When I decided to actually go forward with finding a tattoo artist to make a drawing of my tattoo idea, I started looking at Seattle tattoo artists’ portfolios. I spent weeks combing through online portfolios and looking at hundreds of images of tattoos. In case you don’t already know, Seattle is a haven for tattoos–both tattoo shops/artists and tattooed people. In many places around the country, it seems to be the exception to have a tattoo. In Seattle, it’s practically the norm. In the summer months, walking around Capitol Hill, Georgetown, or downtown can be like an art show–everyone’s body art comes out for the warm weather and it’s quite amazing to see. Seattle is also home to the Seattle Tattoo Expo each summer. Needless to say, I had a lot of artists and styles to choose from when making the decision. I finally settled on Andrea at Slave to the Needle (an awesome artist with almost 3 decades of experience tattooing and an appreciation for art that calls up the natural world). I scheduled a consultation with her (the soonest appointment being 4 months away). While I was waiting for the appointment, I did more research on tattoos and discovered that tattoos are not, by default, vegan! I’m still learning about this, but I do know that many tattoo inks contain bone char from animals in the pigment of the ink. Glycerin in the inks can also be sourced from animals. There are vegan alternatives, though. Cleansers and soaps that tattoo shops use may also contain animal products or be tested on animals.
When I read that many tattoos were not vegan, I immediately called the shop and asked if they used vegan inks or had vegan inks in stock. I got a very brusque response–“Oh, we don’t do anything like that”. I was put off by this dismissive person on the other end of the phone, and called back a few days later to try my luck with someone else. The second time I called, I was able to talk to a very nice person who explained that all the artists use different inks and that I should talk to Andrea when I met with her for the consultation about her ink choices. I went to the appointment prepared with a list of vegan ink choices.
Two 100% vegan ink lines are Stable Color and Classic Color Systems. Here is a full list of vegan inks approved by The Vegan Society. Before we even talked about my tattoo design, I explained that it was important to me to have a vegan tattoo and I asked about vegan inks. I showed her the list and she said she had plenty of color inks in vegan brands, but not black. She said she would make sure to order vegan black ink in time for our first tattoo session. I was so glad I talked to her about it and now I’ve been able to begin getting a tattoo from the artist of my choice without having to compromise on my commitment to having a vegan tattoo. Win-win!
There are many things to consider when seeking out a vegan tattoo, including:
1. Does the shop use vegan ink? Or is your particular artist willing to order vegan ink for you?
2. Is it important to you that the artist is vegan, in addition to using vegan supplies to tattoo you? For example, Scapegoat Tattoo in Portland, OR is a completely vegan owned and operated tattoo shop.
3. Are the other materials they use vegan? Soaps, cleansers, etc.
4. Do I have access to vegan aftercare products? Many tattoo shops recommend A&D ointment as an aftercare product. A&D contains cod liver oil and lanolin and is not vegan. Look for a vegan diaper rash ointment at your local co-op or healthfood/herbal shop. Or if you’re in a pinch, KY Jelly lubricant will suffice. Dr. Bronner’s soap is a good choice for washing your tattoo, or another mild vegan soap of your choice. For a moisturizer, you can use any vegan water-based lotion or coconut oil (from your kitchen).
Just a little info about vegan tattoos. Has anyone else gone through the process of getting a vegan tattoo? What was your experience?
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Hi,
a little note: I think it’s important to clarify that inks derived from bones can not be used in all countries, ’cause may be potentially harmful for the health. For example these kind of inks are not used in Italy where almost all artists use hypoallergenic inks that not contains bones and, like in my experience, not tested on animals. Before doing my tattoo I asked to have a complete documentation of inks and prodects, my tattoo artist gave me everything and, to my great surprise, i discovered that its inks are not tests on animals!
P. S.
I’m the guy in the photo, and the price is high for my image! 😉
Ujaku- Thanks so much for writing in to clarify about the country-specific differences in ink. That’s great that the inks in Italy do not contain animals products/ involve animal testing! If only the U.S. would catch up with that trend. Great photo, by the way and I love your tattoo. 🙂 If you’d prefer I not use it, I’m happy to replace it. Or if you have a more specific credit for beneath the photo… Just let me know. 😉
Don’t worry, i was joking 🙂
bye!