So here's the thing: I'd like to climb Mount Everest next month, I think that would be a good thing to do, and a picture of the summit would look great on my Instagram account. On my birthday, I'm not going to let myself get carried away and am planning to cook for my friends, a five-course meal that would make Tim Mälzer green with envy. And then it will soon be summer, so it's time for all the sports competitions where I'd like to compete in various disciplines and win medals. During the vacations, it would be nice to do something a bit special and unusual, like cycling to the North Cape or something. Great, isn't it?
Of course everyone will say, great plans, but can you actually do it? That sounds pretty daring, you won't be able to do it! And then I'd have to admit that I probably couldn't even get up the Feldberg in the Black Forest, would let the water burn while cooking if I could, and spend most of my time in the sauna at the gym. So all these great plans will come to nothing, unfortunately. It's clear to anyone who knows me halfway.
But I wonder why some tattoo artists get away with similarly absurd claims that nobody doubts or questions. What I mean specifically is that the wanna-dos that some tattoo artists brag about are what they would like to do - but unfortunately often not what they can actually do. But hardly anyone ever thinks to check whether the portraits, black and grey compositions or watercolor designs that a tattoo artist presents on his website or at conventions as desired motifs that he would like to engrave correspond to the level at which he can actually tattoo. Of course, this is very often the case - but very often not.
How do you find out? Quite simply: it's not the wanna-dos that tell you how good a tattoo artist is, but the photos of his actual work. In sport, I don't get a medal if I want to run a hundred meters in under 10 seconds, but if I actually manage it. And if you look at what some people would like to tattoo and what they actually tattoo, you can see relatively quickly that some of them really overestimate their technical skills and should perhaps spend a few more years tattooing stars and infinity loops.
Of course, there's nothing wrong with setting yourself ambitious goals, but you should also assess what will happen if things go wrong. If I mess up my five-course meal, I'll just have to order pizza for my birthday guests, I can cope with that. But if a tattoo artist screws up a wanna-do because he simply doesn't have the technical skills, then the customer pays the price for his overconfidence.
I think my self-assessment is pretty good, so I don't even try to go all Jamie Oliver or Gordon Ramsay on them, which I'm sure my friends will thank me for. But since some tattoo artists clearly have deficits in objectively comparing their standards and their true skills, there's only one thing you can do as a customer: check for yourself whether they can really deliver what they offer!
(Text: Dirk-Boris Rödel/ Graphic: Jonas Bachmann)
So here's the thing: I'd like to climb Mount Everest next month, I think that would be a good thing to do, and a picture of the summit would look great on my Instagram account. On my birthday, I'm not going to let myself get carried away and am planning to cook for my friends, a five-course meal that would make Tim Mälzer green with envy. And then it will soon be summer, so it's time for all the sports competitions where I'd like to compete in various disciplines and win medals. During the vacations, it would be nice to do something a bit special and unusual, like cycling to the North Cape or something. Great, isn't it?
Of course everyone will say, great plans, but can you actually do it? That sounds pretty daring, you won't be able to do it! And then I'd have to admit that I probably couldn't even get up the Feldberg in the Black Forest, would let the water burn while cooking if I could, and spend most of my time in the sauna at the gym. So all these great plans will come to nothing, unfortunately. It's clear to anyone who knows me halfway.
But I wonder why some tattoo artists get away with similarly absurd claims that nobody doubts or questions. What I mean specifically is that the wanna-dos that some tattoo artists brag about are what they would like to do - but unfortunately often not what they can actually do. But hardly anyone ever thinks to check whether the portraits, black and grey compositions or watercolor designs that a tattoo artist presents on his website or at conventions as desired motifs that he would like to engrave correspond to the level at which he can actually tattoo. Of course, this is very often the case - but very often not.
How do you find out? Quite simply: it's not the wanna-dos that tell you how good a tattoo artist is, but the photos of his actual work. In sport, I don't get a medal if I want to run a hundred meters in under 10 seconds, but if I actually manage it. And if you look at what some people would like to tattoo and what they actually tattoo, you can see relatively quickly that some of them really overestimate their technical skills and should perhaps spend a few more years tattooing stars and infinity loops.
