A Pagan Tattoo-Primer
(compiled by Lady FaerieFire)

This file is intended for those with little or no knowledge of tattooing. For those of us who are somewhat familiar with such things, this may be old-hat. It is a good information file for anyone contemplating a first tattoo.

Tattoos are made by placing colored pigments between the permanent bottom layer and constantly-changing top layer of skin. The pigment bonds to the skin cells and is seen through the translucent top layer of skin.
This process may seem simple, but placing the ink at the correct level is vital. Too deep, and the ink spreads. Too shallow, and it fades out after a few months.
The normal healing process will cause pigmented skin to flake off, but the underlying ink is permanent, and will not fade except over a long period. "Falling out" is a very different thing, and a good tattooist will not make this mistake.
Any area of skin that gets stretched a lot will also blur faster than other areas. Tattoos will also fade if they get exposed to the sun regularly. For the first year or two either stay out of the sun, or use sunblock or cover it up. Heavily tanned skin will also take color less well than pale skin. If you tan constantly, choose blackwork instead of color (more on terms like blackwork later).
  Normally, the ink is placed in the skin by a machine which uses a rotating needle to open the surface skin just enough to put the ink in the middle layer. It sounds a lot like a dentist's drill, but there is a subtle difference in the sound that you never forget once you've gone through the process. The artist will dip the needle in the color of ink he is using, and then more-or-less draw and shade the design. There are a variety of needle sizes for different widths of line and types of shading.
Everything should be autoclave sterilized. Get someone who uses disposable needles if possible. Sonic cleaning does not kill germs and bacteria. There has never been a case of tattoo-spread AIDS reported, but there is a possibility of that happening, and most artists require you to sign a statement that you have no blood-born diseases. Various diseases and viruses, including Hepatitis B, have been spread via tattooing. There is always the possibility of someone lying on a health statement, though, so it is vital that things be sterile!!
After you have decided on a design, unless they are working freehand (a very specialized skill), the artist will place an inked pattern on the skin. Verify that placement as being where you want it, because once they start, it can't be moved!!! They should sterilize your skin as well, often with alcohol, which helps to transfer the pattern ink.
  If you have a low pain threshold, make sure that there is fresh air blowing on you at all times to prevent fainting. Even if you've never fainted before, a painful tattoo can cause you to black out with little notice. Symptoms preceding this are heavy sweating, tunnel vision, and a possible deadening of your hearing. If this happens, have the artist stop and let you recover until you are ready to proceed.
  Tattoos on the feet are somewhat tricky, because the nerves in the feet may cause the muscles to jump when you are nervous. You can overcome this with concentration, but someone may just have to hold your foot still.
  After the tattoo is finished, the artist will likely coat the area with Vaseline to protect it, and place a bandage or plastic wrap over it. At this point the care of your tattoo is in your hands.
  Most artists give out a packet of antibiotic, and this should be applied as many times a day as you can. Buy some before you go home if they don't give you some. This will not only keep the area from getting infected, but will keep the moisture in, preventing early fading and aiding color retention.
  If you are smart, and prepared before you go for your tattoo, you will moisturize the area for at least several days before you go. This will insure that the skin is moist enough to take the pigment well, and that the top layer of skin is going to stay for a while after you get tattooed. The more moisture you force into the skin, the more color will stay when your healing is done. Also alternate the antibiotic with moisturizer after your tattoo is done. This will keep the inked layers attached to the base layer of skin. You can also use a loofa or other skin exfoliator before you get tattooed to remove the layers of dead skin on the surface and make sure the ink is placed as deeply as it should be, and won't end up in the layers that will flake off. Dead skin cells are also less transparent than living ones, and thus allow your colors to show through better. Applying moisturizer or removing these dead cells will make the tattoo brighter at any point in time.
 Choosing a design:
  Keep in mind that your tattoo will be with you for the rest of your life. You might not look so good as ninety year olds with walkers with lightening bolts tattooed on their ankles under their support hose. But it's up to you. Your design should be a representation of you. What you like, what you do, who you are... Many Wiccans and similarly inclined folks have totem animals or other symbols which have personal or spiritual meaning for them. These are always good choices. There are also fairies and other types of goddess and god images which can also be a good choice.
Remember that getting a pentagram is an open declaration of your faith, and will cause the usual conflicts with the misinformed and the closed-minded. If you want one, but don't want to take the chance with the fundies, put it somewhere that you can cover it up with clothes or jewelry if you wish. The same goes for any design which might cause you problems, including any tattoo at all if you work in a conservative atmosphere. If that is a problem, put it where it won't show, remembering that your boss may see you in shorts at a company picnic.
  When you are trying to find a design, you have three options: pick a pre-drawn tattoo pattern, called Flash; have a friend draw up a design for you or draw it yourself or find an image in other forms of art which you think is perfect; or find an artist who does custom work and can make up a design that fits your needs perfectly.
  Custom work costs more than work from pre-drawn art, and it is vital to find an artist with whom you are comfortable and who you believe can draw up what you want. Once you find them, make sure you are willing to pay for the end result. Spending hours tailoring a design for you is a waste of time if you decide you don't like what they come up with. Be prepared to pay for their time. Also be prepared to pay for the cost of having the end result done. Any fancy work or colors or special amount of detail will cost more. Ask before you have them do the work!!! And be willing to pay more for good work from a good artist than a beautiful design from a lousy artist. You get what you pay for!!!
  When choosing an artist, especially for custom work, try to choose someone who specializes in the type of design you are looking for. A good artist can do pretty much anything, but they can excel at a certain type of style or design. And these specialists will also be more help in customizing flash or in making a custom design just for you.
 
