Good tattoos aren’t cheap, and cheap tattoos aren’t good

We all love a bargain, and finding a gem in an op-shop now and again is fantastic. New Zealand isn’t exactly the cheapest place to live, and for anyone making minimum wage, the less we pay, the better off we are.

But tattoos are different.

Never make price the deciding factor

If you’re seriously considering a tattoo, then put the price out of your mind. If price is your main concern, then you’re not serious about it.

Figure out what kind of tattoo you want first, where it’s going to go and how big you want it. Then find a respectable, experienced tattoo artist.

Talk with them about your ideas, and what you want as a finished product. Think about what you want ten years from now.

Now ask about the price.

If it’s outside of your budget, either explain that to the artist and figure something else out, or simply wait until you’ve saved up enough.

The cost of something isn’t the same as the price

If you make the mistake of going cheap, then you may regret it for the rest of your life.

Let’s just say you’ve gone to see a tattoo artist, explained what you wanted, and they have quoted you something that’s a couple hundred more bucks than you were expecting. The smart thing to do is to save up and come back another day.

The dumb thing to do is go to someone who’ll do it cheaper.

People who tend to do tattoos ‘cheaper’ are usually not only less skilled than professional tattoo artists, but a lot more dangerous.

There will always be someone who’s bought a tattoo gun off Trade Me and thinks they know what they’re doing. Without the proper training in Health &Safety, or their premises meeting hygiene standards, a tattoo from someone like this is just asking for trouble.

Even forgetting about the risk of disease such as Hepatitis from previously used needles, there’s a very real threat of your tattoo becoming infected.

Not to mention the fact you might end up like this bell-end.

The latest tattoo ink colours from Sunset

Sunset tattoo are now in the tattoo ink supply business! And what a range we have for you tattoo artists out there!

We are proud to be an official distributor of the world-famous Eternal Ink.

Made from organic pigments, de-ionized water and hamamelis water, this bright coloured ink is free of animal by-products and even suitable for vegans.

They arrive sealed in a medical grade bottle, ensuring hygiene, and the ink pigments are regularly tested and comply with all health and safety regulations.

Eternal Ink is not tested on animals, so there’s no guilty conscious tagging along with every purchase. Check out our sister site Tattoo Station for all your tattoo supply needs, including the incredible Eternal Ink.

Amazing colour sets

The amazing Liz Cook created this palette of colours. The set features a vibrant collection of rich violets and some eye-catching greens.

Chucks Seasonal Spectrum Series features an assortment of colours found throughout the seasons. You'll love the colourful range of warm and cool hues. 

Detroit put a nation on wheels and rolled us through a lifetime of memories. The Motor City Ink Set is a flashback to Detroit speed. Here are 12 hues inspired by vintage sheet metal fantasies, high gloss paint and all the reckless joys of a fine ride.

Designed by tattoo artist Halo, the Eternal Ink Halo Fifth Dimension ink set collects 12 opaque hues of intense light Use the hues straight from the bottle as complementary or as high-value tints to quickly provide additional pop and impact to your art!

The Eternal Ink portrait series has been designed to give depth and contrast to portrait work. With warm and cool tones, this set blends a perfect assortment of colours for portrait and pin-up work.

Myke Chambers' art is instantly recognizable with rich, saturated hues and strong symbolic images inked in his unmistakable style. Presented here are 12 of Chambers' favorite hues mixed perfectly to Eternal inks high standards.

The NZ Tattoo & Art Festival 2017

The biggest tattoo event in Australasia is back for the 7th year! The New Zealand Tattoo & Art Festival will be held at the TSB Stadium in New Plymouth on the 25 & 26 November 2017, and of course the team at Sunset will be there!

The best artists in every style of tattooing are coming to New Plymouth to tattoo you! Tattoo appointments can be made by contacting the artists direct - once announced, make sure you include the following in your email, size of tattoo, placement on body, any reference pics you have & your budget, lots artists will also be doing walk up tattoos all weekend long.

The Festival

In only six short years, the festival has become Australasia’s biggest tattoo show, with over 250 artists and models attending. As usual, the standard of the artists attending is world class, with the likes of Ryan Ashley Malarkey, Tommy Helm, and Dan Smith coming over from the USA.

