Now, don’t get us wrong: 2D tattoos are majestic, too. But if you want to push the boundaries of your art and professional life, you can’t keep doing the same things over and over again.
You need to expand, experiment, and try different approaches. Some tattoo artists decide to specialize in the use of colors. Others go for more abstract art. Still, others hone their attention to detail to perfection. And some decide that 3D ink is going to be their forte.
Creating the illusion of 3D, whether you’re inking another person or a piece of parchment, comes down to your skills in working with light and shadows, as well as perspective. These create a sense of depth and give the entire design a real-life quality.
You can’t do this by winging it. You need to know how light falls and shadows work in the real world, how objects overlap, and how big or small something looks the closer and further it is from the viewer.
Truly good tattoos require a mix of several things. They don’t happen by accident (well, maybe once in a blue moon…). For one, you need your tattoo artist to be skilled, capable, and cool as a cucumber under stress.
On top of that, unless you’re fine with completely experimental tats, you need to clearly know what design you want and constantly communicate with the artist.
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Fundamentally, though, there needs to be mutual trust between the artist and their client. If it’s missing, the results are going to pale in comparison to what could have been. You need to be comfortable with the artist and their work.
And that means doing some proper background research before you’ve even set foot in their salon.
Meeting an artist in person is going to tell you a lot about their character. You’ll learn even more about their work ethic, passion for ink, and artistic talents when they start working on your skin. But before all of that happens, you need to sit down and do some research.
Many artists have both business and social media pages these days. They’re absolutely great for clients who want to get to grips with their level of skill, taste, and specialization.
For instance, if you want a 3D tattoo done, you probably shouldn’t head to any random local salon and ask for one. Sure, the artist might know what they’re doing or they’ll just try their best even if they don’t have the right skills. But what you want to do is find a person whose specialty is working with 3D designs.
You need to know for a fact that the tattooist has some experience in this area and feels comfortable with these sorts of designs. They might not live in your neighborhood, so mentally prepare yourself for a possible trip.
