Once you’ve decided to take the step and “get inked”, obviously you need to spend some time thinking about what kind of tattoo you want, or possibly design your own. Whilst some people are happy with “Flash”, others want something unique - something which really reflects who and what they are and represent.

Tattoo Design : Perhaps you don’t like any of the Flash art you’ve seen, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a good place to get some ideas. Browsing through online Flash art can help you to decide the type and style of Tattoo you want. Tatto styles vary widely, everything from tribal designs, stars, celtic to hearts and crosses.

Online Tattoo Designs : The internet is an excellent resource for finding a Tattoo design which suits you. Many websites offer extensive Flash art designs running into the many thousands. You can easily search and browse a wider range of styles than you would find in any Studio.

Find A Tattoo Artist : Visit some of the Tattoo Studios in your local area. Maybe you’ve got friends who have had Tattoos - their recommendations are valuable advice. Make sure the Studios are well kept and clean. Tattoo Studios have acquired a reputation of being dark and seedy places - but there isn’t an excuse for unhealthy environments.

Tattoo Studios (perhaps wrongly) can appear intimidating places. However, it is important that you feel comfortable and the staff are approachable and friendly. Getting a Tattoo is an important decision and you need to be able to discuss your design and what you want freely with the artist. If you find staff unhelpful or unwilling to answer questions, then simply leave and go elsewhere. Don’t ever feel pressured into getting something you’re not 100% happy with.

Take you time with this step, don’t rush into something straightaway. Look for proper sanitary and sterilizing equipment (sharps containers for disposing of needles, autoclaves, latex gloves on the artists). Take note of how the artist relate to their customers. Do they listen to any customer concerns? Have they changed their gloves when they’ve touched anything other than their tattooing equipment? (e.g. telephone). Is there a comfortable atmosphere where you’d be happy sitting for a couple of hours whilst being tattooed? If not, this isn’t the right place.

The Final Step : Getting the Tattoo done!. You’ve spent all the time and effort you could spend on trying to design your own tattoos. Now’s the time to get it done; find a local tattoo parlor or tattoo artist, and get inked!

Learn more about Designing Tattoos. Stop by Darren Williams’s site where you can find advice and thousands of design & ideas for Online Tattoos

Tags: Tattoos