Sunlight fades tattoos over time on all skin tones, so a colorful tattoo on a part of your body that sees more sun, like your forearm, will fade quicker than a colorful design somewhere like your thigh or inner arm (not to mention, those areas often have a lighter tone than other parts of your body).Īnother common myth about tattooing darker skin tones is that it’s more difficult because the skin is thicker or tougher. A larger design with more negative space around the colorful parts will make the color appear brighter, for instance. Some inexperienced artists will also use white to try to create highlights and brighten colors, which doesn’t work either, notes Foster, since once the tattoo heals, white ink just makes the skin look slightly lighter than it did before.Ī skilled artist who is experienced with a variety of skin tones will not only understand what colors will look best on your skin, no matter how dark or light it may be, but will also know how to create a design to make the color look its best. It’s about knowing what colors will compliment your skin tone-not trying to add in more color to make it brighter that can actually do more harm than good (more on that later). The best tattoo colors to use on darker skin tones are reds, dark blues and dark greens, says Michaels. As skin grows back on top of the tattoo during the healing process, it’s going to overshadow or dilute any color that’s lighter. That doesn’t mean that dark skin can’t show any colors, it just means that lighter colors (like yellow) don’t necessarily show up. For darker skin tones, this means that the colors are more likely to end up muted than lighter tones. “Depending on your complexion, if you put color in there, it’s not going to stay that color.” he says. Whatever color your skin is, is going to dilute the color of the ink that’s put into your skin. The best way to think about it is that the color of your skin is a tint, not a canvas, says Arizona-based tattoo artist Anthony Michaels. It’s often said that color tattoos don’t work on darker skin, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth. Play icon The triangle icon that indicates to play Do Tattoo Colors Show Up On Dark Skin? We spoke to experts to dispel common myths about tattooing dark skin once and for all as well as the best way to find the right artist for you and make sure your tattoo stays looking fresh even after you leave the shop. It also means that many tattoo artists may not be experienced with tattooing darker skin tones, whether or not they want to admit it and, as a result, the tattoo industry is riddled with misinformation when it comes to dark skin. While times might have changed a little, take one look at any tattoo page on social media and you’ll probably notice there are way more pictures of tattoos on light skin than dark, making it hard for people of color to find artists whose work they identify with. “When I started tattooing in the 90s, I might’ve known of maybe five professional African-American tattoo artists in the United States traditionally trained through an apprenticeship,” says Georgia-based tattoo artist Craig Foster. Like many other industries, tattooing has been dominated by white men for decades. But for people of color and those with darker skin tones, the tattoo decision making process can be far more complicated. You need to think about everything from the placement, the design, the colors, and most importantly, the artist before you hand over your money and way before the needle touches skin. Getting a tattoo is a decision that should never be taken lightly.
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