8 Top Tips — — How to Choose the Best Tattoo Kit for Beginners

If you’re getting into tattooing, you might be overwhelmed by all the options available when looking for tattoo starter kits on sale. How to find the best beginner tattoo kit? Here are the 8 features that you need to consider when choosing a suitable tattoo kit.

Firstly, beginners should look for cost-effective tattoo machines and tattoo power supplies. Tattoo machines are better to be clean, with straightforward shapes, with reasonable proportions, and without the risk of needles getting stuck in the skin. The best weight of tattoo kits is around 200 grams, and the needle protrusion should be adjustable between 3-5 mm. It is crucial for you to use a tattoo machine you are comfortable with, so to avoid fatigue when using heavy machines.

Secondly, the first tattoo machines you need are one for shading and another for lining: a liner tattoo machine - used primarily for outlines and black work - and a shader tattoo machine - generally used for shading and coloring. There are enough differences between the two methods that most tattoo artists keep multiple machines on hand for choosing between one of these two applications. Don’t forget to label each tattoo machine with a personal marking in order to assemble the machine more conveniently.

Thirdly, tattoo machines for lining usually run faster than those set up for shading. Liners also use less powerful capacitors than shaders, which are best when equipped with a 47uF to 100uF capacitor. The higher the power of the capacitor used in a shader tattoo machine, the larger the number of needles you need. This technique allows them to penetrate deep into the skin, creating vibrant and lasting color. Besides, two very important factors to consider before tattooing are the quality of the tattoo needles and the tattoo tips. This is because poor-qualitytattoo needles will affect the quality of the tattoo, especially for beginners, who are inexperienced in handling the tattoo machine.

Fourthly, it’s also important to choose the proper needles if you want to practice tattooing. A liner needle is an ideal tool for detailed, intricate work. You should never set the tattoo liner machine as a shader, and similarly, never use cut-back shaders before cut-back liners when available. Liner needles typically feature five needles soldered tightly together, which helps with accenting, scripts, vibrant coloring, and highly detailed work. On the other hand, shader needles contain five needles in a pentagon shape spaced to apply large, even coloring. Most tattooistswork with five needles, but configurations vary in sets from three to seven.

The tattoo lining should be exercised with the 7 to 9 round liner needles. Too small Needles that are too small and sharp can pierce your skin and create too thick lines. Also, it would be hard to color. The proper size depends on the tattoo itself. If you are going to tattoo a small picture, you’d better use a low-frequency shader tattoo machine and 7 to 9 round shading needles for coloring. If you are shading with 7 to 9 round magnum needles may cause uneven coloring.

Sixthly, tattoo machine grips should be self-locking and steel-less. Tattoo grips are not typically specific to tattoo machines – but they are attached to the tubes. When choosing the grip size, it all depends on how big your hand is and on what you are comfortable with. Generally speaking, women can choose 22mm tattoo grips, while men can opt for 25mm tattoo grips.

Finally, take care of the tattoo ink. Make sure you get your ink from a reputable company, whose production follows strict manufacturing rules concerning health and safety. The difference between good-quality inks and cheaper ones are the ingredients which are used to produce them. Most inks are either water or alcohol based. Pigments may contain a vast range of ingredients which may include heavy metals, vegetable dyes, and carbon.

Lastly, try first to keep practicing with silicone material leather, and remember to use gloves during each step to protect your skin.

Will You Regret Getting A Tattoo When You Are Old?

