The customer should remove the bandage in about two hours and rinse it in cold water to remove whatever blood there is and gently blot it dry. Two hours is about the average time it takes for blood to start clotting and scabbing. If it has not clotted by that time, the cold water will close up the pores in the skin and hold the rest of the ink in. It is the cleaning process while it is healing that makes a tattoo look nice and sharp. Tell them to rinse it off with their hands. A washcloth or towel could really feel rough and it might start it to bleed, which you do not want to happen. It should then be blotted dry with a clean paper towel. No wiping or scrubbing, just blotting. The towel should be a white one, unscented and have no designs on it. Some people are allergic to the scent and dye in the towels. They should use the smooth side of the paper towel to keep from irritating it as little as possible. Fresh tattoos are very sensitive. When it is rinsed off, apply a little Bacitracin to keep it from drying out too much. (If it is a black tattoo, a little rub of alcohol on it first, before the ointment, will keep it clean and sharp. Black tattoos heal faster than colored ones.) The ointment should then be blotted dry after a fifteen minute wait. Again, use the smooth side of a white unscented paper towel. The tattoo will absorb as much ointment as it needs in that amount of time. If they don’t blot it dry, the excess ointment will collect unwanted bacteria. Blotting up a tattoo means blotting it dry to the touch. If you feel your hand over it and it slides across, there is too much ointment on it. If it is rough or crusty, the ointment was not on long enough.
Don’t keep it covered with a bandage. A tattoo is on the skin and it must be exposed to air to breathe, which speeds up healing. The only exception is when straps or certain articles of clothing rub against it. Tight clothing should be avoided and clean loose fitting clothes should be worn until the tattoo heals.
The ointment and blotting treatments are to be applied four times a day. Make sure that this is understood. As a tattoo heals, it feels smooth and velvety. A tattoo has healed when a scab falls off by itself. A black tattoo heals in about four days and a colored one takes about a full week.
Water is the worst thing for a healing tattoo to be exposed to. When in the shower, the customer should cover it up with a good layer of ointment. This will act as a protective barrier. Don’t get water on it until the scab falls off. Try not to put it directly under the water and work around it. When a scab gets too soaked with water, it swells up and peels off too early, messing things up. Drill these procedures into the customer. It only takes a few days of good care and they will get a great looking tattoo, if done right. When not done right, it will look faded, weak and not very bright. It will be worth it to them to take good care of it, because they are going to have the tattoo for the rest of their life.

Posted on September 2nd, 2008 by admin
Tags: dolphin tattoos, polynesian tattoos, tattoo gallery

Many people use different materials as bandage coverings. Some use a non-stick bandage like a Telfa-pad or Release, (a non-stick dressing). For larger work, a Pamper makes a great covering. They don’t dry into a tattoo and at the same time, provide a padded cushion. You can even halve or quarter them for smaller pieces and secure with Dermalite tape.

The most popular covering though, is Handi-Wrap. The reason for this is that people who have just received a tattoo want to show it off. If they can’t see through the covering, they are going to open up the bandage so they can sneak a peek. Then the bandage gets handled too much and becomes dirty. Handi-Wrap is ideal because some other brands are a little too sticky to work with.
The trouble with using gauze is that in a couple of hours when the customer begins to remove their bandage, the cloth sticks to the clotting scab. When they pull it off, it starts the tattoo to bleed all over again and they have an unwanted mess. It will also pull out more ink and weaken the tattoo design. Handi-Wrap is great in that it just slides off the tattoo with no hang-ups.
As soon as you are done wiping the tattoo clean and have wiped a big enough area for the tape to stick, and you’ve just covered the tattoo with some Bacitracin, take the Handi-Wrap and carefully pull out a nice strip and throw it away (This step is to make sure you have a clean piece.) Tear out another strip big enough to cover-up the entire tattoo with, about one inch extra on all sides. Tape it securely with Dermalite tape (a hypoallergenic paper tape that sticks great to skin, but can be taken off without too much pain).

When all this is done, the customer is ready to go home. If it bleeds a little on the way, tell them that this is all right and to keep it wiped up and clean until the bandage comes off.

