How to Find a Tattoo Artist & Parlor | Tattoos

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Learn how to find a good tattoo artist and tattoo parlor from the experts at Area 51 tattoo studio in this Howcast tattoo video.

Hi, my name is Chris 51. I specialize in what I like to call "Hyper Realism Tattooing". And my name is Joshua South. I'm the head instructor here at Area 51 in Springfield, Oregon. To find out more information, visit a51tats.com. Let's talk tattoos.
The first and most important criteria for your search has got to be portfolio. I don't care how popular the artists name is, how popular his shop is, how many friends tell you about him. You go in and you look at his portfolio, before price, before reputation, before appearance of the shop. Flip though every page. Are his colors vibrant? Are his lines clean, smooth, or are they jaggedy and sketchy? You want to look at all these things before deciding. Does he tattoo the style you like? Is he doing cartoons all the time, and do you want something realistic? Look at the spots on the body, the locations. Is it where you want? Has he done a lot? Does he have a lot of experience in that area? Really study that portfolio. That portfolio is telling you his story. That is the best of his best. And if it's not right for you, it's time to find someone else. Every client needs to feel that their tattoo is special, unique, and important.