It was not that long ago that tattoos were the art of the rebel. Well, it is pretty amazing how quickly things have changed. If you are jumping on the ink bandwagon, make sure you take the following into account.

If this is your first tattoo, a word of caution is called for. Getting ink is pretty trendy these days, but that does not change the fact you are getting something that is permanent. Make sure you are not bummed you did it.

Think through the location of your tat as well. A shoulder tattoo is really not a big deal. Getting ink on your neck is a very big deal. It will always be visible. While that may be okay now, how about in five years?

Enough with the warnings. On to the good stuff. Once you decide to get ink, you need to figure out what exactly you want to have etched on to your body. It is going to be with you forever, so it is an important decision.

Many people walk into tattoo parlors and start looking through the books of free designs trying to figure out what they want. In general, this is a mistake. The designs might appeal to you right away, but what about after a few months or years?

Sooner or later, you are going to wonder if you got the right tattoo. One way to make sure you did, even years later, is to give the design a lot of thought. The goal? Pick a design that is unique to you and you alone.

Even with static designs, tattooing is an art. This means you need to make sure you have the correct artist. Artists have unique tastes and you are going to be unhappy with your ink if you do not have the same taste as your artist.

Talk with a number of artists. You want to find one that you share a good vibe with. Look at their work and see if you like it. Discuss the designs you are considering and see what input they offer. Find a match and you will have a good result.

What about the price of your tattoo? Well, this is the last thing you should worry about. Pick the artist who you match up with, not the cheapest one. This is art on your body, so do not skimp.

Tags: Tattoos