FAQ
That means frequently asked questions...• Do tattoos hurt?
• What body parts hurt more?
• Do you tattoo yourself?
• Who did your tattoos?
• Where can I find a tattoo reference?
Anything works as a reference. T-shirts, postcards, pictures from magazines, comic books, etc. are all good examples. Usually you won't find a picture of exactly what you want, but if you can get a couple ideas together from a couple different references, that's really helpful. I've gotten pictures from National Geographic, Vogue magazine, the library, and if you can print out stuff from the Internet, that's great too. You can bring in pictures of someone else's tattoo if there's elements about it that you like, but it's not a good idea to outright copy another person's work. Also, the more concise and specific you can be, the better.
You can say something like:
"It's really important that this butterfly is very petite and delicate and feminine. That's why I want it a pale, pastel pink to represent my birthstone and also I'd like a black outline to symbolize my bold inner goddess and the fact that I'm an independent, free thinking, empowered female. I'm also interested in blending a little fuchsia around the edges to represent the fact that I'm a sensual being, but by no means overtly sexual."
...and I'll be lost about halfway through. It's more helpful to spare yourself some energy and just say you want a 2" light pink butterfly, faded into fuchsia toward the black outline.
• How do I make appointments?
• How can I arrange appointments for a big tattoo?
• My friend said I can put alcohol (or mayonnaise or baby oil or olive oil etc...) on my tattoo and it will heal better.
• My friend tattoos out of the house, but I figure it's safe because he uses new needles. It's fine, right?