Girly Tattoos Video

January 25, 2009

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Hip Tattoos Video

January 25, 2009

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Irish Tattoos / Celtic Tattoos Video

January 25, 2009

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Lower Back Tattoo Designs Video

January 25, 2009

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Shoulder Tattoos Video

January 25, 2009

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Tattoo Finder Video

January 25, 2009

Some of my favorite designs:

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Tribal Tattoo Pictures Video

January 25, 2009

If you're a fan of tribal tattoo designs, be sure to read my TattooMeNow review. TattooMeNow has over 1,600 tribal designs to use.

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Wings Tattoos — Some of My Favorite Designs

January 25, 2009

I finally got around to posting this on YouTube:

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TattooMeNow Review

January 25, 2009

TattooMeNow snagged our top tattoo finder honors after just a few short months in operation.

While it doesn't have the breadth of designs that competitor Chopper Tattoo has, it is aggressively adding new designs, features attractively priced membership plans, includes many bonuses of legitimate value, and is more professional in appearance.

Due to the lack of breadth, this service isn't for everyone. Keep reading for details on the hits and misses of this service, and to determine if TattooMeNow is the best tattoo finder choice for you.

Package Contents

Membership to the TattooMeNow web site
Access to the private members forum
Access to the members gallery of tattoo photos
Tattoo Parlor directory
Tattoo bonus videos (Caring for a tattoo, getting a tattoo, aftercare, etc.)
3300 Chines Signs e-book
You and Your Tattoo e-book and MP3
Got Ink? e-book
Learn How to Tattoo in 12 Easy Steps e-book
Infection Prevention e-book
Getting Inked e-book
Xtasys Tattoo Designs e-book
Assorted fitness, weight loss, and muscle building e-books

The amount of bonuses available is impressive, and they have actual value. The members gallery features over 1,600 tattoo photos, and more than 30,000 users post to the private discussion forum. The Got Ink? and You and Your Tattoo e-books contain good information for those who are new to tattoos.

Detailed Review

TattooMeNow is much newer than Chopper Tattoos, but it is quickly gaining ground. Now featuring more than 3,500 designs and more than 1,600 tattoo pictures, TattooMeNow is as large in scale as Chopper Tattoo. See our full Chopper Tattoo review here.

The most readily apparent thing about TattooMeNow is the sense of community at the membership site. Members actively submit their tattoo photos, and contribute to the discussion forums. You'll find newbies, knowledgeable pros, and professional tattoo artists on the message boards.

The fact that TattooMeNow has cultivated a community bodes well for their future prospects. Not only do they continue to upgrade and expand their design inventory, but they also ask for input from community members on what types of designs should be added. This focus on the member and on attracting high-quality tattoo artists is an appealing characteristic.

You can browse tattoo designs by category, and download, use, and print out as many as you like during your membership period. Browsing is straightforward: click on a category to view tattoos within that category. Tattoos are separated into pages, so if you have a slow internet connection, you won't have to wait for hundreds of pictures to load before you start viewing designs. However, with all of the paging, you might become a bit click-weary after a while.

There are over 40 categories of tattoos, but many categories are under-represented at present. For example, the fantasy tattoo category only contains 25 designs. However, if you are a fan of tribal tattoo designs, you'll find more than 1,600 tribal tattoo designs alone. TattooMeNow's blog states that they are continuing to add to each of these under-represented categories.

There are two membership options available as of this writing: one year access for $27, and lifetime access for $37. The lengthy membership length is a good sign. When you want to pick out the best possible design, you shouldn't be in a rush. TattooMeNow's membership options provide plenty of time for you to find the perfect tattoo.

Pros:

Active tattoo artist incentives should continue to drive the growth of TattooMeNow's available designs.
The community is consulted to determine which new designs to add.
There are over 3,500 tattoo designs and that number continues to increase.
There are more than 1,600 high-quality member photos to view for inspiration.
You can download, save, modify, etc. an unlimited number of tattoos.
The introductory membership option is very attractive at one year for $27.
You can both browse and search for tattoo designs.
The community at TattooMeNow really sets them apart from the other tattoo finders.
The bonuses have legitimate value.

Cons:

Some design categories are under-represented
It's easy to become click-weary while browsing through designs

Based on all of the above factors, TattooMeNow gets our top recommendation ranking. While they lack breadth of tattoos in some categories, the focus on the customer, the friendly and interactive community, the large number of current designs, and the prospects for growth are enough for TattooMeNow to pull ahead of Chopper Tattoo for top honors.

