Getting Tattooed

If you've never gotten a tattoo before, here's a step-by-step of what you can expect to happen when you actually get tattooed.  There are a lot more details I want to write about later like choosing a shop and an artist, tattoo etiquette but for now, let's just go over what to expect when you sit down in the chair.

Step 1: The Stencil

Matt Strauser of Rubicon Tattoo

After working out your artwork with your artist, they will draw an outline of what you are getting done and have it printed out on a temporary stencil that they can affix to your skin so you get the chance to review the size and placement of your tattoo.  This is your chance to change your mind to go bigger, smaller, etc.  This stencil rubs off  and can be reused a couple of times until you get it perfect so don't be afraid to say if you want any changes made, this is permanent!

Matt Strauser of Rubicon Tattoo

Now the actual tattooing begins!

Step 2: The Outline

Your stencil also acts as a guide for your tattoo artist.  However talented they might be, this guarantees they can't make a mistake that you have on your body forever.  They will follow this to create the basic outline.

Step 3: Shading

Matt Strauser of Rubicon Tattoo

See the black shading in the tattoo now, that's shading.  This is where your tattoo artist's talent comes out since they can look at a picture to try to copy the original shading but there's no follow along stencil to guide them.  Also as you can see from this picture, you might bleed a little, no biggie.

Step 4: Color

Photo by Scobey Photography

So the tattoo in the previous pictures didn't have a lot of color since the dog was meant to be black and white (for any video game nerds out there, don't freak out, it's Okami but modeled after our own Husky dog that died) so there's only a little gray in the clouds below him that's not black ink.  For fun with color, here's a tattoo on my back!  The flowers are all Matt Strauser of Rubicon Tattoo, the Skull is Zack Gaylord from their days back at Psycho Tattoo 2.  You can see my really ugly first tattoo, the black stars that will get covered up eventually.  Check out that amazing color!  Doesn't it make you want to forget about that silly little black stamp of a tattoo everyone (including me) gets as their first tattoo and just dive into something big and bright and filled with color?!  This picture is from our engagement shoot with Scobey Photography, they're amazing!