Page 38 - INTERACTIVE MAGAZINE

DESIGN N THINGS. attractive concepts
September/October.
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Remember, this is technically a minor medical procedure, so run from a dimly lit, cramped,
and dingy shop.
But the No. 1 rule of thumb is to look at an artist's work—all of it! Look at the lines closely.
Do they look nice and thin and clean and crisp? Do they look like they have bled, like holding clear details
a marker on paper too long? Does the skin look beat-up and red and bleeding? Look at the
detail in the pieces in the artist's portfolio. Minute details are the difference between someone @release852
who wants to get you in and out of the seat for money and someone whose focus is solely
making a great tattoo. Look for saturation and boldness of colors. Packing solid color into skin
is difficult if inexperienced, and most will beat up the skin, and you will see blood and areas
of light color.
If you look through a portfolio and see a lot of the same simple, small pieces you would find @inshaanali
on the wall, the person is most likely a tracer and not an artist. You wouldn't trust a doctor to attention to detail
operate on you if he's only ever treated colds, right? Variety and difficulty of the pieces in the
portfolio truly speaks for itself.

smooth shading

good ta tatto
good goodttooos good tattoosa tattooss

@theblvckmambatattoo
Also, thanks to the Internet, you can search just about anyone and find reviews for
him or her. Listen to what people say! These are permanent pieces on your body,
and people won't lie about their experiences. If an artist is uncomfortable with any
of these things, gets annoyed, or has issues with anything you ask (don't demand
though), walk away. Also ask him if he does conventions, which ones, if he's worked
at other shops. Then look it all up.
Don't make spur-of-the-moment decisions. Do your research. Again, it's perma-
nent. But don't get me wrong, some artists have specialties they prefer to do. Some
love portraits. Some love photorealism. sharp lines
Some love traditional. The key is: Is it orig-
inal work, or is it stuff people come into the @kevincompuesto
shop and point to the wall and say, "That
one"? If you encounter an artist that has a
specialized niche, he or she will be well-known for it. Gen-
erally, only established artists have the ability to specialize
in one genre of work, and you will be
able to tell from the quality of the work
presented to you. vibrant colours
If all else fails, come to Quora and ask
about a specific artist. Some top artists
are Andy Engel, Kirk Alley, Mario Barth,
Nikko Hurtado, Paul Booth, and Mike
Devries. Also go to Sullen Clothing, In-
tenze, and Eternal Ink to look at the teams of artists they support. These are industry
leaders that “sponsor” the best of the best, and you will get an idea for what truly
great tattoo artist work looks like.

visit inkandwatertattoo.ca for more detailsa. portfolio and bookings! @tiffleetattoo
@tanya_______________________
| september/october