Today, tattoos are becoming more and more of the norm. 
When you walk on the street, you can always see people with different patterns.
However, the controversy about tattoos has never stopped. One of the mainstream oppositions is:
"That's the thorn in the skin! It's very embarrassing to wait until you are old."
The following 9 tattooers, They come from different industries, different ages,But they have been asked the same question countless times:
"Look at the pattern on your body, will you regret it now? when you are old, will you regret it?"
Here are their responses and stories：

Hannah, 44, entrepreneur, mother of 4 children.
‘I didn’t have my first tattoo until I was 28-ish, I had the urge to get one and so chose a very small design, it went from there! The small design became several. 
‘I have a mood disorder that seems to compel me to go and “get inked”.
I chose some writing along the side of my arm which was annoyingly bodged by the tattooist, this has led to more work being done and now covers the bottom half of my arm.
‘All my tattoos are relevant to parts of my life and are important to me. I think the only time I worry about them are when I see clients, people’s assumptions can be awful.
‘Once they get to know me though they start to ask questions and are interested, I then feel comfortable about having them on display.
My answer to people telling me “you’ll regret them when you’re older” is – I am older and the majority I have had done were recently! I am proud of the history that my tattoos represent and it’s great that they are becoming more popular as art other than traditional football hooligan club emblem!’

Amy, 23, volunteer for an animal rehabilitation centre
‘I have 15, including my throat and my back. Some of them I had, immediately after I was just like ‘Oh crap, what have I done’, but after a couple of days I couldn’t imagine having my body any other way.
‘It makes me feel more comfortable in my own skin, and it’s hard to regret something that gives you that.
‘I understand when people tell me I’d regret them, because maybe they would, I mean that’s why they don’t have any. But as everyone knows, we all have different interests, likes, things we hate. Most people tell heavily tattooed people that they’ll never be able to find a job, this is again something I’ve never had a problem doing.

‘Most people do too much of what’s expected and not enough of what they want.’

James, 26, store manager
‘I’ve always had my tattoos because I’ve wanted them, I like that they have significance to life, they recognise my fight with my chronic illness and my journey ahead.
‘I have two tattoos one on the inside of my right arm and the other on the inside of my left arm. I personally don’t get offended when people say I’ll regret them – I might do who knows but for now I am very happy with them and it’s art, our bodies are unique so why shouldn’t we celebrate this by making them even more unique?’

Kyle, 26, Team Leader at a care home
‘I have 8 tattoos of which I don’t think I’d ever regret having because they have meaning in one way or another to myself. When people ask or tell me if I’m going to regret them in one way it kind of shows they care, even if they aren’t meaning to.
‘Of course everyone has their own opinions of tattoos but at the end of the day it’s my body. If I want to have tattoos, I will have tattoos.
‘No one I’ve spoken to who has asked me if I’d regret it has never given me a reason as to why I should regret it, other than “It’ll look horrible when you’re old”, as if that hasn’t been taken into consideration. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
‘I’ve never really cared too much when people have queried my tattoos. They don’t have to like them, they don’t have to understand the meaning behind them. They are mine and they represent different parts of me.’

Stephie, 30, blogger and mum-of-two
‘[I have] 48 tattoos.. so far. The majority of them I had wanted for awhile before getting them done. Some of them have quite a lot of meaning too for instance my husband’s handwriting, my children’s heartbeat trace.

‘I feel sorry for people that tell me I will regret them. Not everyone gets things done on a whim (yes I have those but still love them).
‘People often say your body is your temple and when have you seen a church or a temple plain and boring? Not often you adorn the walls with beautiful and meaningful things. That’s what I have done and will continue to do with my skin.’

Simon, 30, waiter and bar-tender
‘I have full sleeves on both arms, ribs on one side, all across the top of my back and I have a couple of swallows on my chest that are terrible but I’m getting a full chest piece to cover those.

‘I don’t feel that I’ll ever regret any of my tattoos as I’ve always made sure that they mean something to me. My left arm is a sleeve dedicated to music, and my right is inspired by my IBD (ulcerative colitis).
‘To the people that judge me for my tattoos: This infuriates me. If I cover up, and you had no idea that I was tattooed when you met me, you’d treat me like a completely different person.
‘I’m judged in my job, because it’s not ‘professional’ to have tattoos. It scrambles my brain trying to figure out how some ink under my skin prevents me from doing my job as well as a non-tattooed person.
‘I’ve never judged anyone for not having tattoos, in my life… So why is it okay for them to do it to us?’

