David, the tattoo artist running the Archangel 1608 Tattoo Studio, told Bored Panda that the quality of a tattoo really depends "on the skill of the artist, with the equipment a very close second."
"As tattooing is big business now, so is supplying tattooists with equipment. This means there are more companies than ever competing for our business, and having to refine and improve the quality of their products to be competitive," he told us.
"It’s really hard to get a lot of minute detail into a tattoo, and for the tattoo to keep that detail over time."
According to the tattoo master, as tattoos age, the lines will spread out and thicken. That means that, eventually, no matter how great a tattoo initially is, it won't be as sharp and crisp as it once was. Time marches on.
"This is the sign of a great tattooist— knowing just how much detail to put in, with the finest needles, that will last the test of time. Unfortunately, we see a lot of work now—micro portraits mainly—that will only look good for a few weeks, then like mush forever after," he warned.
David said that with the high-quality inks that are available nowadays, they'll last infinitely longer than older inks. "Generally, a good tattoo won’t need to be touched up for at least 20-25 years, if at all."
Unfortunately, not everyone gives tattoo artists the respect and recognition they deserve. The key is in the name: they’re artists, and what they do really is art. Their creativity, their dedication to their craft can be phenomenal.
All the while, you have to keep in mind that they’re inking a real live human being, not just painting designs on paper or pixels. It takes nerves of steel, as well as imagination and patience to create the best designs. Designs that end up being shared and reshared on social media around the globe, for years to come.
During a couple of earlier interviews with tattoo master David, the mastermind behind the Archangel 1608 Tattoo Studio in Glasgow, Bored Panda learned a lot about the craft of tattoo artists. We also got a peek into the relationship these artists build with their clients.
David told Bored Panda that tattooists can practice on any number of things “to help them get the mechanics and techniques to tattoo properly.”
“You can buy synthetic skin, pig skin from a butcher’s, or even use fruit, such as oranges or lemons, bananas,” the tattoo artist shared with Bored Panda.
Eventually, however, you’ll have to move on to inking real people. According to David, there is “no substitute for moving, breathing, sweating, bleeding human skin.” Oranges and pig skin, while good for some initial practice, aren’t the real thing. Once you’ve got the fundamentals down, it’s time to hone your craft further.
Some tattooists choose to do their very first designs on themselves. David, from Glasgow, is one of them.
“The first 4 or 5 tattoos I ever did were on myself. It was a pretty severe learning curve, but I had to prove that I wanted the apprenticeship, and it let me see how the tattoos would heal up, and what I could do better,” he shared just how dedicated he is to his craft.
“You shouldn’t really be tattooing actual clients for a long time, but if you can persuade friends to let you once you’re ready, that’s great,” he added.
“Tattooing is a craft, a skill, and should be taught directly from one person to another,” David, the founder of Archangel 1608, told Bored Panda. In his opinion, tattooing isn’t something that you should learn from “a YouTube video or a bs tattoo ‘school’ that only cares about your money.”
According to David, in their tattoo studio, they have a rule that if a customer isn’t 100% confident about the design, they won’t do it.
“We’ll try to offer a compromise, but if the client is too rigid, we’ll point them in the direction of another artist. The client is only right in terms of what they like, not how the tattoo can actually be done or will end up looking,” he told us.
