Small tattoos

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Friday October 12th, 2007 @ 6:06 AM

Filed under: Tattoos

I wasn’t able to find this in the wiki or by searching the QOD so I apologize if this has been answered before. I normally hate the “My friend told me…” type of questions but I am really curious about this one. It has come to my attention that there are some who believe that small tattoos are a bad idea and that they don’t turn out as well as larger ones. But of course no definite reasons were given. I know that for detail work you have to have a certain size, but is there any reason not to have a very simple design done on a smaller scale?

The thing about tattoos is that you’re filling cells with the pigment, cells have a finite size. As the body ages the cell walls break down, as it breaks down the pigment in those cells spread/run. Depending on the size of the tattoo will dictate the clarity of the tattoo as your body ages, it might be visible for a couple years, or it might be visible longer.

All work has some manner of detail, unless you’re going for small blob solid colours. You want to make sure that the lines do not get too close because as I said as the skin ages and breaks down the pigment will expand from its spot and blur/blend with what’s close by.

This is why many artists will have a bare minimum size for tattoos they do, based on the detail of the piece. There are however people like Anil Gupta who are internationally known for doing postage stamp size tattoos of Salvador Dali paintings,etc. However he does these tattoos with very small needle groupings (quite often 1 liners,etc), he has a MASSIVE magnify glass. Also your skin must be of a very specific type, if not he won’t do the tattoo. Not to mention in his FAQ on his page the first statement is: 1) Does Anil do coverups, retouch or color enhancement on an existing tattoo? NO.

Letters, Birds, Butterflies, Tigers, Faces all these things require detail. Details that are being etched into a living canvas. Something that ages and decays, which is very unlike a painters canvas,etc.

Now with saying this, this doesn’t mean rush out to get a full back-piece. But the thing to consider with tattoos is to make sure it fits the frame. A small tattoo on a rather large space will simply not look right, visually to the eyes. Case in point look at the body builders who have very tiny suns, tribals,etc on their upper arm region. Their massive bulging muscles over shadow the piece so it gets lost amongst the muscle.

So like I said it doesn’t need to be a huge tattoo, nor small. The thing to always consider is: “Does this tattoo fit the frame of my body“

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7 Responses to “Small tattoos”

While I appreciate the advice (as I appreciate any advice on the chance I might one day need it myself), I curse you for mentioning Anil Gupta. Following the link, I spent hours going through the various galleries instead of doing homework that I really should’ve been doing.

Everything pictured was gorgeous, enough to tempt me to go up northward to consult with him for my ink- despite it being a day’s drive.

Kiera on October 12th, 2007 at 4:18 pm

Hey, thanks for such a detailed answer.

The design I am thinking about is a very simple, yellow smiley face on my inner wrist. My wrists are perhaps a tad smaller than average and I was thinking silver dollar sized. It seems to fit that spot very well in terms of size, and really there’s not a lot of detail in a simple smiley face. Do you forsee any problems?

coneja on October 12th, 2007 at 7:39 pm

Kiera: Anil absolutely does a lot of great work…Large scale as well as the tiny stuff he does. The other potential problem is I’ve heard Anil charges quite a pretty penny for his time and efforts…So if you drive up, be prepared to bring a wad of money with you, just in case lol

coneja: The wrist, such a lovely spot….UGH!

One thing many people fail to understand is the shifting and moving the body does, especially in the joint locations (wrist, elbow, knee,etc). The closer the tattoo is actually to the wrist location will reduce the longevity of the tattoo. Great way to see what I’m talking about is look at your wrist with your hand in a fist and then pull the first towards the inner forearm location. Where you see all the wrinkles across the wrist area, is going to make the tattoo blur/decay faster.

It would be wise to go just above that location, it’s usually about an inch, inch and a bit above the actual wrist location. By placing it a lil further up you will have a better lasting tattoo.

