How can you achieve it?

Well, first and foremost the “best” anything is subjective. What is the best movie, song, book etc? You can ask one hundred different people and get one hundred different answers. So it is the same with what is “the best blackwork tattoo?” This is in part why it’s important to do your own research and find the right tattooist to work with. Of course, you’ll want to like the work they produce but how about the attitude and approach to their work? Or their philosophy for what a tattoo is and why they do it. In my experience, these latter points are as important to the overall satisfaction of the client as the finished tattoo itself.

Once you have found the right tattooist, commit and trust their judgement. Do not compromise here otherwise you’ll only be selling yourself short in the long run. Something cheap that does not last is poor value. Something expensive that lasts a lifetime is good value. Therefore it is important not to confuse the cost of a tattoo with the value of it. You will, after all, be wearing it to the grave.

If you have decided that I am the person you would like to get your blackwork tattoo by, then below you can find out how to get the best out of me when the day arrives.

Getting Creative.

A state of creativity needs to first be created and you’ll be a big factor in this. I have fine tuned my environment here at UN1TY Tattoo to allow my working process to flow smoothly. I aim for the experience of getting a tattoo to be as memorable as the ink itself. But we will need to work together if we’re going to produce the best we are collectively capable of. I only work with one person a day, this is so I can give all of my attention and energy to a single project.

The key component in any relationship is trust and that applies to the one we need to forge. Once we have each other’s trust we can relax and allow the process of creating a blackwork tattoo design to arise naturally. I produce the best tattoo when the person stood in front of me is open minded, trusting and willing to sail into uncharted waters. It’s at the edge that the magic happens, so let us enjoy this moment.

Trust.

I have devoted myself to the craft of tattooing and in particular blackwork. Before the rise in popularity of blackwork tattoos, there were very few of us who pursued a path dedicated to it. It’s from these years of learning, before the rise, of continued trial and error, of making mistakes and honing the skills that have given me the necessary experience and body of work to be able to create the tattoos you see today. I want you to know that when you trust me with your tattoo I will be bringing many years of experience and valuable lessons so we can create the tattoo you deserve.

The years of experience I have do not end at the technical application of ink in the skin.  In fact, there are far more tattooers who are capable of saturating skin than there are capable of creating a vision and applying it to the human anatomy harmoniously. This is my strong suit and where I really require your trust. A lot of blackwork tattoos end up looking very crude and clumsy. This is in part because those doing them are not sure themselves what they are doing. By using large fields of black they make good pictures for social media content but often poor fitting tattoos and eventually dissatisfied clients. This is why I never compromise on the time it takes for me to design a tattoo.

The Design.

All of the large scale work I take on requires a person to book 2 consecutive days to start with me. The first day is spent entirely on the drawing where I freehand a design directly on to the body. It’s here that we will explore the options available and craft exactly the right piece for you. The following day once we are both happy and confident with the design we will commit the lines to permanence.

I do not use pen and paper, nor any type of stencil. This is not generally the norm when getting tattooed. To not see a design ahead of time and have it drawn on them in real-time. Again it’s why trust is essential. This first couple of days is the most important sessions we are likely to spend together.

I have over the years developed a system by which I construct a tattoo and like any building, it starts with a solid foundation and we continue to refine and embellish from there. Every tattoo is a collaboration and I always listen to a clients opinion and limits but I do ask that you trust my judgement and view as they are founded in many years experience. You don’t need to repeat the mistakes I have already learned from.

Getting It.

Once the tattoo is started we have a commitment to each other. I will do all that I can to accommodate a time scale that works for you but my diary tends to fill up fast. Therefore I suggest that you book up blocks of dates otherwise you could end up having long waiting times between appointments. We can always cancel any days that we don’t end up needing. There is a chance you can get in sooner by requesting to put your name on the cancellation list.

The time we spend together will be permanently imprinted in your skin so I want it to be as enjoyable as possible. At UN1TY we have created a space where you can relax whilst receiving your tattoo. Where the memory of a tattoo will be as transformative as the tattoo itself.

A Journey Continues.

Finishing a tattoo is almost always bittersweet. There are clients who I haven’t seen in years and I miss their presence in the studio. But more often than not my clients tend to return, no one is treated as disposable. Here’s what that should tell you though. Go Big!!! If the size of your tattoo doesn’t scare you then it’s too small. By going big initially it allows me far more scope with the design. It also means I can create a more balanced piece for your body as a whole.

Every tattoo I make has provisions to extend it but to get the most cohesive and aesthetically pleasing result it is best to visualize, design and execute it as a whole.

Hopefully, you have found the above useful. These are just some of the steps in allowing me to create the best blackwork tattoo I can for you. I look forward to hopefully working with you someday soon.

If you have found this interesting you may like to check out ‘What is getting a blackwork tattoo like?‘

OR

For more inspiration you can see the exhibition I curated “Faces of the Future”

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