Want to get a Portrait Tattoo??? Read This (Things to keep in mind before getting a portrait tattoo)

Hey, Are you thinking about getting a portrait tattoo???

Here are some of the points to consider before getting a portrait tattoo -

1. IMAGE REFERENCE

Believe It or not, but selecting the image reference is the most important task of all. This step determines the quality of your tattoo, as the final tattoo is directly dependant on the quality of image reference. Prefer an image that’s above 100DPI at least (just for the face close up). Sometimes the whole image may be in MBs but when the face is cropped it goes down in KB’s. A candid photograph is idle reference for a portrait tattoo. Ensure all the areas of the image are well seen, no sides are cut or cropped, also there shouldn’t be any glare on the face.

2. SIZE

As they say “the bigger the better”, Just imagine an A4 paper and you got to print a picture on it, what would look good???, A smaller image, an Image that fits, or an Extra sized image that gets cropped out??? For sure an Image that fits. Now the same rule applies for our body, our body is a canvas and anything that we get should fit, Don’t compromise on size, Ones you choose the smaller one, you won’t be able to increase the size even if you want. Yes, there are artists who do minimalistic portraits of a coin size, but just imagine them after 5 years down the line, ink travels in the skin and yes the lines do get smudged. Idle size for a portrait is 5x4 inches and above depending upon the placement of the tattoo. In this size you can take all the details possible.

3. PLACEMENT

For making a good dish, Ingredients matter and so does the utensil. You can’t make an authentic pizza without an oven. Now imagine how can an artist make an excellent portrait on an area that’s unsuitable for it. Inner forearm is always a better option than outer forearm, Deltoid muscle is a better option if you are sure that your body size won’t fluctuate often, go for ribs only if you are sure of not going to a bad shape. Think about 5 years down the line and always listen to your artist. We recommend - Inner forearm, back, chest, side calves, and thigh anytime over other parts.

4. COLOR OR BLACK&GREY

Let’s say that generic skin tones range from 1 to 10, where 1 is the whitest and 10 is the darkest. You can go for a color portrait if your skin tone is ranging from 1-4, also if the reference allows. We artists don’t want to mess up by colouring your black and grey reference to color. With experience I realised that for most of the Indian clients with skin tone ranging from 3-7, the best is to go for Black and grey. I find it results better over the long run with the aging of the tattoo.

5. DETAILS

Don’t go to an artist and say that you want a portrait with all those moustache hairs, or all the gemstones in the necklace in the size of a credit card. Even if the artist tries to give all that in a small size, eventually after healing and aging, that all has to end up smudged. Leave the details part onto the artist, let him decide what to put and to how much extent.

5. HEALING

There is nothing worse than a screwed up portrait of your loved ones. You don’t want them to look ugly, so stick to the aftercare your artist has given, your minor negligence can cost you a lot, plus not every portrait can be corrected. Follow the proper aftercare and don’t mess it up.

6. TOUCH-UPS

We as artists have to be very careful when doing a portrait. As it should look as close as the image reference given to us. I personally prefer to go lighter on the first session so I always have a chance to go back in the second time and darken up some areas. When gone darker at ones may result in difference than the original reference. Yes, sometimes it's need for to bump up the contrast depending upon the skin tone and detail. Always consult your artist if he wants to do a touch-up.

"LAST BUT NOT THE LEAST CHECK WORK OF THE ARTIST BEFORE CHOOSING HIM AS YOUR ARTIST. AS YOU CANT EXPECT A GOOD INDIAN DISH FROM AN EXCELLENT CHINESE CHEF, THE SAME WAY ARTIST'S DO HAVE SPECIALITY. MAKE SURE YOU GO TO THE RIGHT ONE FOR THE RIGHT JOB. "

That all said, I hope I covered all the doubts related to portraits. Anything further don’t hesitate to contact us or your preferred artist.

HAVE A LOOK AT SOME OF THE PORTRAITS DONE AT OUR STUDIO-