Chloe, 21, mental health support worker
‘I have five tattoos. Each and everyone of my tattoos represents a time and place in my life and they show how I have changed and grown. Its almost like scrap-booking I guess
.
‘I tend to laugh it off when people tell me I will regret my tattoos but it is infuriating. It’s nobody else’s business but mine if I want a tattoo, people should just be quiet if they haven’t anything nice to say.’

Adam, 32, works in education
‘My tattoos tell my story. Some people wear their heart on their sleeve, I wear my passions on my skin. When I was eighteen, I got a small, black, tribal sun tattooed on my upper arm and after ten years, I did regret it in a way. But I didn’t regret being tattooed, as such. I regretted making snap decisions about what I was having, where it was going and who was going to put it on my skin.
‘As I’ve grown older (and nominally wiser), it has become more important to me to see having tattoos as collecting pieces of art that make me (and sometimes other people) smile. To some, my tattoos could be seen as trivial or silly but each of them means something very important to me.
‘My tattoos are intrinsically linked to who I am as an individual, and I could never regret them. I spend a minimum of a year thinking about what I’m having done, who will do it and where it will go on my body, before I commit to having it done. If you do that, the chances of you regretting what you get are significantly reduced because you’ve taken it seriously from the outset.
‘In the past, I worried a lot more about what people thought of me but now, who has time for that?! As a younger person, I was more conscious of gaining the approval of those around me but these days, people can accept me or carry on walking. It’s their loss if they choose not to embrace who I am just because I have some tattoos!

‘It’s a stigma thing though; in years gone by tattoos were considered as just for sailors and criminals but now, tattooing is just another form of art. Contemporary tattoo artists have such wonderful tools and techniques at their disposal and the work they are able to create is absolutely staggering. I am proud to wear some truly inspiring (to me, at least!) tattoo art on my body.’

Hattie Gladwell, reporter
"My legs, arms, and back and abdomen have tattoos."
“This usually means that once I expose them, I have to endure all sorts of different expressions.”

“But what makes me unbearable is not people's eyes, but the phrase ‘you will regret it when you are old. ”
"The reason why these people say this, there is no specific argument, just because they don't like tattoos."
"But I think they should learn to respect. They should understand that everyone has different tastes and different wishes for their bodies."

“I have a lot of tattoos, mostly because I like their designs, some because they give me more confidence, and a pair is more special, I use them to cover the scars on my body.”

“Every pattern is carefully selected, so I won’t regret it even if I am old.”
“My body is full of masterpieces by different international artists. They are different in style and unique.”
"They make me different and make me stand out."

"When you look at yourself in the mirror, you are satisfied and happy, this is the most important thing."
Maybe,
Whether you regret it or not, the focus is not on the tattoo itself.
Rather, this thing is really what you want to do, and it’s really satisfying...
If so, then there is no need to regret it~

ref http://metro.co.uk/2017/06/22/8-people-explain-why-theyll-never-regret-their-tattoos-and-why-theyre-sick-of-being-told-they-will-6724356/

What's Your Craziest Client Story ？Tattoo Artists Answer

As the saying goes,
As long as it is a job of dealing with people,You will encounter all kinds of unexpected and wonderful things.
You will feel the world, the complexity of human nature.For tattooers who love freedom,The chances of encountering odd things are even higher.
Recently, a YouTube channel has invited several experienced tattoo artists.Ask them to share one of the most impressive "mad customers".
To be honest,I haven’t felt good after watching this video.

Steve Butcher：
I once met a male guest, a homosexual, and an avid nudist, very straightforward.
He wants to give a back of a woman with a real-life proportion, completely covering his back.
In other words, he wants to put a woman's ass on his ass, um
This is a tough job. I did it four times. The last time he made another request:if I could tattoo a vagina on his Gooch so that when he bent over it looked like there was a pussy.
I can only answer: "OJBK"
Anyway, at that moment, I have been a bit detached from the common sense, and I am doing it.