  In addition to the variety of subjects designs can come from, there are specific styles of tattooing which indicate the colors and line styles of your tattoo. Again, choose some one who specializes in your favorite style for the best work.
  BLACKWORK is done only in black ink. The design comes from shading of grey to black and the black lines which form the bulk of the design. This style is an acquired taste, unless it appeals to you from the start. I favor bright color myself, but blackwork is a highly specialized field, and the designs in the category are usually far more detailed than colored pieces. This style is also similar to the jail-house tattoos which come out of prisons, because the only supplies available to inmates allow only blackwork. This also limits the design detail.
  FINELINE uses a delicate outline made by small needles and such designs are often highly detailed. Often combined with blackwork. Again, a highly specialized field.
  TRIBAL designs are very distinctive, with bold, thick black designs, with little or no detail. They often have vine-like or thorn-pointed ends or edges, and consist mostly of thick curving lines. The rounded, thick features of Eskimo art are included, as well as the island style. If you have seen the piece on Red Hot Chili Peppers singer Anthony Kiedis' right arm, that is tribal style. Often these artist also do well with Celtic designs, including knotwork. Knotwork requires a lot of precision due to the intricate nature of the design, and should virtually always be done with a pattern, as opposed to freehand. Most accomplished artists will not do knotwork freehand.
  REALISTIC style is basically photograph quality detail designs. It is a newer style, as opposed to the artsy images of girlfriends that have been popular for years, and requires a VERY good artist. You will have to bring a good photo or two if you want an image copied exactly. Pictures of parents, children, and significant others are common, as well as those of celebrities (why someone would want Madonna's face on them forever, I don't know, but it has happened!!!). Nature scenes are also done in realistic style.
  CUSTOM WORK is any work which is specifically designed for you, to your specifications. It is more expensive due to the time the artist must invest in creating the design.
  ORIENTAL style tattooing is not merely a style. Oriental style designs are distinctive for the common use of red and yellow in a rich oriental design. Oriental style tattooing, however, includes the common practice of planning an entire "bodysuit" as a single piece, where small components are added over time. This has become a signature of the Japanese mafia, but is also common elsewhere. Oriental style tattooists do not approve of the common Western idea of adding a piece here and there. If done to excess, this can lead to a hodgepodge effect where individual tattoos clash with each other, but were placed next to each other because that was where the design ended up. The lesson of this is that even when you are just getting a second or third piece, always try to keep within a theme or style, especially when pieces are close together.
In finding an artist, the best method of finding someone who can do your design well is to look at tattooing magazines like Skin Art and Tattoo, and choose by looking at their past work.

