Monday, June 25, 2012

Tattooing.The Tattoo Studio


The Tattoo Studio
As we said earlier, it's likely you will be starting out at home. Chances are, you will be mostsec ure and have more confidence in your home setting, and deveiopa reluctance to move on. There are a lot of advantages working at home. If you are employed elsewhere, the overhead, after the initial outlay for equipment,'is almost nil and whatever you take in, is spending money. If you are happy at home, you are ahead of the game. By using discretion and keeping a low profile, you may never run afoul of the zoning laws that exist in most communities. There are many instances of kitchen tattooists" who do very well in their spare time and couldn’t be moved by flood or flame. If you’re a family person, keep equipment locked up, tattoo machines aren't toys.
Others, like the hear today, gone tomorrow” call of the open road type, they set-up shop in a van and can put the show on wheels at the dropof a hat. You have the choice of setting your own pace and schedule, stopping off wherever crowds gather for any number of reasons, or throwing in with a carnival or travelling show. Not everyone is thrilled with such a free-spirited life, but it does suit some folks. You may want to try it to see if that’s where you fit in.
Having a nice shop uptown, downtown or across the tracks is also hard to beat. Tt provides an atmosphere of stability that encourages people to put their faith and trust in you.
Space and location have a large bearing on the amount of rent you’ll be paying. It’s nice to have a place with some elbow room. Some shops are too .small to change your mind in. If you're stuck with an arrangement like that, you can have a workshop at home and do sterilizing and many other chores there, as well. You’ll require a small toolbox for transporting items back and forth. It is not convenient, but it can be done in a pinch. Former barbershops makegood tattoo studios. Ifyou keep your eye open you might find one that requires very little renovation.
You can also go on housecalls, that is, you go to the customer’s house instead of them going to you. House calls can bring you top dollar But. you’ll have to assemble some sort of complete travelling kit for this. Try to keep them ouLside off regular business hours.
The ideal arrangement for a studio is to have it partitioned into three rooms.
The room adjacent to the street entrance will be the waiting room and should be the largest of the three. Have some chairs there, perhaps a coffee table and some magazines, a deck of cards or a chess board.
All your flash will be displayed on the walls of this room. If they’re in frames, they can be either hung up or screwed fast to the wall. It’s nice to have a place with high ceilings, but they’re becoming hard to find.
At the rear of the waiting room, or ofT to the side, there should be a fully equipped clean, working restroom.
A door leading off the waiting room gives access to the booth where the equipment and table is set-up and where the actual tattooing is done. If you have windows in the wall so that customers can watch you work, have curtains on the inside that can be drawn as women usually prefer to have their tattoos done privately.


A door at the back of the tattoo booth gives way to the workshop. This is where the tools are kept, and the equipment maintained. Here, there should be a sturdy workbench with a good vise with replaceable three or four inch jaws. Get the best quality vise you can afford, you’ll be glad you did later.
Keep the soldering outfit and all the tools here. The variety and quantity of tools required depends upon whether you buy parts, etc., from tattoo supply houses or make your own. This should be kept locked when not in use.
To really form the best conclusion about shop layout, it's a good idea to visit a few and see how all the tattooists set-up their own. Everyone sets up a little different. Once you've learned the basics, it's up to experience and personal preference to determine what suits you best.

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