Getting Your Own Tattoo

Tattoos have now become more or less a fashion statement and are more popular amongst young people these days. Be that as it may, tattoos were once used for the purpose of identification or as marks of religious or spiritual beliefs. Today, it is more popular and accepted than it has ever been. All classes of people request the services of the best tattoo artists in town. This rise in popularity has placed tattoo artists in the class of "fine artist". The modern day tattooist has, with imagination and a wide array of sophisticated machines, earned a respect not seen for many decades. Current artists blend the tradition of tattooing with their personal style creating unique and extraordinary body art. With the addition of new inks and gadgets, tattooing has certainly come to stay.

Generally, tattoos are made or created by the insertion of colored elements just beneath the skins surface. These designs can be embedded on most parts of the body, particularly those parts that are readily exposed; such as: the ankle, armband, lower back (more common among young women), foot, neck, and chest among others. The three most important factors to consider when going for a tattoo are safety! Safety!! Safety!!! Make sure the needle is brand new, the equipment and gadgets are sterilized, and the ink should be freshly opened just for your use. You can purchase tattoo designs in tattoo parlors or online stores.

Many of the tools used at the tattoo parlors are disposable; those that are not must be sterilized after each customer. One of the most common and safest sterilizer is the autoclave (an apparatus that uses superheated steam under high pressure to sterilize instruments). A god advice is to purchase your tattoo design and materials on your own before approaching the artist.

Tattoos come in different shapes, designs, and colors. Very common designs among tattoo lovers range from animals to cartoons. Others include memorial, bikers, nature, evil, tribal, and sports tattoos among others. Getting the best out of tattooing lies, to a large extent, on the imagination and creativity of the artist and the customer than on the type of stencils or equipment and ink applied.

Stencils can either be created mechanically or drawn by hand. The stencil can be acquired by using simple computer drawing software to manipulate the design and print. A thermal copier is just ideal for this task. Special papers are to be used too; in particular the Spirit Master Stencil Paper. It is perfect for creating a carbon copy of the design which can be easily transferred to the skin.

You can buy the Spirit paper and hectograph pencils from local art supply stores and Skin Scribe markers at medical supply stores. The thermal copier is a little harder to come across but available on auctions sites and garage sales.

By and large, to get a tattoo, it is recommended that you do a little research on the tools and materials used in the process. While you can also shop for these materials on your own, do not swap quality for quantity as the tattoo on your skin may just be a status symbol than just decorative or cosmetic. Tattoos are fantastic and lovely to have on if done correctly. So remember to be safe all through the process.