TattooMeNow Official Web Site

Video Review

Customer Feedback

"Offers the best bang for your buck when compared to the other most popular tattoo design sites. With its combination of 3500+ designs, an active forum, videos, and other interactive features, a membership to Tattoo Me Now is a great investment."

~ comment from tattoo review site

"High quality tattoo membership site . . . one of the most affordable ways to find unique designs for yourself."

~ comment from an EzineArticles article

"One of the best features we found with Tattoo Me Now is the active and helpful community. . . the discussion forum is a great place to meet other people and get answers to your most pressing questions from professional tattoo artists or from the other members."

~ Comment from tattoo review site

"Excellent tattoo design gallery filled with thousands of top designs."

~ Comment from tattoo review site

Product Details

Author: N/A

Package: access to TattooMeNow's tattoo finder, design gallery, member's photo gallery, private members forum; bonus tattoo videos; tattooing e-books including 3300 Chinese Signs, You and Your Tattoo, Got Ink?, Learn How to Tattoo in 12 Easy Steps, Infection Prevention, Getting Inked, Xtasys Tattoo Designs; and assorted fitness, weight loss, and muscle building e-books.

Price: $27 for two month access, $37 for lifetime access.

Return Policy: 60 days, no questions asked, money back guarantee.

TattooMeNow Official Web Site

Technorati Tags: pictures of tattoos, Tattoo Designs, tattoo finder, tattoo me now, tattoomenow, tattoomenow review, tattoomenow.com

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Tattoo Aftercare: Caring for your New Tattoo

January 20, 2009

Now that you have a tattoo, it's critical to care for it properly in the weeks that follow. If you don't, you could wind up with an infection, tattoo scarring, faded or washed out colors -- in short, you could end up with a faded, disgusting piece of crap on your body. Aftercare is simple, and must not be ignored.

But if you ask 10 different artists how to properly care for a tattoo, you're likely to get 10 different opinions. When in doubt, do exactly as your tattoo artist recommends. The parlor might even give you a care sheet and some ointment you can use. If you weren't given definitive instructions, here are the most important points to keep in mind:

When you first get your tattoo, it will likely be covered with a plastic dressing. Some artists recommend removing this immediately, and some say you should wait at least 24 hours. The majority say to wait at least four to five hours, so that should be your guideline. Absent other directions from your parlor, remove the bandage after four to six hours.
Wash your hands thoroughly before touching your newly tattooed skin.
Use a mild antibacterial soap to clean the tattoo. You'll be washing away the grease of the ointment they put on you, lingering inks, and probably some blood. Continue gently washing the area until what you're washing feels like normal skin. Pat the area dry. Do not rub it or dry it traditionally.
Once the initial bandage is off, you will not bandage it again. You will want to keep it covered and protected from water, sun, and abrasions, but it should be loosely covered with light clothing.
Three to four times per day, apply a thin film on anti-bacterial / healing ointment to your tattoo. You will want to use enough to moisten the tattooed area, but not so much as to leave streaks or build up. Your goal is to moisturize the area only, so start with a small amount and work it in with your fingers.
For the first week, do your best to prevent your tattoo from getting wet -- this includes the shower. Sometimes it's unavoidable, but at the least, protect your tattoo from being submersed in water.

While your tattoo is healing:

Do not expose it to sunlight.
Do not submerse it in water (a bath) if you can prevent it.
Don not get it wet if you can prevent it (this includes the shower).
Do not bandage it.
Absolutely do not submerse it in chlorinated water.
Don't let it dry out completely.
Keep it moisturized with healing cream.
But don't keep it sloppily moist.
Don't pick the scab.
Use only approved moisturizers.
Prevent scraping, brushing, or abrasions of any kind on the tattooed area.

A common problem is friction against the tattooed area. For example, if you get a tattoo on your hip, it might rub against your waist band. Or a tattoo on your butt might stick to the sheets at night! Try wearing loose-fitting clothing, and avoid direct contact with clothes if possible. At night, sprinkling a little baby powder on the bed can help to prevent sticking for certain tattoos.

Another common problem is itching. Whatever you do, do not pick the scabs or scratch the tattoo. Instead, use alcohol to relieve the itching, but don't allow your tattoo to dry out. You can also gently smack the area to relieve the itch.

Approved Ointments

I've been recommended or given three separate ointments from three different shops: A&D Ointment, Neosporin, and Bacitracin. Bacitracin is reported to be a very common and effective moisturizer to use.

There are also specialty lotions designed specifically for tattooing, and these include H2Ocean, Tattoo Goo, and Black Cat Tattoo Cleanser. These are really the Holy Grail of moisturizers. If you have a large, expensive tattoo, or a tattoo with deep colors that you want to protect, they are probably worth the investment.