Spring Break
Tattooing: bigger is better
Shawna Richter
Issue date: 12/1/03 Section: News
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Scott Miller, Tattoo Blue owner and artist, and his employees have added thousands of design sheets for customers from which to choose over the last three years' renovations.
However, there is more to tattooing, the art and how the process works than most potential customers realize.
"People saying, 'there's fat there - it won't hurt,' doesn't work," Miller said.
Any tattoo near a bone or joint, where there are more nerve endings, is more painful, according to Miller.
However, he said that everyone has a different pain level. For example, Miller got a tattoo on his ribcage once, and he said it hurt more than any of the other 50 spots he has been tattooed. However, while getting a tattoo in the same place, Mike Hays, Tattoo Blue artist, laughed and fell asleep.
Miller said artists try not to make tattoos smaller than a quarter. He explained the skin stretches over time and can cause tattoos that are too small to become blurred.
"People hate it when the tattoo is too small," Miller said. "They end up real unhappy because no one knows what it is."
Small tattoos can be done in 15 minutes, but larger ones can take three to four hours, Miller said.
He added people could also get tattoos over tattoos.
"You can't see under the new one," Miller said about cover-up tattoos, which need to be darker, more shaded and more detailed than the previous one.
One man had a dark werewolf drawn over a tattooed name. The name was in light red and black on his upper arm. When done, the werewolf completely concealed the previous image.
When completing a tattoo, artists first draw the selected image on paper, according to Miller. This is then used to make a stencil or a sticky, laminated, temporary outline that is placed on the person's skin. If the person does not like the spot that tattoo is in, the artist can wipe off the tattoo with alcohol and then place it again, Miller said.
The artist follows the stenciled outline and then fills the image in, Miller added.
The actual tattooing is done with an electrical machine that holds a needle, which is shaped like a quill pen. The needle pierces the skin 300-400 times per minute, Miller said, inserting the hypoallergenic, all-natural pigments into the skin.
Miller added that pigments can be liquids, but most often, they come in powder forms that artists mix themselves.
According to the Web site, www.people.howstuffworks.com, the needle punctures the top millimeter of the skin. This is the dermis layer, or the second layer of skin.
The top layer of skin cells constantly gets replaced. People can see the tattoos beneath the upper layer of the skin.
The ink placed in the skin is permanent but can fade over time, Miller said. Reds, yellows and oranges in color tattoos tend to fade more than darker colors. With new and better pigments available for tattoo artists, fading has been reduced.
"If (customers) follow the after-care instructions, the tattoo wouldn't or shouldn't fade," Miller said.
These after-care instructions include putting a thin coating of non-antibiotic ointment on the tattoo twice a day for a week because antibiotic ointments trap in the heat from the tattooing, as well as any bacteria that might be there, according to Miller.
According to the Web site, using too much ointment can also pull color from the tattoo. In addition, people should wash their tattoos with cool or lukewarm water using mild antibacterial soap for the first two weeks. The tattoo should also be patted dry.
Miller also suggested putting sunscreen on tattoos; too much exposure to sunlight will fade tattoos quickly.
Other after-care instructions help reduce the risk of infection, like keeping the tattoo covered for the first one to two hours and applying the ointment.
The McDonough County Health Department conducts inspections four times a year to make sure tattoo parlors in the area maintain "ordinance requirements."
According to the ordinance, some rules include having a sink in the facility, keeping the area clean, storing the equipment in ways that prevent contamination and using disposable needles, gloves and ink containers.
Miller said they continually pass the inspection, and the all artists have taken a blood-born pathogen class for more knowledge.
Miller added some tattoo artists buy tattoo kits to practice tattooing; however, Miller said as an apprentice at a shop, artists learn information on sanitation, which is important, that gets left out when self-taught.
"If you're going to get a tattoo, look at cleanliness and what's been done," Miller said. "Make sure it is a clean environment and the quality is good. You get what you pay for in this business.
"A tattoo is permanent, so you shouldn't worry about cost," Miller said.
According to the Web site, a small tattoo, smaller than one inch, should cost from $50 to $100. Custom designs, or non-flash art (pre-made drawing), and tattoos that cover more of the body cost more.
Individual designs can be brought in by the customer or drawn by tattoo artists.
"I would say it's 50/50 for people bringing in their own design or coming in and picking it off the wall," said Elliot Van Fleet, cashier and drawer of tattoo designs.
According to Miller, potential artists are required to bring in clips of what they have drawn in the past, showing they have some natural talent. If hired, they start out at the counter, drawing designs for customers.
Eventually, they practice tattooing designs on volunteers, which are usually friends.
"If you say 'free,' there is always a friend that will be a guinea pig," Miller said.
Miller said artists must practice at least 15-20 tattoos before they are allowed to tattoo a real customer.
Miller later added artists could practice on themselves, which is usually done on the legs.
"You don't feel it until your done," Miller said, and the tattooing does not necessarily take longer than if someone else tattooed the artist.
"Tattoos are very addicting," Miller said, "because of the feeling you get after it's done. It's like a rush. It's a thrill to get this unique, individual permanent tattoo on your body."
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