Judging a Portfolio
One of the most important steps to getting a great tattoo is looking at a perspective artist's portfolio. Within the portfolio, the artist puts their best work in the pages to let clients know of their skill set and stylistic preferences. You will learn, while flipping through the pages of the portfolio whether or not you and that artist will be able to reach a common goal and a piece of art that you can be happy with.
The portfolio will show the artist's capabilities and tendencies in their tattoos, if they do not have the ability to pull off a straight line, meaning that if their outline is all scratchy and squiggly, please do not get a tattoo from that artist. Look at that artist's colour saturation, meaning that the colours used are packed into the skin solid, meaning that the tattoo will look strong for a long time, instead of looking colour drained from the sun. You will see if their style is what you want in a tattoo, if you want a Japanese style tattoo, and the artists portfolio is more New School, look for another tattoo artist that can take on the Japanese tattoo and execute it to its full potential. To get the best tattoo for your money, you should scrutinize the artist's past work to determine if that artist is a good fit for you.
The portfolio will show the artist's capabilities and tendencies in their tattoos, if they do not have the ability to pull off a straight line, meaning that if their outline is all scratchy and squiggly, please do not get a tattoo from that artist. Look at that artist's colour saturation, meaning that the colours used are packed into the skin solid, meaning that the tattoo will look strong for a long time, instead of looking colour drained from the sun. You will see if their style is what you want in a tattoo, if you want a Japanese style tattoo, and the artists portfolio is more New School, look for another tattoo artist that can take on the Japanese tattoo and execute it to its full potential. To get the best tattoo for your money, you should scrutinize the artist's past work to determine if that artist is a good fit for you.