Posted on September 2nd, 2008 by admin
Tags: custom tattoo, feminine tattoos, tattoo ideas, tattoos

After finishing a tattoo, it is your responsibility to prevent it from getting infected, at least during the first few hours until the body can close up all the holes that were just put into it. While tattooing, you have plenty of time to talk to the customer about after care and how they ought to treat the tattoo. Later, you can give them a care sheet to take home with them. A big poster outlining the healing process and the care of a new tattoo, located near the work chair, also acts as a double reminder. This is a very important step because how good a tattoo looks afterwards depends upon the healing, and it can either make or break you.
Right after finishing, you should clean the whole tattoo area with a green soap spray and a paper towel. Next, spray alcohol directly on that tattoo and place a paper towel right over it. (The towel is now totally absorbed with the alcohol.) Apply pressure on the towel with your hand and hold it on there for a few seconds before you wipe it off. (A word of warning here: This procedure really smarts, so you might want to hold the customer down with your free hand while you are wiping with the alcohol.) As you are wiping, clean an area a little larger than the actual tattoo, which will make a clean space for tape to stick onto later.
The next step is to apply a nice thin even coat of Bacitracin on the cleaned tattoo with a tongue depressor. Do not use Vaseline on a fresh tattoo. Bacitracin ointment should be used. A fresh tattoo will have a fever under it and feel hot to the touch. Cold water several times a day the first two days will take care of this. Explain this to customers and advise them to use Bacitracin after showering.
Some people use Bacitracin (a triple antibiotic ointment) on a fresh tattoo. You should know though, that certain customers may have a bad allergic reaction to the antibiotic in Bacitracin. Since you have no way of knowing who does or who doesn’t, you should be careful with its use. Antibiotics should be avoided as preventatives. If you have a clean shop and use sterile equipment, there is no reason why any tattoo should become infected. When an infection does take place (if ever), it is usually because of the customer’s neglect of instructions to properly care for it. They should not use antibiotics on their own. Instead, they should see a medical doctor who will prescribe one for them.

Posted on September 2nd, 2008 by admin
Tags: dolphin tattoos, free tattoo patterns, heart tattoos

Unless you are into self-punishment and frustration, please don’t tattoo drunk customers. It is all right if someone has had one or two beers, but if they can hardly stand up and are endlessly babbling on, you will have to firmly and politely inform them that you will do their tattoo at another time and they have to quietly leave. End of discussion. Don’t stand there arguing with them as to whether they are sober or not. The truth of the matter is that you just cannot do a decent tattoo on a drunk person. This holds true also for people that are on drugs and pill abusers. If people won’t respect you and your work, come in bombed or drugged out expecting you to put up with obnoxious behavior, just guide them to the door and walk them out. Even better is to stop them at the door before they even enter, if their situation is that plain to you.
You should also absolutely refuse to tattoo people with obvious signs of sickness or disease such as hepatitis or yellow jaundice. The tell tale signs of people with this is that the white of their eyes are yellowed and their skin has an unnatural yellowlike suntan look to it. Tell them that their money would be more wisely spent seeing a doctor. You cannot afford to expose yourself, your family, other reliable customers, your shop and equipment to diseases. Their blood is contaminated and their bodies are in no condition to have the extra burden of healing a tattoo. Quite often you will have to work on people who bleed profusely. This is really difficult because the ink is being washed out almost as fast as it is going in and can be really frustrating. Just get through it the best you can, they may have to return after healing for a touch-up. Advise them to avoid drinking alcohol and eat large quantities of jello for several days before returning. Jello is a source of Vitamin K, which is an excellent blood coagulant.
It is wise to have handy the local ambulance phone number, just in case of the rare occasions that may be beyond your help, such as epileptic seizures, etc.
As a professional tattooist, part of your role is to help people make it through the ordeal. For some, it is their personal Independence Day, and for some, it could be a great celebration for some reason or other. If a person is having a rough time dealing with it, you should help them through it without putting them down or getting them nervous because you think they are wasting your precious time. If you are going to do a tattoo on someone, make sure you are going to give it your full attention and give it and the person whatever time they require.

