white ink?

phic

hey i'm considering getting a tattoo done in white ink on my wrist. i've been looking at various artists portfolios online but i havent seen any white ink tattoos, dunno if thats cos they're hard to photograph or noone does them! anyway was just wondering if anyone could recommend an artist in dublin for white ink work? thanks!

Star Lord

White ink by itself would be very hard to notice, and as it fades it tends to almost disappear completely.

phic

yeah i know they can be a bit risky but i've seen some done in all white ink that look so great i really want one! i dont mind that it'd be difficult to see as i dont want it to be particularily noticeable! do u know if it'd fade completely or just end up a kind of smudge? cos i really dont want that! to happen

Star Lord

Depends on your skin tone really, but chances are if you're pale, it'll disappear almost completely. This is the reason that white ink is usually only used to do highlights on other tattoos.

phic

really? i've heard it shows up much better on pale skin because on darker skin, white wouldnt show through the layer of skin above the ink? dam i was happy bout being super pale for once! to be honest though i've pretty much decided i want to get it im really just looking for artist reccomendations! thanks for the advice though!

Star Lord

What is it that you want tattooed on you though, as this should determine which tattoo artist would be recommended, as opposed to their experience with white ink!

smileysurfer

I didnt know this was possible but it sounds classs!!

phic

true, my reasoning in asking bout white ink though was that as its generally more difficult to do (or so i've heard) the design is gonna have to be pretty simple so most artists should be able to do it, so their experience with white ink is more important. i am obviously gonna take both into account though! anyway i want a tribal/celtic style rose on my inner wrist!

Star Lord

phic wrote: »

true, my reasoning in asking bout white ink though was that as its generally more difficult to do (or so i've heard) the design is gonna have to be pretty simple so most artists should be able to do it, so their experience with white ink is more important. i am obviously gonna take both into account though! anyway i want a tribal/celtic style rose on my inner wrist!

That would be true to an extent, but it would be more true of UV inks, where the ink is pretty much invisible to the naked eye once it has been applied.

White ink would be less difficult to work with, so I'd suggest checking out some portfolios (We have a thread dedicated to linking to some artists portfolios online) finding the artists who do the tribal/celtic work that you like the most, and popping in for a chat with them, discuss your idea with them and see what they say. Maybe try a couple of different studios, and then go for the one that impresses you most.

phic

DamoElDiablo wrote: »

That would be true to an extent, but it would be more true of UV inks, where the ink is pretty much invisible to the naked eye once it has been applied.

White ink would be less difficult to work with, so I'd suggest checking out some portfolios (We have a thread dedicated to linking to some artists portfolios online) finding the artists who do the tribal/celtic work that you like the most, and popping in for a chat with them, discuss your idea with them and see what they say. Maybe try a couple of different studios, and then go for the one that impresses you most.

the news that white ink isnt horribly difficult to do is quite a relief!! had it built up in my head as something impossible that only the chosen few could do!guess my theory bout them just not photographing well was right! yeah i really like john at inkwells tribal stuff so think i'll be paying him a visit this weekend! very excited to get the ball rolling on this piece! thanks:)

keane2097

Anybody have any pics of this kind of work?

dingdong1

the way i see it, your problem here is two-fold.
1; to find a quality artist to do this will be a toughie no doubt. decent artists will only stand by work they can guarantee, this kind of piece is something they cannot. throughly check the portfolio of your chosen artist for this tattoo, there are plenty of money grabbers out there.
2; be fully aware that the tattoo will eventually change from a crisp white to a creamy yellow over time. even more so when it's a solid block of white. it'll see plenty of sunrays on the wrist which will lead to plenty dicolouration no doubt. the photos you've seen of white tattoos that 'look great' were most likely taken on the day of application. as said already, white=highlight.

phic

dingdong1 wrote: »

the way i see it, your problem here is two-fold.
1; to find a quality artist to do this will be a toughie no doubt. decent artists will only stand by work they can guarantee, this kind of piece is something they cannot. throughly check the portfolio of your chosen artist for this tattoo, there are plenty of money grabbers out there.
2; be fully aware that the tattoo will eventually change from a crisp white to a creamy yellow over time. even more so when it's a solid block of white. it'll see plenty of sunrays on the wrist which will lead to plenty dicolouration no doubt. the photos you've seen of white tattoos that 'look great' were most likely taken on the day of application. as said already, white=highlight.

yeah tell me about it!!
1. i realise that and i really am trying to find a decent artist and not just a 'money grabber'...hence asking for advice on good artists for white work on here...looks like no one has anything good to say bout white tats though!!
2. yeah i know about this too!! i really have done my research on white tattoos and i know they can turn out horribly as well. yellow, grey. lilac, faded etc.however i'd still like to try one. hopefully if i explain that to the artist they'll be more likely to do it. also wouldnt be completely adverse to getting it gone over in black if it does end up discoloured, i'd just prefer white. also the wrist isnt a definite placement...just probable.

Star Lord

If it had some kind of outline of background, then the white may stand out more, and look whiter for longer...

Just a suggestion!

[edit] 7K posts \o/

*dolly*

dingdong1 wrote: »

2; be fully aware that the tattoo will eventually change from a crisp white to a creamy yellow over time. even more so when it's a solid block of white. it'll see plenty of sunrays on the wrist which will lead to plenty dicolouration no doubt. the photos you've seen of white tattoos that 'look great' were most likely taken on the day of application. as said already, white=highlight.

i dont know whether its inevitable, but the couple of people i know that got white tattoos, now are left with something that looks more like a scar than a tattoo. and the same happened with one of the boardies here i think. i remember someone telling me about it aaaaaaaages ago. it really doesnt seem to age well.

OP, have you heard or seen anyone with a well aged white ink tattoo?

phic

*dolly* wrote: »

i dont know whether its inevitable, but the couple of people i know that got white tattoos, now are left with something that looks more like a scar than a tattoo. and the same happened with one of the boardies here i think. i remember someone telling me about it aaaaaaaages ago. it really doesnt seem to age well.

OP, have you heard or seen anyone with a well aged white ink tattoo?

the scar like look is actually what i like about white ink tattoos! presuming your thinking of the same effect i am! where did the people you know get theirs? i've heard of a couple of people with white ink tattoos for about 10 years that have aged well, and the guy who founded bmezine has white ink that seems to have held up well though im not sure how old that is! to be honest though most tattoos are gonna look terrible eventually when we're old and wrinkly anyway!

Crakker

Ive been planning a white tattoo for some time now, on my wrist quite big and solid.

I had found an artist, in London, but just when i heard about him, he just dissappeared from the tattoo scene!


I went into a Danny Bulmans but they guy in there told me the tattoo would look ****e. I beg to differ, but wouldnt want someone working on me if he didnt think it was good.


I remember when i did my extensive research that people who specialise in white, or do large blocks of it, use a different sort of ink than the one usually used in small amounts.


Anyone know about this?
White tattoo info is quite scare on the ground, if anyone can share even little tid bits, its much appreciated.