Sunset Tattoo are proud to launch our new website: Tattoo Station

Sunset Tattoo are excited to announce our new range of tattoo supplies and aftercare products. Our new sister site, Tattoo Station is now up and running, bringing you great deals on high-quality tattoo products and equipment.

High Quality Tattoo Supplies

After years of buying tattoo supplies at huge mark-ups from people who don't even tattoo, we became frustrated and decided to do it ourselves. This new range of products is for tattoo artists, by tattoo artists. We know the difference between quality tattoo equipment and the cheap, nasty stuff, and we make sure you don’t get the latter.

Tattoo Aftercare

Tattoo Aftercare is an essential part of the tattooing process, and we like to make sure it’s getting done right. From basic health reasons (don’t pick at it) to aesthetic reasons (moisturise to keep the colours bright), there are do’s and don’ts to follow once you get a tattoo. Follow them and everything should be fine.

Protat Tattoo Aftercare Cream

At Sunset, we suggest Protat Aftercare Cream. Protat are the world’s first tattoo aftercare company. By using chemists from their development team and overseas they are constantly researching new ingredients, with natural products receiving special attention.

Each Protat product has been precisely formulated with highly experienced members of the tattoo and piercing profession. New developments by Protat can only benefit the industry and enhance respect for body art practitioners everywhere. Protat Premium After Care cream has been designed to be the primary product in the Protat range. It utilises the technology of the Soothing After Care Cream with the added ingredients.

So there you have it, our new venture into the tattoo supply business. Please take a look at our new site, Tattoo Station, and if you have any questions about tattoo supplies for your studio, don’t hesitate to contact us.

Celebrate 2017 with your first tattoo!

New Year, new you! maybe you got some cash for Christmas from Granny, or maybe you've finally turned 18. People get tattoos for different reasons, but no matter what your motives, it always pays to do your research beforehand. There’s a few things you need to be aware of before getting your first tattoo. Things like...

Avoiding alcohol before and after

Having a wee drink before you get your first tattoo may seem like a good idea, just to give you that little bit of Dutch courage, but don’t be tempted. Alcohol is an anti-coagulant, which means it thins the blood. This thinning makes you bleed more during the tattooing, making it more difficult for the ink to settle properly. This can skew your new design, and make the recovery process take longer. Alcohol of course also impairs your judgment, so getting drunk before going into a tattoo parlour is never a good idea for obvious reasons.

Aftercare is everything!

Getting a tattoo isn’t like getting an injection; it’s not over once you leave the room. The next few days are extremely important for the healing process. You may have seen people with cling wrap around a new tattoo, but this isn’t a good idea. Your skin needs oxygen to breathe and heal itself, and wrapping it in plastic turns it into a bacterial playground, which can lead to infection. Clean and moisturise the tattoo the week after getting it, and you should be fine. Ask your Sunset tattooist about our range of aftercare creams.

Choose your tattoo wisely

Many people have foreign words or symbols tattooed on their bodies, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Chinese, Japanese or Arabic characters can look amazing, but make sure you know what they translate as. No matter how good they look, if you’re new ink means “Roundabout ahead” then you’re going to look like a bit of a dick in any language.

Come see us at Sunset Tattoo and we’ll make your first tattoo something special that you’ll never regret. 

Merry Christmas from Sunset Tattoo!

Merry Christmas from everyone here at Sunset Tattoo Studio! Tis the season to be jolly and what better way than to treat yourself with some new ink! or even better, treat someone else! 

To keep with the festive spirit, here's three mind-blowing facts about tattoos you can whip out around the Christmas dinner table to impress Grandma.

TATTOOS AND THE LAW

You’d think that because it’s your body, you can do what you want with it, right? Guess again. Tattoos have a long and complicated history with the Law, all over the globe. Tattoos in Japan were illegal during parts of the 19th and 20th Centuries, and even today are banned from many public sectors, such as bath houses or Government jobs. And it’s not just a history lesson. New York City banned tattoos between 1961 and 1997, due to health concerns. Even today in turkey, tattoos are banned by law.

PRISON TATTOOS

While tattoos can be a form of expression, rebelliousness, or even just a drunken mistake, some tattoos are a lot more serious. Prison tattoos are fraught with symbolism and meaning. From the Yakuza in Japan, to White Supremacist groups in the States, tattoos are a way to tell a story, or to tell others who or what you represent. Tattooing in American prisons is strictly forbidden, but of course that doesn’t stop it from happening. The tattooing equipment can be anything from modified ballpoint pens, to guitar strings.

