I do not know if this guy is a member of TattCafe but if he is, I am sure that there is a the perfect partner for him in our database!

I try to never forget my first experience, and how nervous I was when I first started thinking about getting a tattoo. I had so many questions, and no one could seem to answer them to my satisfaction. The answers I got only led me to more questions. I was told to make sure my artist used an autoclave…what the heck is that? And I read somewhere that the machine and clipcord should be covered with plastic…the whoosywhatsit? I started realizing I had so very much to learn before I was going to let anyone touch my skin with that noisy little contraption.

The more I learned, the more I loved. I became engrossed in all body art had to offer, and decided it was something I wanted to be on the inside circle of, not just a passerby. I wasn’t satisfied with the idea of just getting a tattoo anymore – I wanted to learn more about the actual process and how to do them myself. As I entered my apprenticeship, I discovered a information I never saw from the outside.

I decided to make it my personal mission to share this information with everyone I come in contact with that has even had a fleeting thought of getting a tattoo. I want to preserve the longevity and respect of an artform to be truly admired, not feared. But in order to do that, people need to be educated on how to keep themselves safe, and how to identify the difference between a good tattooist and a bad one. My beginner’s guide is part of my mission of spreading that information. Please don’t keep this information to yourself. Pssst…pass it on!

We’ve seen prices for as little as $20 for a good tattoo gun up to around $100 or so for a tattoo gun but usually you can get multiple tatoo guns if you purchase a tattoo kit.

Types of Tattoo Guns
There are two major types of tattoo guns, and that is the normal lining tattoo gun and the shading tattoo gun. The shading tattoo gun is only to be used for shading and it comes designed to do shading work, not the fine line work required of most tattoo guns.
Lining Tattoo Gun – used for lines and detail work
Shading Tattoo Gun – used for tattoo shading (duh) Also called a tattoo shader or shader gun

You have many options when searching for a tattoo artist. In the 80s and 90s you primarily had to ask friends, family and other people who have tattoos. Now, with the advent of the internet, you can get reviews on tattoo sites and from Google local. For more detailed shop ratings, specialty information and samples of work from local artists, you can visit online sites such as Tattoo.com.

Another benefit of checking out these sites is that they often offer individual galleries for each artist so you can see samples of everyone’s work and pick your favorite tattoo artists.
Step 3 – Caring for Your Tattoo:
Taking care of your tattoo is very important for two reasons. First, you don’t want it to get infected. And secondly, you want to preserve the color and brilliance of your tattoo. Remember, the first two weeks after you receive your tattoo are the most important for preserving your artwork.

Everyone heals differently, but you should see the tattoo become less red and start to heal after a few days. You may see some bruising, rashes, skin peeling or broken blood vessels during the healing process. You want to make sure to NEVER handle the tattoo during the healing process. When cleaning or moisturizing, make sure to use an industry approved lotion such as Tattoo Goo. Use rubber gloves when applying the lotion and make sure to use the appropriate applicator.

Make sure your tattoo artist provides detail instructions on care. If he/she has any printed materials, take a copy with you. And remember, even after your tattoo is completely healed, it is important to protect the color.

This ancient symbol of both Mother and Father nature (depicted in the vertical and horizontal line) can represent many things, including the rising and setting of the sun as well as life and death.

It was the cross itself that was inked on the body of Otzi the Iceman, who roamed the earth around 3300 BCE.

While we’ll never know what significance the cross bore during the Ice Age, the symbol itself has been around for quite some time and that makes it a significant symbol in history.

For many reasons besides faith alone, the cross has significance that ranges from spiritual to cultural beliefs.

What has become widely recognized as a symbol of the Christian faith, there are hundreds of different cross styles to choose from.

If you’re considering a cross tattoo think ahead what sort of placement ideas may fit best. Due to their very sensitive and often very personal nature, a cross tattoo makes sense when it’s placed in a visible location where you can actually see it and feel the comfort and peace in its presence.

Consider wrist, chest. arm and ankle tattoos for your cross and you’re certain to feel a bit more connected to your faith or spirituality.

