I'm pretty sure I'll be going in for a tattoo soon. I'm going to get a little white crane from a print by a Japanese artist.

What I'm wondering is if anyone has had any experience with white ink. I've heard some not so good things about it, but I only want to get this tattoo in white because it'll look lame without it.

I know that white fades quickly in the sun. However, this does not worry me because it'll be on my lower right back, and I don't usually go around showing that area.

There's not much on the net regarding this, so I'm relying on you guys.

i'd be interested to know this too...as i'm thinking of having some white added to a tattoo

Don't do it! (it's a sin)

PURPLEJACKSON9 said:

Natsume said:

I'm serious!

PURPLEJACKSON9 said:

That's cool. I'll just have a really rad tattoo in Hell.

I don't have any experience of white ink... I have a few tattoos but people always advised me that dark colours are best, last longer and look better in general. It's true... my oldest tattoo is about 10 years old, I've never had it retouched and it still looks nice (it was very plain and simple though).

I've no idea how white ink would work really...

Natsume said:

Do it do it do it!
Tats are awsome when done tastefully.
I have 3 now and want a new one across my back, shoulder to shoulder with a tribal pattern.

Any suggestions anyone?

Nat I have only seen white a couple of times and it does fade slightly but does look awesome if done right.

So do it now

From what I have heard, the white ink doesn't hold up very well... especially on the hands. I don't know why this is, but that is what I have been told.

IceNine said:

It'll be on my back though, so I'm hoping that the lack of exposure will keep it looking nice.

Can't you always get it retouched, too?

Natsume said:

Yeah, you can get it redone if it fades out... the back is probably a better place for it too... not as much bending, sun exposure, contact and other things.

Okay... here is a photo of what I want. I want one of the little cranes done on me... though I'm not sure which one.



Suggestions? And see how rad it would look in white?

Really nice Natsume... the only problem is, it is hard to imagine it as a tattoo since I've no idea what white ink looks like when it has been tattooed... if you find any pics of that let us know

avoid white ink if you can.someone i know had the English flag put on his upper arm last year (for the World cup). he just has a red cross there now.The white has nearly entirely gone.

When you have a dark skin, I can imagine that the usual dark-green or other dark colors won't work.

I have no experience with tatoo's, but I can imagine that white would look great. Since so many people say to avoid it, aren't there other light colors that can be used?

CAN I GET A WHITE INK TATTOO?

Most artists use white ink to highlight certain parts of your tattoo design. However, white ink is a special color that requires your artist to work closely with you. The effect of white ink differs greatly among clients, and its visibility and retention on the skin has much to do with the natural coloration of your skin.

White ink seems to work best on very light-skinned people. Unfortunately, this means people with dark skin would not able to get a white ink tattoo on their skin to have a "photo negative effect" that looks like a negative of a dark colored tattoo on light skin. This is because the ink sits under your skin, and the layer of skin over the ink is tinted with your natural skin color. So if you have very dark skin, the white will be overwhelmed with your natural melanin.

Those who have very light skin however, may use white ink exclusively to get tattoo designs that are very difficult to discern at first glance. This might be an interesting option for ankle or wrist tattoos, or other areas where a regular non-white tattoo would show up too easily and possibly cause problems for the wearer.

ian said:

Check this out: http://www.bmezine.com/ta...p01460.jpg

The crane will be outlined in black and filled in with white, so the white will be visible (as in the kanji tattoo above).

If you don't outline, the white is hardly noticeable (point in case: http://www.bmezine.com/ta...attoo.jpg)

I have a friend who got angel wings on the small of her back () but the white is very visible and looks nice.

In any case, I think I've decided - I'm actually expanding the tattoo. If you're going to get one, might as well get one, right? I'm gonna get the scene in the bottom right hand corner, the three cranes and the weeds around them, though don't know how much of the weeds just yet. Black and white, no blue water either... anyhow, I like the idea of three cranes... three is a nice number, I've got two sisters

It's interesting how two of them are together and one is alone too. Just for the record, I've dug the painting for years... and I've always been into the series of One Hundred Views of Edo.

Thoughts?

Good pic, Natsume. That said, the results will obviously depend on your own skin... you might not be happy with the results so it's best to get advice from a few different tattoo artists beforehand.

The good news is though... in my experience the most painful bit of the tattoo was the dark outline... since your pic isn't too heavy on that, yours shouldn't be too bad at all.