Fifty bucks and an E-Bay account are all it takes to get your hands on some machines and ink. These cheap, Chinese, home tattoo kits are serious danger to personal and public health. Everyday some drunk, mentally ill, or meth.ed out scratcher busts out the "tattoo gun" and takes aim. (BTW, tattoo "gun" is a term that untrained artists use; the correct term is "tattoo machine" or "irons".)
Dim lighting, filthy dust, smoke, and soot floating over the suspiciously stained torn pillows and the shaky hands of the "artist" ravage the skin the world over. When by some miracle of God, the tattoo doesn't get infected, the craftsmanship is far from stellar. Good work takes more than a steady hand, machines,and ink. The art of tattooing is a craft. The quality of the artwork is but one part of the craft. Machine settings such as spring tension, needle configuration, and technique all conspire to either breath life or death into your work. Tattooing is NOT something you just do. It takes training, practice, and dedication to achieve professional level work.
Is your local tattoo pro responsible their for cleaning up the damaged skin from a terrible “tattoo”? Most artists offer cover-ups. But even pro tattooers are not created equally. Cover-ups, in my opinion, are a specialty. Usually, it is impossible to completely cover old work. Some artist can achieve very good results through multiple sessions. Yes, black can be covered in about three sessions of color.
Often the goal of a cover up is to disguise the crappy work. The only other option is laser removal. But lasers can't remove scars from staph or from needles that plunge too deep.
Save your skin, don't get a basement home tattoo. Go to a shop, check out the artists portfolio, and THINK BEFORE YOU INK.
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