The Scratcher

The bane of the tattoo world is the shadowy, unprofessional person called the “scratcher.” A scratcher is somebody who:

--Does not have the proper training in either tattoo art or of running a professional operation;
--Does not know and/or care to use responsible sterilization methods;
--Promises to provide tattooing services for an incredibly low fee, for free, or in exchange for drugs (ack!);
--Chooses not to apprentice through a legitimate tattoo shop because of one excuse or another (but lacks the knowledge one needs to work in or run a professional shop);
--Will hurt you because they don’t know what they’re doing;
--Will give you a permanent tattoo you will regret for the rest of your life;
--You should stay away with a ten-foot pole.

Never, never, never get work from a scratcher unless you are willing to accept all the hazards listed above.

Of those in a study by Clinton Sanders who regretted their tattoos, more than two-thirds of them regretted their tattoo because of poor quality!

Tattoos