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Are Color Tattoos Worth It?
Yes! Color tattoos emphasize a tattoo meaning more than a black tattoo, and they look beautiful. These tattoos should be more of an accessory. If you want a tattoo to last for your lifetime, color tattoos are worth it because they last more than black tattoos.
There are many different colors to choose from, and if you choose the right one, it will be value for money.
The color tattoo I have is on my wrist, it’s a pretty design and looks great, but in the future, if I decided to get rid of a tattoo, I think it would be hard to do because of the amount of detail on my wrist.
Color tattoos are like getting a tattoo on the part of your body that you will show every day, so you should ensure you get it for the right reasons.
You pay more for color tattoos than black ones, but if the design is something you want to live with for the rest of your life, then go for it.
Getting a color tattoo is more appealing to some people because it does make your body look better than just a black tattoo.
Color tattoos are very beautiful and are worth getting. But before getting any tattoos, research and know what you want to make the right decision.
Do Color Tattoos Cost More?
Recently, there has been an increase in the popularity of this type of tattoo design.
With the tremendous rise in social media platforms like Instagram, more and more people are becoming aware that this is a relatively new technique.
These days tattoos have grown to be more than symbols or personal expressions.
Yes! Colored tattoos, or tattoos that incorporate color into the artwork, are more expensive than regular black and grey tattoos. This is partly because the equipment needed to do a colored tattoo is more expensive and the use of more comprehensive aftercare products.
The additional cost for a colored tattoo varies depending on the amount of shading and how big an area is.
Typically, you can expect to pay about $150-$200 for small areas and about $400 for larger ones. A full-color sleeve tattoo can cost anywhere from $1,000 to $2,000 or more.
Elements That Cause the Cost of a Color Tattoo to Increase
Ink: More Expensive than Regular Tattoo Ink
Using more ink is one of the most significant factors that increase the cost of a tattoo. A regular black and grey tattoo uses only one color, but a colored tattoo will use several colors.
It’s the same with how much ink gets used; more colors require more ink, which can increase the cost.
Skin: Can Require More Care
Depending on the colors used, colored tattoos may require more care.
An exposed area will still need washing daily, but many different colors can lead to more cleaning and moisturizing. This can be especially important for people with darker skin tones or prone to acne breakouts.
Food: May Affect Color Production
Foods such as dark chocolate and black coffee can affect the color of an already-done tattoo. This means some designs might look different after someone has cut out all their favorite foods.

This is why many tattoo artists will tell clients not to eat certain foods while they are healing, to be sure that the tattoo looks how they want it to be.
Resistances: May Make It More Expensive
Some inks resist water, wind, and other elements better than others. This means that when you’re choosing which tattoo to get, you may want to consider the environment where it’s going to live, as certain ink might not be able to last longer outdoors.
Tattoo Piercers: May Influence Price
A tattoo piercer is a person who has trained in the art of inserting needles into the skin to create tattoos. The quality of a piercer’s work can impact the price because they are all different.
How Much Do Tattoos with Colors Cost?
Colored tattoos are more expensive to get than traditional tattoos because of the cost of the pigments.
With a standard tattoo, you can use black ink for one color and different colored inks for the rest of the colors. With a colored tattoo, you need individual pigment for every color on your design, resulting in a higher cost.
Other factors that increase tattoo cost are how complex or intricate your design is and how big it is. Another factor is how much time your artist will need to finish your tattoo.
The more time it takes to complete the tattoo, the higher the price because they will use more ink.
Types | Cost |
Small | -$2500-$5000 |
Medium | -$5000-$9000 |
Large | -$10,000+ |
Is Black Tattoo Cheaper Than Color?
Yes! Black tattoos are cheaper than colored ones, generally. The cost of a black tattoo is generally half the cost of a colored one. Here is a comparison table of the two.
