Battle sister, Tom

I’m a tattoo artist, and I’ve had a bunch of clients come in saying they were told dark skin can’t take any color whatsoever, which is bullshit. The long and short of it is dark skin can take plenty of color, provided it isn’t too light.

Tattoos look best when they’re fresh because the ink is still on the top layer of open skin. As the skin heals over the tattoo, the color gets less vibrant and defined. This is true of anybody of any skin tone. Tattoo pigments tend to act a lot like watercolor; they’re not terribly opaque in the skin, meaning that as that tattoo ages, the white will fade into patches of slightly lighter skin, and may disappear altogether, as will lighter colors like yellows and pinks. Many artists consider doing tattoos entirely or mostly in white ink to be irresponsible for that reason, and use white ink very sparingly to create small highlights, in places where even faded ink will add contrast.

Notice how the yellow is all but gone on even the lightest skin, while the deeper reds have stayed. And that isn’t even factoring in sun exposure, how often the skin is submerged in water, friction, or how the skin in the area bends and flexes. I know extremely pale people who lost all the color in their tattoos in 5 years due to a variety of those factors; I’m pale as they come, and the yellow in my oldest tattoo is only 2 years old and already super faded. 

Color that lasts a long time is darker and more saturated than the skin it’s in.

See how the butterfly is still noticeably purple, and stands out in all the skin tones?

Teals, yellows, pinks and whites photograph beautifully in dark skin, but ultimately don’t have longevity as tattoos. Dark skin, however, can still take reds, blues, greens, purples, and browns beautifully! The best way to make color vivid in any skin is to put it in a strong black outline; tattoos like the one below will look like bruises as they age, and the fading color doesn’t have structured black to contrast and frame it.

Here’s some color on dark skin that will age well!

The yellows in this tattoo are very saturated and framed in lots of solid black; even if they fade, the fish will stay nice and vibrant.

Similarly, the white in this tattoo will definitely lighten, but the dark reds and blacks will hold the tattoo together very well.

Hace unos dias vi una serie de gifs de Marie Kondo explicando que a la hora de ordenar nuestra ropa debemos elegir la que nos produce felicidad, y para no sentirnos mal por la ropa que queremos botar, agradecer el tiempo que estuvo esa prenda estuvo con nosotros y dejarla ir..

Esto me llamo la atención y luego en Netflix descubri que habia una serie de ella, donde va a casas de personas y las ayuda a organizar. Me gusto su método y quise compartir algunos de sus consejos con ustedes. Quien sabe. Siempre se aprende algo 😉

Some users translated my words, because in the comments were asking for it, so here I shared one that I considered the most exactly. Thank you so much everybody! 🤗and specially @streptomycinn. If you wanna see more post about Marie Kondo and her Konmari method of tidying up please check my tumblr 😉🌷👩🏻‍💼

“A few days ago, I saw a series of gifs of Marie Kondo explaining that, when we’re organizing our clothes, we should choose those that spark joy, and in order to not feel bad about the clothes we have to throw away, we should thank the clothes for the time that they were with us and then let them go.

Happy Black History month!

We’ve been working on something special and are so excited to announce that we’re partnering with Tumblr to bring the best of Black excellence straight to your dashboard. How is this February different from the usual BHM celebrations? This time around, we won’t stop on the last day of February. We and Tumblr are committed to shining a light on the Black community throughout this entire year. This is #BlackExcellence365.

Our goal for #BlackExcellence365 is to the showcase the importance of diversity in Black history, present, and future. The Black community is not monolithic. It is a pan-African community, one consisting of a myriad of ethnic identities from African-American, African, Caribbean, Latinx, etc. Blackness encompasses different religions, sexual and gender identities, socioeconomic statuses, and more. Celebrating these identities and their successes is what #BlackExcellence365 is all about. We’ll be doing this by showcasing the continuous achievements of and contributions by Black people in history, science, music, art, media, social impact, fashion, gaming, poetry, and so many other areas of prominent cultural and historical importance.

Here’s a peek at just some of the things you can expect to see from @action (unless otherwise indicated!), Tumblr’s official blog for social impact:

February

2/4 — Artist Spotlight: Artist Jessica Spence - @jessmyart

2/7— MAKERS Conference livestream - @makerswomen - with:

Grammy-winning singer-songwriter, Ciara

CEO & founder of Times Up, Lisa Borders

Actor, Producer, Entrepreneur, Jada Pickett Smith

Founder and CEO of Backstage Capital, Arlan Hamilton

2/11 — Artist Spotlight: Photographer Josef Adamu - @josefadamu

2/18 — Artist Spotlight: Artist Pea the Feary - @peathefeary

2/20 — “My Black Is Beautiful” livestream, a panel discussion featuring NaturallySheIsDope, Kennedy, Tarynn, Kahlana Barfield Brown, Minda Harts, and Ashley Akunna, streaming on @action at 6 p.m. ET.

2/25 — Artist Spotlight: Artist and Filmmaker Asaph Luccas - @asaphluccas

March

#BlackExcellence365 video series, a round-table discussion of important issues in the Black community. March’s theme is Black Girl Magic: The Importance of Black Women’s Work in the Media.

June

#BlackExcellence365 video series X #TheBlackout: Content & Conversations Surrounding the Black LGBTQ+ community

August

#BlackExcellence365 video series X #TheBlackout: Music in the Black Community

December

#BlackExcellence365 video series X #TheBlackout: Mental Health in Communities of Color

Be sure to follow both @theblackoutofficial and @action to stay on top of the latest #BlackExcellence365 news all year long.

PS, our Black History Month stickers are back!