Black vs. colored designs
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I tend to favor colored tattoos. I think it’s because I’ve seen so many old tattoos where the black ink has changed color, spread around, or faded out. The black ink on my ankle tattoo spread, and what was once a fairly attractive Eye of Horus looks pretty amateurish today despite a second artist’s best attempts to make it look better.
From what I’ve seen over the years, the monochrome tattoos can be more elaborate and have finer lines, and certainly there is some amazing fine-line work being done today. Portraits, especially, can be incredibly lifelike, and some of the tribal designs are amazingly intricate. For those, adding color would be a mistake.
But on the other hand, there’s nothing like a full-color masterpiece. The nuances of shading and color, in the hands of a skillful artist, rival artwork on any other kind of surface–and tattoo artists don’t have the luxury of being to erase and start over. Plus the field of view is somewhat obscured by the ink that’s being wiped away while the process is going on. And yet when you watch the process the artist makes it all look so easy. 
I’m still mulling over getting another tattoo, and it will be in color. I’ve already mentioned that it will be somewhere that’s usually visible, probably a bracelet, but I might also get a half sleeve or a design on my calf. That will depend a lot on the amount of money I’ll have available when the time comes. Good work is well worth paying for. I will have to work carefully on the design, though, given the issues I’ve had with red ink on my last tattoo (a shame, because I like a wide spectrum of colors) and go to an artist who doesn’t dig too deep like the creator of that now-smudged ankle design.
Which kind of design do you prefer? One color? Fine line? Full color? I’d be interested to hear what you all have to say.
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