Tattoos

Very nice

Anyone got suggestions for where I can get a walk-in / on the day tatt in central london?

I normally go to frith street for more complex bits but just want something really small and simple so am not too fixed on who I see for this one

Can you wait a couple of weeks? I went to Into You and they said the waiting times for their artists are usually only a couple of weeks.

Nice tip off. That's with Deno right? Have you had anything done by him before? The stuff on his hipastagam looks pretty good. Like the cartoony stuff he does too

what's wrong with practising on corpses?

think they might be a bit hard to get hold of!
not an expert so willing to be proved wrong...

@jim1985 - Deno is a lovely man. I cannot recommend him highly enough.

Hah, always ;)

A recent in-progress shot from Guy Le Tatooer -

Not sure if has been covered but I have a newb query about bleed. I fancy getting something done but the absolute most Important thing for me is really dark black and sharp crisp edges that stay that way and don't bleed.

Most peoples tattoos that I see are green and even with the blacker ones there always seems to be bleed/loss of sharpness after some time. One of my friends who had something done only a couple years ago has actually SMUDGED! All over the place and looks so awful.

Is it possible to guarantee cripsness and blackness through either skills of artist or materials they use?

I think the short answer is no, I was told even the most talented and represented artists can sometimes have blowout on their work. Sometimes it's just your skin, sometimes it's how you care for your tattoos after, not just the weeks to follow, but for the rest of your life... it's a luck thing really, I think.

That said, going to a reputable and experienced artist would probably mean the chances of shit happening are lower.

And when you say green, do you mean people want green? Or do you mean back has turned green after a while?

The dude who did my band said he used a "lighter" black for the outline than the fill as he said it would help keep the edges sharp. Could be bollocks but he seemed confident enough.

It depends on many things and depends what kind of tattoo you're wanting, check out an artists previous work to see if their line work is what you're looking for. There's always going to be a certain amount of uncrispness but you can help by going to a good artist and getting it somewhere soft and out of the sun like the inner bicep or top of the thigh.

Yes I mean where its supposed to be black. The cheap horrendous tattoos that chavs get of smurfs and their pet dog seem to be green from the outset, but most of the "proper" tattoos I see seem to be greenish.

I have a lot of ideas! Inner/front bicep, rib piece, both front thighs, and a calf. But I'm terrified to get anything done in case it ends up looking shit.

I'm thinking of getting a small test piece done like a name to see how it behaves on my skin. But that would mean waiting a couple years! I want to get one if my larger ideas done asap.

Much like getting the first scratch on your new bike, once you have one it's easier to get more.

Cheers for the encouragement, Im only really worried about the crispness thing though. Im pretty confident im not going to get sick of what I have in mind.

Go to a good artists, what you pay for is what you get. I think we spoke about it here a while ago the 'going rate' in London for any artist worth their salt is about £100 - £120 per hour . I am paying £170 / hour for my next one... so dont expect to pay £30/hour and get good result...

Wtf, man. The ageing of the tattoo is part of the fun.
I love to watch how mine get all blue and blurry. Proper old sailor authenticy and stuff.

http://www.newscientist.com/blogs/shortsharpscience/2011/04/mathematic-model-reveals-how-t.html

You know the answer. Perhaps tattoos aren't for you. C'est la vie.

^^
..as you can see in the example above, the green fades more over time .

I see little point in testing a small piece on your skin for the sake of testing. The skin on your leg is going to react differently to the skin of you tummy, for example. It has something to do with the fat content (you can be the slimest person in the world) under your skin and also other stuff. And like I said, how you look after it will play a big part too... Anyhow, good luck with whatever you decide.

Question time, do you guys tip your tattoo artists? I gave mine about £20, which was just over 10%, but it was overseas... and he was a 1 man shop...

if you tip, how much is the 'goign rate'? And do you give it to the shop or the artist that you pay you bill to the shop...