If you are thinking of getting a tattoo, you may be interested in understanding a bit more about the equipment that is used in the process! Knowing what equipment is used and how it is used can help better prepare you for the process, particularly if you are getting a tattoo for the very first time.
Getting a tattoo is not a scary process at all and if you are in the hands of one of our artists at Cleopatra Ink, you can rest assured that you will walk away with a stunning design! This blog looks to outline the tattoo process, from the materials used to how it feels when you are sitting in the chair and getting your tattoo.
wing the different materials may help you to better understand what is going on through each step of the process. The following is a tattoo materials list to ensure that you know what each different element does and why.
One of the major fixed parts needed by any tattoo artist is a tattoo gun! While this may sound a bit scary, these tattoo guns are designed to ensure that receiving your tattoo is as quick and as painless as possible. A tattoo gun will have a needle coated in ink attached to it and when powered up, this will be the part of the machine that transfers the ink from the needle to your skin. When the average tattoo gun is working at full capacity, it is able to inject the ink around 3000 times per minute!
The main disposable materials used when getting a tattoo are needles. The needles need to be completely sterile as they will be the parts that puncture through the skin. When it comes to needle depth, your tattoo artists will be trying to break through to get to the middle layer of skin, known as the dermis. This layer is the best to tattoo as the skin does not move or stretch, resulting in a tattoo that is sure to be long-lasting and remain in the desired shape. You may also notice that your tattoo artist changes the needle, this is to create lines in different levels of thickness.
The materials used for each type of tattoo may differ depending on the tattoo itself! A tattoo is placed on the skin using a tattoo gun which pushes small needles covered in ink into the skin. In order for the shape the tattoo artist is trying to achieve to be perfect, the needles used may differ throughout the process. Just as with any artist, in order to get different lines that vary in thickness, you need different tools to do this. A tattoo artist uses the thickness of a needle to create these variations in lines and so this is what will differ!
The first, and probably most important, step will be to explain to the tattoo artist what you want. For simple designs, they may just draw out something on a piece of paper and once you are happy with it, they will begin. For more intricate designs they will print out a sample of the tattoo and stick it onto your skin, which they will then copy. The tattoo artist will then begin tattooing your skin, which will feel like small needle pricks on the area. For larger pieces, you will normally be given small breaks in between and the time that it will take to complete entirely depends on the size and intricacy of the tattoo.
You may find that the tattoo artist wipes away ink through the process, this is completely normal as excess ink may run, do not worry, this will be easy to wash off. Once completed, the tattoo artists will clean the area and place a bandage over it, this is to protect the tattoo while your skin begins to heal. They will then provide you with information on the tattoo care guidelines to follow and the time frame that these steps will take!
While the process of getting a tattoo does have a few risks, these mostly have to do with the aftercare and not getting the tattoo itself. The following are just a few of the risks to consider before you receive your tattoo.
Certain dyes may cause your skin to react badly. An allergic reaction may look like a very bad rash that breaks out over the area, making the skin itchy and uncomfortable. Yellow, blue, red and green dyes are more commonly associated with allergic reactions than other kinds. If you have particularly sensitive skin, you may want to discuss this with your tattoo artist and look at different colours that may be better suited to sensitive skin.
One of the most important things to be sure you do when getting a tattoo is to follow the aftercare instructions. These instructions are set out to be sure that your skin is not exposed to germs and bacteria that could lead to an infection in the area.
Keloids refer to small bumps that form over the skin when a scar begins to form. As a tattoo is ultimately a scar that is healing, you are at risk of these bumps forming. No one is quite sure why this happens or what puts you at risk of this happening, but generally, it is genetically inherited, so if you have a family member that has had them, be cautious about this when getting a tattoo.
If you are tattooed with materials that have not been sterilised and have been used on someone else with a blood disease, this does put you at risk of contracting it. This is why it is so important to go to a reputable tattoo studio! We here at Cleopatra Ink ensure the safety of our customers by using new and fully sterilised materials on each of our clients.
If you are considering getting a tattoo for the first time, one of the main questions you may be asking is “Does getting a tattoo hurt?”. The tattoo pain scale usually depends on the person themselves and the place where they are getting a tattoo. If you are nervous about the pain, placing the tattoo on a region of your body where there is little bone and more fat can reduce the soreness of the process! Avoid places like your feet and hands as these areas are known to be the most painful. Your upper thigh and regions where the bone is deeper down and covered by a layer of fat are the places to get a tattoo that will cause the least amount of pain.
While many people are scared of the pain of getting a tattoo, it really is worse in your head. Many people actually enjoy the process, and it can be quite therapeutic if you go to the right tattoo artist and place the tattoo in a good area.
The feeling of getting a tattoo is often related to small consistent pricks on your skin as the ink is transferred from the needle to the area being tattooed. As people have different tolerance for pain, the feeling is often quite different for everyone. Many people enjoy getting tattooed, with little to no pain experienced through the process. Tattoo artists will also be sure to give you breaks when needed, so you should not be worried about this pain throughout the process!
Now that we have looked at how you get a tattoo, it is time to think about the different designs that you can go for! The following is a look at 10 classic tattoo styles to consider!
New school looks are often chaotic and vivid, with imagery that almost looks like a comic book relayed onto your skin. The imagery from these styles of tattoos is beautiful, with bright colours used!
Japanese styles range, from brightly coloured flowers to samurais and swords! This style of tattoo is often large and usually placed on an area like your back or on your upper thigh.
For those who are looking for life-like imagery of a person, you will be wanting to get a portrait-style tattoo. These images are often of a person that you know or even someone that inspires you and they can be beautiful when done by a good tattoo artist!
For those who are after a small tattoo with thick lines done in one colour, stick and poke styles would be great for you to look into. These styles are usually designed using one needle and have a thick line as opposed to small and intricate ones.
Tattoos following the realism style can be anything from inanimate objects to even animals. As this style is looking to portray a realistic item, there is often a lot of intricate work that goes into them.
Geometric-styled tattoos use different shapes to construct an image. These styles of tattoos are incredibly popular and the curves of one’s own body make a great contrasting feature against the strong lines associated with this style.
While realism tattoos try to make images look as exact as possible, surrealism tattoos play around with this concept a bit. Surrealism focuses on mixing fantasy with reality, creating images that merge these two concepts together to create fantastic and beautiful imagery.
Tribal tattoos combine cultural signs that have been around for generations with a modern form of tattooing. Whether you are looking to get tribal tattoos from your own culture or are just after an amazing look and style, tribal tattoos are a great option to look into!
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