The customer has selected the tattoo: a photograph

You and your pals meander into a tattoo parlor, surrounded by walls of small, multicolor pictures of everything from half naked mermaids to tractor logos. The fellow behind the counter barely nods at you. Walk up and down the aisle and ask each other, “What should I get?” Then decide, you guess you’ll get this one; it is kinda cute… The fellow is now your friend because you have money, and --.

This is where you need to stop. This is not how to get something that will be permanently inked onto your skin for the rest of your life. In your lifetime you will shop for cars, vacuum cleaners, jobs, and significant others (trust me, the majority of you), but you cannot shop for a tattoo as if you are purchasing a recliner. To demonstrate how to get a great tattoo, this writer had a tattoo done (with the help from tattoo artist Tim Phelps).

You have to shop to find the right tattoo artist. Like anything else of value, you are looking for a quality product. If the artist does realism, look at their work. Do their portraits resemble the people they are drawing? Do the animals look like actual animals? “Flash” are the pictures of tattoos hanging on the walls of the tattoo shop. You can have the flash done exactly as it appears on the wall, or you could personalize it to make it your own. Change the color, for example, or change the layout. If you have your own design in mind, the tattoo artist should work with you on the idea. Tim Phelps gives an example of how one young man brought in a hand drawn picture of a gravestone bearing his brother’s name and dates of birth and death; “that’s morbid,” Time told him. “What about your brother’s life? Talk to me about him when he was alive.” When the young man left, he had one of Tim’s creations, a tribute to his brother rather than a grim monument: an original piece featuring who his brother was in life.

The photograph is turned into a stencil

The artist should sit with you to discuss your tattoo. It is akin to sitting with a doctor in their office.  This writer sat for about an hour, with the photograph of choice, discussing the right placement and who the person was in the photograph. Because this person was “my right arm,” and because of its size and shape, Tim Phelps determined the best place was on the right upper bicep. This is a good time to interview the artist. How long have they been tattooing?  What is their specialty? Where did they learn their craft?  They should also have a personal art book of their own work, showing photographs of tattoos they have done. Tim Phelps started his career by, “hanging out in tattoo shops, just watching, and eventually cleaning up. I worked for free after school and on weekends.” He would do this until, “they’d kick me out,” and then he would go to the next shop. Eventually his tenacity won him one apprenticeship, and then another. “You cannot learn tattooing in a classroom, or in any kind of course,” he says. The first time he did a tattoo, rather than feeling as if he knew everything, “I was scared to death.” He is a perfectionist and will not sit a customer in a chair until he is sure the tattoo he is going to draw will be perfect. This is how your tattoo artist should think. 

Artist Tim Phelps uses the stencil and photo 

The artist will have you sign legal paperwork, verifying you are not pregnant, under the influence of alcohol or drugs, etc. This is standard procedure. It is to protect you and the company. Read the paperwork carefully, and do not falsify these documents. This is a good place to add: if your tattoo artist, or the shop, is connected to illegal drug use or dealing, you are in the wrong place. Unfortunately some businesses will give others a bad name by their illegal activity, and this is no exception. You artist should not be under the influence. Would you want an airplane you are boarding to be driven by an intoxicated pilot? 

Tim Phelps uses several types of needles

The tattoo you want will then be placed on a bright screen and the artist will trace it over. The tracing is called a stencil. The stencil is the guide used for the tattoo (The Flash on the walls already have stencils made up on file: you pick a tattoo from the wall, the artist selects the stencil, and the stencil is applied to the skin). This is your last chance to make sure of placement. If you change your mind – perhaps you would rather have it on your right arm rather than your left – the artist should not argue simply because they do not want to have to redo another stencil. This is your tattoo. It is personal. It is also your body. They can, however, help with opinions. 

The completed product

The tattoo room itself should be hygienic and resemble a dental office in cleanliness. The tattoo gun should be in a clean bag when in use and the artist should wear gloves at all times. New (unopened packaged) needles should be used for every customer. There should be a haz-mat (red) box to use for disposing of old needles. If you question the cleanliness of the room or equipment, you need to ask. If you do not see these things in practice, particularly with needles, you should leave. If you see blood on the floor or on the instruments, or the equipment is dirty or unkempt, you need to leave.

If you are having a portrait done, discuss the person in the original picture with the artist. Bring several pictures for the artist to work with. Tim Phelps will ask the client, “tell me about this person,” as he works. As an artist, it helps him put the personality in the photograph, and gives it that extra ‘spark’ to make it come alive. He will ask, “why this picture? What does this mean to you?” This writer chose this photograph of my grandmother, 

“Who spent her life giving to others. One day, in her youth, she had treated herself by walking down to the corner drug store and having her picture made. A simple thing, really, but then, money was tight for my widowed great-grandmother with three girls.  My grandmother took care of her younger sisters, she wed young, she raised her six children, she helped raise me, and she was the glue of my family. My grandmother died in 2007, lost in a blur of Alzheimer’s, which will rip your heart out in pain if you are not careful.  The night she died I could not sleep; I rolled over and saw her sitting on the bed next to mine...I knew then she was gone. I was in Africa; She was in Texas.”

 As Tim worked, he listened, but you could also tell the story helped him draw. This is the difference between true artists and people who lay down a flash and color it in.

Immediately after the tattoo is completed, it will not appear exact due to the redness of the skin. There will be some healing time. The shop should give you instructions on the care of your new tattoo. Read these over carefully before you leave, and ask questions. You should be able to contact the shop if you have any problems or have any questions afterwards. Follow the instructions. 

When you leave the tattoo shop, there is usually a feeling of euphoria, a strange rush of adrenaline. This is because all of your endorphins have been jumping up and going to work, rushing about in your body --- needles have been punching holes and lines into your skin. Endorphins are the body’s natural painkillers. “On average, women have about seven times more the amount of natural endorphins than men,” Tim Phelps explains, “Because they are designed to give birth.” Tattoos that take longer will not have this effect. This writer’s tattoo took approximately three hours, so all of my endorphins rushed about until they tired. “You’re going to just want to go to sleep afterward,” Tim laughed. (He was right!)  

People react differently to pain: some have a low tolerance and some have none. However, it is the emotional impact that will hit you the most. When I looked at the finished tattoo, and saw that glint in my grandmother’s eye, it wasn’t my arm that hurt, but my heart, from the loss of her.

The cost of a tattoo will vary between the size and design. It is disrespectful to quibble over cost; this is an artist who has studied their craft. Estimates cost nothing, but do not go in expecting to receive an incredible discount because you are unemployed or are in a lower socioeconomic bracket.  You are receiving quality to wear for life. You can always take off junk jewelry; you cannot take off junk tattoos (at least, not cheaply).

Conclusion: A tattoo shop should be friendly, clean, and cater to their customers. Needles should come from sterile, unbroken packs for each customer. The artist should take an active role in assisting you from concept to aftercare. Your tattoo should be personalized for you, not just because you “want one.” Do not argue prices. Most of all, take your time in the process. Ensure your tattoo artist does the same. As he spent hours preparing my stencil, Tim Phelps explained, ‘that’s my name, my work on your arm, and I’m not going to be satisfied until it looks perfect.”

 And it does. Thank you, Tim. Now that she’s a permanent part of me, when I miss her so bad it hurts, all I have to do is glance down to see her smiling…

 For more info: Tattoo artist Tim Phelps contact information