What Every Tattoo Artist Wishes You Knew

Thinking About a Tattoo?

Before you go to any tattoo shop, there are a few things that you should consider to make the experience enjoyable for you, the other patrons, and the artist. All artists will want to hear your opinion, and want you to express your ideas, but some folks can get carried away. Tattoo artists are all highly trained in their field, and usually very passionate about their art. Like most artists, they tend to bruise easily, so tread lightly with your criticism, and Be Nice. That being said, here are a few things that they would like you to know (and remember) before you step into their shop.

Do not show up drunk for your tattoo. 

 Aside from the obvious health and sanitation issues, it's obnoxious. If you're not sober, most studios won't even let you get the tattoo. The Board of Health is rather particular about that, and no artist wants to work on a drunk.

Have some idea of what you want done. 

You don't need to show up with a drawing, in fact most artists won't use someone else's work, but you do have to have some idea of the kind of tattoo you want, including size and placement. Tattoo artists are experts at this and are used to looking at tattoos on the human body, so if an artist gives you a tip that a certain piece won't look good where you want it, or that the size is off, trust them and take their advice. Your input is valuable too however, so don't ever let an artist bully you into something you don't want. You will be living with it for the rest of your life (unless you want some laser tattoo removal  next).

Don't be cheap. 

When you're shopping around for an artist, price should be the last thing on your mind. Just as you wouldn't go to a backwoods, bargain-basement for a medical procedure, you need to remember that a tattoo is a sterile procedure done by a professional in a sterile environment (a good tattoo is at least). If you're looking for a bargain in this area, keep in mind that you'll get what you pay for.

Inflicting Ink Tattoo in Portsmouth RI offers custom tattooing by licensed professional tattoo artists in a sterile, comfortable environment, as well as laser tattoo removal by fully trained technicians. Contact them now for an appointment, or feel free to walk in during regular business hours.

Call Inflicting Ink at 401-683-5680 to schedule a free consultation to learn about laser tattoo removal for yourself, or to learn about adding the Quanta USA laser to your tattoo studio.
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Inflicting Ink is a Rhode Island Tattoo Studio that embodies quality, consistency and pride, and offers a sterile, safe, comfortable, artistic environment to its customers.  Nominated multiple times for the Best Tattoo Parlor in Rhode Island and Best Tattoo Artist in RI.

You may contact them for an appointment for a tattoo at (401) 683-5680 and of course walk-ins are always welcome.

For more information, please visit our home page at www.inflictinginktattoo.com.

Tattoos More Accepted By Many

Tattoos: a step towards social freedom

April 26, 2012
Aaron Stuckel

I’ve been pondering the possibility of getting a tattoo recently. But, in doing so, I’ve had to consider the troubled history of those who’ve gone under the needle.

People have been permanently decorating their bodies longer than Christianity has been around. It was often used as a means of therapy for arthritis, or a sign of loyalty to the gods or country.

More recently, tattoos have been associated with criminals. Gangs have long used tattoos as a way to identify themselves to one another, while many convicts have tattooed themselves as a certain type of badge of honour.

It seems to me though, that ten years ago, tattoos were not as socially acceptable as they are now.
Even many professionals today now go to their daily meetings with ink up their arms.
But what has caused this change?

Well, personally I think there has been a shift in our culture that has allowed people to express themselves without fear of being judged. The constant hunt for political correctness and objectivity in the hiring process has changed the way employers react to a little bit of ink on the wrists of job-hunting hopefuls.

I asked my own employer if she would change her opinion on a prospective employee if they had tattoos. Though she said someone with facial ink would probably change her perspective (have you seen Mike Tyson lately?), she said it’s unlikely that some modest colourings would alter their chances at a job.

But something else in her answer struck me as an important factor. She said she often doesn’t see her prospective employees because so much of the hiring process is now done online.

It’s hard not to notice the affects that the advent of the Internet have had on our world. But besides the looming elimination of paper and the ease of which we can now communicate with each other, there is anonymity in the virtual world that allows people to freely express themselves. And we can do that without others judging those expressions based on physical appearance.

