This is obviously a critical step in the entire process of getting a tattoo but I’m not sure I can really offer much in the way of advice. So I’ll just share my own experience. Well, a small amount of advice: You certainly want to find someone you feel comfortable with, but they also need to have the technical skills for your project. That can be difficult to assess as a novice but if you at least have the idea that you aren’t going to just fall into the hands of the first tattoo person you happen to come across I think you are ahead of the game.

I had the idea of doing a tattoo for quite a while, but hadn’t done anything to move past the idea stage. Then one day my husband and I were walking past a well-known tattoo shop in Richmond and I decided to go inside to check it out. They recommended that I look at the online gallery of their artists and see who was doing the type of work that I liked. This was good advice and led me to a very helpful meeting with one of their artists to discuss my plans. I wanted to talk with at least one or two other artists to try to find the best fit for me. The city I live in, Richmond Virginia, has a fairly high number of tattoo locations per capita (# 3 in the US) so there was an abundance of local tattoo-related talent. Fortunately, Tattoo Artist is one of the categories in a few of the local annual “Best of” guides. I saw that Amy Black was at the top of several of these lists so I made an appointment to meet and discuss my plans for my bald head. Because I didn’t know much about tattooing to begin with, these initial meetings were kind of a cross between a fact-finding mission and a speed-dating session.

Preliminary Drawing / Consult

I spent a small amount (under $50) to either consult with or having an initial drawing done by the tattoo artists I met with. This was a small investment to help make such an important decision. These artists’ time is valuable so I had no problem paying for these very informative efforts.

Bonus Points

I didn’t realize when I first found Amy’s name in the “Best of” lists that she also does post-mastectomy tattoos and founded a charity to help people who need financial assistance for this type of tattoo. When I found out about that aspect of her work I felt that her ability to work with women (and some men) on something so personal could also help in my unusual project. I wasn’t a “typical” tattoo-seeker either.

Tattoo Color

I eventually found out that head tattoos will fade more quickly than those on other parts of the body. This is due in part to sun exposure but also to the increased blood flow around the head and face. This means that black and gray tattoos will hold up longer in their original form vs color tattoos. I decided to use just a small amount of color in my head tattoo. If you are reviewing an artist’s work be sure to consider the extent to which you plan to use color in your tattoo. If they don’t have any examples of black and grey work and this is what you want to do then be sure to discuss that aspect of your project.

Communication

And last, but far from least, I completely underestimated the importance of good communication when I was first planning for my tattoo and finding a tattoo artist. I was extremely fortunate that Amy was very attuned to any potential glitches in communication. She was quick to point out if I wasn’t being clear about something or if she sensed some hesitation in my decision making. A tattoo is personal and permanent. You don’t want “oh, I thought you meant…” to ever enter into the conversation! I’m not sure how you “test” for that when looking for a partner in this process but it’s really crucial.