Home » What Colors Hold Best in Tattoos For Pale Skin?

What Colors Hold Best in Tattoos For Pale Skin?

Tattoos are pretty much permanent companions for us humans. They stay on us forever (unless we willingly want to take them off) and serve as a reminder of beautiful memories.

Some get tattoos after years of careful planning, whereas it’s more of an impulse decision for a select few. However, no matter how impulsively you decide to get a tattoo, certain elements always call for more research.

Among the many things you should look into before deciding which tattoo to get, one of the most integral things has to be the tattoo’s color. You might think that it’s like selecting a hue to paint your walls or do your nails, but that’s far from the truth. 

In fact, the color of your tattoo is closely linked to the undertone of your skin. Bet you didn’t think that’s the case, right? Well, it indeed is true.

If you’re looking for the best tattoo color for pale skin, we are here to tell you all about it. In this piece, we will dive deep into the relationship between tattoo colors and skin undertones and tell you exactly which colors to go for if you have pale skin.

How to Identify the Best Tattoo Color for Pale Skin?

How to Identify the Best Tattoo Color for Pale Skin?
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Before you choose a tattoo color for your pale skin, it is best to know a few rules that will help you make the best decision:

  • The first thing to remember is that your skin’s undertone affects the tattoo color that will work best for you.
  • For pale and lighter skin tones, choose a color that’s either slightly lighter or significantly darker than your skin.
  • Pale skin tones have a lot of options to choose from. So, you can get as creative as you’d like.
  • Always consult your professional tattoo artist before making a decision.

How Does the Undertone of Your Skin Impact Tattoo Colors?

Before getting into the colors best suited for pale skin, it’s crucial to understand the relation between pale skin, the undertone, and the tattoo colors to go for such a skin type.

The undertone of your skin can be defined as the color you see when you lay eyes on your skin. The skin’s undertone can be divided into three types, namely warm undertone, cool undertone, and neutral undertone.

When a tattoo artist inks your tattoo, the ink gets deposited into the dermis: the skin layer situated below the epidermis. The natural skin pigment visible is your skin’s undertone. This pigment is known as melanin.

Melanocytes are the skin cells that produce melanin. If your body makes little melanin, your skin tone will be lighter, and if it produces more melanin, your skin tone will be darker. The undertone of a person’s skin sits right over the tattoo ink, thereby serving as a filter for the color of their tattoo.

When you choose a tattoo color based on your skin’s undertone, it will automatically suit you better. Those with pale skin usually have a cool undertone or a mix of cool and neutral undertones.

If you see bluish or purple hues on your wrist, just know that you have a cool undertone. The melanin production in people with pale skin is such that the tattoo ink is visible in a more vibrant manner.

Best Tattoo Colors for Pale Skin

Best Tattoo Colors for Pale Skin
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The good thing about getting a tattoo on pale skin is that all the colors suit such a skin tone. You can opt for really bright and vibrant colors such as orange, purple, and bright red, and also go for the slightly more subtle and muted hues, such as pink, pale blue, and lilac.

Black and gray are, of course, great colors for pale skin tones. White works on pale skin as well. The only color you would want to avoid is yellow, as it will resemble a scar and won’t look as prominent on the skin.

However, the best ones to go for when you have pale skin are definitely the bolder, darker colors, as these will stand out and make your tattoo look even more attractive.

Bonus Read: 30 Interesting Watercolor Tattoo Design Ideas

How to Choose the Right Tattoo Artist?

How to Choose the Right Tattoo Artist?

After understanding how your tattoo gets impacted by your skin tone, it is now time to start the real process, which is to look for a tattoo artist and decide where you want to get it done. Here are some tips that will help you choose the best tattoo artist:

1. Know Your Style

Tattoo styles are of so many different kinds, ranging from traditional and tribal to black and gray and realistic and beyond. Know exactly the kind of tattoo you want before you begin looking for a tattoo artist.

Based on the tattoo style you go for, you will be able to pick from a wide range of tattoo artists. Different artists have different capabilities. While some are good with traditional tattoos, others are great with sketching or tribal tattoos, and so on.