Somehow this attitude seems to have seeped into the physical world. Though racism and bullying are still big problems in our society, I think we as a society have moved in the right direction in the sense that more and more of us base our opinions on others on how they treat us, and not how they look.
In many ways, tattoos are the most personal form of art. They likely have some meaning to those who wear them and are their forever. They become as much part of the person as their fingers and toes.

The fact that they are more accepted socially now than ever before tells me that we can and will end bigger problems like racism and bullying.

I will most definitely be getting a tattoo, if not just to express myself, than at least to stand up and say that if you can accept my tattoo, than you can accept anyone.

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Inflicting Ink is a Rhode Island Tattoo Studio that embodies quality, consistency and pride, and offers a sterile, safe, comfortable, artistic environment to its customers.  Nominated multiple times for the Best Tattoo Parlor in Rhode Island and Best Tattoo Artist in RI.

You may contact them for an appointment for a tattoo at (401) 683-5680 and of course walk-ins are always welcome.

For more information, please visit our home page at www.inflictinginktattoo.com.

Backyard Tattoo Parties

What is a backyard tattoo party?

A backyard tattoo party is any outdoor (or indoor) situation, where someone will tattoo people without the benefit of a sterile environment; which can include but is not limited to the ability to sterilize equipment or tools, and places where there will be wooden surfaces that cannot be sterilized with cleansers. The situation may or may not involve needles that are used more than once, but if the artist is not using disposable needles, you need to seriously reconsider your decision to get tattooed at such a function.

Understanding your risks

Here at Inflicting Ink Traveling Tattoo we LOVE a great tattoo party. However, we refuse to tattoo in anything less than sterile conditions; which is why we bring our sterile facility everywhere we go. With the use of our traveling tattoo truck, we are able to offer the same sterile precautions that we take in our home studio in Portsmouth at your remote location of choice. All we need is enough room to turn the truck around, and you can easily book us through our website at www.InflictingInkTattoo.com

If you are considering a backyard tattoo party, consider the guidelines imposed by the CDC with regard to tattoo artists, and the risks for skin diseases and death before you let someone touch your skin with a less than perfect needle in a less than perfect environment.

The CDC has the following recommendations for tattoo artists:

• All artists should be licensed and use single use, disposable needles and razors for tattoing and piercing
• All equipment needs to be sterilized, and only equipment that can either be sterilized or thrown away should be used in tattooing or body piercing procedures
• All artists should be wearing gloves, and wash and disinfect their hands and any surfaces involved in tattooing or piercing before and after every session (wood is not an acceptable surface as it cannot be properly disinfected, and the virus that causes Hepatitis can live for up to four days on a non-disinfected surface)
• All tools and equipment that is not disposable should be cleaned and sterilized after every use
• In addition to work surfaces, all surfaces in the tattoo studio, such as chairs, tables, and counters should be cleaned and disinfected consistently to prevent the spread of bacteria and pathogens or viruses

How to avoid trouble

Before getting a tattoo ask the artist the following questions, and make sure the answers match up as well:
Q. Are you a licensed tattoo artist, working in a licensed facility?
A. Yes. (they should be able to also tell you which state they are licensed in, and which studio they work for)
Q. Did you apprentice under a reputable tattoo artist in a licensed sterile facility?
A. Yes. (they should also be able to provide you with the name of their teacher and the studio)
Q. Do you practice continuing education and updates to your license on a yearly basis?
A. Yes. (they should be able to help you understand the sterile processes they use, why they use them, what the law requires them to use, and what kind of continuing education updates they take yearly)

Remember that there are very few backyard situations that would be considered a sterile environment for tattooing, but a good rule of thumb to consider is whether or not you would let your dentist perform surgery on you in the same environment - because dentists have the highest incidences of cross-contamination and blood born pathogen illnesses of any environment, and if you wouldn't let them pull a tooth in the same environment, don't get a tattoo in it.