Black Tattoos | Colored Tattoos | |
Easier to Do | Black tattoos are much easier to do. They require little more than a steady hand and the right ink while | Color tattoos require masks, stencils, a lot of different colors of ink, and many other things |
Time | Black tattoos take little time, making them cheaper per hour | Color tattoos take more time to do because it requires more to do, including more shading. |
Ink | Black tattoo ink is cheaper than color ink | Color tattoo ink can be $15 to $20 a vial, and you need multiple vials for the full piece. |
Experience | If you are an artist, black tattoos are easier because you already have experience with lines and shapes and know how to use them. | It’s harder to make color tattoos look right because there are so many different colors, and it can be hard to mix them |
Why Black Tattoos Are Cheaper Than Colored Ones
1. Strength
– Blank tattoo is strong and needs less shading or light-gauge color to achieve the same results.
– Colored tattoo needs more shading to show their color.
2. Covering the Whole Area Easily
– Blank tattoo covers the whole area quickly and can hide in the hairline, eye, or body part.
– Colored tattoo requires customized techniques, which makes them costly.
3. Surgical Precision
– Black tattoos are smaller in size and can be easily colored.
– Colored tattoo requires more handiwork technique and costs more than blank.
4. Concealment
– Black tattoos can easily conceal under a layer of skin and are very effective in hiding the tattoo.
– Colored tattoos are difficult to hide, especially when the color is to be in plain view.
5. Skin Tone
– Black tattoos look better on tanned skin
-Colored tattoo shows better on pale skin.
6. Tattooing A Plastic
– Black tattoos are suitable for tattooing a plastic surface.
– Colored tattoos are a big problem since it is difficult to hide them from the people around us.
7. Skin Texture and Complexion
– Black tattoos look better on smooth skin, while colored ones look good on coarse and dry skin types.
– The color of the black tattoo fades faster than that of a colored variety.
How Much Do You Tip for A $500 Tattoo?
Tattoo Price ($) | 15% Tip ($) | 25% Tip ($) |
100 | 15 | 25 |
150 | 22.50 | 37.50 |
500 | 75 | 125 |
700 | 105 | 175 |
1,000 | 150 | 250 |
2,000 | 300 | 500 |
2,500 | 375 | 625 |
5,000 | 750 | 1,250 |
Do Color Tattoos Age Well?
Yes! Your ink color will make your tattoo age much better than traditional black ink tattoos. Colorful tattoos will be the last thing to go out of style, fading with your skin tone much better than the old-school blacks.
It’s up to you which color best fits your personality and style.
Violet and blue ink will give your tattoo a vibrant look, the color stimulates the skin, and the veins of your tattoo can be visibly clear.
The darker, the better, but if you want to go trendy, you should choose a brighter color.
Pink, red, orange, and purple is attractive when applied to a woman’s body because there is no risk of too bold colors that are unacceptable on some man’s skin. Red will be particularly good because it tends to fade with age.
The color of your tattoo will depend on how much time you want to spend treating your skin.
If you have a bright-colored tattoo, it’s naturally more prone to fading because the skin cells are constantly shedding.
However, if the ink is a dark color, like black or blue, or green, you will be less prone to having your tattoo fade over time.
Why Do People Not Get Colored Tattoos?
People don’t get colored tattoos for various reasons.
- These tattoos are often permanent and difficult to remove.
- Colored tattoos are more visible than black tattoos.
- They are expensive – in addition to the actual tattoo, a colored tattoo is more expensive than a black one.
- You can only do colored tattoos on certain body parts.
- Colored tattoos can age poorly or be difficult for other people to see.
- Colored tattoos require a lot of skill and a lot of time.
- The colors available to you might be difficult to match with your skin tone.
- When people see colored tattoos, they sometimes feel that the tattoo is part of a costume or looks strange when it is permanent.
- If you are allergic to the dye used, colored tattoos may react adversely with your body’s immune system and cause allergic reactions.
- Colored tattoos are difficult to conceal if you want to cover them up.
- Colored tattoos do not have the same natural look as black ones.
What Hurts More, Shading or Linework?
Most pencil extensions, such as the Japanese and Western styles, use shading to create a more realistic and rounded look for inking.
The line work gets used instead of shading for Western styles that are more angular or angular.
