Amazing Tattoo Colors – Are Some Ink Shades Better than Others?
When someone decides they want a tattoo in Atlanta they all want the same thing: An epic tattoo.
Of course, “epic” means different things to different people. For some, this means a dark, dramatic, tribal tattoo which covers their entire back. For others, it means a simple display of daisies on their ankle in honor of each of their children.
Though “epic” might mean something different to every single person, there’s one thing these people all have in common: A quickly fading, or barely visible tattoo is definitely not acceptable.
And we agree, after all. For some, a tattoo can be a bit painful. So, a client shouldn’t have to go through all this just to have their tattoo disappear on them!
What does it take to get a great looking tattoo? It takes good preparation.
Besides choosing a great design and making sure your artist can replicate it to your liking, it’s also important to choose the right ink color.
Unfortunately, this step in the tattoo process is one which is often overlooked.
Your Skin Tone – a Major Contributing Factor to How Good Your Tattoo Will Look
Tattoos are a great way to express who you are to the rest of the world. But if your tattoo fades really fast, or doesn’t look good to begin with, you’re not going to be able to express your individuality as much as you would like.
One of the best ways to ensure your tattoo looks brilliant – and it lasts for years – is to choose the right color ink. This is important because every color ink we have looks different on and reacts differently to different skin tones.
When picking your ink shades, you need to look at two tones in your skin: The overtone and the undertone.
The Importance of Your Skin’s Pigment
The overtone, or skin’s pigment, is basically the color of your skin.
The pigment can have a huge impact on your tattoo because not every color will show up on every overtone.
Here’s a good rule of thumb for each skin type: Choose shades which are either quite a bit lighter than your skin or quite a bit darker than it.
Additionally, keep in mind some colors work better on certain pigments better than others:
Light/Fair Skin: White, or other light colors like pale blue, usually works well on people with fair skin.
Medium Skin: Red, green, orange, and blues look great on tan or olive-toned skin.
Dark Skin: The darkest colors on the color spectrum work best. Crimson, black, and dark blue look great on darker skin tones.Undertones –
Undertones – What Role Do They Play?
Our skin color is determined by the amount of hemoglobin, melanin, and carotene in our skin.
Undertones are determined by the amount of melanin we have in our skin, while the amount of hemoglobin and carotene determines the variation of undertone we have.
There are two types of undertones: Warm and cool. People with fair skin can have either warm undertones or cool undertones. The same is true of people with dark skin.
Knowing which undertone you have is important because it can totally change the shade of the colors you choose.
For example, the same shade of red lipstick is going to look different on people with different skin tones.
On one person, the color might look stunning, like a bright, true, glamorous red. On another, the same shade can end up looking orange, or make the person wearing it look washed out and ill.
This is why it’s so important to try and match your tattoo ink with your skin tone. Once the ink is in your skin, the amount of melanin covering the ink will change its tone. For instance, blue can look like a true, vibrant, beautiful blue, or it can turn green because of the amount of melanin.
Therefore, when choosing your colors, we want to make sure we choose those which have cooler or warmer tones to match your undertone.
Your Tattoo Artist Will Make Sure You Have All the Facts Before Getting Started
When clients come to us for tattoo work, we don’t expect them to know all of the ins and outs of the tattoo process. This is why we take the time to educate them on things like choosing the best colors.
If your tattoo artist doesn’t discuss some of the science behind the art, you might want to look for another artist.
Having some knowledge of tattoos, what they entail, how to care for them, and choosing the right shades is great. But ultimately, it’s your artist’s responsibility to ensure you have this information before you start the tattoo process.
When you find someone who is equal parts artist, scientist, and educator - you can be confident knowing you will end up with a truly epic tattoo which will look vibrant for years to come.