Of course, there's nothing wrong with setting yourself ambitious goals, but you should also assess what will happen if things go wrong. If I mess up my five-course meal, I'll just have to order pizza for my birthday guests, I can cope with that. But if a tattoo artist screws up a wanna-do because he simply doesn't have the technical skills, then the customer pays the price for his overconfidence.
I think my self-assessment is pretty good, so I don't even try to go all Jamie Oliver or Gordon Ramsay on them, which I'm sure my friends will thank me for. But since some tattoo artists clearly have deficits in objectively comparing their standards and their true skills, there's only one thing you can do as a customer: check for yourself whether they can really deliver what they offer!
(Text: Dirk-Boris Rödel/ Graphic: Jonas Bachmann)
30.06.-02.07. Summer Tattoo Festival No.8
05.08.-06.08. Garda Tattoo Event
18.08.-20.08. Tunjo Tattoo Fest
15.09.-17.09. Millennium Tattoo Show No.6
15.09.-17.09. Cagliari Tattoo Convention No.13
22.09.-24-09. Bergamo Tattoo Expo
22.09.-24-09. Torino Tattoo Convention No.12
29.09.- 01.10. Urban Land Tattoo Expo Roma
29.09.-01.10. Mima Tattoo Convention No.5
13.10.-15.10. Genova Tattoo Convention No.16
14.10.-15.10. Roma Tattoo Expo No.23
20.10.-22-10. Ferrara Tattoo Convention No.5
27.10.-29.10. Passion Art Tattoo Convention Bolzano No.16
04.11.-05.11. Chiuduno Tattoo Weekend
10.11.-12.11. Ancona Tattoo Expo No.2
10.11.-12.11. Palermo Tattoo Convention No.9
11.11.-12.11. Trieste International Tattoo Expo No.14
11.11.-12.11. Catania Tattoo Convention No.5
01.12.-03.12. Florence Tattoo Convention No.13
08.12.-10.12. East Coast Tattoo Convention No.17
16.06.-18.06. Anime Tattoo Expo, Fire de Barcelona
30.06.-02.07.23 Asturias Tattoo Expo No.8
08.09.-10.09. Ibiza Tattoo Convention No.4
15.09.-17.09. Gaia Tattoo Expo No.3
06.10.-08.10. Barcelona Tattoo Expo No.26
27.10.-29.10. Alicante Tattoo Convention No.5
03.11.-05.11. Pamplona Tattoo Expo No.5
08.07.-09.07 . Bristol Tattoo Convention
22.07.-23.07 . Ink And Oil Tattoo Convention
29.07.-30.07. Great Western Tattoo Show
19.08.-20.08. Cornwall’s Tattoo Convention
19.08.-20.08. Tatcon Blackpool
26.08.-27.08. Big London Tattoo Show
16.09.-17.09. Buckley Ink Tattoo Convention
23.09.-24.09. Sheffield Tattoo Festival
30.09.-01.10. Tattoo Trojans Doncaster Tattoo Convention
07.10.-08.10. Locked up Tattoo Convention
14.10.-15.10. Halloween Tattoo Bash
11.11.-12.11. Wrexham Tattoo Show
02.09.-03.09. Tattoonika
14.10.-15.10. Wildstyle & Tattoo Messe Kapfenburg
21.10.-22.10. Wildstyle & Tattoo Messe Linz
28.10.-29.10. Wildstyle & Tattoo Messe Salzburg
01.09.-03.09. Lugano TI – Tattoo Convention No.24
16.06.-18.06. Epinal Tattoo Show
17.06.-18.06. Asian Festival Tattoo Show
