How are Tattoos Made?

Most people know that tattoos are created with a needle that delivers ink into the skin by the use of a special tattoo gun or machine. Beyond that, many are clueless as to how the procedure might actually carry on. The method of creating a tattoo has not changed much since the beginning. It is believed that designs were created in the skin using sharp pieces of bone in the distant past.

Today, electronic tattoo machines are the most common methods of tattooing. With electronic tattoo guns, the ink is injected into the skin by a group of needles that are attached to a bar. The electronic gun moves very fast, going in and out of the skin hundreds of thousand of times per minute.

To understand what getting a tattoo means,we have to understand how our skin is structured. The skin is made of three layers which are designated as Epidermis, Dermis and Hypodermis. The Epidermis or outer layer is responsible for protection against the environment.The Dermis or middle layer is primarily responsible for structure and support and the Hypodermis layer is primarily responsible for insulation and shock absorbency.

When a tattoo is applied needles will pierce the skin approximately 1/16 of an inch.Tattoo artists accomplish this by using an electric powered tattoo gun that almost sounds like the drill a dentist uses. The tattoo gun has a needle that moves up and down around 2,000 times a minute. The needle in the gun punctures the skin and deposits a small drop of ink with each puncture. The ink is deposited in the dermis region, and when healed the ink can be seen due to the transparency of the skin cells. Tattoo ink must be deposited in the dermis (just below the epidermis layer), because if the ink is too shallow in the skin, in the outer layers, it will fade with time, as those skin cells are replaced, and if it is too deep, it will loose its form with time in the fat layer.

Tattoos are made by a process called stippling, where a series of dots creates the image of the design. More dots closer together creates a darker or more solid in appearance picture. Spread apart, the dots make a lighter image or a shading effect.

Outlining is usually the first step in the tattoo process and a stencil is created. This stencil is laid out on the skin and traced. Some artists will draw the stencil straight on the skin freehanded. The general design can be visualized at this point on the skin.

Once the stencil is in place, the skin is continually stretched tight with one hand, while the other operate the gun; power is turned off and on via a foot switch. The stretching of the skin is vital in providing a smooth clean line and the stenciled lines are followed until the design is completed.

The next step is shading. Shading is done many ways, for example a square tipped tube is installed on the gun, and a flat set of 6 needles is installed. The needles are very slightly fanned to help keep them from wobbling in the tube. With the skin stretched the artist will start at the darkest area of the shading, and move toward the lighter section all the time lifting the needles further out of the skin till the needles loose contact at the end of the shading.

Sprayed water can also be used to dilute the ink as it goes in to give a lighter gray or washed appearance. Coloring is achieved by using the same needle set up for shading or around set of needles in a much larger grouping. The skin is stretched and the artist will move his gun in small circles until an area is covered. When the skin is stretched the artist should not see any missed areas, if so he will have to carefully ink the missed areas, then when the skin is released the colored areas will look smooth.

The tattoo artist will clean the tattoo throughout the process, and again once he has finished. Once he has finished, he will apply an antiseptic cream to the tattoo and cover it. He will also explain how you should take care of it and what you can and can’t do. Most tattoo artists will give you a sheet to take home that contains detailed instructions on caring for your new tattoo. If you have any questions, you shouldn’t hesitate to ask when he is going over your care instructions.

When you get home, you should always follow those instructions. Taking care of your new tattoo is very important and may very well determine your risk of infection. Tattoos can be a great thing to have, provided you take care of them. Keep in mind that the tattoo may be sore for a while and it will heal in a few short days.

How are Tattoos Made?

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