Types of Cross Tattoos
Christian Cross Tattoos
The most popular of cross tattoos, the Christian cross represents the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Celtic Crosses
Introduced by Saint Patrick and also known as “Saint Luke’s Cross”, Celtic crosses are beautiful and ornate and are depicted as a standard cross with a circle around the center. The circle is believed to represent heaven, earth and eternal love.
Egyptian Ankh
Representing fertility and life, the Ankh pre-dates the Christian cross and is depicted as a traditional cross with a loop at the top.
Crucifix
The crucifix is a very prominent in the Catholic, Eastern Catholic and Orthodox churches and symbolizes the body of Jesus Christ being crucified on the cross.
Choosing a Cross Tattoo

While many crosses bear significant Christian or religious beliefs, others offer nothing more than an individual expression of style. Gothic and Western rhinestone-enhanced cross designs are fancy takes on the cross and are worn merely for their fashionable statement.

Before you ink this ancient symbol, determine what significance a cross bears to you. The cross can be added to many tattoo designs to offer memorial peace and life to your body art; so plan this holy piece carefully.

How do I know this? Well, unfortunately, there has been a cannibal attack on the French Polynesia island of Nuku Hiva and it has been revealed that the man suspected of the attack has a tattoo of the Kaioi tribe below his left shoulder. 31-year-old Henri Haiti had acted as a guide for 40-year-old German traveller Stefan Rami, taking him into the jungle to hunt for goats. Haiti is a guide, registered with the local authorities. But Rami never returned from the goat hunt and his charred remains were later found at a campfire site by authorities.

‘Fears that outdoor fanatic Mr Ramin had been cooked and devoured erupted after his charred remains were found on a campfire on Nuku Hiva following a goat hunt.

Although locals described their shock at the island being linked to cannibalism, a picture of Haiti revealed that he sports a tattoo of a Kaioi warrior on his left shoulder.’
This story is just plain crazy and at present time, Haiti remains on the run. Locals claim that there would not be any cannibals on their island and that such a thing has long since gone out of fashion. Yet it’s difficult to deny that cannibalism is indeed a possibility given Haiti’s tattoo, signifying his connection to the Kaioi people. I guess it’s true that some tattoos are more dangerous than others. I would recommend not getting too close to anyone who has a tattoo like Haiti’s and my sincere condolences go out to the family of Stefan Rami.

If you answered a resounding ‘Yes!’ to any of the above, then a temporary tattoo might be for you. Unfortunately, the term doesn’t have a single clear meaning. There are multiple methods out there for obtaining a non-permanent mark upon your epidermis.

So, to help you navigate this ink-stained minefield, the options before you are summarised below.

Henna/Mehndi

One of the most common varieties, mehndi is the process of applying henna paste to the skin, often with a paintbrush, leaving a brown image. Most designs in this medium tend to be intricate, and reflecting the Indian origins of the practise.

Mehndi can last up to a month, depending how much care is taken afterwards, and there are few associated health risks, bar a slight chance of allergy to the henna. If the colour is not reddish-brown, there is a chance the paste may have been adulterated with dye, which can increase the odds of a negative reaction.
Transfer Tattoos

Another popular temporary tattoo, especially among children, is applied via transfer. These come on a sheet, which can be moistened, pressed to the skin and removed, leaving the image in place. For many years, magazines or sweets have used these as free gifts with minimal health concerns.

However, they tend to look rather obviously fake, and either fall off or fade away in a matter of days. Also, since transfers tend to be mass-produced, you are unlikely to get a custom design.
Temporary Airbrush Tattoos (TATs)

Airbrush tattooing may be preferable to either of the above, especially if you want your temporary tattoo experience to be as similar as possible to a real one. This involves a stencil being placed on the skin and ink sprayed over it using an airbrush gun.

Although there is a degree of adherence to the stencil, more potential for customisation exists than with transfers. The TAT will disappear after a couple of weeks, or it can be removed with rubbing alcohol if need be. A well-done TAT can closely resemble a real tattoo.
Semi-Permanent Tattoos

Some tattoo parlours may claim to offer not-quite-tattoos, in which a standard tattoo gun is used, but the practitioner assures you that the image will only last six months, or three years, or some other arbitrary duration. These are regarded as a bad idea by most with any experience of tattoos or tattooing, as there is no reliable method of creating such a thing.

