Scottsdale, AZ, October 11, 2011 — Thinking about getting a tattoo? Don't know where to start or who to trust? EZ Tattoo, Scottsdale's oldest tattoo shop, has some tattoo tips for helping you choose the right tattoo artist.
"The No. 1 thing any person considering a tattoo should care about is the reputation and cleanliness of the tattoo shop," said EZ Tattoo owner Myron Larrabee. "A shop with a good reputation in the industry and the discipline to keep its shop clean tells you a lot about the artists that work there."
Scottsdale, AZ, October 11, 2011 — Thinking about getting a tattoo? Don't know where to start or who to trust? EZ Tattoo, Scottsdale's oldest tattoo shop, has some tattoo tips for helping you choose the right tattoo artist.
"The No. 1 thing any person considering a tattoo should care about is the reputation and cleanliness of the tattoo shop," said EZ Tattoo owner Myron Larrabee. "A shop with a good reputation in the industry and the discipline to keep its shop clean tells you a lot about the artists that work there."
Tattoo safety is important to Larrabee and his artists. For instance, Scottsdale tattoo shop EZ Tattoo is one of the only tattoo shops in Phoenix that performs spore tests every two weeks on its equipment. The shop sends the samples it gets from its autoclave machine (an instrument used to sterilize equipment) to an independent lab regularly, ensuring that all equipment is sterile and your tattoo experience is a safe one.
EZ Tattoo promotes safe tattoo work by utilizing stainless steel wherever it can (stainless steel is much easier to clean and sterilize) and employs separate “clean” and “dirty” rooms for its equipment, removing the risk of cross-contamination.
“A clean shop is a sterile shop,” Larrabee said. “We know that cleaning a shop twice a day ensures the safest possible environment for our customers and for tattoo safety.”
Artist Portfolios
The next thing anyone considering a tattoo should concern themselves with are the portfolios of the artists at the shop.
"An artist's portfolio is his or her resume," said James Minor, a tattoo artist at EZ Tattoo. "You can find out a lot about the artist from their previous work."
Iron Dan, a 30-year tattoo artist who works at EZ Tattoo in Scottsdale, agrees.
"Portfolios are everything," he said. "You want to look at everything. Photos of outline work, in-progress tattoos that are shaded and tattoos that are finished.
"You're not necessarily going to see the design that you like in an artist's portfolio," Iron Dan said. "But what you are going to see is whether or not the artist can apply the tattoo properly. Do the tattoos have solid line work, solid color and proper depth?"
Color vs. Black Tattoos
Iron Dan says it's also important to look for a variety of work – both color and black tattoo work.
"The molecular structure of color is different," he said. "It's heavier so it's more of a process to work it into the skin. You want to see that your artist can pull off color tattoos as well as he can black tattoos."
But perhaps most importantly, you should feel comfortable with the shop you're in and the artist who will do the work.
"Everybody has different styles," said Ivan Rials of EZ Tattoo. "Ultimately you want somebody who's going to put down good, clean, solid work. Something that can last a lifetime."
EZ Tattoo and Body Piercing is located at 909 N. Hayden Road in Scottsdale. For more information or to schedule an appointment with an artist, please call (480) 941-8720 or visit www.ez-tattoo.com.
To get the latest news on EZ Tattoo and Body Piercing, follow the Scottsdale tattoo shop on Twitter at www.twitter.com/eztattoo and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/eztattooarizona.
About EZ Tattoo
EZ Tattoo is Scottsdale’s oldest and most respected tattoo shop. Also specializing in body piercing, Scottsdale tattoo shop EZ Tattoo offers innovative and professional service in a clean, safe and state-of-the-art studio. Owned and operated by longtime Arizona entrepreneur Myron Larrabee, EZ Tattoo is conveniently located one mile west of Loop 101 at 909 N. Hayden Road in Scottsdale. For more information, please visit www.ez-tattoo.com.
Contact:
Al Stevens
EZ Tattoo
909 N. Hayden Road
Scottsdale, AZ
480-235-1770
[email protected]
http://www.ez-tattoo.com