Tattoo Artist

Tattoo Artist

Tatted Mom

Tucson, AZ

Female, 32

I'm a tattoo artist who underwent a standard apprenticeship under a certified tattoo artist. I am an artist first, tattooer second, which means I put creativity and art into my tattoos, not just the 'you pick it, we stick it' type of tattooer. Apprenticeships for tattooing vary by state, according to the laws. I'm also a trained body piercer, as well. Any questions about the job or apprenticing, I'd be happy to help!

PLEASE NOTE: I will NOT price tattoos. Seek a shop for that.

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Last Answer on May 23, 2014

Best Rated

I'm looking to get a tattoo of a drawing, however, I only want some minor changes. Would it bother a tattoo artist if I went in and didn't want it changed very much?

Asked by Natalie over 12 years ago

Some tattoo artists are fine with that, and other's aren't. It depends on the drawing, too. Some people want a drawing done just the way it is, but the drawing isn't tattooable. Drawings for tattoos are way different than most drawings. So, talk to your artist and see what they say.

I went to my local tattoo artist for a Celtic cross with elements of four family crests incorporated in it. A month later, not drawing. I'm told the drawing will be ready the day of the tattoo. Is this right/professional?

Asked by Maikeli over 12 years ago

Yes and no, lol. If the piece is a custom piece, the artist should have you stop by a day or so before the appointment to see the drawing, so they can make any necessary changes to it before the day of the tattoo. Do many artists conduct business this way? Unfortunately, no. Many of them, depending on the tattoo, don't draw them up until the week of the appointment. I've seen a lot of artists (the busier ones), sit down on a Sunday and draw out all of their tattoos for the week, regardless of whether the appointment is that Monday or Friday. Each artist has a method to their madness.

If I had an artist do my tattoo, and go to another artist to get it touched up and they use different inks, will you be able to tell in the tattoo after the touch up? And will it look bad?

Asked by Kayla Kibbe over 12 years ago

Different inks can result in differences between the old tattoo and the touchup. It could blend fine, and it could be a trainwreck. It all depends on the artist's ability to match the color or blend the old tattoo into the touch up work.

I want to get a tattoo of the stars (like a nebula thats very colorful) but I'm concerned with the colors bleeding together and looking like a bruise. Is there a way to avoid that? If I got touch ups often or did it with lighter colors maybe?

Asked by Tattoo virgin over 12 years ago

Colors don't bleed together in a tattoo, unless the tattoo was not done correctly. If you have purple next to yellow, the purple will forever stay next to the yellow, and not combine. Now, if the tattoo artist does the yellow first, then does the purple, and does not take proper precautions to protect the yellow during the tattoo process, then some brown may occur when the purple goes over the yellow. But, if it's inked individually, it will stay as two separate colors in the skin.

How much would it cost to get my tattoo fixed. Its a 3d cross with a ribbon going through it that days daddy. On the top and bottom are his birthdate and the day he died. Theres a little shading in it. I need it redrawn.

Asked by kayla over 12 years ago

This question is a difficult one, for 2 reasons:

1- I don't price quote over the internet or for other artists.

2- I don't have a picture of your tattoo to see what needs to be fixed.

I got my rook pierced and it is mostly healed now, but is swollen. The swelling hardly hurts, my sister got her industrial pierced and the swelling was like scarring, I was just wondering if this will go away or if the swelling is permanent?

Asked by Shelby Jones over 12 years ago

Swelling isn't permanent. If a piercing is still swollen and hurts weeks after it's done, it needs to be taken out. Chance are, it's infected, or wasn't pierced correctly. If there is swelling around the entry sites, it may be a keloid, or a pocket of oil that sometimes develops after a piercing. Keloids shouldn't be popped, and they can be treated with tea tree oil, but there's a chance they may never go away.

I'm going to get a half sleeve done of a scroll with a map of the world on the scroll.I am going to mark everywhere I've been in the world and continue adding as I travel.I want the continents a solid color, but will that cause trouble for the marks?

Asked by James over 12 years ago

If the continents are a light color and the marks are dark, then you should be fine. In fact, I'd probably do the marks in black just in case. Keep in mind, though, that you don't want to fit too much detail into a small space, because over time the ink will expand under the skin. While your idea sounds awesome, I would worry a little about fitting all of that into a half sleeve. Maybe consider making it a back piece? If you are determined to make it a half sleeve, just keep it simple so it holds its purpose over the years.