Ask The Professor Of Tattooing

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT TATTOOING

2006-05-20T01:01:00.000-07:00

(THE SAFETY’S AND DANGER’S TATTOOING). by chris cloward).... Hi my name is Chris; I have been a tattoo artist for about 25 years now. And I’ve seen a lot of things in the tattoo industry, and what I mean is the dangers of tattooing. Rather you’re getting a tattoo for the first time, or doing tattooing there’s a lot of risks in both. Now if you want to get a tattoo, and it’s you’re first time you just might want to consider a few things. One how safe is this procedure, and this is useful to parents that go with and have to sign for there kid to get a tattoo, if there not of legal age to get a tattoo we will discuss this later. When picking out an artist, not only do you want someone who is a good artist , but someone who is very clean, and does the procedure in a very clean , proper manner . Like using a new needle every tattoo, if the artist doesn’t take the needle from a sterile pouch and u didn’t see him or her take the needle out of a sterile pouch, ask him to do it again. If he does not then he’s probably not the artist you want to choose. And third, cloves if he or she does not change clove several time through out the set up and during the tattoo, then find someone who does, fourth before you get the tattoo watch the artist tattoo a few people before the artist tattoo’s on you to ensure that this is the right artist for you. And fifth ask the artist questions, about sterilization, and how things are done, if you have questions and the artist cannot answer them then it would be advised to find another artist who can answer all of your questions. If you have any more questions, please feel free to write me and I will try and answer all of your questions and comments.
I love to chat and hear your feed back. (ARTIST AND TATTOOING) So your thinking about getting started in tattooing huh? Well I have a few suggestions, the first one is, watch and learn from other artist, practice your drawing skills, before you pick up a machine and start tattooing people. I can’t say it enough, practice, practice, practice. Draw every day, Get an apprenticeship from a professional artist, this is not a game, you could really damage someone’s skin, if the right procedure is not applied. And some times just because you can draw doesn’t always mean you can tattoo. I can’t stress this enough if you want to tattoo and become a great artist I encourage you get the apprenticeship, and in the long run you also will be glad you did. There’s so much to learn about tattooing you always learn new stuff in tattooing, and if you think you know it all, well then you will never be the artist you dream to be. And dreams do come true. Please questions and comments feel free to come and chat with me. thanks!.... (by chris cloward)..........

What You Should Know About Tattoos

2006-05-19T00:25:00.000-07:00

What You Should Know About Tattoos
By Adriana Zimbarg

I will try to be as impartial as I can, what is sort of hard I have the tattoo bug….but I do not want to go around telling people what I think is best, getting a tattoo is a serious thing, is something that you will be with you, engraved in your body for quite a while…so I decided to give you guys not a speech but to do more or less and encyclopaedia kind of thing….I hope you all do not fall a sleep while reading it.

Tattoo Basics

Artists create tattoos by injecting ink into a person's skin. To do this, they use an electrically powered tattoo machine that resembles (and sounds like) a dental drill. The machine moves a solid needle up and down to puncture the skin between 50 and 3,000 times per minute. The needle penetrates the skin by about a millimetre and deposits a drop of insoluble ink into the skin with each puncture.

The tattoo machine has remained relatively unchanged since its invention by Samuel O'Reilly in the late 1800s. O'Reilly based his design on the autographic printer, an engraving machine invented by Thomas Edison. Edison created the printer to engrave hard surfaces. O’Reilly modified Edison’s machine by changing the tube system and modifying its rotary-driven electromagnetic oscillating unit to enable the machine to drive the needle.

Modern tattoo machines have several basic components:

• A sterilized needle

• A tube system, which draws the ink through the machine

• An eletric motor

• A foot pedal, like those used on sewing machines, which controls the vertical movement of the needle.

Creating the Tattoo: Sterilization & Prep Work

A tattoo machine creates a puncture wound every time it injects a drop of ink into the skin. Since any puncture wound has the potential for infection and disease transmission, much of the application process focuses on safety. Tattoo artists use sterilization, disposable materials and hand sanitation to protect themselves and their clients.

To eliminate the possibility of contamination, most tattoo materials, including inks, ink cups, gloves and needles, are single use. Many single-use items arrive in sterile packaging, which the artist opens in front of the customer just before beginning work.

Before working on customers, tattoo artists wash and inspect their hands for cuts and abrasions. Then, they should do the following:

• Disinfect the work area with an EPA-approved viricide.

• Place plastic bags on spray bottles to prevent cross-contamination.

• Explain the sterilization process to the client.

• Remove all equipment from sterile packaging in front of the client.

• Shave and disinfect (with a mixture of water and antiseptic soap) the area to be tattooed.

How Much Does it Hurt?

People describe the sensation of getting a tattoo as similar to bee stings, sunburn or being pinched. Some say they experience a slight tickling or "pins and needles." Individual pain tolerance, the size and type of tattoo, and the skill of the artist all contribute to the amount of pain. Location also makes a difference - skin that rests right over a bone is more sensitive.

Caring for a New Tattoo

• Remove the bandage one to two hours after completion.

• Wash gently with cool or lukewarm water, using a mild antibacterial soap
• Pat dry. (Don't rub!)

• Apply very thin coats of antibacterial ointment and work into the skin. Too much ointment can pull colour out of the tattoo.

• Avoid soaking the tattoo in water or letting the shower pound directly on it.