Now as for the design…Each design should personal and have meaning to the individual. Not going to ask the age question or anything like that, although it might shed light on the subject…But is a yellow smiley face something you want on your wrist from now until the day you die? If so, by all means get it done and love it…But if you think long and hard about the situation and you cannot see yourself realistically having a big yellow smiley face on your wrist for 10, 20, 30, 50 years….Perhaps another design will need to be chosen.

What I’m getting at is this, with all the creativity in the world and ALL the things you could possibly put on the body that illustrate who/what you are…Do you really want to put a smiley face on you? If so, rock on! ENJOY THE TATTOO! If not, definitely give it serious thought as you can only do so much once a tattoo is on the body.

As for size, it’s been a long time since I’ve seen an actual silver dollar lol But if you’re going for the basic yellow smiley face with a black dots for eyes and a simple curved line for to display a happy smile…I don’t think it’d be much of a problem/concern.

Warren on October 13th, 2007 at 5:39 am

“Letters, Birds, Butterflies, Tigers, Faces all these things require detail. Details that are being etched into a living canvas. Something that ages and decays, which is very unlike a painters canvas,etc.”

Skin and a painters canvas are more similar than not, as the paint on the canvas cracks, discolors and in some cases entirely breaks down. Renaissance painters had to make their own canvases and mix their own paint and sometimes their choices were not the best for longevity. The question of longevity comes into play every time an artist chooses whether to use archival grade supplies or student grade supplies.
Whether getting a tattoo or painting a masterpiece the basics of what to look for are the same: skill of the artist, quality of supplies, care of the finished work, and price. If it sounds like you’re getting too good of a deal, you probably are.

Jess on October 13th, 2007 at 8:07 am

Good point Jess… guess a better way way to TRULY describe it is a picture on a piece of paper instead of a painters canvas.

and agreed on that last sentence…Also however a big important part is knowledge/experience/skill of the artist, don’t just settle for someone because they say they can do it…Make sure they can back up what they say with previous examples of well healed tattoos they’ve done.

When I personally look at portfolios in tattoo studios…I ignore the tattoos that look red/irritated/fresh. Instead I search for work that looks healed, as that truly shows their capabilities/skill.

Warren on October 13th, 2007 at 9:09 am

Thanks, Warren. I will avoid tattooing in the area where my skin creases with movement.

I’m confident that I will like the smiley face over the long term. Maybe the design would lead you to think otherwise but I’m in my mid-20’s now and not really a kid anymore. I’ve already been thinking about the idea for…at least a year now, probably longer. I know I do want a smiley face. Placement is still up in the air but the wrist is one of the possibilities. So I’m not the kind of person to run out and get a piercing or tattoo without really thinking it out first and examining all possible ramifications. Hey, if I were, would I have bothered to submit a question or do any research? Doubtful.

coneja on October 13th, 2007 at 7:29 pm

coneja: sorry just had to sort that out because you’d be surprised some of the things we are asked to answer.

If its something you really want, rock on! And I’m rather excited for you…Is this your first tattoo or have you had other ones already?

Warren on October 13th, 2007 at 9:41 pm

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While I appreciate the advice (as I appreciate any advice on the chance I might one day need it myself), I curse you for mentioning Anil Gupta. Following the link, I spent hours going through the various galleries instead of doing homework that I really should’ve been doing.

Everything pictured was gorgeous, enough to tempt me to go up northward to consult with him for my ink- despite it being a day’s drive.
Kiera on October 12th, 2007 at 4:18 pm
Hey, thanks for such a detailed answer.

The design I am thinking about is a very simple, yellow smiley face on my inner wrist. My wrists are perhaps a tad smaller than average and I was thinking silver dollar sized. It seems to fit that spot very well in terms of size, and really there’s not a lot of detail in a simple smiley face. Do you forsee any problems?
coneja on October 12th, 2007 at 7:39 pm
Kiera: Anil absolutely does a lot of great work…Large scale as well as the tiny stuff he does. The other potential problem is I’ve heard Anil charges quite a pretty penny for his time and efforts…So if you drive up, be prepared to bring a wad of money with you, just in case lol

coneja: The wrist, such a lovely spot….UGH!

