There are myths and old wives tales about everything, and tattoos are not exempt from this!
Let’s bust some of these myths together!
MYTH #1: BLACK AND GREY TATTOOS AREN’T AFFECTED BY THE SUN
FACT : All tattoos are affected by the sun! Tattoo inks are not lightfast, meaning they fade, UV rays break down the chemical structure of the pigments and degrade them. Like leaving a picture in the sun, a painting by the window or any other object that has been left in the sunlight over time, it fades out and eventually is destroyed. It is important to note, it is the ink being destroyed, not your skin. So once the ink is destroyed, it cannot be repaired. Some colours fade faster than others, yellow and pink are particularly sensitive to sun damage.
However, black ink (grey is watered down black) will definitely fade slower than colours. However, life is there to be lived, don’t make critical tattoo colour choices based on potential sun damage! Take care of your tattoos and they will stay vibrant and bright! (see our articles on after care here)
MYTH #2: BLACK AND GREY TATTOOS ARE CLASSIC AND TIMELESS
FACT : Not true. Well, not necessarily. It depends more on the style, the quality of the tattoo, and the execution of the tattoo by the artist, not the colours. You can get a super classic and elegant old school American traditional eagle in full colour – a classic and timeless tattoo.
A Traditional Japanese koi fish in full colour – elegant, timeless, quality. Like any fashion item, such as clothing accessories, black is always easy to match. A black hand bag will go with every oufit! But some styles of tattoos lend themselves more to colour, and others lend themselves to black…. Fine line and outlines, however, should ALWAYS be done in black!
MYTH #3: BLACK AND GREY TATTOOS ARE LESS PAINFUL THAN COLOR TATTOOS
FACT : This one is less common to hear, but a quick google search shows that it is a question often asked in studios as a factor when considering colour or not!
This is not true. The majority of people think shading is less painful than outlining, and perhaps there are black and grey realistic styles that really don’t have outlines, and so could perhaps be considered less painful. But this has more to do with the style, rather than the colour of the ink! Pain or lack thereof has more to do with the placement of your tattoo, and the general pain tolerance of the client.
MYTH #4: BLACK AND GREY TATTOOS ARE MORE EXPENSIVE THAN COLOR TATTOOS
FACT : Maybe. Maybe not. I’ll say it again, it depends on the style. Black and grey styles of tattoos have more shading / gradiation and this can be time consuming to achieve, as opposed to solid packing a single colour. But again, the scale of detail in black and grey realism varies a lot. There is hyper detailed realistic tattoos take ages! It goes without saying, the more detail you want, the longer it will take to do!
THE CONCLUSION : Tattoo style is the biggest consideration you have to make when it comes to tattoos. The colour or no colour debate usually is falls in to place once you have chosen your style. My biggest piece of advice is to make a decision on this upfront! It is NOT easy to add colour to a tattoo that had originally be done as a black and grey tattoo. Now, that is a MYTH
At Authentink Studio, we have a range of different black and grey specialists that cover all style of black and grey tattoos, from hyper realistic / high contrast to softer illustrative styles. But if colour tattoos are more your thing, we’ve got your covered there too! Check out our current tattoo artists sydney line up and feel free to book in a free consult to chat about your next tattoo project!