Almost everyone has heard horror stories about terrible tattoos or experiences with overbearing tattoo artists. Many are quick to chalk these tales up to poor planning or an apathetic attitude, but these stories often begin with a concerned, well-intentioned client who simply got sucked into making what was in retrospect a very poor decision. Here are some of the most common errors made by people who went searching in earnest for the right place to get a tattoo but ended up in the wrong place.
“The Shop is Really Popular”
People have a tendency to forget the difference between finding the busiest tattoo shop and finding the best. In many major cities you will find shops that come up quickly in search engines and on websites, with dozens and dozens of client testimonials. These are often not necessarily high quality establishments, however, but rather something akin to a tourist trap—a shop that is easy to find with a basic amount of research but one that smart locals avoid like the plague. As such this is an especially important tip when getting tattooed abroad. While this scenario is not always the case, it's important that you take time looking through portfolios and going to a shop in person before booking work somewhere that fits this description. In addition, you must always be sure to take Internet testimonials and ratings from clients with a grain of salt; many shops write reviews for themselves in order to inflate their image on the web.
“The Shop is on a Main, Busy Street”
This is another issue that tends to trap those who equate popularity and quality. The fact that Sunset Boulevard is busy and a good place to shop for tourist paraphernalia doesn’t mean its the right place to get a tattoo done. This is not to say that there are no quality tattoo shops in busy areas, but don’t be surprised if some of the best shops you come across are tucked away in less glamorous parts of a city. Many people consider this an instant turnoff, assuming that any successful shop making good money would have a better location. In reality, many of the more down-to-earth artists prefer to be a little out of the way, allowing clients who have really done their homework to find them. You’ll find that the most skilled tattoo artists in any big city don’t go out of their way to make their shops highly visible or attract clients because they already have a steady stream of business through word of mouth.
“My Tattoo Artist is Covered in Great Tattoos”
No tattoo artists did their own tattoos, and very well might have tattoos on them that are beyond their own skill level. This is a painfully obvious point, but one that alludes people on occasion. While it may be a comfort to see that a tattoo artist has good taste and work that is well done, that really doesn’t say anything about his or her ability to give you the piece you’ve always wanted. By the same token don’t think that a tattoo artist with horrible tattoos is someone to be avoided. Most great artists who have been in the game for decades came up in a community where people were literally trying out designs, styles, and perfecting their skills on each other. One of my tattoo artist’s first tattoos was a hideous version of one of the characters from Green Eggs and Ham; his waitlist for an appointment was eight months long.
“Well…the Tattoo Artist Already Drew it and He’s Pretty Aggressive…”
Perhaps the biggest mistake people make in the process of searching for an artist is thinking that because someone has already drawn a piece out they’re required to get it tattooed on them. It is best to think of an artist drawing something out as a little sample of cheese you would get at a grocery store: if someone got mad at you for not buying a whole wheel of cheese after you ate a sample, you would think they were being ridiculous.
With tattoos, however, people often fall under a false sense of obligation that they either place on themselves or one that is pushed on them by an overaggressive artist. Realize that any tattoo artist you want to be working with will respect your decision either way, is willing to take time to draw out a piece with you, and recognizes that in a completely oversaturated market it is their privilege to be tattooing you, not the other way around. Artists that try to use the attitude that you’re lucky they are even bothering to spend time on your idea and you should just hurry up and get the tattoo are sometimes as good as they think they are, but never the kind of people you’re going to want to sit through miserable sessions with on something so important.
Michael Piznarski - Michael Piznarski studied English literature at Colgate University. He is a globetrotter, volunteer, former pre-law student, and actor.