One thing many people fail to understand is the shifting and moving the body does, especially in the joint locations (wrist, elbow, knee,etc). The closer the tattoo is actually to the wrist location will reduce the longevity of the tattoo. Great way to see what I’m talking about is look at your wrist with your hand in a fist and then pull the first towards the inner forearm location. Where you see all the wrinkles across the wrist area, is going to make the tattoo blur/decay faster.

It would be wise to go just above that location, it’s usually about an inch, inch and a bit above the actual wrist location. By placing it a lil further up you will have a better lasting tattoo.

Now as for the design…Each design should personal and have meaning to the individual. Not going to ask the age question or anything like that, although it might shed light on the subject…But is a yellow smiley face something you want on your wrist from now until the day you die? If so, by all means get it done and love it…But if you think long and hard about the situation and you cannot see yourself realistically having a big yellow smiley face on your wrist for 10, 20, 30, 50 years….Perhaps another design will need to be chosen.

What I’m getting at is this, with all the creativity in the world and ALL the things you could possibly put on the body that illustrate who/what you are…Do you really want to put a smiley face on you? If so, rock on! ENJOY THE TATTOO! If not, definitely give it serious thought as you can only do so much once a tattoo is on the body.

As for size, it’s been a long time since I’ve seen an actual silver dollar lol But if you’re going for the basic yellow smiley face with a black dots for eyes and a simple curved line for to display a happy smile…I don’t think it’d be much of a problem/concern.
Warren on October 13th, 2007 at 5:39 am
“Letters, Birds, Butterflies, Tigers, Faces all these things require detail. Details that are being etched into a living canvas. Something that ages and decays, which is very unlike a painters canvas,etc.”

Skin and a painters canvas are more similar than not, as the paint on the canvas cracks, discolors and in some cases entirely breaks down. Renaissance painters had to make their own canvases and mix their own paint and sometimes their choices were not the best for longevity. The question of longevity comes into play every time an artist chooses whether to use archival grade supplies or student grade supplies.
Whether getting a tattoo or painting a masterpiece the basics of what to look for are the same: skill of the artist, quality of supplies, care of the finished work, and price. If it sounds like you’re getting too good of a deal, you probably are.
Jess on October 13th, 2007 at 8:07 am
Good point Jess… guess a better way way to TRULY describe it is a picture on a piece of paper instead of a painters canvas.

and agreed on that last sentence…Also however a big important part is knowledge/experience/skill of the artist, don’t just settle for someone because they say they can do it…Make sure they can back up what they say with previous examples of well healed tattoos they’ve done.

When I personally look at portfolios in tattoo studios…I ignore the tattoos that look red/irritated/fresh. Instead I search for work that looks healed, as that truly shows their capabilities/skill.
Warren on October 13th, 2007 at 9:09 am
Thanks, Warren. I will avoid tattooing in the area where my skin creases with movement.

I’m confident that I will like the smiley face over the long term. Maybe the design would lead you to think otherwise but I’m in my mid-20’s now and not really a kid anymore. I’ve already been thinking about the idea for…at least a year now, probably longer. I know I do want a smiley face. Placement is still up in the air but the wrist is one of the possibilities. So I’m not the kind of person to run out and get a piercing or tattoo without really thinking it out first and examining all possible ramifications. Hey, if I were, would I have bothered to submit a question or do any research? Doubtful.
coneja on October 13th, 2007 at 7:29 pm
coneja: sorry just had to sort that out because you’d be surprised some of the things we are asked to answer.

If its something you really want, rock on! And I’m rather excited for you…Is this your first tattoo or have you had other ones already?
Warren on October 13th, 2007 at 9:41 pm

Small tattoos

«« How come… Scarring on Vertical Lip piercing »»

Friday October 12th, 2007 @ 6:06 AM

Filed under: Tattoos

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