You’ve done your homework. You’ve chosen your design, your artist and the perfect spot to have your tattoo placed.
You’re in the studio.
Hopefully, you will know what to expect from having watched your tattooist work on someone else.
But just to refresh…
Take care of any paperwork. Consent forms may be required. Depending on what state you’re in, you may have to prove that you are not a minor. Bring your driver’s license or birth certificate.
If there was a client there immediately before you, make sure the area was disinfected and supplies used on them have been disposed of in a sharps container. This container may be in a back room.
Make sure NEW supplies are put out for you.
Pay your tattoo artist. The fee will be non-refundable in advance. Check with your artist, but this is a good rule of thumb.
Go to the bathroom.
You may be positioned on a stainless steel table or a padded table or chair.
The artist will put on latex gloves.
Your skin in the area of the tattoo will be cleaned.
The artist will open the sealed autoclave pouch, where you can see it, that contain the needles he or she will be using on you.
Then, the inks that will be used on you will be dispensed into single serve cups.
(The sequence may not be in exact order depending on your tattooist.)
You are going to try to relax. Take deep, slow breaths. The more relaxed you are, the less this will hurt.
Make sure you eat before you have your tattoo done.
If you’re giving blood, they have orange juice and cookies to keep your blood sugar up after you donate. Eating properly, avoiding alcohol and getting plenty of rest before and after you get your tattoo is a must. Try to have a few hard candies to suck on. Make sure to drink plenty of water before you get your tattoo especially in the summer. Suspend your diet the day before your tattoo through the day after you get a tattoo.
Now you’re ready to begin. Most artists will stencil your chosen design on you so they have a template to follow.
As far as how your artist will actually work your tattoo, different artists work in different ways and it would be unfair to you and your tattooist to try and describe exactly how they will proceed with your tattoo. If you expect your artist to do procedure A and he does procedure B, you may feel uncomfortable with the process for no good reason.
Familiarity with how your tattooist works is essential. Watch them work on someone else, so that you have a general knowledge of how they will proceed with you. The more you know about the process, the easier it will be for you!
Also, when your tattooist starts working on your outline, the lines should be straight, sharp, crisp and thin. If they aren't stop them.
Technically Speaking
(Rough rendition of skin layers and machine inked tattoo placement depth.)
One thing about getting a tattoo remains the same … your tattooist will be placing inks under your skin, in between the permanent base layer of skin and the top layer. The inks bond to the skin cells and will be visible through your outer skin layer. Applying a tattoo the right way is an art. If the ink is placed too deeply in your skin, your body fluids will cause the tattoo to spread and lose definition. If it's not in the skin deeply enough the colors will fade just a few months after you get the tattoo.
The tattooing has begun, you’ve determined how much this hurts you, and you’re seeing your tattoo form. If at any time the pain becomes too much, or you find yourself getting light headed, ask for a break. Tattooing on bones - wrists, ankles, elbow, spine is going to hurt more than tattoos in the fleshy part of your body.
If you’ve asked for a large complicated design (not advisable for your first tattoo,) the tattooing will be broken in to several sessions with your tattooist.
If you have the least doubt about getting a tattoo, don’t do it. Good tattoo artists understand that people change their minds.
The Tattoo Gun
A tattoo gun is a small electric machine with a needle bar that holds from one to 14 needles, each in its own tube. The machine operates like a mini-sewing machine. The needle bar moves up and down as it penetrates the skin and the artist holds the machine steady while guiding it along the skin.
Liner needles are usually arranged on the bar in a circular pattern. Shader needles are usually straight. The needles are like sewing machine needles, usually made of stainless steel. Liners are in 1, 3, 4, 5, & 7-needle combinations, set in a round configuration. There can really be any number of them but these seem to be most common. Shader needles are in a straight row and usually are in groups of 4, 6, 7 or 9 needles. The tubes are designed especially for the combination of needles, so there's a special tube for each different number of needles in a needle bar assembly.
The needles protrude only a couple of millimeters from the tubes, so they don't penetrate deep into the skin. Each needle has its own tube, which enables the needle bar shaft to operate smoothly without damaging the needles. A single needle is used to make fine, delicate lines. A row of needles is used for shading and denser lines.
The end of the needle tube is dipped in a small amount of ink. As the tattooist guides the machine over the skin, the needle moves up and down, puncturing the skin and depositing ink along the way. Excess ink and the small amount of blood that oozes from the skin puncture are continuously removed with absorbent tissues.
Before You Tattoo 