Here at Tattude.com we want you to have fun and be well-informed in the process. Getting a tattoo is a big responsibility and its a lot easier to live up to that responsibility when you have the right tattoo information.

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Tattooing has been around for more than 5,000 years with no signs of slowing down as more and more people are becoming fascinated with the idea of getting their first tattoo.

We love tattoos, we love tattooed people, and we love the tattooed lifestyle. The world of tattooing is ever evolving and we are here to share and learn more about this fascinating artform as we both grow together.

The wonderful thing about tattoos are there are always new designs and images to admire and look at so it never gets boring. If you can dream it, there’s a designer who can create it and an artist who can ink it, bringing to life an expression of your innermost self.

What is Tattude, Tattud-ism and Tudes?

Tat (tattoos) and Tude (attitude) It’s been our experience that people with tattoos have a certain manner of carrying themselves. They possess a distinct feeling, a certain disposition and pizzazz about themselves that is very recognizable.

Tattude is the state of mind that tattooed people possess demonstrating that they are somebody and aren’t ashamed for the world to know it.

Tattud-ism is our philosophy about the artistic movement of tattoos, everybody is special with or without tattoos. We see the body as a form of communication and the art of tattooing helps to extend such communication to deeper depths.

Tudes are the people who make up our community and embrace our philosophy that each one of us is unique and has the God-given right to express ourselves in any way that we choose. They understand that body ink is not who they are, its an expression of their own uniqueness (just like a thumbprint) they’re showcasing to the world.

Here’s a quick list of our top 10 posts that we’ll bring you up to speed if this is your first visit to our website:

Tattoo Information

What is a tattoo?

A tattoo is any permanent ink design, letter, symbol, scroll or other mark that is inserted into the skin, usually with a needle.

How is a tattoo made?

A tattoo needle is hooked up to a tattoo machine with tubes containing pigment (dye). These needles repeatedly prick your skin and as the skin is being punctured tiny droplets of ink are inserted under the skin. Depending on the size of your tattoo this process can last several hours and there’s usually a small amount of bleeding that occurs as the tattoo is being completed.

Choosing the right tattoo design

Choose the ink that you put on your skin wisely because its probably going to be with you for life. Let your tattoo be something that truly expresses something meaningful to you. Deciding on the right design as well as the placement on your body is where the majority of your time should be spent.

If you fail to get this part right then finding the right tattoo artist and tattoo parlor is completely unnecessary. Sure, tattoos can be removed but you don’t want to have to travel down that painful and expensive road if you don’t have to.

Does getting a tattoo hurt?

Asking someone does it hurt is almost like asking someone “do raw oysters taste good?” Some will say its disgusting while others will tell you that its the best aphrodisiac you can eat.

Pain tolerance is subjective and very personal to the individual. The best advice I can offer is to expect to experience some level of pain and in the event that you don’t its all the better. A better question my be, “is the tattoo design and location that I’ve chosen worth the possibility of pain?”

Are there any risks in getting a tattoo?

Your skin helps protect your body from disease, infection and bacteria. Tattooing involves breaking the skin so it stands to reason that there would be some level of risk involved.

However, these blood-borne diseases that could occur will only happen as a result of unclean shops or improper handling and sterilization of equipment. As long as you throughly research the shop where you’re being tattooed you should be safe.

Selecting a tattoo parlor

Ask questions about sterilization procedures for equipment and needles. Look around to see if there’s evidence of required documentation for sanitary procedures hanging on the wall. Most states have specific sanitary requirements designed to help prevent infections and disease. This is serious business and if you don’t feel like you’d be safe then find another shop.

Are there signs that a tattoo has been infected?

A new tattoo is very similar to having a 3rd degree burn so some swelling around the tattoo is quite normal. However, if you experience any of the following conditions below seek the advice of a health practitioner:

Yellowish or greenish drainage from the tattooed area
Nonstop oozing or bleeding
Intensifying and excruciating non-stop pain
Abnormal swelling
A hot sensation surrounding and moving away from the tattooed area

Sensitivity of skin

No two people’s skin are alike and if your skin is very sensitive and susceptible to allergies it may not be in your best interest to get a tattoo. Various colors of ink as well as the needle itself may cause your skin allergies to flare up.

If you have skin allergies its a good idea to test it first in a very discreet area and then wait to see what happens. To avoid abnormal bleeding and oozing test you should always test first if you know that your skin is very sensitive.

Tattooing Process

Tattoo artist prepares the skin area to be tattooed by cleaning and shaving it.
A stencil is transferred onto the skin.
The client okays the location and appearance.
The tattooing process begins.
The chair/table where the body part to be tattooed is cleaned with a germ-killing disinfectant and covered with some type of plastic wrap.
Outlining of the tattoo is completed.
If required the artist will either shade or fill in the tattoo with color.
The time required depends on size of the tattoo, the intricacy of the design and where the tattoo will be located.
The client is taken to a mirror, he/she jumps with excitement and snaps a picture with their smartphone to be uploaded to Facebook or Twitter.

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