First Tattoo

From LoveToKnow Tattoos

It can take you awhile to decide on getting your first tattoo, and there aren’t many places where you can find an honest “what to expect” account of the first tattoo process.

Completed Tattoo

Choosing Your Tattoo

Do not enter into getting a tattoo lightly, as you will be stuck with it for years. Laser removal is 10 times more painful and expensive than getting a tattoo initially. Will the tattoo be big? Will it be small? Do you want it black and shaded or full color? These are questions your tattoo artist will ask you.

The tattoo featured here is a first tattoo and is inspired by the new Friday the 13th movie. The inner right forearm is the location that was decided on. This inner forearm is a good location for a tattoo despite the size. A small tattoo is easily hidden and a larger one can be partially seen at all times but still hidden if need be. Ultimately the decision is yours.

Going to the Tattoo Shop

These days you need to make an appointment several weeks in advance and be ready to answer a few questions about the work you want done. If you have a piece in mind, then take the art with you. It is helpful if you supply a color copy (if you want color) and a black and white one.

Final Artwork - Color

Final Artwork – Black and White

Between the time you visit the shop to turn in your design and your appointment the artist can do one of two things with it:

Scan it and create line art removing all color or;
Redraw the entire designs.

What to Expect From Your First Tattoo

It is now the day of your tattoo and you’re going to be nervous. Having this sort of fear is natural because it’s sort of a fight or flight response. You will be sat down and given a release form. If you aren’t given one then you may not have found the right shop. The same applies if they aren’t wearing gloves, spraying surfaces with alcohol and covering with plastic wrap. It is important that the shop you go to adheres to health codes.

Final Design and Preparation

The artist will present you with your design as line art to test the size and fitting. Now you have to decide where you want the tattoo and decide, ultimately, how large you want it. Once everything is decided upon the design will be made into a transfer.

The area you want tattooed will be shaved (if needed) and you should expect to be wiped down with alcohol then have the transfer set and sprayed, patted down then removed to create a temporary tattoo or stencil. Any areas that haven’t transferred over may be filled in with a permanent marker. The artist will apply A&D Ointment prior to putting needle to skin. It’s important to continually apply alcohol and A&D to keep the area sterile and moisturized.

Design Transferred to Skin

One special note: Make sure you eat before getting your tattoo. It’s important to keep your blood sugar up as your body’s reaction to the process can cause some people to feel ill.

The Inking Process

Now that the transfer is completed it’s time to begin the actual tattooing process. Think of it like coloring a cartoon and you start those by outlining the project. The same applies to the tattoo. This particular piece was outlined entirely in black using a “1-wide” or single needle. This was the longest portion of time. The pain was really not that bad.

Beginning to Outline in Black

Beginning Red Outline

Red and Black Outline Completed

As you can see in the second picture the black outline has been completed along with the red. From an artistic point of view there was no need to trace the red areas with black as they were all being filled with solid red.

The next step was the filling in of solid areas. As you can see the site is puffy and the pain was the same throughout, though it hurt more on the left side. Pain is a funny thing though, and it may be completely different for you. The handles of the machetes were first to be colored in using a “7-wide” needle meaning there are 7 individual needles working simultaneously. This portion hurt less than the rest. What followed were the different shades of tan, brown and orange in order to mix color to match the color design.

Black Handles and Darker Shades Beginning	Dark Shades on Mask	Lighter Colors Being Shaded
Earth Tones Completed	Gray Wash Being Filled	Red Being Filled Completed

From here there were some added shades and touching up of other areas. Some brown was added to the handles so that when set it would give that sort of dark wood look and feel to it.

Taking Care of the Tattoo

As soon as the first tattoo is done expect, the artist to give it another wipe down with alcohol in order to disinfect it. A layer of ointment will also be applied along with either plastic wrap to protect it or a meat pad. Take this protection off later that night and make sure you have the following items on hand:

Ointment like Aquaphor or A&D
Anti-bacterial soap; self-foaming is ideal

When caring for your first tattoo follow these simple tips:

Wash with anti-bacterial soap and lukewarm water gently, and pat dry
Moisturize with ointment several times a day in a thin layer; thicker before bed
Do not rub or itch your tattoo
Skin will come off in color; this is normal and don’t pull it off
Do not submerge your tattoo in water for at least 2 weeks