The important distinction between the two is that shading takes place over a line art source. At the same time, linework uses lines placed on top of each other to represent something else- usually an object or a person.

Shading usually results in more textured-looking line art. This is because shading represents shadows and highlights that naturally occur on objects.
You can also add roughness to your linework using shading, but you’ll need to draw in the lines before adding any colors or painting over it.
The problem with linework is that it can quickly look flat and uninteresting without shading. The colors used to make shading are often very simple and unrealistic, making it hard to make real-looking linework.
Fantasy art, however, is all about realism in a fantasy setting. Some artists even dare to draw the linework and then shade the lines afterward.
This is a good way to add realism and dimension to your linework by adding subtle shadows. The hindrance of this approach is that it can be very time-consuming if you want it done right.
This can be a good thing, though, because you can also use this technique to make it look like your piece gets done in only linework without adding any color.
Some artists prefer to work only with linework and not use any shading.
What Color Cancels Tattoos?
An orange color corrector cancels tattoos very well. Here is how it works
First, Apply the orange corrector on top of your tattoo and let it sit for a few minutes. The longer it’s left on, the better it will absorb, but 5-10 minutes is a good rule of thumb.
Let the product rest on your skin for 10-15 minutes to ensure no stains remain behind.
Wipe it off with a clean white cloth. Once you’ve done this, let the orange corrector sit on your skin for 15-20 minutes before washing it off completely.
The final step is to apply a second layer of orange corrector to your tattoo.
The purpose of this is so that no stains will remain behind. Just like the first layer, let the skin absorb this before using soap and water to wash it off completely.
Next time you get a tattoo, make sure to put an orange corrector on your skin beforehand because it will prevent any tattoos from ever getting ruined again.
This is true if you are considering getting a tattoo that is likely to be very vibrant. The next time you want a tattoo, ensure you apply an orange corrector to your skin beforehand because it will prevent any tattoos from ever getting ruined.
Factors that Influence the Cost of Color Tattoos
1. Tattoo Size
– A small tattoo should cost less than $100.
– A large tattoo should cost between $200 and $400.
– A super large tattoo should cost more than $500.
2. Design Complexity
– A simple tattoo should cost less than $100.
– A more complex design, such as a mandala or a large rose flower, should cost more.
3. Tattoo Location
– An area with more blood flow and nerve endings will be more painful and may need anesthetics that are not included in the price of the tattoo.
– The closer to the skin surface, the easier it is to remove, so tattoos on areas of your body that you cannot see or reach will cost less.
4. Number of Tattoo Colors
– The more colors, the more expensive the tattoo. However, the cost of color tattoos reduces when the artist uses cheaper, less expensive pigments such as black ink.
-A Tattoo with no color should cost around $50.
– A black and white tattoo should cost around $75.
– A colored artwork of a flower should cost around $325.
– A colorful mandala made of different colored inks should cost more than $1000.
5. Tattoo location on your body (back, chest, arm, etc., will cost more)
– The cost of a tattoo on your upper arm is less than in other areas of the body.
– A back tattoo should cost more than $300 because it is difficult to reach.
Why Do Color Tattoos Cost More?
1. Formalities and Contracts
– When you go to a tattoo artist who wants a color tattoo, they will charge more because they have to show their work to an artist, which takes time.
2. More Colors of Ink Get Used in The Design
– Black ink is cheaper than red or yellow because the amount of time needed for mixing black with other colors is minimal, so it’s very cost-effective.
3. The Tattoo Machine
– A tattoo machine used for different skin colors and depths will cost more than a simple single needle used to create a black-and-white tattoo.
4. Experience
– If a tattoo artist can only draw in black and white and is not trained to use other colors, he will have to get more experience drawing with those colors so he can be better at it.
5. Location Of The Ink In The Design
– Ink that is closer to the skin surface will cost you more than ink that is farther away from the skin surface.
Conclusion
Colored tattoos are going more mainstream, and styles are changing. As tattoos evolve, with the price and advances in technology, color tattoos are becoming more and more popular.
Getting a colorful tattoo is a great choice for those who want to stand out from the crowd or even for those who want to make their style.