Flash vs. Custom Work

By: Deon Melchior



Getting a tattoo, especially your first one should require some very in depth soul searching. There are so many decisions to make all at once. You have to decide on the design you want and why, where you’re going to put it, if you’re going with color or black and white, who you should get to do your tattoo, do you need an appointment? That list could go on forever.

You’ve probably been excited about getting tattooed since you finally made the decision, visiting different shops to find just he right one, and checking out everybody else’s tats. It’s fun and exciting, but remember, once that needle touches your skin there is no going back. Make sure you have all the information you need. Sometimes first-timers climb into the chair without having a clue that they can have a design draw especially for them.

The first think newcomers notice about a tattoo shops are the pictures on the wall. Some people are mistakenly under the impression they are meant to be a menu, and that’s all you can get from that particular shop. The rows and rows of colorful tattoo samples are called flash. They are somewhat generic designs that the shop buys from a dealer, probably the same place they get the rest of their supplies from.

The same flash is available to all the other shops that vender deals with, so while there may be some cool designs up there, don’t think you’re going to get something different off the wall. If there’s something up there you really love, then go for it, otherwise, just consider it a good source of inspiration. You don’t have to settle for anything.

You can get flash anywhere and everywhere. As long as there’s not any copyright infringement involved, you can bring in just about anything and have a stencil made from it. There are countless Web sites devoted to the subject. Of course, prices vary, but you can find a good selection of designs for $8 to $15. The price mostly depends on the size of the design. What you are actually paying for is the right for your tattooist to copy the design in order to make a stencil of it, more than the actual design.

Like anything else made to order, you will have to put out a little more time and money for a custom tattoo. You are not only paying for the design, but for consultations and revisions that take up much more of the artist time and effort than if you just pick some flash off the wall. The price will vary by size and how picky you are. If the artist had to revise the design several times, he may tack on some extra cash, but it’s worth it to get exactly what you want, especially since you’re going to be stuck with it.

Like everyone has been telling you, that tattoo won’t come off, so you better invest a little time and money into getting it right. There’s no doubt that tattooing is an art form. Those aren’t just burley, heavily inked guys manning those machines, they are artists. Not only can they do your ink, but they can design it too.

Most of them started out with pencil and paper long before they took up a tattoo gun. Obviously they have a good eye for design, and see enough variety every day to have lots on inspiration on their minds. They probably have a lot of ideas on the back burner just waiting for someone to ask. If you are careful about choosing your artist, you will get good results no matter which route you choose to take, but there’s often something magical that happens when you give a true artist his liberty. A conscionable tattooist won’t take advantage of your trust.




Deon Melchior is the Editor and Publisher of Article Click. For more FREE articles for your ezine and websites visit - www.articleclick.com