How To Find The Artist For You
Today I want to talk to you guys about finding the artist of your dreams! The one who’s style is exactly what you want, who’s personality you can vibe with during your appointments, and who’s going to help you develop your ideas into beautiful tattoos you can be proud of forever! But be warned, it’s not likely you’ll be strolling into the nearest tattoo studio and sitting down for a sleeve tomorrow morning. It takes research and patience to get where you want to be with your tattoos. Hopefully this short guide will get you on your way.
KNOWING WHAT YOU WANT!
Whether you’re someone who’s looking to get their first tattoo or hoping to dive in the deep end head-first and become a real collector with a variety of work, you’ll have to start with some research. And there’s no better place to do that than on Instagram. Click over to the search tab and start checking out who’s doing cool work in your area. Try searches like Neo Traditional, Traditional Tattoo, Black and Gray, or Color Tattoo and then click over to the hashtag tab. Next to the search bar, there’s a little “+” that you can click to follow the topic. Now you’ll see posts that are tagged like this without following individual pages.
This is a great way to see a variety of tattoos and start developing a taste for the kind of art you might like to wear one day. There’s so many artists out there and many of them have their own niche or unique execution of a larger style family and there’s no reason not to look at them all! Take the time to notice the things in common between the tattoos you really like. Is the linework always super bold? Are they mostly all black and gray? Take notice and make a mental note for now.
KNOWING WHAT’S AVAILABLE LOCALLY!
If you’re lucky, you live somewhere with rich tattoo culture and a lot of shops and artists who are doing their thing. Follow them all! It’s helpful to see what everyone around you is doing. You can see the consistency in their work or if they’re versed in different styles. You also have a chance to interact with them in the comments section and see if their personality shines through in their social media. Maybe someone posts a tattoo featuring elements of a video game you really love, or an anime you’ve been falling in love with. Make friends!
It’s also worth checking out areas you might be traveling to for work or vacation in the near future. Look into tattoo expos that are coming to your area and follow the artists who are traveling to your area. A lot of talent could be available to you only once or twice a year at conventions, but if you stay in touch it’s likely that you and the artist could build a report and work together whenever you find yourselves local to each other.
IT’S TIME TO GET TO WORK!
When you find the one for you, it’s important to learn how to work with them. Ask lots of questions and for the love of god… listen to the answers. Tattoo artists all have a way they like to communicate, a way they prefer that you book appointments, their own way to consult with clients, prepare artwork, and ultimately execute the tattoo. By now you should know that this is the artist you want to work with… and that means you trust them.
This bit of advice might be difficult if you’re new to getting tattooed or working with a new artist, but remember that your artist is likely working with a number of clients and juggling many projects at once. After you’ve had your consultation and turned over the reigns, trust your artist to be ready when your appointment rolls around. Resist giving your tattooer too many small details and let them have some creative freedom. Try not to reach out to ask how it’s going or asking to see artwork prior to your appointment. Patience is important.
Hopefully this article will help anybody who’s hoping to make their entry into the world of tattoo collecting! If you found something valuable here, please drop a comment below and check back often for more blog posts like this one!
Thanks a million!