What Not to Do If You're Getting a Tattoo

You find yourself caught up in the current trend of getting a tattoo and decide it's time for you to join the inked club. There are a few things you need to know that will make your experience all the more enjoyable.

1. Know what it is you want and be sure it's something you want on your body for the rest of your life. DON'T - walk into the tattoo shop and ask the artists what they think would look good on you, they hate that. Also, DON'T - scan all the pictures on the wall and pick something from there. Those tatts are a dime a dozen. Take your time to find something you really want and give the artist as much detail as you can. If it's something original that you want the artists to draw up, be prepared to pay some money in advance for his/her time doing your artwork.

2. DON'T tell the tattoo artist your life story or the story behind your tattoo. Thanks to shows like Miami Ink, and Inked people seem to think they have to spill their guts during their tattoo session. Unless you are on TV being filmed for an episode keep the chatter to a minimum. All they are really concerned about is making sure that they do a good job and that you end up happy with the finished product

3. DON'T argue with the artist when they tell you that the image you are giving them simply won't work. A lot of people walk into a shop with a great idea in mind but they want the tattoo to be so small that all the detail will be lost over time and just turn into an unintelligble black blob. The artists are not trying to goug more money out of you, they are simply looking after your and their best interests. Think about it this way. If, after a few years, the tattoo you wanted ends up looking really bad that artists forever has his/her name attached to that. They don't want to be responsible for poor or sloppy work.

4. This is probably the most important piece of advice that I can give. Do your homework before you get that first tattoo. Check out a whole bunch of shops in your area and look at all the artists portfolios. You don't have to be a tattoo afficianado to be able to spot the difference between good and bad work. Go to the inkednation website and look at some of the great work on there. I'm sure you'll find a good, reputable artist in your area. DON'T go see a scratcher (derogatory term for a really bad tattoo artist) who works out of his basement or garage. Chances are you'll end up with a really bad tattoo not to mention a horrible infection.

Those are the basic don't when getting your first tattoo. Try to be original with your designs, follow those rules and you'll find that most artiists will be delighted to help you and you'll end up having a very good experience.