Posted on September 2nd, 2008 by admin
Tags: flower tattoos, free tattoo flash, heart tattoos

As a professional tattooist, you are going to have to handle certain unpleasant situations that some customers may find themselves in. One of these areas is the weak stomached client. Every once in a while a customer gets sick and you should be prepared to deal with it. Make it a habit to have all your wastebaskets lined with plastic garbage bags just in case someone gets a stomach reaction. A quick grab for the nearest basket sure beats a disgusting mess on the floor. Besides, it could even end up on you and your equipment, so this little preparation can pay off.
Another thing to keep an eye out for is the fainters. Don’t worry, this is not very common, but does happen once in a while. The warning signs are a change of skin color in the face (from flesh to white with a gray or green overcast), sweating and an uptight, rigid and tense body.
During the first five or ten minutes of the outlines don’t get completely lost in your work and totally ignore the customer. Make frequent glances up at the client’s face and talk with the person to see how they are doing. With this system, any problems will show up ahead of time. It’s good public relations, and the tattoo business needs more of it.
If any signs show that the person is having problems, stop the tattooing and announce a little breathing break. Give them a little assurance and confidence that this reaction is quite common and will soon pass. Give them an alcohol sprayed tissue to wipe their head with. It also helps if the client puts their head between their knees for a few minutes. When people get really uptight, they stop breathing and then begin to lose consciousness which is called a fainting spell. If a client looks faint, don’t let them walk around the shop without supervision. They may fall and hurt themselves. A short period just before people actually lose consciousness, they appear to be in a trance. Talk loudly to them and tell them not to fall asleep but to breath. If they really pass out, a slight slap on the cheek may bring them around. Don’t get too carried away. It may be necessary to open a bottle of smelling salts or break an ammonia inhalant (aromatic carbonate of ammonia) under their nostrils to revive them. If possible, ask one of their friends to help you out. A glass of ice water is sometimes helpful. Stay with them and try to keep them talking. Explain that it will soon pass and then they will be just fine.
If fainting occurs, you should wait at least fifteen to twenty minutes before beginning again, when their skin color has returned to normal, there is no more profuse sweating, they are relaxed and are breathing regularly and normally.
When you begin again, do so slowly at first and keep up a good conversation. As a rule, fainters are usually getting their first tattoo. Why do they faint? Maybe they didn’t eat anything all day or it may be a reaction to the sight of blood. In all likelihood though, they probably have really psyched themselves out to expect super intense pain and who knows what else, and when they had begun to actually feel the needles at work and realized it wasn’t that bad after all, they begin to relax, causing the blood to go from a tight hose to a loose one and they collapse from a blood rush.

Posted on September 2nd, 2008 by admin
Tags: religious tattoos, tribal tattoo, tribal tattoo designs

Now it is time to Put on a pair of latex surgical gloves. Pick-up the outliner machine (previously tuned) and check to make sure the grip on the tube is dry for a secure hold. Engage it to the clip connecting cord. Turn the power unit on and start and stop the machine by means of a footswitch. This leaves both of your hands free to work with. Adjust the Rheostat Knob on the power unit to determine the correct machine speed for the job. It takes experience to best decide this and after a while, you will tell just by the sound of the machine. Keep it moderate and start it out slow, you can always speed it up a little once you get started. Grasp the underside of the arm and draw the skin taut between the thumb and fingers. Dip the tip of the tube into the ink and start following the lines of the design from the bottom corner. Work upwards and to the left. Do not tip your machine back more than a 45 degree angle or the ink will run down the inside of the tube and also down the needle bar. (This is called back feeding). Remember, your machine is gravity fed and must be kept at the same angle as if you were using a pen. Be careful not to smudge the stencil print. Remove the excess ink from the skin by dabbing gently with a tissue, don’t rub it. Check tip for a refill and stop the machine while dipping ink. When the outline is finished, spray the area of the outline that you have just done, and touch up any weak lines. When this is done, apply a thin coat of Vaseline.
The outliner tube should be cleaned. Rinse the tip of the tube under the faucet, remove the tube and needle bar, and place in “Used” tray. Pick-up the shading machine, clip it in, ink it and commence the “shading.” When this is finished, wiped and checked, do any touching up, if necessary, at this point. Clean the tattoo with green soap spray, wipe clean and apply another coat of Vaseline.
When you are finished with the black, dip the shading tube in the ultrasonic and then rinse it under the faucet. This will remove most or all of the black dye from the tube and you will be ready for the first color to be put in. Consult the chapter on Coloring and know it well. Between each colors rinse the dye out of the tube as described in that Chapter and apply a light coat of Vaseline to the skin so it is well greased. When the tattoo is finished and the customer is well pleased, bandage it up according to the “Bandage and Healing” Chapter. Make sure the customer knows about the healing process and give them a “healing” instruction brochure that you should have made up to take home with them. Stress that they have to read it to take care of the tattoo correctly. (Consult “Practices” Chapter.) This Chapter just gives the right steps in consecutive order so you will know how it is done. It is not a guide in itself, and it is your responsibility to read and totally familiarize yourself with all the information in the book also.

