If you are not familiar with the tattoo world or tattoo culture you may or may not know that it is pretty much a tattoo no no to get a tattoo of your lover’s name or to get a portrait of them. Tattoo artist often refer to this gesture as being overly romantic. Yes, it’s great to experience getting a tattoo together but it doesn’t have to be something like their name or their picture. It is literally considered the kiss of death to get your lover’s name and or their picture tattooed on you. Let’s face it people just don’t stay together forever anymore and nine times out of ten once someone does this they all of a sudden split up. Well Jermaine Dupri and Janet Jackson have been dating each other since 2002. So it’s been 7 solid years of happiness for this celebrity couple, which in Hollywood 7 years is more like 70 years. Let’s just hope for Jermaine’s sake that they can beat the tattoo cruse and stay together.

For some unknown reason Jermaine thought it would be a great idea to get a rather interesting tattoo of girlfriend Janet Jackson on his rib cage. Janet is being portrayed as the Virgin Mary of all things. Jermaine had no problem admitting that it hurt like crazy and he had to take at least 100 breaks because he couldn’t take the pain.

So take this as a lesson learned. One do not get a lover’s name or portrait on you. It’s like playing with fire you will end up getting burned, maybe not now but somewhere down the line. And number two getting a tattoo on your rib cage is a very painful place to get a tattoo.

People who are against tattoos and have nothing good to say about them are constantly trying to find ways to prove tattoos are bad. The latest bit of news to hit the newsstands is that tattoos may help contribute to some people getting skin cancer. This claim came about when a few people reported some cases of skin cancer in the area of their tattoo. These tattoo haters claim that the metals that are some tattoo inks increases the chances of one getting skin cancer later on down the road.

However, what these people don’t realize is the these materials that are in tattoo ink like, cobalt and aluminum are not causing skin cancer. In fact dermatologist have cleared this claim, by making it known that the tattoo ink is unlikely to do any harm because it is confined to cells in the skin called macrophages, whose job is to absorb foreign material. The culprit to the skin cancer was more than likely a mole that a tattoo was tattooed over so the person wasn’t able to notice the changes in their mole.

So the bottom line is, there is no evidence to prove that tattoos lead to skin cancer. Once again all the tattoo haters are proven wrong. Tattoos are not evil things, they are a right of self expression, just like someones hair color or hair cut. People need to start realizing that just because someone may look a little different or dress a little different it doesn’t mean they are a bad person.

Tattooing is a booming industry and growing every single day. Now there are even TV shows dedicated to the art that are catching fire. When you look around, tattoos are everywhere! Now you see them on people you know, see them in advertisements, and even on famous celebrities. So what makes a great tattoo? Of course it is great design, but there is one very big component that is critical to a really stunning and beautiful tattoo.

What is this component to a great tattoo?

It is simple…

Tattoo Shading.

Tattoo shading is the part of the tattoo where a two dimensional tattoo becomes a three dimensional tattoo. It is the part of the tattoo where flat lines take shape and holds a certain degree of depth to make the tattoo “pop” out. There is even a whole style of tattoo shading now that focuses only on black and grey tattoos…no color, just black and white.

If a tattoo artist does not learn the technical yet critical aspect of tattoo shading, then a tattoo just falls flat. It is as simple as that. This one aspect of tattooing can be learned but it takes some real practice and some technical skill. Mastering tattoo shading and becoming known for doing great black and grey tattoos can really boost a tattoo artists reputation in the tattoo industry. Those who have mastered tattoo shading at an expert level are very well revered and respected.

Now there are great information resources online to help aspiring tattoo artists. Of course, the best way to really learn the skills is through an apprenticeship, but gaining the basic knowledge is first and foremost of importance. Learning all you can about tattoo shading and other steps in the tattoo process are key and luckily information is gaining in popularity. An example of a great source or brand for tattoo information is “The Ultimate Tattoo Guide” series. These guides help budding tattoo artists get the basic tattoo knowledge needed to start tattooing including aspects like tattoo shading, etc.

So if you want to break into doing great tattoos that will get make people turn their heads, it is CRITICAL to master the art of tattoo shading. Without it, a tattoo is just not a real tattoo…a piece of real art.