What to know before getting your first tattoo

Contact your artist

Once you’ve chosen the right person for the job, get in touch with them to discuss your design. This is the most involved part of your tattoo process! Communication is key here, as you both want to be happy with the outcome. Most artists are happy to answer DMs on Instagram, or else will have their email address posted on their account or on the studio’s website. If you’re visiting a studio, be specific about which artist it is that you want to book in with.

When emailing, try to have a few reference images ready similar to the style you want, but remember – most artists will refuse point blank to copy a design, particularly one you’ve just found on Pinterest. They will redraw it and re-design it in their unique style – don’t ask them to simply copy something.

It’s also important to have an idea in mind of where you want it and how big. Get specific! They need approximate measurements of how big you want your piece so they know how long it’s going to take. Avoid asking for something ‘medium-sized’ or ‘small’ – one artist’s small could be the size of a thumbprint, whilst others could consider a full forearm small.

Greg says “Try to be concise with what you’re after – your email should contain a short description of what you want that includes a rough size, where you want it, images of similar designs, and whether you want it to be in colour or black and white. Don’t just email asking ‘how much is a medium-size tattoo?’ – it entirely depends on size, style and how detailed the design is.”

The day of your appointment

Eat!! It’s amazing how many people show up with an empty stomach – make sure you have a good meal before you leave for your appointment and bring some snacks and drinks with you – I personally swear by Lucozade Sport drinks because they keep your electrolytes up! You need to ensure your body is prepared to sit through the surge of adrenaline and tension that comes from sitting and getting tattooed for a few hours. An empty stomach makes you crash quickly and can make you feel sick, shaky or weak after a little while.

It’s always best to check if you’re able to bring a friend with you beforehand – most studios usually allow someone to come in with you (although at the moment due to social distancing and Covid-19 most don’t allow any extra people in the studio) but this isn’t an open invitation for you to invite your mum, best friend, children and dog along to watch. One person is fine – any more than that is pushing your luck. Children and dogs are generally not a great mix when you’re getting tattooed – there’s often small spaces and a lot of very dangerous equipment around – not to mention any children running around risk messing up someone’s tattoo for them!

Make sure your friend is quiet and stays out the way as well – Greg told us “I once had a customer’s friend who kept leaning over the table to see what I was doing. Every time they leant over, they would move the table that my customer was sitting on and knocking me and the machine – I had a few near misses where I just managed to stop tattooing before they caused me to tattoo a big line across their leg! If you want to watch that’s fine – but make sure you don’t touch anything or distract the artist from their job. We have to focus a lot on what we’re doing – distractions can easily mess up someone’s tattoo!”

It should also go without saying, but think carefully about what you wear. If you’re getting a leg tattoo don’t show up in skinny jeans – not only will you not be able to wear them during the tattoo, but it will be almost impossible to get them back on afterwards! Leave your best clothes at home too – stick to dark coloured clothes that you’re not precious about – there’s always a chance you might get some ink on them.

The actual tattoo

Listen – the chances are it’s going to hurt. Some of the most heavily tattooed people I know will say they find getting tattooed painful – it’s an unfortunate part of it! There are plenty of things you can do to help alleviate the pain as much as possible though. Generally, artists don’t mind if you want to put your headphones in and listen to music or watch something on your tablet to try and help yourself zone out. Similarly, most are more than happy to chat if it helps distract you and keep your mind off things. A lot of studios have several people in, and it always helps to join in conversations!

Greg says “I have yet to have anyone who has been unable to sit through their tattoo – most people tell me it’s not nearly as bad as they were expecting. If you’re finding it tough, don’t tense up and feel like you need to push through the pain – speak to your tattooist and just ask for a quick break before you get back to it – 5-minutes moving around can make all the difference. There’s no shame in ending a session sooner than planned and coming back to get it finished at another time! As long as your outline is done, it’s easy enough to continue another day.”