The odds are good that you would end up with a permanent tattoo in the end, or an ugly combination of scar tissue and half-faded ink. If you decide you do want a temporary tattoo, the more reliable methods described above should be perfectly adequate, and offer much lower odds of mutilation.

The tricky thing about quote tattoos is that nine times out of ten they can’t be too long. Unless you have a huge expanse of skin that you plan on dedicating to the tat, like a forearm or your entire back, you’re going to need to pick a quote that’s short enough to fit in a small area. A few years ago my girlfriend wanted to get something I had written tattooed on her in my handwriting. The quote she wanted was twenty-one words long, and she wanted it somewhere on her inner forearms. As she is already fairly heavily tattooed, there was no criteria such as having to get it on a place that could be easily hidden if need be. She’s lucky. She ended up getting it running lengthwise down her arm next to the word GIRL that was already there. Most people don’t have the same flexibility as her. Maybe your job is too professional for tattoos and piercings, or you don’t want your mother to see it. If that’s the case, then a quote tattoo can be challenging to find space for. And if you think you’re going to fit an entire poem (unless it’s a haiku) on your wrist by shrinking down the letters to a size 5 font, you’re mistaken. Good tattoo artists will only let you make the lettering so small, because they know that tattoos blend, fade and bleed over time. The smaller the font, the better the chance that you’ll be left with a meaningless blob ten years down the road. So although there are millions of wonderful quotes about the beauty of love, I’ve tried to only assemble the ones that are on the shorter side, while still being meaningful.

I went back through all 2,000+ comments on my previous hubs and tried to identify the most common themes people requested when asking for help with quote ideas. In addition to being a voracious reader, I’ve been compiling quotes in notebooks and journals since I was thirteen. This hub is fifth in a series of hubs broken down by category.. Please, if you have any ideas or would like to share a favorite quote of yours, feel free to comment! The examples I’ve chosen for this particular hub may not resonate with everyone. You might read it and get nothing out of it. But my hope is that something will resonate with someone, somewhere, and the words written here will inspire you to take a step you may not have taken otherwise.
Quotes–Religion, God, Faith

Love rose, spirit flamed, word spread, God remained.

Faith isn’t faith until it’s all you’re holding on to.

You block your dream when you allow your fear to grow bigger than your faith. –Mary Manin Morrissey

I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I intended to be. –Douglas Adams

God will never give you more than you can handle.

One life is all we have and we live it as we believe in living it. But to sacrifice what you are and to live without belief, that is a fate more terrible than dying. –Joan of Arc

Faith is a bird that feels dawn breaking and sings while it is still dark. –Scandinavian saying

All I have seen teaches me to trust the Creator for all I have not seen. –Ralph Waldo Emerson

The Lord will either calm your storm…or allow it to rage while He calms you.

Fear ends where faith begins.

God places the heaviest burden on those who can carry its weight. –Reggie White

We turn to God for help when our foundations are shaking, only to learn that it is God who is shaking them. –Charles C. West

Faith is the strength by which a shattered world shall emerge into the light. –Helen Keller

A little faith will bring your soul to heaven; A great faith will bring heaven to your soul. –Charles Spurgeon

My precious, precious child, I love you and I would never, never leave you. During your times of trial and suffering, when you saw only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you. –”Footprints” poem

The next thing you need to know about buying a tattoo gun is what size and variety of gun to buy. Tattoo guns usually serve one purpose; lining” or shading. Many stores will try to sell you a lining gun and a shading” gun together for one price. On the other hand, some guns are made to be liners and shaders in one. These versatile machines are usually a lot more expensive and much more powerful and should be used by only the most experienced tattoo artists. This is because a tattoo machine needs to be tuned to switch between lining and shading functions. A tattoo gun that serves both purposes will need to be tuned very often.

If you are new to the art of tattooing, you should consider purchasing a tattoo gun in a kit. These kits are available most everywhere and are great for tattoo artists who are just starting out. Many of these kits come with a lining and a shading gun as well as a wide variety of additional supplies.

I don’t need a tattoo to remind me of that day. It is something that will stay with me forever.