A Comprehensive Guide to Collaborating with an Artist for a Custom Tattoo Design: Unleash Your Personal Expression with Chronic Ink Tattoo

First Time or Many Times Over

Getting a tattoo is an exciting time whether it’s your first one or one of many. No matter what your situation is, a lot of prep goes a long way in getting the best service and the coolest design to wear for the rest of your life. Luckily, you have some help in figuring everything out. Even if you’ve done all of this before, sometimes it’s beneficial to take a set of fresh eyes and see if there’s something you might have missed. We would all do well to make sure that we’re getting the best service at the best shop that we can find.

Choosing the Perfect Design

Obviously, the first step in getting a tattoo is deciding what you want. This can mean hours of research, or maybe you’ve had an idea for many years and are finally putting it to fruition. If you haven’t put much thought into it, definitely do some research. You may come to find that that tattoo symbol or name you’ve had your heart set on doesn’t mean what you think it means, or that maybe it won’t work out so well on your body after all. Be sure to try to find as many different iterations of a design that you can, whether that’s looking at images online, ideas from friends, or artist portfolios that you’ve taken an interest in. Many popular designs include floral pieces, animals, and symbols!

Finding an Artist

Finding the right tattoo artist to do your design means looking for a number of different factors. Customer service is obviously at the top of the list, as you only want to ever be working with someone who you’re comfortable with and makes you feel as though you’re important. As well as this, they should have an extensive and varied collection of portfolio work if they’ve been working in the industry for a while, and you should be able to view this either at the shop itself, on a form of social media, or some combination of the two. However, don’t be dismayed if the artist you want to work with isn’t too experienced in the aesthetic aspects of your design, as almost always they will be able to roughly sketch out the idea for you beforehand. Some artists will also print out a design to stencil on the area you want the tattoo, so you can see for yourself if the art will work for you on the area you want it to go before getting any work done.

Researching the Shop

Ideally, you’ll find the artist you want to go with at the shop you’re trying to get work done at. When you go in, you should feel both welcome and comfortable. The area should be clean and free of any obvious structural defects that make you feel unsafe. As well as this, all of the tattooing equipment should be properly sterilized or of a one-time use variety. Don’t be afraid to ask questions about any of these procedures also; any good tattoo shop will be able to tell you the ins and outs of how things are cleaned and kept up. If you every feel uncomfortable or if something doesn’t feel right, find another shop. You’re always going to want to trust your gut in these situations, since there are many seedy tattoo shops that are only out to get a quick buck off of the emotions of others. Rely on online reviews and the testimonials of others, but definitely be sure to do your own legwork in researching the location before making any big decisions. Especially if you are going for a large custom design piece, different pieces may be designed for both men and women!

Tattoo Procedure Checklist

Once you’ve found the shop and artist you’re comfortable getting work done with, set up the time and date of your appointment. You might think this is the end of things, but as everyone knows, there’s always more. To ensure the best experience during your tattoo procedure, make sure to take care of a few things before you go. - Eat something and stay hydrated beforehand. Getting a tattoo can make you nervous and a bit queasy, even if you’ve had one before. It’s a good idea to drink and eat something before you go. - Shave the area you’re getting work done on. If you don’t do this, your artist may have to before getting work done, and they may not be as gentle as you even if they’re great at what they do! Shave a few hours/days beforehand to save time for the both of you. - Rest up before you go, so that you’re energized and not too tired, especially if you have a tattoo design that will take longer. Your artist may need you to be present and aware to change your limb position. -Lastly, if you have an injury or open wound at or near the area getting worked on, try to reschedule for another time. Bacteria will have an easier time entering the area even with sterilized equipment, since the skin around it will be more irritated for a while after the procedure.

Getting it All Done

Your artist will start by stenciling out your design on the area that your design is supposed to go if they haven’t done so already, just to make sure that you’re happy with the end result of their work and are ready to see if come to fruition. Once this is done, the real work begins, and you can sit back and watch your design come to life right in front of you.

Aftercare

Take care to listen to how your artist tells you to watch for infection and any potential problems after you get your tattoo, as it can mean the difference between a short healing time and an infection. The most important thing is to keep the area clean and free of any debris or major exfoliants so that it is able to aerate and heal. If you have any questions about how your tattoo is healing, talk to your artist about the next steps to take. Otherwise, keep an eye on it and enjoy it!