 The primary factor in choosing an artist should be the cleanliness of their studio. Look for autoclave sterilization (not sonic cleaning). Try to get disposable needles, though this is less common than it should be. The environment should be as clean as a clinic or hospital. Flash should be displayed on the walls or in books, not lying all over the place with McDonald's wrappers lying on top. All tools not being used should be put away in a sterile storage area. The artist should use disposable ink caps to dispense the ink for his needles, not take it directly out of the bottle. Vaseline and other ointments which are applied before, during and after the tattooing process should be kept in sterile containers and be removed only with sterile and disposable utensils.
  The second factor should be the artist's ability to make a good tattoo. A good artist will know how to place the ink to prevent spreading and fall out. You can't tell this just by talking to them or visiting their shop.
Seek out repeat customers, ask about their trust in him, and examine their tattoos!!! This is the best method of making sure the person is competent.
A second method is to look at the pictures the artist will have of some of his past work. If they don't have any pictures available or won't show you any, leave. And don't go back. Every artist, regardless of his experience or talent, will have some pictures of his favorite work. If they don't they either haven't worked on anybody, or their work was so shoddy that they know it would frighten away new customers to see it.
  For those artists who do have pictures to show you, look for solid colors, crisp clean lines, and a good sense of design. Even flash requires some ability to place and tailor the design, so if it looks funny, go somewhere else. Some of these pictures may have been taken right after the tattoo was put on, and will have a distinctive reddening of the surrounding skin. This is not a flaw in the tattooist's application, but a natural reaction to the disturbing of the skin. But it can also mask the final product of that session, which will not be seen until it has completely healed. Make sure there are some pictures of tattoos that have healed. This not only shows that the artist placed the ink correctly, but that this person liked the result enough to come back and pose for the picture or take one and send it to the artist, and perhaps even came back for another tattoo.
  You should try to pick someone who specializes in your chosen type of style or design. They will be more likely to customize things for you, and will know more what you are looking for in design. But any good artist can do a fine job in any style, even if they don't specialize in it.
  Other than sterilization, my main warning in choosing an artist is to avoid what we call "scratchers". These people are the bad tattooists. They are either inexperienced or untalented. Most tattooists these days apprentice under established artists. Others were just talented and managed to acquire some experience with people who trusted them despite their inexperience. Many are art students, some with degrees. Scratchers will often shell out $500 to get a basic start-up kit through the mail, and set up shop in their basement working on friends and unsuspecting strangers.
Just follow the rule about seeing past work, and you should weed out the scratchers. And remember that if you're drunk, you might love that crooked blotchy design.
Vocabulary:
AFTER CARE: the care you give your tattoo after it is applied
BLACKWORK: tattooing in shades of black & grey with no color
BODYSUIT: complete coverage of the entire body with tattoos
CLEAN: not just the sanitary conditions, but a word used to describe a technically perfect tattoo with solid lines & coloring
COVERUP: what happens when you get a tattoo you hate or learn to hate, & then get it covered up with a new one. Coverup work is another specialty.
CUSTOM: a tattoo designed specifically for you
DERMAGRAPHICS: skin art
EXPLOSIONS: splotchy, uneven lines in a tattoo
FALL OUT: rapid fading, usually of color due to improper application, but also the natural fading process due to age, improper after care or placement on a part of the body that doesn't hold ink well (i.e.:. bottoms of feet)
FINELINE: a tattoo done in a single needle style of very fine lines,without the heavy black outline of traditional style work
FLASH : pre-drawn designs available in tattoo shops
GUN: another name for a tattoo machine
HIGH ENERGY: a new style of tattooing based on comic graphic styles, but also any tattoo that is colorful and bold
HOLIDAYS: skips or bare patches in the color of a tattoo
JAILHOUSE: a style of tattooing developed by inmates, the root of blackwork, can also refer to a crude tattoo. Also called Joint style
MUSH: a tattoo that has lost definition
NAKED: skin without tattoos, also called virgin skin
OLD SCHOOL: tattooists who served the traditional apprenticeship & adhere to the tattoo world's traditional codes of behavior
ORIENTAL: style of tattooing in which careful planning is used to design a covering for the entire body, also the Oriental style of art used in tattooing
READABLE: a tattoo that is easily decipherable from a distance
SCRATCHER: a person who attempts to tattoo, despite the fact the they have no knowledge of the correct procedures. They exist & continue to flourish because people don't check them out beforehand
SKIPS: breaks in the lines or uneven color in a tattoo
SLEEVE: full coverage of an arm with tattoos, HALF or FULL
STENCIL: pattern used to transfer a design onto the skin
SOLID: a good tattoo with no skips or patchy areas of color
TAT: short for tattoo
TACKED BACK: heavily tattooed
TOUCH UP: unfortunate, but common fact of tattooing. Anything less than a perfect job may require a second visit to have any incidental falling out or unseen breaks fixed. Not necessarily the sign of a bad tattooist, since the healing process may lose certain areas of color or aging may cause fading. Many artists will charge less for touch-ups on their work than new art, especially for post-healing work
TRADITIONAL: style of tattooing that uses bold black outlines, strong black shading, & bright primary colors
TRIBAL: bold, black, silhouette style designs

