A tattoo is a line.

The style that changes most. Thin lines soften and spread over years, and very fine detail can merge. Placement matters enormously — hands, fingers and feet blur fastest because of skin turnover and sun.

Very well. Solid black keeps its shape and reads clearly decades on. The trade-off is permanence in the harder sense: heavy black is the most difficult thing to cover or remove later.

Better than anything else, by design. The bold outline holds the shape as the ink softens inside it, which is precisely why the convention exists.

Depends heavily on execution and size. Strong contrast survives; soft mid-tones flatten. Small realism ages worst of anything, because there is no line holding it together once the detail merges.

Very well. Like traditional work, the strong outline and structured composition are what keep it readable.

As blackwork does, being predominantly solid black.

Match the artist to the style you want, rather than picking the nearest studio. Look for healed photographs of work like the piece you are asking for, ask about the specific placement you have in mind, and treat an artist who says no to your idea as a good sign rather than a bad one.

There is no standard rate. Most artists price either by the hour or by the piece, and the number depends on the artist's demand, the style, the size and placement, and how many sessions it needs. We publish no price ranges because none could be sourced honestly — but the variables below are what you are actually paying for.

Follow the instructions your artist gives you, because they know what they put in your skin and which products they trust. Broadly: keep it clean, keep it lightly moisturised, keep it out of the sun, and do not soak it. Sun exposure over years is the single biggest factor in how a tattoo looks long-term.

Most of the anxiety around a first tattoo is about not knowing the sequence. It runs: find an artist whose portfolio matches what you want, enquire with a reference, size and placement, pay a deposit to hold time, then turn up fed, sober and unhurried.