an idea yourself.

2. Get a good artist whose style you like. It’s perfectly okay to ask for an artists portfolio of their work in order to help decide who will ink your flesh up. Any reputable artist is going to have a big binder of photographs available and probably even an on line portfolio showing their work in both tattoo art they’ve done and tattoo designs they’ve drawn but not necessarily inked into anyone yet. The better artists have distinctive styles that show through their work. Finding an artist whose work reflects the style of art you want will make the tattoo all that much more meaningful.

3. Be careful choosing words and symbols. Words and symbols aren’t inherently bad for tattoos, it’s just that they are entirely specific to ones interests and life at the time. It’s possible in the future these tattoos may not be enjoyed as much as a more abstract piece of artwork whose meaning can somewhat shift as a person changes. This point mainly applies to getting peoples names on your body.

4. Be prepared for the pain but don’t worry too much. Think about how many people around you have tattoos - everyone of them dealt with the pain and made it out alive. The truth is you will too. Many tattoo artists describe the sensation as aggravating a bad sunburn. This doesn’t sound particularly nice, but you can do it. If not, there are numbing lotions increasingly available for the squeamish - ask your shop if they carry any and if they can work for you.

Tattoos can become addictive, so be sure to pick a good one to start with! Finding a good artist and creating original, meaningful tattoos makes for great art. Don’t settle for anything less!

Tags: Tattoos