Pain and methods of tattooing: Yes, it hurts!!! But how much depends on where you put it and how low your pain threshold is. Anywhere you have a lot of bone or upper-level muscle will hurt the most. The worst place is supposed to be the sternum. Followed closely by wrists, ankles and feet.
Shoulders are worse than legs. Legs are worse than rear-ends. Any place that is fleshy is a breeze. If you want an idea of what the difference is, try the pinch test. Pinch your upper arm in a fleshy area, then pinch the back of your hand. See the difference? That's about what you can expect with fleshy areas versus bony ones. What does the pain feel like? Again, it depends on you & where you're putting it.
  My first one, in my cleavage, didn't hurt much at all, & none at all until it was finished and finally got exposed to the air by my movement. My second one, on my ankle, hurt like you would not believe. Worse than twenty minutes of being scratched by my cat, probably better than childbirth.
  Can you stand that much pain even if you have a very low pain
threshold? Yes, you can. I do, and I did. I almost fainted half-way through (see above for symptoms to watch for), but after a brief rest, it was finished. It was sore for a few days, but not bad at all. But how does it hurt? Well, it's a warm, buzzing scratching. Kind of like being dragged down a asphalt road by a car going 60 mph. (Just kidding!!!)
Maybe combine the feeling of having your teeth cleaned (the warm pressure of the polishing tool) with a cat scratch that doesn't end. Sometimes, depending on the area, things are better.
Then there are the endorphins. Those are the chemicals your body releases when you're scared or in pain, making you strong or letting you overcome fear to run away. This same chemical fights the pain of getting tattooed. The result is a type of high that many name as the cause of tattooing addiction. Between 10 and 15 minutes after tattooing starts, you will start to feel the adrenaline rush of the endorphins. It will last at least 1-1/2 hours to 2 hours.
Keep in mind that this high can influence you in the same way that drug or alcohol highs would, so don't start any fights with 8 ft. tall hillbillies.
  Women react better to pain than men, who have tendency to hold their breath, making themselves pass out from lack of oxygen. If you feel faint, ask for a break or get a fan blowing on you. Keep your mind off the work if it bothers you, but keep still.
  Another point about pain is that there are several methods of tattooing, each of which is more or less painful than the next. The least painful method is supposed to be the Japanese irezumi, using hand-driven needles jabbed at oblique angles. The skin pulls up from the muscle during this, and it is an odd feeling, but the pain is actually less. The traditional Western method of the electric tattoo gun is the second least painful.
The most painful method is the one which is the source of the word tattoo, the Samoan tatu. This method uses a pig ivory chisel with points. Traditional Samoan tatus incorporate the entire lower body, but due the high pain level, many visitors get what are called "Peace Corps" tattoos or anklets. The pain is supposed to be extreme, feeling like the ivory is knocked into the skin until the bone stopped it. Not for everyone.
My advice in this is that any pain is worth the pleasure of getting a great tattoo put where you want it. Choose your artist, design and method with care a thought, and you'll have a permanent piece of art and an experience to remember forever.

I am in resounding agreement with the words of tattoo artist Pat Fish, "Oh, ye Gods and Goddesses Lead me not into Tattoo Temptation Unless I have the finances to afford An excellent Tattoo Artist. Let there be no regret, Let it be a thing of beauty That will last as long as I do. Let there be ink."

With that, I wish you good luck and Good Ink!