BATTLE OF THE SEXES

Did you know more women have tattoos than men? A recent survey (admittedly in America), showed that 59% of people tattooed were women, compared to 41% of men. Women may be more adventurous when it comes to getting a tattoo, but they also tend to regret it more than men, with a higher percentage opting for tattoo removal. This is due to the fact that women tend to add more significance to their ink, usually having a deeper meaning for them.

So there you go, three simple, yet incredible facts about tattoos. If you’re interested in getting your first, or fiftieth tattoo, come see us here at Sunset Studios. Call us today to book an appointment, or if you've any questions.

Te Moko - The art of Maori tattoos

The styles and methods of tattooing in 21st century New Zealand are extremely diverse. From traditional Maori and Pacifica styles, through to modern Anime, the style is varied, but tattooing first began in New Zealand with Ta Moko.

The early days of Te Moko

It’s impossible to establish when Ta Moko started as there are no written records pre-colonisation, as there was no formal Maori written language. Instead, historians have had to rely on archaeologists and the accounts of the first European settlers. Excavated sites have found tattooing tools dating back to the very earliest settlers, with some of the tools the same as the ones used in Samoa. Although the patterns and designs vary throughout the Pacific when it comes to tattoos, the technique of rhythmically tapping a bone chisel, lashed to a small wooden shaft remains the same.

Some of the earliest accounts of tattooing in New Zealand were by Sydney Parkinson. Parkinson was Captain James Cook’s artist on board the Endeavour, when it landed in Poverty Bay in 1769. He sketched and painted local Maori displaying their Moko, and described in detail the different styles and patterns he witnessed.

The Explorers noticed that Maori women were not as extensively tattooed as the men. Their upper lips were outlined, usually in dark blue, and their nostrils were also very finely incised. The chin moko was always the most popular, and continued to be practiced even into the 1970s.

Telling a story through tattoos

Ta Moko facial tattoos aren’t just for decoration, they also tell a story. A person’s ancestry is indicated on each side of the face. The left side is generally (but not always, depending on the tribe) the father's side, while the right-hand side indicates the mother's ancestry. If one side of a person's ancestry was not of rank, that side of the face would have no Moko design. Likewise if, in the centre forehead area there is no Moko design, this means the wearer either has no rank, or has not inherited rank.

Talk to Tristan

If you’re interested in getting a Maori tattoo design, then you should come see Tristan at Sunset Tattoo.

Tristan is of Te Rarawa descent, from the Hokianga in the far north. He graduated from the New Zealand Maori Arts and Crafts institute in 2014 with a diploma in Whakairo Rakau (traditional wood carving). Not long before Tristan graduated, he approached Tom about learning the craft of tattooing and bringing his knowledge of carving and Maori art over to the medium.

Tristan is now tattooing full time with Sunset, and specializes in Ta Moko, Blackwork, pattern work, geometric and dot-work tattoo styles.

Pregnant and want a tattoo? Read this first

There are two common questions revolving around tattoos and pregnancy. One; Should I get a tattoo while pregnant? and two; what will happen to my tattoos when I become pregnant? It’s a bit of a grey area, but we’ll try our best to answer them here.

I'm pregnant - can I get a tattoo?

Well, that’s not really the right question. Of course you CAN get a tattoo, but SHOULD you get a tattoo is more pertinent. While there is no solid scientific evidence to say what happens, the overwhelming consensus is that pregnant women should avoid getting a tattoo. There’s always a worry of Hepatitis or HIV, and while in reality this is practically impossible, the concern never truly goes away.

The main reason not to get a tattoo while pregnant is the chemicals in the ink. We know they may not have an effect on an adult, but we can’t tell for sure what effects they may have on a wee foetus. And when dealing with unborn children, it’s always better to be safe than sorry. Any expectant mother will have no problem waiting a few months to a new tattoo.

WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO MY TATTOOS DURING PREGNANCY?

Ladies, that tattoo across your abdomen may look cool now, but if you’re planning on having kids, you can expect to it change dramatically in the process. Your skin is going to change so much while pregnant, it will have an irreversible impact on the ink, which not even retouching will correct. Distortion and discolouration are the two big aspects you should know about, although there are precautions you can take. Moisturise regularly to improve the skin’s elasticity, making sure whatever oils or creams you use are safe for the baby.

At the end of the day, every woman is different, and each person’s skin will react differently to pregnancy. Those who are blessed with good skin might not even notice a difference in their tattoos a few weeks after giving birth. Others may have stretch marks that turn that portrait of Jesus into Sloth from the Goonies. Either way, you’re probably going to be too busy changing dirty nappies to worry about it!