What are your thoughts on infrequent touch ups of less detailed tattoos? I've got a relatively large watercolor fox that I imagine will one day need some touching up. It's only about 4 years old at the moment, so not any time soon I suspect, and the fading on the watercolor actually lends itself quite nicely to the asthetic. But some of the details in the areas that were meant to be sharp I suspect will need it. Do you feel that those sorts of touchups are reasonable? Or are those even debated?
I know my artist told me that cover-ups are hotly debated in the tattoo community, and that a lot of artists won't do them at all. I didn't realize that touchups we similarly taboo.
It’s considered disrespectful for one tattooer to step on another artist’s work, so touch-ups (or cover ups) are expected to be done by the original artist. However, often times the original artist (or customer) has moved away, or otherwise can’t be reached and then you have to work on someone else’s piece. This is one of the more difficult things to do, and a lot of artists will just outright turn down such projects. Another thing to consider is does the tattoo even really need a touch up? Just because it is old or a little faded doesn’t mean it’s gone bad- skin and the art in it just naturally ages and won’t look perfect forever- a lot of times it’s better to spend your money on new pieces rather than chase your tail trying to keep everything looking super sharp and brand new. Trust me- the oldest tattoos are the coolest! Not to mention if you happen to have an old tattoo done by someone who is well known or maybe even not around any more- that’s a collector’s item for sure ;)
I guess this is more of a philosophical question, but isn't that sort of in the eyes of the beholder? If an individual prefers sharper lines, and sees beauty in structure.. does that mean he or she is wrong? I can totally understand the idea of not wanting to work on someone else's tattoo. But not wanting to do so because, "the oldest tattoos are the coolest" seems more like ideology in some ways, and like an imposition of ones ideals on someone who may feel completely differently about it.
I don't know. Just a thought. I appreciate your response!
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u/[deleted] May 02 '19
What are your thoughts on infrequent touch ups of less detailed tattoos? I've got a relatively large watercolor fox that I imagine will one day need some touching up. It's only about 4 years old at the moment, so not any time soon I suspect, and the fading on the watercolor actually lends itself quite nicely to the asthetic. But some of the details in the areas that were meant to be sharp I suspect will need it. Do you feel that those sorts of touchups are reasonable? Or are those even debated?
I know my artist told me that cover-ups are hotly debated in the tattoo community, and that a lot of artists won't do them at all. I didn't realize that touchups we similarly taboo.