Poch (left):
I also met a similar guest. It was a very strong man. He came with his boyfriend. I asked him what he wanted to tattoo. He said very firmly:
"I want to a target on my asshole!”
As a tattoo artist, I have seen tattoos in various strange parts, including tattoos in the asshole.But I still reminded him with a responsible attitude: "It will be very painful here."He said absolutely OK, so we started.
As a result, I haven’t had it a few times. The buddy was sorely fainted on the spot and also had incontinence. Can you imagine a scene that is directly ejected with sputum and urine?

Sara Fabel：
When a guest came, he had a Mouth ball on his mouth.He said that he was afraid of pain, so when he tattooed him, He won't shout.Then I have been working,Listening to the guest who bites the ball, listening to the whole process.Like a bear, um, ah, no end, This is a relatively tired work experience.

Ryan Ashley Malarkey：
I once made an appointment with a guest to come and give him a tattoo, I made a lot of preparations for this. In the middle of the tattoo, he suddenly asked to go out and do something. I waited for him in the house. After waiting for a long time, he didn’t come back.
Later I learned that he was murdered.

Joice Wang：
When I was in New Jersey, I tattooed a man’s glans with a spider.
That short period of time was a torment for me and for him.

Jess Yen：
I met a strong man. He is confident to tattoo the whole body. As a tattoo artist, I really like this challenging job, so I am very excited and spent several days drawing pictures for him. He also I was very enthusiastic about discussing with me, providing his ideas to me. I did my homework. On the day of the tattoo, I spent 6 hours getting ready for tattoo paint and tattoo equipment and everything I prepared, and then just started for two minutes. This buddy shouted very pain, then jumped off the bed and ran.

Dave Paulo：
There was a female guest who had a tattoo on her head and always looked at me straight. I was embarrassed to ask why she kept looking at me. I could only resist the suspicion in my heart and continue to work. When I turned around and finished the paint or changed the needle, and then turned back, she would look at me with a look of horror, as if she didn't know me, but she didn't say why.
In this way, a tattoo that could have been completed in 3 hours was completed in 8 hours. Then she didn't say a word, didn't pay, and fled.I was angry and helpless at the time, thinking that she might be a neuropathy, I am unlucky. But the next day she returned, paid the money, apologized to me, and explained that she was a schizophrenic patient. It was a bit sick yesterday.

Tatu Baby：
I met a male guest who wanted to tattoo Pinocchio on the ass.Pinocchio’s nose didn’t use tattoos. Pinocchio’s nose was his... You know what I mean... I said okay, and it went well. I helped him finish his tattoo. After the end, I was glad that he did not "lie" during the tattoo.

Pony Lawson：
About ten years ago, a man walked into my tattoo shop and said that he had to tattoo "I HATE MY MOM" on his forehead. I think this person might be kidding me, but I still told him: "Sorry, I have already had too many guests today.Go back and think about the font or something else. If you still want a tattoo tomorrow, come over."
The man really came back the next day, insisting on tattooing "I hate my mom" on his brain. I couldn't help but ask him why，he said, "Because I hate my mother very much!" I don't know how unforgivable his mother had done to him.

Paul Booth：
Say a story I encountered when I gave Undertaker a tattoo. (Note: It is WWE famous mourner Undertaker, a very powerful person in the field of tattoos, and a tattoo artist for mourners), when I was giving Undertaker tattoos in the hotel room. Suddenly his partner came over and told him that there were a few young men outside who wanted to see him. They said that they brought him a gift that he would definitely like. He was very curious, let the partner bring them over and asked them what gifts they brought to him. The boys were excited and said: "It's a head!" He was curious: "Head?? What head?" Young man: " We played in the nearby cemetery, just saw a human head in the soil, we dug it out, and I heard that you are nearby, we think you will like this, So I decided to give it to you. This head is in the trunk of the car. Go and see?"

