The eternal search and 26 tips of how to find a good tattoo
artist:
There is nothing really new happening on the market, after I
wrote about amputations and about magnet implants. The newest thing is called
"Brain Piercing". Unfortunately I can't write about it at the moment
since I'm still doing some research on the subject, this way I will be able to
write an article worthy of all of you.
But, I thought that my latest experience was very
interesting, not very extreme, but so far the most interesting tattoo I've got.
Thinking about the few rejections that I had I thought that many people might
go through the same problem. So I decided to make it public.
For the last few years I had this idea for beautiful a
tattoo. It was supposed to be a line of mirrored phoenixes starting on my neck
following down on my spine down to my tail bone.
Easier said than done I guess...
So a few months before my 34th birthday I started to look
for an artist to do the work. As many people know, Brazil is a well known
country in the tattoo industry. We have really great professionals down here.
So here I'm with the project, but because I'm very picky as
to who will tattoo my body, I could only choose a hand full of professionals
among hundreds. From many portfolios that I saw I thought that only those guys
would be able to do a decent job out of my very full of micro details idea.
From those five ultra qualified professionals none wanted to
do the tattoo. All of them told me that it was literally impossible. And the
only one that was going to take the challenge, because I did agree to make the phoenixes
a bit larger than what I wanted, had a family problem.
Time passed, I became older and no tattoo. For my tattoo
addicted friends and readers, I'm sure that I do not have to explain the
feeling, but for the people that do not have the tattoo "bug", I can
say that it is really frustrating. It feels more or less like you have spent
months gathering the money to go your favorite group performance, and exactly
on the show day the band decided to split up for good.
So here I was with the ticked and no show, or better saying
with the drawing and no artist.
The other day while I was walking on the street I saw a
small tattoo parlour. And being so devoted to get my body covered with phoenix
images I thought about stopping there for a couple of minutes to check out his
work.
The worst that could happen was I would meet another
wannabe. Actually the market is full of them. Most of the tattoo artists around
are not that great. After I finish this story I will add the guide of how to
find gold between pebbles.
Going back to the tale: I went inside the studio and there
was this, let me please state the obvious, tattoo covered guy. His name is
Flavio Vandroiy, I hadn't heard about him at all, but once I was there I
decided to give him a shot, he had a client waiting, so our first contact was
brief, but even though, to my surprise, he was very attentive.
Now, if you know a few renowned tattoo artists you will
understand that more and more the pop star idea is truly affecting our fellas.
Boy, most of the time it feels like they are part of the royalty and are doing
you the favor of looking at your face, even if only for five minutes of their
precious time. Please note that there are some exceptions, one of them is the
lovely Pierre Chapelan, whom, many years ago, I had the pleasure to being
tattooed by while I was living in Montreal.
I checked out one of Flávio Vandroiy's portfolios on paper
and after analyzed his work better through his website. The work looked pretty
good. His tattoos were signed by steady and clear lines. Then I saw a picture
of a tattoo that was very small and full of details, I analyzed it for about
one hour looking at every single detail. After that I thought that he would
probably be able to do a good job out of my drawing. I sent him an e-mail with
the image of my phoenix attached, after a day he sent me an honest reply. He
told me that the drawing was quite small, but he would take up the challenge.
So we got the image on my back and of course I complained
about the position. He patiently erased the drawing and did it again. Even if I
was pleased with the position, I thought about to complain just to see his
reaction. But there was no need to do it; he told me that he could be changing
it up until I was happy with the placement. So I kept quiet. I hate to push
nice willing people. If he was a jerk I would probably had changed the position
another couple of times.
He did an amazing job, out of something that many thought to
be impossible to accomplish. One of the nicest things about this guy is that he
is humble enough to tell me that after we finish all the phoenixes we will have
to go back and do some touch up on the images that he thought could be better
done. I did agree with him, some of the birds' faces, if you look at a picture
taken with the micrometric of a camera, are not identical.
I have many tattoos, made by many hotshots in the industry,
including my very special first tattoo that was made by Marco Leoni himself.
Even if it is an old tattoo; I got it when I was a pre-tee and it did suffer
quite a bit with stretch due my growth and the thousands of times that I put it
through the monstrous process of leg waxing, it still here, not as pompous as
it was once, but every time I look at it, I know that this old phoenix helped
me to became who I am.
The truth is that I'm in love with this new tattoo; so far
it is really the best quality small work that I've seen. If you look at it from
far it looks like the finest and most delicate lace that you can buy.
Ok, after my narcissistic story I will, as promised, add a
few tips on how to know when a tattoo artist is good or he is just another self
proclaimed tattooer with the artist title. Notice that international prizes
even if prestigious are judged not in the artist daily work. The prizes are
given to artists based in only one work, done once during a competition. I
considered it as very small sample to be worth of a prize, if you take in
consideration that many tattoo artists do between three or four tattoos in
studio a day.