• Avoid the sun, sea and swimming pull until healed.

• Refrain from picking at scabs. They will fall off as the tattoo heals, usually in one to three weeks.

• Use ice packs if swelling or redness occurs.

• Call a doctor if you have even the slightest signs of infection.

Some health & Safety Precautions

• Checking gloves for pinhole tears during tattooing, since petroleum-based ointment erodes latex

• Pouring ink in advance, using clean tissue to open ink bottles during tattooing and preventing nozzles from touching contaminated surfaces

• Patting tubes dry after rinsing during color changes - never blowing excess water from them

• Spraying liquid soap into a tissue, not directly onto bleeding area, since blood can become airborne when the spray hits it

• Giving pens used for drawing on the skin, which should be medical grade and sterile, to the client

The tattoo artist must:

• Wash hands thoroughly and often.

• Inspect hands for cuts or sores and cover them with bandages.

• Remove hangnails and keep nails short to prevent punctures to gloves.

• Refrain from tattooing when experiencing lesions, dermatitis or allergic reactions.

Identifying a Safe Tattoo Parlour

Other than the use of universal precautions and laws requiring minors to have parental permission, few regulations cover tattooing. Licensing usually involves completing a health department course on infectious disease transmission and passing an exam, but no governing body inspects tattoo businesses. Laws allow anyone to buy a machine, get a license and start tattooing whether or not they have any artistic ability, a situation that professional tattoo artists object to.

Here are some basic steps for choosing a safe tattoo parlour

• Look around to see if the studio is clean and professional.

• Ask questions: Is there an autoclave? Are the needles and other materials single-use? Are EPA-approved disinfectants used? Do the tattoo artists wear gloves? Professional artists won't mind the questions.

• Watch the artist and pay attention to health and safety precautions.

• Watch the artist open all needles before beginning work.

• Ask about the staff's professional memberships. These are not required, but artists who participate may have the most current information about trends, innovations and safety issues.

Ok, now you have a tattoo!!!!!

My name is Adriana and I’m the creator and developer of Wirlyhome label.
I’m jewellery and clothing designer, I’ve been working in the fashion industry for the last 9 years of my life, I went to fashion school in Canada, where I lived for 10 years, and 8 of those long years I worked as a fashion designer, illustrator and forecaster.
I came back to Brazil last year to open my label Wirlyhome, and now after almost 1 year of hard work the label is finally picking up and we are getting some recognition.

if you want to know more go to
http://www.wiryhome.com/

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Adriana_Zimbarg

Ink Again about Tattoos

2006-05-18T23:00:00.000-07:00

Ink Again about Tattoos
By Rufus Steele

Tattoo parlors have come a long way, but there are still some serious safety considerations that you should think about the next time you’ve have a few too many margaritas and are looking to get a parrot inked on your shoulder.

The fact of the matter is a lot of bad, bad diseases get transferred by dirty needles - such as HIV and hepatitis - and tattoos are inked into (not onto) your skin with a needle.

See the need for concern here?

However, tattoos are still as popular as ever, margaritas or no margaritas involved. You still see your average 19 year old sorority babe strutting around on the beach with the tattoo splayed across her lower back, or the fraternity dude with the barbed wire wrapped around his bicep.

That’s not to mention all of the moms and pops out there with ink, the bikers, the athletes, and everybody else who finds decorating themselves with ink cool or artistic.

It's no wonder, then, that what is popular now has actually been popular for thousands of years and isn't a fad. Now however, modern science makes it tonnes safer and a tad (but only a tad) less painful.

The key to tattoos is that a needle injects the ink into your skin. The tattooist leads the needle over your skin at a safe, controlled speed. It can take anywhere from a half-hour to several sessions of hours at a time, depending on how big a tattoo you’re getting. After it’s all done and over with in the tattoo parlor, your skin can take between 7 to 10 days to heal and will be sore to the touch initially.

Back in the days when tattoos had a wane in popularity, and only punks, bikers, and other “crazy” people were getting them, tattoos got a bit of bad name. Mainly, the whole issue surrounded around whether or not tattoo parlors were actually clean and safe. There were even outbreaks of disease associated with less than stellar parlors.

And this concern only grows in modern times, with all of the new superbugs that are floating around society.

There are a host of viruses and bacteria that you can be infected with. We’re talking hepatitis B, which has been reported as having passed from a tattoo needle. Though it would be possible for hepatitis C and HIV to pass from a needle into your skin as well, no such cases have been reported.

It could be that today’s modern tattoo parlors take great pride in their work and the cleanliness of their facility. It could also be that state and local health departments have regulations that they use to govern tattoo parlors and keep them clean, and that they also enforce these regulations.

A worthwhile piece of information for you to know is that you can actually check with the health departments near you to get a rundown on the safe, as well as the unsafe, parlors in your area.

You can also look into an organization called the Alliance for Professional Tattooists, which is a nonprofit organization set up to develop sanitation guidelines for its members.

Of course this all makes sense to you now but if you follow the traditional route for choosing when and where to have a tattoo applied - after a few too many margaritas - you may not be thinking quite so clearly!

Ouch!!

Rufus Steele is an addict to writing about topics that hit his funny bone. Having safely run through getting his panther head tattoo on his shoulder, you can read more of his Tattoo articles on Tattoo Body Art.com.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rufus_Steele