Ink: The Not-Just-Skin-Deep Guide to Getting a Tattoo
July 2005
“When I received Ink by Terisa Green, I had pretty low hopes. I generally don’t like books about tattoos. At best, they exist in the realm of scholar-babble and in these incarnations they seem often to be penned by the uninitiated-but-curious, which may fly in some subject matters, but the tattoo is not one of them. In many other instances, they are merely masturbatory efforts on the parts of their authors, often members of the “tattoo community” at large. There are, of course, exceptions to my own personal rule, and this is one of them.
I like this book for a lot of reasons. As anyone with multiple tattoos will tell you, having people grill you about your tattoos is flattering, but can sometimes be a pain in the ass. I am not rude enough to tell someone I don’t feel like talking about my tattoos, so I’ll just stand there and answer questions (Did it hurt? How much did it cost? Is it real?).
This book answers all the questions. I wish I could carry it around with me and just hand it to tattoo-curious people. The incredibly accessible tone and language used in it make this genuinely a pleasre to read. In addition to the light style of her prose, Ms. Green also breaks up the book by peppering little factoids and anecdotes throughout. While those of us longer involved in the body art world will find ourselves quite familiar with the majority of them, these are really interesting bits of information for newcomers to have.
Simply put, I think that this book is absolutely a must-have for every tattoo shop, and further, is a great recommendation to give to those thinking of beginning their body art journey. Get the word out on this book; Ms. Green has done the community a huge favor in writing it. – LB (Tattoo Magazine, July 2005)
Ink: The Not-Just-Skin-Deep Guide to Getting a Tattoo
by Terisa Green, Ph.D.
Introduction
Chapter 1 – The Big Three
• Is it real?
• Is it permanent?
• Does it hurt?
• Bonus Question: Is It Safe?
Plus tattoo trivia, tattoo etiquette, what is a tattoo?, tattoo lingo lessons, divine origin in Tahiti, current demographics, journey to being tattooed, the permanence of tattoos, and photos of the work of tattoo artists Leo Zulueta, Kerri Hodsdon, and Kari Barba.
Chapter 2 – Your Design and How It Finds You
• Where to Start Finding Your Design
• Bubble Up
• To Color or Not to Color
• Where Do You Find This Stuff
• Weighing Options
• Curves
• The Don’ts
Plus tattoo trivia, how kanji works, pilgrimage to the holy land, I got mine from a children’s book, tattoo like an Egyptian, itsy-bitsy and photos of the work of tattoo artists Leo Zulueta, Robert Benedetti, and John Saletra.
Chapter 3 – Your Artist and How to Find Him/Her
• Ask and Tell
• What You’re Looking for in the Perfect Tattoo
• Person to Person
• The Digital Age
• Grand Tour
• Convention Connections
• We Meet at Last
• Bring Your Wallet
• Freebie
• Tipping the Scales
• Courtesy is a Two-Way Street
Plus tattoo trivia, tattoo lingo lessons, tattoo ettiquette, a pop quiz, tattoo trends, can you have glow-in-the-dark tattoos?, tattooed royalty, tattoo prices, culture vulture and photos of the work of tattoo artists Dollar Bill and Greg James.
Chapter 4 – You, a Needle, and Your Skin
• Your Biggest Organ, If Not Your Favorite
• Getting Under Your Skin
• Superficially Speaking
• Death to Germs, Life to Human Beings
• AIDS, the Bugaboo
• The Thirty-six Year Ban
• Special Considerations
• Pigments and Reactions
• Magneto
• Healthy and Happy Tattoo
Plus tattoo trivia, tattoo taboo, tattoo lingo lessons, centers for disease control and prevention, twelve-month waiting period, biker pavement tattoo, all roads lead to ink, what exactly is an autoclave and how does it work, and photos of the work of tattoo artists Patrick Sans and Lucky Bastard.
Chapter 5 – The Typical Tattoo Process
• Before You Get There
• What to Bring
• Preparations
• The Party’s Over
Plus tattoo tips, tattoo trivia, the cutting edge, Edison: Grandfather of the modern tattoo machine, the eyes do not have it, legal eagles, and photos of the work of tattoo artist Robert Benedetti.
Chapter 6 – How Your Tattoo Will Change
• Transition
• Aftercare Calendar
• Public Enemy Number One
• Aftercare NOs
• Best Defense
• Stretch and Shrink
• Blur(b)
• Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes
Plus tattoo tips, tattoo trivia, a pop quiz, tattoo lingo lessons, a moment of science, the stupidity of tanning, T-minus 15 minutes and counting, worst times of day for sunburn, a stretch mark is essentially a scar, signs of infection, what is SPF?, and photos of the work of tattoo artists Kari Barba, Lucky Bastard, and John Saletra.
Chapter 7 – How to Change a Tattoo
• Touched
• Redo
• Mr. Fix-It
• Cover-up
• Removal
• Old-Style Removal
• Laser Blazer
• Cruel to Be Kind
• Gangs and the Military
• Combo
Plus tattoo lingo lessons, tattoo trivia, Maori moko, the mighty koi, Wat Bang Phra, laser, and photos of the work of tattoo artists Tennessee Dave, John Saletra, Kerri Hodsdon, and Greg James.
Chapter 8 – You and Your Tattoo
• Tattoo Talk
• The Spice of Life
• Eye of the Beholder
• Gone But Not Forgotten
• Us and Them, Them and Us
• Employment
• Been There, Done That
• Community
• The Way of It
Plus tattoo trivia and games, religious bans on tattoos, tattoo demographics over time, Civil War memorials, tattoo song of Samoa, release your inner freak, and photos of the work of tattoo artists Dollar Bill, John Saletra, and Greg James.
Get your copy today at Amazon.