John Blackhawk
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What's it really like inside a tattoo shop? The reason I'm asking is i'm trying to write an authentic tattoo artist character.
Life inside a Tattoo Shop
- Thread starter John Blackhawk
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Bramblethorn
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It's going to vary according to the artist and their business model.
A place that takes walk-in business will probably need a waiting room and somebody working reception. They'll have a selection of art for customers to look through and get ideas. Depending on the place, this might just be flash (simple generic designs) hanging on the wall, or each artist might have their own album of work that they've done.
The actual tattooing will probably be done in a back room, for privacy's sake.
Depending on how much custom they get, they may combine tattooing with other business. Piercing is common, but there was a place near me that advertised as a combination café, pizza joint, and tattoo parlour. Me, if I'm getting a tattoo, I'd prefer to get it from somebody who's concentrating on being a tattooist and not multi-tasking, but YMMV.
My tattoo artist was appointment-only. I found her work online and contacted her by email, we talked about what I wanted and made an appointment. She had a studio space that she shared with a few other artists - it makes sense, if you're not working all the time, might as well split the rent with somebody else. There was a small space up the front where we sat together and confirmed what I was after, then we went through into the main work space.
The space itself: several tables, two guys there getting big tattoos, they didn't move or say a word the whole time I was there. Quiet music playing and the needles buzzing away. There was a copy machine that my artist used to transfer the design from paper to a stencil that she could put on my skin, and some big mirrors for people to check the work before and after. (It took ages to get the placement just right - my design had a bunch of straight lines, which are hard to do right on a curved human body.) Drawers for equipment (needles, an electric razor to shave the site, cling-wrap etc. for afterwards, etc. etc.) and a lot of little bottles of coloured inks. Sink and stuff for washing as well as disinfecting.
I think they had a decent heating system going to keep the place comfortably warm - you wouldn't want to be cold while getting or giving a tattoo.
That's probably unhelpfully vague - I was a bit spaced out on endorphins at the time, it was a pretty intense experience for more reasons than one - but if you have specific questions I might be able to answer some. You might try googling a few tattoo artists to get a feel for how different folk work. Modern tattooing has a huge range of styles, and each artist has their own.
Tattooists themselves are a mixed bunch - old and young, male and female. But I've never met one without tattoos of their own.
A place that takes walk-in business will probably need a waiting room and somebody working reception. They'll have a selection of art for customers to look through and get ideas. Depending on the place, this might just be flash (simple generic designs) hanging on the wall, or each artist might have their own album of work that they've done.
The actual tattooing will probably be done in a back room, for privacy's sake.
Depending on how much custom they get, they may combine tattooing with other business. Piercing is common, but there was a place near me that advertised as a combination café, pizza joint, and tattoo parlour. Me, if I'm getting a tattoo, I'd prefer to get it from somebody who's concentrating on being a tattooist and not multi-tasking, but YMMV.
My tattoo artist was appointment-only. I found her work online and contacted her by email, we talked about what I wanted and made an appointment. She had a studio space that she shared with a few other artists - it makes sense, if you're not working all the time, might as well split the rent with somebody else. There was a small space up the front where we sat together and confirmed what I was after, then we went through into the main work space.
The space itself: several tables, two guys there getting big tattoos, they didn't move or say a word the whole time I was there. Quiet music playing and the needles buzzing away. There was a copy machine that my artist used to transfer the design from paper to a stencil that she could put on my skin, and some big mirrors for people to check the work before and after. (It took ages to get the placement just right - my design had a bunch of straight lines, which are hard to do right on a curved human body.) Drawers for equipment (needles, an electric razor to shave the site, cling-wrap etc. for afterwards, etc. etc.) and a lot of little bottles of coloured inks. Sink and stuff for washing as well as disinfecting.
I think they had a decent heating system going to keep the place comfortably warm - you wouldn't want to be cold while getting or giving a tattoo.
That's probably unhelpfully vague - I was a bit spaced out on endorphins at the time, it was a pretty intense experience for more reasons than one - but if you have specific questions I might be able to answer some. You might try googling a few tattoo artists to get a feel for how different folk work. Modern tattooing has a huge range of styles, and each artist has their own.
Tattooists themselves are a mixed bunch - old and young, male and female. But I've never met one without tattoos of their own.
MrRandyWatson
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Every place is different, but to piggyback off some previous points and make others:
Any tattoo artist worth their salt will be very scrupulous regarding age, condition and payment. I was 31 when I first started getting tattoos but if I weren’t obviously older than 18 they would have been careful with me. Furthermore, the reason for not giving ink to a drunk or stoned person is not strictly the issue of concerns or regret; alcohol causes the ink to fade a hell of a lot more quickly, so it significantly reduces the quality of the tattoo. Most tattoo artists take a lot of pride in their work and wouldn’t take kindly to some drunken dipshit weakening the quality of a piece they spent a lot of time on.
Remember that tattoo artists are just that - artists. Some people make art on canvas. Some do it on human skin. So these people are creative types, and creative people can often be quirky. My tattoo artist kept her dog in the studio with her. He was a chill dog and never bothered anyone, but it was definitely a surprise especially given that tattoo artists are definitely concerned with sanitation.
Also, remember that (nearly) all tattoo artists have tattoos themselves. You don’t go to a barber with shitty hair or a mechanic who drives a POS; likewise, you don’t go to a tattoo parlor with an artist with no tattoos (or no good ones.)
If I were writing a tattoo artist, I would write a female just because all my ink was done by female artists. I would write her with a completely different background (my first tattoo was done in Hawaii by a woman who grew up with ultra-conservative parents who couldn’t stand that their daughter became a tattoo artist) and with some unusual quirks. I would make her relatable and also give her some sweet body art.
Any tattoo artist worth their salt will be very scrupulous regarding age, condition and payment. I was 31 when I first started getting tattoos but if I weren’t obviously older than 18 they would have been careful with me. Furthermore, the reason for not giving ink to a drunk or stoned person is not strictly the issue of concerns or regret; alcohol causes the ink to fade a hell of a lot more quickly, so it significantly reduces the quality of the tattoo. Most tattoo artists take a lot of pride in their work and wouldn’t take kindly to some drunken dipshit weakening the quality of a piece they spent a lot of time on.
Remember that tattoo artists are just that - artists. Some people make art on canvas. Some do it on human skin. So these people are creative types, and creative people can often be quirky. My tattoo artist kept her dog in the studio with her. He was a chill dog and never bothered anyone, but it was definitely a surprise especially given that tattoo artists are definitely concerned with sanitation.
Also, remember that (nearly) all tattoo artists have tattoos themselves. You don’t go to a barber with shitty hair or a mechanic who drives a POS; likewise, you don’t go to a tattoo parlor with an artist with no tattoos (or no good ones.)
If I were writing a tattoo artist, I would write a female just because all my ink was done by female artists. I would write her with a completely different background (my first tattoo was done in Hawaii by a woman who grew up with ultra-conservative parents who couldn’t stand that their daughter became a tattoo artist) and with some unusual quirks. I would make her relatable and also give her some sweet body art.
