To better understand how tattoo ink is absorbed by dark skin over time, Gresham offers a simple paper test. You can use a marker on a brown sheet of paper to see how the paper will absorb the color.

Jay Baby of Classic Tattoo in San Marcos, Texas adds. “I think of skin tone as a filter. I want to see the colors that will look best with that filter or shade of skin. As far as color goes I ...

Tattoo magazines, media and TV shows perpetuate the narrative that white skin is ideal for tattooing, said Tyrone Cooley, a Black tattoo artist and owner of Tri-Cities Tattoo Company in Atlanta.