the four foundations
The tattoos, from the first to the fortieth, are based on 4 basic elements. A lot of people will walk into a tattoo appointment having thought of one or two of them; You can take your tattoo to the next level by considering these four essential elements of your ink experience, before you even discuss it all with your tattoo artist. tattoo design is an art and a science.
1. topic I know, it sounds like this part should be filed under “fuck me”, but you’d be surprised how many people walk in to book an appointment and just want “something”. Mom used to say “and people in hell want ice water”, but at least those suffering bastards have what they want in their heads. If you’re having trouble thinking of a “what,” take a minute back and think about the “why.” Don’t get me wrong, there may be a time when a random tattoo design is exactly what you want and need, but the other 99% of the time, have an idea or three, and bring me some reference material when you come. consult.
2. placement where, oh where will your new tattoo design look best? I have a regular client who has good ideas about what he wants, but has virtually no understanding of what a tattoo will look like when it goes from a flat drawing and stencil to a unique, three-dimensional, moving human being. you can approach placement from two angles, so to speak. one, given the size and shape of the layout (and sometimes the theme as well), what makes the most sense? two, if the placement is the most important, as in must. to have. hip. get tattooed, make that clear to your artist, and then work together on which theme will work best in that particular location. As you try out the placement ideas, you’ll remember that the great thing about templates is that they can be moved. The good thing about tattoos is that they can’t be.
3. style the style of art you choose to be permanently etched onto your skin may depend on a) the theme b) the story or idea behind your tattoo and c) the strengths and artistic point of view of your artist. when you do a google image search for, say, flowers, you’re going to see a million different visual representations of flowering plants. It doesn’t matter if you don’t know what to call certain tattoo styles: Photorealism, Graphic/Linework/Geometric, New School, American Traditional, Japanese Traditional Irezumi, Black and Grey, Illustrative, Biomechanical, Polynesian, Dotwork, Watercolor and a bunch of “neos” that put a modern spin on traditional forms. knowing what you like is much more important than knowing what it’s called. that’s the beauty of style. stay open to what your artist brings to the discussion…sometimes what you think you’ll like is a far cry from what you end up loving!
4. full color or black & gray people get into fights, or at least pretty heated discussions, about color vs. black and gray (or “gray” for fake British phonies). do I have a preference? Yes. your? well, that’s the question. And here are two more questions for you: Does the style you love require color to really work? Is the subject you are getting tattooed more striking in black and grey? look, it’s all coming together…
You’ve noticed that the 4 elements I’m talking about are not independent of each other. For your tattoo to be the best it can be, for you to be the happiest, and for your artist to have done the job right, all of these things need to come together. the key is to have an open and honest give-and-take conversation with your artist. Working together, they’ll make the best decisions that will result in the meanest, sickest, coolest tattoo ever…until next time!
