Light/Fair Skin: White, or other light colors like pale blue, usually works well on people with fair skin. Medium Skin: Red, green, orange, and blues look great on tan or olive-toned skin. Dark Skin: The darkest colors on the color spectrum work best. Crimson, black, and dark blue look great on darker skin tones.
Tattoo Colors and How Long They Last
Everything from the color to the type of ink to what your skin is like factors into the lifespan of a tattoo. Generally, black ink takes the cake for lasting the longest. Black ink tends to outlast any other color because it is super pigmented.
Tattoos done in black or grey ink tend to hold up over time and are the least likely to fade when regularly protected and treated with care. Blackwork tattoos and Black & Grey tattoo styles have a high guarantee of aging gracefully.
There's no right or wrong answer when it comes to choosing between color and black and grey tattoos—it all comes down to personal preference. If you're looking for something eye-catching and vibrant, go for a color tattoo. If you prefer a more classic look, opt for black and grey.
When colouring a tattoo you must work through the colours from dark to light. For example you may start with black, move onto dark blue or purple followed by green, light blue, red orange and yellow, finishing with white. Wiping away excess ink is a consistent necessity during the tattooing process.
Black and gray: Black and gray inks are the boldest and most dense; thus, they are the most fade-resistant colors. These are suitable for any skin tone, especially with tan or black skin. With proper aftercare, black and gray colors last for up to 10 years or longer before requiring a retouch.
* Neon skin inks are loaded chemicals and mercury. The reds are perhaps the worst, because they also contain the highly toxic iron oxide and cadmium. * If you really want to get a permanent tattoo, stick with the basics.
The colour and quality of tattoo ink change how soon a tattoo begins fading. Blackwork tattoos maintain their appearance longer than colour. As a rule, the brighter the colour the faster it fades. Still, even with bright reds and whites, this fading takes years to occur.
Colored tattoos usually cost more than tattoos with only black and grey ink. Colored inks cost more to buy and replace than black, therefore most artists will tack that on to the price of your tattoo. It also takes a lot longer for artists to change and mix colors while tattooing you.
Don't worry, this is completely natural. It happens because the old skin, damaged during the tattooing process, forms a thin layer over your tattoo and masks its true appearance. In time this old skin will naturally exfoliate itself, revealing your tattoo underneath in all its vibrant glory.
Colored tattoos can fade over time and might need regular touch-ups to remain sharp. Black and gray tattoos are low maintenance in this regard as they don't fade easily and do not require you to get periodic touch-ups.
One way to really test out a look on your body is to book an appointment with the tattoo artist you are considering for a trial tattoo. It may cost you if you are spending a significant amount of time, so check with your artist of choice how they would like to proceed.
Unfortunately, tiny tattoos may not age well. Tiny tattoos are small and have lots of detail in one concentrated space. These intricate details will be lost with time as your skin changes.
Lighter and more vibrant colors, for example, yellows, greens, and pinks, typically fade faster than darker colors. Black and gray are the hardiest tattoo colors you can choose. Their dense and bold appearance means they last longer than any other color.
Black tattoos are some of the most difficult to cover up. This is because black ink is very dense and has a large particle size. As a result, black tattoos tend to hold their pigment better than other colors.
A standard size hip or thigh tattoo (about 1ft in length) will run you about $500 for outline only, or anywhere from $1500-$2000 for full color.
Black and gray are the most common colors used in tattoos. They suit all skin tones, from light to dark. Because black is a long-lasting shade, it is used for line work.
Get a black or grey tattoo
At Stories & Ink we love a colour tattoo. But the fact is that colour tattoos, especially those that are light or watercolour, tend to fade faster than those done with black or grey ink. All tattoos will fade a little over time.
The most painful spots to get a tattoo are your ribs, spine, fingers, and shins. The least painful spots to get a tattoo are your forearms, stomach, and outer thighs.
For some people, it can take only a couple of years for them to start to notice that the ink doesn't look as strong anymore. For others, tattoo fading won't be noticeable for decades. If you plan on getting tattoos when you're young, early 20s-30s, you might not see faded tattoos until you're well into your 50s!
Below is a pain chart from Tattoos-Hurt.com that explains it all using color, with yellow being the least painful to purple being excruciatingly painful. It's not surprising that the most painful areas are also considered the most vulnerable areas of the body.
“If you want to keep the colour vibrant, use a high SPF.” Don't apply irritants: A basic, fragrance free moisturiser (not Vaseline) is all you need to keep your tat hydrated. Apply 2-3 times a day until healed, or as instructed by your artist.
While most people with tattoos won't ever experience irritation because of an MRI, tattoos can also affect the quality of an MRI scan. Even if the tattoo does not become irritated, there still may be metal present in the ink.