Entertainment highlights include Head Like A Hole live on Saturday night, 3 shows a day from FMX superstar Levi Sherwood, BMX, live performances from U.K fire dancer Cervena Fox & aerialist Venus Starr.

Buy your tickets now and make sure you get a place at the biggest tattoo festival in New Zealand!

By buying through Ticketek now, you can save money rather than paying at the gate. An adult 2-day pass is only $45, 10 bucks cheaper than paying on the day.

An adult day pass is $30, compared to 35 on the day, and kids 14 and under are free.

If you’re heading to New Plymouth for the festival, pre-book with one of our artists today! Simply email info@sunsettattoo.co.nz

Upcoming guest artists at Sunset

Here at Sunset Tattoo, we’re constantly joining forces with renowned tattoo artists from not only New Zealand, but from around the world.

Sunset artists

Tom started Sunset with his wife, well-known Kiwi tattoo artist Misery, and not only have they built up one of Auckland’s finest tattoo studios, but they’ve also gathered some of the best artists in the industry.

As well as home-grown talent, working for Sunset, we also have the exceptional Ten Tigers Tattoo working here in the studio with us. Capilli Tupou is an artist specialising in old school traditional style tattooing. As a New Zealander of Maori (Te Rarawa) and American Samoan heritage, Capilli brings his own unique Polynesian slant to the style.

Capilli’s work has been admired both within New Zealand and abroad, allowing him to work at some of the best studios around the world. Here in Auckland he has worked with Sacred Heart Tattoo and Two Hands Tattoo.

Guests at Sunset

Continuing our desire to work with the best artists around, we have some very special guests dropping into the studio over the next few months.

Ryan Ussher

Ryan Ussher from Sydney will be guest spotting at the Sunset studio on November 20th. Drawing inspiration from traditional Japanese tattooing, the ukiyo-e period and the colourful western world, Ryan’s tattooing is applied with heavy contrast, movement and clarity that aims to be noticed from across the street.

Makoto Horimatsu

We are very excited to announce Makoto Horimatsu is returning to Sunset after visiting us last year. Makoto will be guest spotting at the studio in late November, so contact us now if you would like to go on a waiting list to get a booking!

Hailing from Japan, Kokura is one of the finest tattoo artists in the industry and we are truly honoured to have him join us.

Nicklas Wong

The very talented Nicklas Wong will be guest spotting at the studio August 1st - 5th. Contact the studio for bookings!

What’s happening this July for Sunset Tattoo

Sunset join in with this year’s First Thursday!

Ten Tigers Tattoo and Sunset Tattoo are joining in with this winters’ First Thursday!

On Thursday 6th July, between 4pm -9pm, we will be taking walk-ins only! Come along to the studio and see the loads of flash designs at special prices ready to be tattooed!

History of First Thursday

On the first Thursday of two months a year, K Road will come alive with visual artists, performance artists, fashion shows, live music, installations, photographers, musicians, DJs. If you live in Auckland or just visiting for the summer, come be a part of the collaboration!

First Thursdays on K-Road had its humble beginnings in the iconic St Kevin's Arcade in December 2009. Our first event showcased nine visual artists, dance performances and DJ's.

Since then there have been 10 successful First Thursdays events along K'Road, showcasing thousands of local artists and attracting crowds in the thousands.

Theme for this month

This First Thursday we invite you to the 'Mad Hatters Tea Party', a trip down the rabbit hole with Alice and the gang into the eclectic and quirky world of K Road.

We would love to see K' Road celebrate in its own way, drawing influence from Lewis Carroll's weird and wonderful journey, Alice in Wonderland.  An evening of revelry and good times await in the country's most bohemian district, so don't be late for this very important date!

Make A Booking At Sunset

If you can’t make it for the First Thursday, and instead would like to request a booking or consultation, you can send us an email, call us, or pop into the studio.

If you have reference photos to show us please be sure to attach them to your email or print them off if you are coming into the studio.

Please note that some of our tattoo artists are booked up for weeks so it pays to book in advance if you have a specific date in mind that you want to be tattooed on. As for consultations, they usually take around 10-20 minutes and are free of charge.