Posted on September 2nd, 2008 by admin
Tags: skull tattoos, tattoo ideas, tattoo pictures, tattoos

Let us review all the tattooing procedures you have learned up to this point. In an organized order, go over a mock tattoo schedule from start to finish. This will tie in. all of the tasAv-Tiqyxesm some sort oitogicaV order so you can understand where they all fit.
A customer has just walked in, and just for the sake of this explanation, let’s say they would like a tattoo on their upper arm. After briefly talking to them about designs and which one they will prefer, let’s assume one is chosen and agreed upon. The price is understood and paid for, and the release form is signed. (See Chapter on Shop Practices). If they wish it on their left side, they would be seated in front of you with their back to the work table. If it was in the same position on the right arm, they would be turned around and be facing the table.
The topic of body positioning should be stressed here. The relationship of the customer’s position in regard to your own should be considered beforehand. One inch either way can really slow you down and make your work awkward. Once the customer is sitting, move yourself around to find a comfortable and steady position to work from.
In conjunction with the Chapter on “Sterile Techniques,” clean your hands thoroughly as described. Take a paper towel and place it on the table. Place a clean ink cap holder on the towel. Remove a tongue depressor from a jar with a lid on it and lift out a liberal scoop of Carbolated Vaseline and place it on the towel (you may also use the individual packets of Vaseline if you choose, instead). Now is the time to “prep” the area on the arm that is to receive the tattoo. After the “prep” job and the skin is drying for a few minutes, so as to become tacky for the stencil, now you may remove an outliner tube and needle bar from a wrapper and put together the unit, following closely the assembly steps found in “Tube Setting.” Put this unit aside and set-up a shading machine. Decide beforehand what stencil method suits you best and prepare the design stencil. Have the customer sit up straight and let the arm hang loose in a relaxed position. Properly apply the stencil in the desired position (go back and read Stencil Chapter). After it is applied and you and the customer are satisfied with its location, clean the stencil (if acetate) and dry it for filing. Take the lamp and adjust it so the light shines on the arm and works to your best advantage. Fill the cap holder (should hold at least four) with clean caps, one cap for each color anticipated and black, and carefully fill one with black tattoo ink from a sterile bottle with a pouring spout on it.

Posted on September 2nd, 2008 by admin
Tags: angelina jolie tattoos, flower tattoos, tattoo ideas, tattoos

The Chapter on Names and Letters should be studied so the beginning tattooist will learn right away the correct procedures when doing inscriptions. Unfortunately, there are just too many tattooists around who know nothing about this and it will be their work which will come to you in need of improving, like a total cover up job. Many of them will be old girlfriends names that were tattooed on in a sudden whim. The only positive thing coming out of this is that most names are usually done small and can be covered up fairly easily. This is good for everyone concerned, being inexpensive for the client and a fast turnover for yourself. There is an unlimited amount of ideas to be used to hide names in. Sometimes the name is within a banner or flag, and the customer might want to keep the original design, but wishes only to be rid of the name in the banner. The name can be reworked into a bunch of flowers and leaves and still maintain much of the original design.

Sometimes, customers may show-up wanting advice in having a tattoo removed, but a little talking on your part may persuade them more towards a good cover-up than actual surgical removal. Oftentimes, a good looking tattoo will be more what they wanted in the first place. It is worth taking the time to show them what you can do and usually they will decide to go for a cover-up. A good professional can take a depressed customer who is embarrassed by their tattoo and turn the mood right around with a decent cover-up. There is a certain amount of satisfaction gained by turning a new person out, who is proud of their new tattoo. This makes a lot of friends and a growing list of clients for yourself.

