when getting tattoos what colors show best on dark african american skin color?

Question

i want a white dove tattooed on me that looks realistic and has great detail and i think black is what they would use to do the detailing. black ink would not show very well would it?

Answer 1

I have pretty tanned skin, especially for an Asian. I just tan easily and I also have been thinking about the same tatto for a while. A white tattoo of a dove except I didn't think about the black detailing. Anyways, from what I've read, white ink does not show up well on people who either have dark skin [like you] or tan easily [like me]. Bummer, right? But you can always try, you never know.

I also looked it up and found this on the internet:

We wanted to track down someone with a tattoo on the small of their back or side of their ankle but had a hard time locating Everyone and His Mother.

We opted for Roni Zulu, L.A.-based tattoo artist to the stars, who is also African-American.

He says a white tattoo on dark skin would at first look tight - but later wouldn't even pass for a'ight.

Tattoo ink is deposited through the layers of the skin, says Zulu, who has marked up such heavyweights as Janet Jackson, Dennis Rodman, Rosie O'Donnell, Lisa Bonet, David Duchovny and Queen Latifah.

As the tattoo heals, the top layers of skin exfoliate and grow back with no pigment, leaving only the bottom layers retaining ink.

"Whenever you see a tattoo, you are actually looking through that person's top layers of skin and viewing the tattoo underneath," he said.

Because brown skin is less transparent than light skin, a whitish tattoo just wouldn't show up well under the new dark layers.

"After a few weeks you end up with a stack of brown skin on top of the tattoo. So dark-skinned people say 'What the heck happened to my bright tattoo?' "

Dark ink works better, though often it still ends up looking "a little greenish" beneath dark skin, Zulu said. Some African-Americans, especially in fraternities, go for scarification instead because the raised scars stand out more than tattoos.

And while many mainstream American blacks had veered away from their African history and culture, which includes scarification and tattoos, they are slowly warming to the idea of body marks again, notably with African symbols, Zulu said.

"Unfortunately most of it [tattooing] still exists in gangland . . . that stigma still floats around in black society."

Phillip Milano, author of I Can't Believe You Asked That! (Perigee), moderates cross-cultural dialogue at Y? The National Forum on People's Differences. Visit www.yforum.com to submit questions and answers, or mail to Phillip Milano, c/o The Florida Times-Union, P.O. Box 1949, Jacksonville, FL 32231. Include contact information.

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Hope that was helpful. It seems that black and blue shows up well on dark skin. Good luck!

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

Dark African

Answer 4

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
when getting tattoos what colors show best on dark african american skin color?
i want a white dove tattooed on me that looks realistic and has great detail and i think black is what they would use to do the detailing. black ink would not show very well would it?

Answer 5

White is a transparent colour, it shows the skin below but with a lighter tone once tattooed. On dark skin ylour dove certainly wouldnt be white. Black will show up. Colours depend a lot on your skin tone, a light amber can take almost any colour. Purples, green, red, some blue and magenta usually work on dark skin but it is not going to be bright if you are very dark. The dark skin heals over the colour so its like looking at your tattoo through sunglasses

Answer 6

It really depends on how dark your skin is. I don't think you'll have a problem unless your skin is very, very dark. Although I have seen some fine work done on extremely dark skin. The best advice I can offer is that you shop around at a couple of tattoo parlors, and ask the artists what they think. After all, they are the professionals, and I'm certain they would be glad to help you with what you need to know.Good luck!

Answer 7

I'm sorry to be the one to cast a note of gloom, but I'd be concerned about whether white tattoo ink would be a good idea. I used to work in a tattoo studio some years ago, and at that time the white ink was thought of as only really being suitable for highlighting, as it wouldn't necessarily last all that well. Doing a tattoo of, as in your example, a white dove, can be achieved easily on someone with pale skin, by shading certain areas blue, and adding in a few touches of white to highlight the effect, but it wouldn't be completely coloured in white. For that reason my boss, the tattoo artist, would never have done a predominantly white tattoo on someone with dark skin, because they would have ended up with a really disappointing tattoo.

Think of it as like putting a thin watercolour wash on a sheet of paper - the colour of the paper will show through. I do think it's literally worth experimenting in this way with paper that's close to your skin tone, 'cos you can get a good idea of what colours work and what don't. What I've always felt is that on dark skin, very bold designs are necessary in order to stand out and be really readable. Draw out ideas for what you want and have a look at them from a distance to see whether you can see them properly. It's certainly possible for someone with dark skin to get a great tattoo, but I think getting the design right is a really important part of the process.

Above all, I suggest you get advice from your tattoo artist - who should be someone you trust and whose work you know to be good. They'll be able to give you the most up to date information on inks and techniques so you can decide whether to go ahead with getting tattooed.

Good luck!

Answer 8

I think that the black will look fine, because the white will be bright that will cause the black to stand out ,being that the black is only the outline. I know that red and bright yellow look good on dark skin. When you go to get it done, see what the tattoo artist recommends.

Answer 9

Black ink does't show up very well on dark skin, you can see for yourself if you watch a football game on tv. Also, colors are harder to distinguish on dark skin, its kind of the same concept of how colors are harder to make out when its dark.

Answer 10

Bright colors