How well do the colors brown & tan show up in a tattoo?

Question

I am wanting to get a tattoo done but I'm worried about how well a mostly brown and tan tat would look. It's going to be pretty big and on my upper arm. Do brown shades look ok or come out grainy? The few I have seen that have some brown in them look streaked and more black/grey than dark brown.

I already know my body has problems with holding some colors. White is a main one. I just had angel/devil duckie tats done on my wrists last Monday. The angel one of course had a lot of white and blue in it but the white has already faded a bit since peeling. It's almost none existant. When my tat guy did it he said he wasn't sure how well white would show on my skin tone but oh well. So is life.

Any of you have tats with a lot of brown in it? How has it held up for you?

Answer 1

Well the tattoo I have with brown in it isn't that big, but the color has stayed pretty vibrant. It's a darker brown (it's a branch of a cherry blossom) and it has yet to fade at all. the white on the other hand did fade slightly, as did the red. But I have heard that red is one of the harder colors to keep from fading, and white. I haven't heard anything of brown fading though from my pals, it's all about how your body's chemistry takes to the ink. Good luck, don't know if that helped, but I hope your tattoo turns out and you get the info you need!

Answer 2

black might look ok depending on how dark your skin color is. you could talk to the tattoo artist. personally you might want to have the dove outlined in black and then have the inside completely white. but then that might be more painfull depending on where you put it and how large you want it. I would definetly ask the tattoo artist and some tattoo artists have pictures of other tattoos they've done and that can be the most help. my friend is african american and has a beautiful maroon-ish colored rose with a dark green stem on her lower back it looks good and shows up very well. so thats just suggestion if you change your mind on the dove. I have found that deep, rich colors show up very well on dark skin, (a.k.a reds, blues, greens, etc)you are not limited to bright colors but bright colors do look just as good. good luck with your tattoo!

Answer 3

Depends on the shades of brown/tan used and your skin color.

I am very pale, so even tan is noticeable, I have a monkey tattoo and the browns in him are bold and stand out well. Usually your artist will be able to tell you which colors will and will not show up, and even if the tattoo fades, you can always get touch-ups.

Answer 4

i have a tattoo with a fortune cookie. it was done with a tan color and it has held up just fine. i also know people with brown in tattoos for tree branches and other wooden things. i have never noticed them coming out looking different than any other color. white is notoriously hard to keep in the skin. it's just so light that it often takes multiple applications. brown or tan shouldn't be a problem.