Neena Cabarles| For Pika
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There are many things that may go on in your mind when contemplating getting your first tattoo. You might have mixed feelings of excitement and nervousness. Preparation is vital in ensuring that your first tattoo experience is an enjoyable one. Here are some tips on how to prepare for and what to expect on your first tattoo experience:
Design and placement
It is important to research your design and placement ideas ahead of time. These are possibly the most important steps and should not be rushed. Tattoos are permanent, so whatever you choose will need careful consideration.
Jeff Lujan, a tattoo artist at Guam’s Lots of Art Tattoo shop, says that the design is the key factor.
“It’s what’s going onto your skin and staying with you for life. The tattoo you seek is completely up to you. Only you can decide what goes on your body.”
Research
It is important to feel comfortable and trust the person who will be doing your tattoo. Some things you may want to make sure of when choosing an artist is that they are a licensed professional and that their artistic style meets your needs.
“When searching for an artist, the first thing, maybe the most important thing, is to find a professional artist. They must hold a license to tattoo with the state or territory. A professional tattoo artist works out of a shop where all the necessary equipment, disinfectants and certain precautions are in place. After finding an artist, make sure their style and work meets your needs. Every artist should have a portfolio of their work. If you don’t see anything similar to the tattoo you had in mind, ask.”
Researching tattoo shops is just as crucial as choosing an artist. Not only do you want to make sure you have a comfortable experience but a safe one as well.
“Every shop should be licensed by the state or territory. They should be inspected by the health department and the certificate should be clearly visible to the public. The shop should be clean and free of any clutter. The tools used for the tattoo process should always be sterile. All surfaces that can reasonably come in contact should be covered with some sort of barrier. Typically, it’s with plastic wrap or barrier films.”
Price
The decision to get a tattoo is usually an expensive one. It is important to budget ahead of time for the type of tattoo you want. Pricing is typically based off of the time it takes to get your tattoo done so, size and complexity make a huge contribution to the pricing of your tattoo.
Lujan assures that the price you may pay for getting your tattoo is well worth the investment.
“The first question that comes out of everyone’s mouth is “how much?” But price should be the final thing to talk about with your artist. After all details of the tattoo are discussed, only then can the artist give you an accurate estimate. If you want a tattoo, that looks great and again, stays with you forever, you should be prepared to pay what it costs. There is a common saying in the industry, ‘good tattoos are not cheap, and cheap tattoos are not good’.”
After care
Learning how to care for the tattooed area afterwards is crucial. Remember to pay careful attention to the instructions your tattoo artist gives for aftercare.
“One thing that gets easily taken for granted is aftercare. The artist should have taken every necessary precaution to keep you safe and healthy. Now, as you walk out that door, it’s up to you to take care of the tattoo. The following few days are most important. The fresh tattoo is essentially an open wound. You don’t want any bacteria or germs getting in contact with it. Your artist should be able to give you appropriate and detailed instructions on how to take care of your tattoo.”
Jeff Lujan is a tattoo artist from Albuquerque, NM, currently working on Guam at Lots Of Art Tattoo. He received a formal apprenticeship under Master Tattooist, Jespah Torres and has been tattooing for almost seven years. He is certified in Blood Borne Pathogen, CPR and First Aid. For more information on Jeff Lujan’s work visit his website at www.indisposablearts.com.
