The Mountain of Tattoo Supplies Modern tattooing is enjoying a wave of popularity that spans the entire world. While all different ways of tattooing are an art form, modern tattooing is the most high-maintenance. With all the different accessories that are available a tattooist needs a storage unit just to keep it all together. In earlier tattooing only the most basic supplies were necessary; ink, something to make a shallow injury and design in the body and a person to make the injury and put the ink in. In modern tattooing, while the idea is the same, the process has become far more complicated and with more complication comes more necessary accessories and more space to keep the accessories. Let’s start at the beginning. A person needs a
drawing of whatever tattoo they have chosen, which entails the artist to have
some type of pencil, often more than one type, an eraser and at least one piece
of paper but likely more. After that design has been created and agreed upon a
stencil must be made.
There are different ways to make a stencil. A tattooist with a lot of money can buy a machine that he puts the original drawing in and it prints out a stencil and the beginning tattooists can use carbon paper and trace the design. Either way the amount of “necessary” components keeps growing. After the stencil and beginning the tattoo is where the bulk of the items come in. Let’s throw out a quick little list and remember this is going to a professional shop. Tattoo machine, power source, grommets, rubber bands, needles(different sizes and shapes), tips, grips, multiple colors of ink(at least the rainbow and black to start), ink cups, Vaseline, razors, paper towels, water cups, multiple gloves, disinfecting spray, wood sticks, equipment protectors. These things are just the basics needed to safely administer a tattoo. I haven’t even mentioned the flash, and all the other aspects of a professional tattoo shop. Imagine the space needed to be properly stocked on all the necessary items. The more complicated tattooing becomes the more space
tattooists will be needing for their ever growing mountain of supplies. |