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Inflicting Ink is a Rhode Island Tattoo Studio that embodies quality, consistency and pride, and offers a sterile, safe, comfortable, artistic environment to its customers.  Nominated multiple times for the Best Tattoo Parlor in Rhode Island and Best Tattoo Artist in RI.

You may contact them for an appointment for a tattoo at (401) 683-5680 and of course walk-ins are always welcome.

For more information, please visit our home page at www.inflictinginktattoo.com.

How to Tell If You Found a Good Tattoo Artist

The popularity of tattoos continues to be a statement toward everything from culture to fashion. With so many options to choose from, how do you know when you've found a good (great maybe?) tattoo artist that you can stick with?

Read their resume. Most tattoo artists learn in apprentice situations as there are few tattoo schools or schools offering courses in the art form. This apprenticeship should have been under a licensed, professional tattoo artist, with an emphasis on teaching the concepts of sterile procedures and environments. Because tattooing involves contact with blood, tattoo artists need to be highly skilled in the prevention of diseases that can come from blood born pathogens and non-sterile procedures.

Look over their work/portfolio. A good tattoo artist also needs to be a good artist. Let's face it, if all they can do is follow stencils that someone else has made, they will only ever be able to copy the work of others. Tattoo artists that show art degrees on their resumes, or at the very least have a portfolio that showcases their talent as an artist, are much more likely to be able to transform your dream tattoo into a physical reality on your skin.

Walk in for a tattoo consultation with one of our highly skilled, licensed artist at Inflicting Ink Tattoo in Portsmouth RI. We are a sterile tattoo facility licensed to tattoo by the State of Rhode Island. The health and welfare of our clients comes first at Inflicting Ink.
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Inflicting Ink is a Rhode Island Tattoo Studio that embodies quality, consistency and pride, and offers a sterile, safe, comfortable, artistic environment to its customers.  Nominated multiple times for the Best Tattoo Parlor in Rhode Island and Best Tattoo Artist in RI.

You may contact them for an appointment for a tattoo at (401) 683-5680 and of course walk-ins are always welcome.

For more information, please visit our home page at www.inflictinginktattoo.com.

Foot Print Tattoo for Memory of Twins

Francheska S. visited Inflicting Ink in November of 2010 to pay memorial tribute to her twins with a tattoo....

I have got to say, that I wish I had known about Inflicting Ink back when I turned 18, or searched better. I don't regret my first tat, but I know it would have looked even fresher if it was done here! Marc was my artist for my second tattoo, which is my twins foot prints in hearts and there names R.I.P.... Words can't describe how perfect it came out and how touched I was by it! Thank you so much Marc and you're most definitely talented, and will be seeing more of me for future tatts! Keep up the great work all at Inflicting Ink! Much love =)
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Inflicting Ink is a Rhode Island Tattoo Studio that embodies quality, consistency and pride, and offers a sterile, safe, comfortable, artistic environment to its customers.  Nominated multiple times for the Best Tattoo Parlor in Rhode Island and Best Tattoo Artist in RI.

You may contact them for an appointment for a tattoo at (401) 683-5680 and of course walk-ins are always welcome.

For more information, please visit our home page at www.inflictinginktattoo.com.

First Tattoos are Rarely the Last

Billy and Wilson visited our tattoo shop in October of 2010, on different days, and they still connected through our guestbook. Make new friends at Inflicting Ink!

Billy said, "Just got my first tattoo ever in my life and on my chest from Marc. Absolutely awesome guy to talk to, as well as being courteous and gentle. All my ink will be done at Inflicting Ink."

And the same day Wilson said, "Billy same exact thing here but i got mine done yesterday also from Marc couldn't agree more man! Two thumbs up!!"


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Inflicting Ink is a Rhode Island Tattoo Studio that embodies quality, consistency and pride, and offers a sterile, safe, comfortable, artistic environment to its customers.  Nominated multiple times for the Best Tattoo Parlor in Rhode Island and Best Tattoo Artist in RI.

You may contact them for an appointment for a tattoo at (401) 683-5680 and of course walk-ins are always welcome.

For more information, please visit our home page at www.inflictinginktattoo.com.