01.07.-02.07. Caen Tattoo Show
08.07.-09.07. Rock Tattoo Spirit
15.07.-16.07. Sermaize Tattoo Convention
19.08.-20.08. Deauvile Tattoo Festival
01.09.-03.09. Montauban Tattoo Show
01.09.-03.09. Ink’n’Roll Chateauroux Tattoo Festival
02.09.-03.09. The 70’s Tattoo Show
09.09.-10.09. Jura Ink Park
09.09.-10.09. Dentelle Ink Alençon
09.09.-10.09. Champagne Tattoo Event
09.09.-10.09. Limoges Tattoo Show
15.09.-17.09. Univers Tattoo Convention
16.09.-17.09. Circus Tattoo Show
16.09.-17.09. Kustom Festival & Tattoo
16.09.-17.09. Perpignan Tattoo Convention
22.09.-24.09. Nantes Tattoo Convention
23.09.-24.09. Isere Tattoo Show
23.09.-24.09. Girl Ink Tattoo Show
30.09.-01.10. Perigueux Tattoo Expo
30.09.-01.10. La Maison d’Encre
07.10.-08.10. Convention Tatouage de Bourges
14.10.-15.10. Poitiers Tattoo Convention
13.10.-15.10. Chalons en Champagne Tattoo Show
20.10.-22.10. Evian Tattoo Show
21.10.-22.10. Biarritz Tattoo Fest
21.10.-22.10. Fabulous Tiki Weekend
21.10.-22.10. Bourg-en-Bresse Tattoo Convention
21.10.-22.10. The Team Miss P’ink Tattoo
28.10.-29.10. Cahors Tattoo & Geek
03.11.-05.11. Sugar Ink Tattoo Convention
11.11.-12.11. Love Tattoo Festival
18.11.-20.11. Potopistons Tattoo Convention
18.11.-19.11. Salon du Tatouage Clermont
25.11.-26.11. Troyes Tattoo Convention
01.12.-03.12. Merry Christmas Tattoo Show
02.12.-03.12. Nohell Tattoo Show
02.12.-03.12. Tarn Tattoo Convention
22.09.-24.09. Hans Christian Andersen Tattoo Convention No.6
27.10.-29.10. Nordic Ink Festival No.12
16.09.-17.09. Bulgaria Tattoo Expo VIII
25.08.-27-08. INKJUNX
02.09.-03.09. Craboutcha Tattoo Festival
02.09.-03.09. Tox Cit’Ink No.10
23.09.-24.09. Brügge Tattoo Convention No.2
07.10.-08.10. Skin Art Expo No.14
14.10.-15-10. Mons Tattoo Convention No.5
28.10.-29.10. Hasselt Tattoo Convention No.2
28.10.-29.10. Kempen Tattoo Convention No.3
10.11.-12.11. Brüssel Tattoo Convention No.13
16.09.-17.09. Haná Tattoo Expo No.5
18.11. Pardubice Tattoo Event No.8
28.07.-30.07. Maiden City Tattoo Convention No.11
29.09.-01.10. Dublin Tattoo Convention No.22
21.10.-22-10. Wild Atlantic Tattoo Show
25.08.-27.08. Baltic Tattoo Convention No.5 ^
21.10.-23.10. Vianden Tattoo Convention No.23
15.07.-16.07. Ink Panthers Tattoo Convention No.2
15.09.-17.09. Amsterdam Tattoo Convention No.17
23.09.-24.09. Ink and Cutz Tattoo Convention No.6
01.07.-02.07. Warsaw Tattoo Convention No.10
02.09.-03.09. Katowice Tattoo Konwent
16.09.-17.09. Opole Tattoo Expo No.5
14.10.-15.10. Hagen Tattoo Convention
25.11.-26.11. Lodz Tattoo Konwent
05.10.-08.10. Lisbon Tattoo Rock Fest No.16
01.09.-03.09. Constanta Tattoo Convention
20.10.-22-10. Bucharest Tattoo Convention No.11
06.08.-13.08. Ink Needle Tattoo Convention
25.08.-26.08. Minicon
01.09.-03.09. Stockholm Ink Bash Tattoo Convention No.26
