What is the best way to pick a tattoo artist? It’s not quite as easy as you might imagine it is. It’s more than finding a design you like and choosing a random person to add it to your body. While they might be qualified and have done tattoos for people you know, it doesn’t automatically mean they’re the right person to ink your body.
Before you rush into getting a tattoo for the first time or you want someone new to add to your collection of body art, here are some tips to help you avoid some of the common mistakes when choosing a tattoo artist.
Decide on Your Style
Before you pick an artist, you need to decide on the style of tattoo you want. This is what’s going to help you in your search. Commit to a design, pattern, or particular style and then start looking for an artist. If you don’t know what you want, look at everything and rule out what you don’t want or like. Remember, styles such as realism, traditional, fine line, and blackwork all look good in isolation but aren’t really interchangeable, meaning if the artist isn’t skilled in fine line, and that’s what you ask them for, you might not get the result you want, or you might get turned away.
So, before you shortlist local tattoo artists, find the right tattoo style for you to give you a better starting point for your search.
Use Portfolios to Spot Patterns
While portfolios are excellent for spotting standout work or unique pieces, they’re also ideal for spotting patterns too. Don’t just look for similar work to what you want done; look for consistency in the results of their work. Do all pieces look completely different, or do they all look similar? The more similar the work looks, the more you can rely on the artist to deliver similar standards.
Look for steady linework, shading that is smooth, not patchy or rushed, and check that proportions hold up on different designs. If you notice variation, this is a sign they’re not specialists in the work you want.
Match Your Ideas to the Artist
Again, it’s pretty much reiterating the above points. But you need to match the design you want to the artist, not the other way round.
The idea that a good tattoo artist can lend their hand to any style is a myth. And while they might be able to do multiple ones really well, they will likely have an area they are much better in and others that don’t work with their style. Much like artists in any other medium, an abstract artist does not necessarily have to be an exceptional portrait artist and vice versa.
So know what style you want and then find an artist that does that style. From here, you can then adjust your style to the artist further to deliver the results you need, so you’re not left with a tattoo that feels slightly off, even if you can’t quite put your finger on what’s wrong with it.
Check Healed Work
Not every artist posts healed work; usually, the majority of pictures will come from just completed work. But if you can, scan their websites’ images and even reviews for healed pictures.
Why? Healed pictures are what will show you what works best. Once work heals, lines soften, shading settles, and any issues will become more obvious. But if an artist’s work still looks solid once it’s healed, you’ll know they know what they’re doing and what level of quality you’ll likely get from them.
A top tip to find healed pictures is to look on social media for pics they were tagged in by clients, or you can go to them directly and ask if they have any healed pics you can see. An artist who is confident in their abilities won’t mind sharing their work.
Understand Booking Availability and Waiting Times
This isn’t Claire’s Accessories; you cannot just walk in and expect to get a tattoo on the spot. Especially for more complex designs or tattoos that are larger in size. And you should expect good tattoo artists to have a waiting list. The last thing you should do is rush to find another artist if the one you prefer to use is fully booked.
Now, not all good artists are always booked, and not all available artists are bad, but the distinction here is to not choose someone in a rush because the person you wanted can’t fit you in yet.
Take the time to understand each artist or parlour’s booking rules and processes. Some require deposits and detailed briefs before confirming anything, others might need to split your tattoo into multiple sessions, while others might work from flash or only focus on custom pieces.
The more you know about how they work, what booking with them entails, the more you’ll know what to expect once you have committed to getting your tattoo.
Avoid Rushing
Tattoos are for life. Or at least that’s what you need to think when you choose one. Everyone knows this. And sure, you can get coverups or laser removals in the future, but it’s expensive and painful.
This makes it more important that you don’t rush into anything before you’re ready or are 100% sure on what you want.
You’re not ticking something off a list; you’re adding art to your body, and you want this art to reflect you and look good. And it doesn’t matter how long it takes, waiting for the right design and/or artist will be able to swear it in the long run.
Always trust your instincts here; if something feels off, it likely isn’t right for you, and there’s no harm in waiting.
Choosing the right tattoo artist is about more than someone simply having space. There is a lot that goes into picking the right tattoo artist for you. The longer it takes, the more research you do, the more aligned your artist will be with what you want, and the lower the risks of ending up with something you hate or have to cover up, as it didn’t turn out as you expected.