Cover-up tattooing is a real artistic challenge. The customers presents a problem, and it is up to you to provide a solution. It is exciting because it keeps you sharp and flexible, and the mind is always being taxed to come up with good solutions that are both acceptable to the customer and meeting all the requirements to do the job correctly.

Posted on September 2nd, 2008 by admin
Tags: ankle tattoos, skull tattoos, tattoo art, tattoo ideas, tattoos

The great feathered tails of peacocks, the dark flowing hair of a Gibson girl or the draping folds of a grim reaper’s cloak are also great design ideas capable of disguising even the worst of tattoos. It’s easy to imagine an old tattoo getting lost and hidden in these designs and still have plenty of artistic license leftover to put
it will be hard to find designs “right out of the box” to cover every situation. This means that designs will have to be modified or adjusted accordingly to fit the job. Maybe a design is perfect but too small, so get it enlarged, or a customer wants a peacock to cover an unusual tattoo, so draw in extra feathers to cover it sufficiently. Be flexible with the chosen design and be brave to change a few lines as the case demands, and eventually, a good eye will be developed to assess the job and provide sure solutions wiin a minimum of
wasted time.

With a good foundation now in what is supposed to be accomplished, the artwork itself isn’t all there is to be concerned with. There are a few things to be considered about the actual tattooing process of cover-ups also. For instance, obviously, an old tattoo already has plenty of ink in the skin to begin with but while tattooing another design over it, it is an easy thing to forget. The general rule to remember is to not overdo the shading or coloring when tattooing directly over the old design (because it must be kept to a minimum on an already saturated area). Apply just enough of the new ink to lose the old design under it and then stop. A major mistake is to get carried away when it is not really needed. It is surprising just how little ink is actually needed to successfully cover-up an old tattoo. Too much ink will really spoil a new tattoo, and too much ink means too many holes in the skin and could quite possibly leave bad scar tissue. There is no need for excessive grinding of the machine into the skin, you won’t get more ink in there, anyway. The lighter the touch, with just enough ink to do the job, is the way to get a superior looking tattoo. If a sharp eye is constantly used to see what is being developed, over-doing it won’t suddenly creep up on you and progress can be steadily monitored.

Posted on September 2nd, 2008 by admin
Tags: britney spears tattoo, skull tattoos, small tattoos

“Cover-up” is a term that refers to the technique of freshly tattooing a design right over an already existing tattoo. This is done in such a way that the new tattoo will totally cover over or completely hide the original tattoo. This is usually done because the first design is no longer wanted and a new and better one can be placed over it. Oftentimes, crude tattoos done by mistaught tattooists eventually become uncomely eyesores to the owners and they wish to change the situation. A good tattooist that understands cover-up can change their whole outlook. Because covering up tattoos is an art in itself, it should be seriously studied because a goodly portion of income can be made by doing this. Believe it, a good living can be made by covering up other tattooists’ bad mistakes, and unfortunately, there is a lot of it around to do.

The real key to doing good cover-up work is taking the time to correctly choose the right design. A perfect covering design must be right in many aspects and meet several requirements. It has to be a large enough design to more than hide the old tattoo. It must have substantial dark areas, like lots of shading, to make the old tattoo disappear under it.
And, on top of all this, the design should be pleasing and acceptable to the customer, have some sort of point of interest (like a head or claw) to draw the eye away from the actual cover-up area. Eventually, the tattooist will use a lot of imagination to invent new designs to cleverly cover-up old ones, making each one a custom tattoo. But it is still worthwhile, especially in the learning stages, to review some traditional standards popularly used in one form or another to achieve excellent cover-up success.
To start with, the heavily black shaded wings spread, are common cover-up themes. Just about any old design may be hidden in the shading of wings, yet the head or claws (or whatever else that might be added on) will detract the eye from the old design (now covered up) and will create a brand new tattoo. When finished, the customer will be proud of it instead of ashamed.

Posted on September 2nd, 2008 by admin
Tags: hawaiian tattoos, tatto ideas, tattoo pictures