1) Of course
the studio must be clean and the material properly sterilized, the artist must
wear gloves all the time, and the ink should be poured into small containers,
avoiding contamination of the material.
2) Look at
the artist's portfolio very carefully, not only to appreciate it; you will be
searching for very small imperfections.
3) The lines
on a tattoo have to be smooth, jagged lines and shaky lines are a big no go.
4) The color
has to be well applied through the entire image, without leaving empty spots.
5) The way
in which the artist uses and combines colors is also very important. Especially
if you are looking for the water-color effect.
6) Big
tattoos are easier to master than small tattoos. Even if the sleeves and the
full backs get more attention, small tattoos are much more complicated to make.
So while looking at the artist's portfolio, check out his small and more
detailed work. A good hint is to look for some tattoos of birds and check out
the feathers and the bird's face.
7) Also pay
attention to the work that the person does when reproducing cartoon characters.
This kind of reproduction is very complicated due the amount of details, the
perfect thickness of the lines and the coloration.
8) If the
price is an issue on the size or the type of the tattoo that you are getting, I
suggest you wait and save some more money. It is better wait and to do exactly
what you dreamed about than settle for less.
9) You have
to get along with the artist and not feel intimidated by him. A good artist
will allow you to give your input and will not feel offended by a comment or a
suggestion. Remember it is your body and you want to enjoy every second of the
experience.
10) Many people
have the idea that the tattooer has to be crazy, always high and someone in
line with a dark figure. It is a myth; many of those artists are lovely,
sometimes married and often proud parents. If you suspect that the artist is
under any substance influence, or has any addictions you should think before
allowing him to work on you. It is a well known fact that alcoholics and
junkies have problems with shaky hands.
11) Also
respect it when the artist gives his honest opinion. If you don't agree just
try to find another person to make the tattoo. This way you will avoid to feel
like the work was not properly done due to personal reasons.
12) If you
choose an image from a catalog, and want to do some changes on it, a good
artist will do those changes with pleasure, and will not complain if you want
more changes on it on when the sketch is already redone, of course you should
know where to draw the line between some more changes and be unreasonable,
don't forget this person makes a living out of making tattoos.
13) A good
professional is not always the one that just makes a tattoo properly, to do a
proper job is an obligation of a good professional. To me a good professional
has to make the client aware of few details about tattoos.
14) If you are
a woman, and want to have kids, a tattoo on your stomach or on the lateral of
your waist line, no matter if horizontally or vertically, might not be a good
idea; it will stretch due the pregnancy and loose some of its beauty.
15) Again if
you are a woman, it might not be a good idea to get a tattoo during your period
or while in the PMS process. Due some hormonal changes you will be more
inclined to feel pain or worse, the healing process can be compromised.
16) Every
tattoo when fresh looks great. The artist should remind you that what you see
is what you get, for a while. The ink will fade away. Of course you can delay
the process taking good care of it, but eventually, it will fade and partially
lose some of its beauty.
17) The black
ink after few years will become bluish. There is no way to avoid it. To fix the
color you will have to retouch the tattoo. You can also try to understand that
it is a part of your body and such as it has the right to age. In my case I do
not retouch my tattoos. To me my tattoos are part of a moment lost in the past,
and because they are memories they will tend to fade with time.
18) While big
and bulky tattoos will only have the color fade problem, small and very
detailed tattoos, will lose the sharpness on the details, and often will look
like if they were poorly done.
19) It is a
good idea to get a tattoo during winter. During the summer you will have
problems with the plastic bandage; it will keep the tattoo constantly moist.
The moist can delay the healing, opening a window for infections. The healing
process will also be very, very itchy.
20) If you
can't avoid getting a tattoo during the summer, be ready to use of
antihistaminic pills. They will come handy.
21) If you must
to scratch the tattoo, it is better if you pat yourself. Never use your nails.
22) Don't drink
or use drugs before getting a tattoo, it won't ease the pain and alcohol can
actually make you bleed more.
23) Depending on
your line of work a visible tattoo can be a problem. Something that one day I
hope will change, but so far, if you are one of those professionals, try to
make a tattoo in a place that is easy to hide while you are wearing any kind of
clothing.
24) The hardest
thing to say is; never do a tattoo because it is fashionable, or because your
idol has one. A tattoo is something personal. It will be with you every single
day of your life. It is much more difficult to get rid of one than to get rid
of an ex-spouse.
25) When
choosing the image for a tattoo, choose something that means something to you.
Sure a butterfly is lovely so are flowers, a cute star on your wrist is very
sexy. But how will you feel about them when you are sixty?
26) And last
but not the least. Never get a tattoo on impulse. There are many other things
to do when you are bored, if you need a "quick fix" try to get a
drastic hair change or buy some new clothes. Tattoos are something to really
think about. Something to be seen and carried as art. If well thought and well
chosen the process of getting a tattoo, can take years to happen, but it can
definitely change your entire life.
Article Source:
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