I obviously felt the Undertaker's body shaking, so I smiled and asked him if he wanted to see it. Undertaker said that he couldn't go, it was disgusting, but I really couldn't help but be curious. Just put down the tattoo machine and follow the boys. It is. Going to the car, they took out a bag from the trunk and handed it to me. Well, it was really a human head. I touched the bag and felt very strange. Some of the skull was cracked, but the flesh and blood had not completely fallen off. You can try to crush the boiled eggs by hand. The feel should be similar.The boys were very happy and asked me in a special look: "Do you like it? Take it back!" I like it, but how do I feel that the bag is still moving? I opened the bag and saw it, it was rotten and full of cockroaches! So I thanked the boys for their kindness and carried the bag back to the cemetery to bury the head.

 ref：https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=linB7C5TmCs

Because of This Ugly Tattoo Style, She Becoming A New Star in Tattoo Field

Today, I will introduce a rising new star in tattoo field to you, Helena Fernandes.
Helena is a 26 -year-old Brazilian girl.
She owns a tattoo shop Malfeitona. And she has a heart that loves arts and tattoos.
Recently, her photos appeared on all kinds of media tabloid, social networks, BuzzFeed, The Sun, 9GAG.... You can see her everywhere.

Why?
Because she is young and talented?
Uh.... to some degree, she is very talented.
Because the tattoos Helena did were really ugly.
Too ugly!!
Too ugly !!!!
All of her tattoo works look like this :



And this...



My God, why?
Hey, are you guys ok?

Helena said she didn’t intend to do ugly tattoos for guests. But she had tried her best.
Because the styles of her draft tattoos were similar to those.



Making a tattoo like that, wouldn’t she be beaten by her gusts?
Uh, nowadays people like getting “ ugly ink “.
Since Helena opened her tattoo shop, lots of gusts came to her shop, and nobody knew why. Many people said that they liked this style.
Actually, Helena’s boyfriend was the first one who lost himself in the ugly tattoos.
At that time, Helena didn’t make any tattoos before. She learned to tattoo by herself. Her drawing skills were also so bad.
But she loved tattoo and wanted to have a try.
So her boy friend told her to tattoo on his leg.
“ Any tattoo is ok. Uh, a bat tattoo.”
Later, a bat tattoo was finished.

Short body, lovely eyes?
Her boyfriend was attracted by the little bat right now.
He showed his new tattoo to anyone he met. And his friends felt surprised.
Dare to debate how many “ beautiful bat tattoos” there are in the world?
So Helena’s tattoo skills passed from mouth to mouth among their friends.
More and more friends, friends of friends’ come to her tattoo shop to get a tattoo.
You can tattoo whatever you like. That is the style they want.
From then on, Helena opened her tattoo shop Malfeitona.
Many ideas struck her



We can feel the beauty of tattoo in the simple lines.



These cartoon tattoos an theme expressed the artists’ complaints against adults.




She expressed her dissatisfaction with the society wrecking animals by these weird animals.


Well, I can’t make up an excuse.







In fact, Helena’s tattoo work was not bad if the line is simple.



However, her work may look like this if the line were a little complicated.


Because of these weird tattoo styles, many people criticized her in Brazilian tattoo field.
Many professional tattoo artists don’t think her works should be regarded as tattoos. Her works insult tattoo art.
But Helena thinks everyone has his/her hobby. He/her has their own audience even though his/her works are regarded as” trash tattoo”.
She has more than 87200 followers on instagram. And the rating of her Facebook shop is 4.5, which means most of people are satisfied with her works.

“I didn’t mean to disparage anyone’s works” she said in a BuzzFeed interview.
She said, no matter what happened, she will continue to tattoo and make her style more mature gradually.
ref：
https://www.buzzfeed.com/raphaelevangelista/tatuagens-desenhadas-pela-helen-que-de-tao-feias-sao?utm_term=.dp0Dj1qVK#.awZ2zAgjn
https://www.instagram.com/malfeitona/