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JO BLOGS: JO HARRISON’S FAQ.

JO HARRISON, FREEHAND TATTOO, UN1TY, MODERN BODY ART, DRAGON TATTOO, BACKPIECE TATTOO, DRAGON BACKPIECE, SEXY MALE TATTOO

  • FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT BEING TATTOOED BY ME:

Firstly thank you for considering me to be your tattooer. It’s something I take very seriously and endeavor to provide you with the best experience possible.

I love working closely with my clients to come up with the best design possible, that’s one of the many reasons I freehand all my work.We have the chance to collaborate to get the design to fit your body perfectly and we are free to make changes as the design develops. I love the journey of that development as the session progresses.

I work from my private studio UN1TY, in the beautiful medieval market town of Shrewsbury. I also work lots of conventions nationally and internationally. You can contact my PA Victoria (info@UN1TY.tattoo) for more information. If you are traveling far to be tattooed you may find our ‘Welcome to Shrewsbury blog useful. With ideas of where to stay and what to get up to if you have any extra time, and some great coffee shops!

Once you’ve decided to take the plunge you can fill in my ‘tattoo request form’, you can copy and paste it from the bottom of this FAQ or email us and we will send it out to you. Email it back to us, this will give me all the information about what you want, where, etc, and I can start coming up with a concept ahead of time. Nothing will be drawn to present to you before the appointment. My experience has shown it always changes too much on the day, as it is very different drawing onto your 3D body than it is on paper! The information in the form is really just for my preparation! The magic happens on the day when we turn your idea into reality as we freehand it onto your body. Here is a link to my blog about the design and tattoo process, it’s worth visiting to give you an idea of how the process unfolds.

When you book your first tattoo session you will also be offered the chance to block book, this means that with one deposit you can hold multiple appointments. I book 6+ months in advance so if you don’t block book that’s how far apart your appointments will be, unless you can take cancellations. When you come for your tattoo appointment, if you have multiple appointments you will pay the balance for the tattoo plus the next deposit. We can’t hold any appointments without a deposit.

jo harrison, tattoo, un1ty, scar cover up tattoo, scar cover up, stomach tattoo, modern body art, morag

  • HOW LONG WILL YOUR TATTOO TAKE?

My priority is doing the best tattoo possible for you and this can’t be rushed. The best tattoo and the quickest tattoo are not possible. There are also many many variables out of my control that can make a substantial difference by the need of the tattoo. How easily we come up with the right design, how detailed it is, how much colour/ background ratio, the size of your body part- one person’s leg may be the same size as someone else’s arm! How well you sit and how easily the ink goes into your skin. Also how well you look after your tattoo and how easily your skin heals. So many variables that make a big difference. If you try to rush the process you will rob yourself of enjoying the experience of being tattooed. I will always do my best to get as much done as I can for you in the session but I won’t rush the tattoo process.

jo harrison, un1ty, tattoo, chestpice, japanese tattoo, sleeve, modern body art

  • HOW TO GET THE BEST OUT OF JO DURING THE DESIGN PROCESS?

Be prepared, send over as many ideas as you want to ahead of time. You can send anything to illustrate your point, photos of actual things, other tattoos for reference, sculpture, colour Pallette’s, etc. I am a visual person so this helps me understand what you want but also the mood for the piece. Tell me your thoughts behind the tattoo, what has inspired you to get this design. Tell me of any future plans you may have for your body. You may think it’s irrelevant but it could spark a better idea to integrate one tattoo into another or a different way of splitting the ideas up that will flow better on the body. Also, send photos of the area and pics of what you already have around the tattoo (if anything). But don’t worry if  you don’t have a definite idea, that’s fine too. Just send me what you can. Sometimes my job is to tease out your ideas, you know what you like and what you don’t like. It’s in there somewhere and together we can find it! At this stage you may find this blog useful ‘planning your tattoo.

Be flexible, especially on layout. How the tattoo fits onto the body is really important, the fit and flow is the biggest reason why I freehand all my work. Remember something may look great on paper but how it fits on the body is a different matter. It needs to flatter the body shape and not distort the design as it curves around the body. It’s what makes the tattoo look like it should be there and what allows for better design integration If/when you decide to extend your tattoo!

If you are interested in a scar cover-up tattoo please take a look through these blogs:  ‘Covering a scar with a tattoo.‘ and ‘Amanda’s beautiful scar cover-up tattoo.’

jo harrison, scar cover up tattoo, UN1TY

  • CAN YOU USE ANAESTHETIC CREAMS WHEN YOU GET TATTOOED?

I don’t recommend it for various reasons. Firstly they don’t last very long, so if you are coming to be tattooed expecting it to be numb for the whole session, it won’t be. If you come with cream on and you get a pain free hour you can get into the cycle where you are constantly searching for some way of keeping it numb for the whole tattoo and it’s not possible. You will not come mentally prepared for the tattoo to hurt and will find it hard to deal with. They can also reduce blood flow to the area, causing heavier scabbing on the tattoo and it takes longer to heal. This causes more pain and for longer during the healing process. My advice is to understand that tattoos do hurt and to find ways within your own mind to help to deal with the pain, it does get easier the more you do this. Strengthen your mind!

One thing to note, anaesthetic creams cannot be used on hands or feet, you need to have the cream on under cling film for 1-3 hours, in which time the skin turns prune-like, as if you have been in the bath too long, and if tattooed like that will not hold the ink.

I do however recommend you use ibuprofen when you get tattooed, mostly to combat any swelling.

jo harrison, backpiece, japanese tattoo, un1ty, tattoo, modern body art,

  • DOES THE SUN AFFECT YOUR TATTOO?

Yes, very much so for the work I do. Obviously, you need to keep your tattoo out of the sun while it is healing but beyond that, the sun causes a lot of damage to colour tattoos especially. Firstly your skin is like glass so the darker the skin, the darker the colours become. Imagine looking at bright red through brown glasses, it will go a dark burgundy. All colours become muddy and muted and the lighter shades you can’t see at all.

Secondly, the sun fades the colours over time, especially lighter colours so whites and yellows disappear and other colours become pale. It’s is always best to cover up wherever possible and use a high factor sunblock to prevent this from happening and keep your tattoo looking like new! Factor 50 children’s sunblocks are great.

If you have any other questions please contact my PA Victoria at Info@UN1TY.tattoo

Thanks again for looking and I really look forward to starting this journey with you to work on your bespoke tattoo very soon!

Jo x

jo harrison, un1ty, modern body art, backpiece, japanese tattoo

 

 

  • TATTOO REQUEST FORM: Please email to info@UN1TY.tattoo

    FULL NAME:

    EMAIL:

    TELEPHONE NUMBER:

    RESIDING COUNTRY:

    LOCATION YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE TATTOOED AT:

    DESIGN PLACEMENT: (include photos of the area and surrounding tattoos if you have any) left or right side of the body if appropriate?

    DESIGN IDEAS: (include photos for reference if you have any, not essential)

    ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: (if you have any, things that can be useful are future plans for other tattoos, any meaning behind your choice of tattoo)

     

 

 

Jo harrison

Thank you x