TATTOOING TOPS OF FEET

[Miss Disaster]

I know there is a post already about tattooing feet, but it really didn't answer my question. I am going to be tattooing a pretty new school piece on the top of my brother in law's foot this week and don't really know how deep to go, and how will I know when I have gone too deep? Blowouts? And with coloring and shading, what would be the best needle groupings for such a tattoo? I tattooed a tiny flower on top of my big toe, and practically the whole tattoo disappeared, which worries me! Did I not go deep enough? I see lots of good tattoos on tops of feet, and I don't want to mess it up. And he really wants it there. Any suggestions would be great!!!

[Ladedeth]

I did a ladybug on my big toe and the red faded, so I redid the red and it faded again. Can't help you on the top of the feet although if it holds ink like the toes, I wouldn't do it.

[FORGIVEN]

you lose alot of skin on the tops of your feet (bottoms and the palms of your hands too !! ) so make sure he understands that it will probaly fade , try not to do really bold lines , they have a tendancy to spread on the feet . just relax kid , you'll do fine, I've seen your work , I got faith in ya' !!!!

[tadt]

im not sure about the tops of feet but if they are like your palms like Forgiven said they peal alot, ive got a kanji symbol on my palm ive gone over 3 times so far and it still is barely there, the first time i thought i didnt go infar enough so i went in deeper the 2nd and 3rd time(this sounds perverted now)and it still isnt very dark, but at my fulltime job i use my hands alot so ive probably been rubbing it off, and im guessing feet are the same since there covered by shoes most of the time.

[BigDaddyInks]

I've only done one tattoo on top of a foot and It was a custom piece tribal with flowers. I did it like any other tattoo I do as far as depth is concerned. I used Starbrite colors. I saw her at least 5 months after I did it and it still looked good. This is just my personal experience. :twisted:

[Ladedeth]

Thanks for the input hun. I have wanted one on my foot.
I wear mostly flip flops or like the RedNeck country girl I am...go barefoot!

[Miss Disaster]

I am going to be doing a skull with a shovel and a skateboard for the crossbones behind it. I will be sure to let you all know how it went and if I can ever figure it all out, post it here for all to see. I think I will go about it just as BDI said, and treat it like any other tattoo ( I might not go as deep, I'll have to feel it out as I go). Would still like to hear if anyone else has tattooed the tops of feet though.
Big daddy Inks : If you can remember, what needles did you use for lining and coloring? And what was the best position you used for the customer and yourself? I was thinking on sitting him on the massage table with his feet flat and that should be at a good level. You think? Thanks for the input! And Ladedeth: Let us know when you get yours done!

[alkhemy]

I've only done one tattoo on top of a foot and It was a custom piece tribal with flowers. I did it like any other tattoo I do as far as depth is concerned. I used Starbrite colors. I saw her at least 5 months after I did it and it still looked good. This is just my personal experience. :twisted:

I've done three tattoos on the top of feet so far, and the biggest issue or difference I've found is that it is important to place yourself in a position where you can maintain a decent angle all through the work. The combination of thin skin, differing skin quality (you'd be amazed how much skin varies even on top of the foot), proximity of bone and general shape makes it a challenge. I found the best option was having the 'victim' lie on a massage table or recline in a La-Z-Boy, so you end up sitting over the foot and are able to move it around to get the best angle. Apart from that, take your time, and work off the needle, not the tube, because you need to see how the ink is going in - those different skin qualities can surprise you by almost spitting the ink back at you if you don't pay close attention.

Of course, pay careful attention to sanitation - cover that La-Z-Boy if you are using one. Because of footwear, it helps if the person concerned doesn't have to go anywhere for a couple of hours, so you can get the aftercare stuff done before a shoe has to go near the tattoo. Get them to wear flip-flops without socks that day, to minimise the rub on tender skin.

I'm far from an expert, but what I'm doing seems to work - oh, and stretching the skin is especially important, because foot skin tends to be looser than you find elsewhere on the body. At least, it feels that way...

[stealthninjamark]

i have been planning on doing a pair of japanese bats on the tops of my feet but have put it off in fear of really skrewing it up.
i have done 3 feet tattoos but they were all about the size of a dime.
they all went in fine and healed nicely and stayed.
2 of the tattoos i did were star outlines. even on such a small piece i noticed distortion due to the ink "moving" or "spreading"
i used a 3 rl for one a 5rl for another and did a purple heart with a 8rs. the purple is lighter after a few months but has stayed.
hope that helps.