If you wish to walk into a tattoo parlor and select something from their book of designs, your work will be much simpler. However, if you have a specific design in mind, you will have to look around a little more to achieve your unique and creative tattoo.

2. Do Your Research

 Do Your Research

Research is a very important part when it comes to looking for tattoo artists and tattoo parlors. Thanks to the presence of social media, it’s much easier to conduct this research nowadays.

If you have a particular tattoo artist in mind, just visit their Instagram page. A reputable tattoo artist will have a substantial following, with customers reposting their work and boasting about it. Go through their comments and read up their testimonials.

As you continue researching, type in a few hashtags related to the kind of tattoo you want and see the artists whose names come up. Check the Facebook pages of the tattoo parlors you’re eyeing and observe the posts they have been putting up, along with the comments people leave on their posts.

Bonus Read: 13 Tattoo Safety Tips To Keep In Mind When Getting A Tattoo

3. Go Through Their Work

After discovering their social media pages, go through their work portfolio. See how long they have been working or how long they have been running their accounts. When an artist is confident about their skills, they post more pictures to serve as proof of their talent.

Go through those pictures to see if you like anything or if any of their designs match what you’re looking for. If there are videos of them in action, watch those as well.

4. Get in Touch

Get in Touch

Once you feel a particular tattoo artist’s work looks good, get in touch with them. While some would want to be contacted via Instagram, others might mention their email ID in the bio of their social media account.

Send them an email writing about the kind of tattoo you want, the style, the location you’d want it at, and so on. Remember that tattoo artists are busy people, so give them some time to respond. If they have a contact number mentioned, you can directly call them as well to fast-track the process.

A tattoo artist might appear enthusiastic and build on your idea further by giving you input and ideas, or they might tell you straight away that it’s not something up their alley. Don’t be discouraged if the latter happens. Just move on to the next name on your list and keep looking.

5. Visit Studios

Although interacting over the phone or via email is useful, there is nothing better than visiting a tattoo parlor in person and meeting the tattoo artist to get an idea of what the process will be like. You will be able to see what the tattoo parlor offers, how the ambiance is, whether the staff is friendly or not and if the atmosphere is hygienic.

Meet the tattoo artist and ask all the questions you have in mind. This is a good way to judge their skills because you will get to see them tattooing someone in front of you.

Observe how careful or quick they are, how precise their designs are, and the way they behave with their customers. A visit to the tattoo parlor can help you firmly make up your mind.

Bonus Read: The Best Tattoo Black Ink of 2022 With Reviews

6. Take Your Time

Take Your Time

Lastly, be sure to take your time when selecting a tattoo artist. Don’t rush the process because the perfect tattoo artist will always be worth the wait. Look around, ask your friends in case they have gotten it done from the same place, and get in touch with the artists till you’re absolutely sure about the one you want to go for.

FAQ’s

What are the best tattoo colors for pale skin?

Vibrant, dark, and bold colors look great as tattoos on pale skin. Some of these colors include red, orange, purple, black, gray, and dark blue. You can also go for lighter colors such as pink, lilac, and pale blue.

Is my skin’s undertone important to determine which color will look good for a tattoo on me?

Yes, your skin’s undertone has a huge part to play when it comes to deciding which tattoo color will look best on you.

Which color does not look good as a tattoo on pale skin?

The color to avoid for a tattoo on pale skin is yellow. It will end up looking like a scar and will barely be visible on your skin.

How can I choose the best tattoo artist?

There are many ways to choose a good tattoo artist. Look at their work portfolio, go through their social media accounts, and search for testimonials to see what their previous customers have to say about them.

What are some of the questions I should ask my tattoo artist before getting a tattoo?

Before getting a tattoo, there are many things you might want to ask your tattoo artist. You should probably discuss which tattoo color will look good on you and what the aftercare process is like.
Ask them about the predicted duration and what their payment policies are. You should also discuss any pre-tattoo tips they might have to offer.

Conclusion

A lot of thought goes into the creation of a tattoo. Similarly, the more thought you put into the kind of tattoo design you want, the better it will turn out to be. Putting thought also requires doing research and knowing about the link between your skin’s undertone and the corresponding tattoo color that falls under that research.

People with pale skin have numerous options to choose from when it comes to tattoos. So, if you’re someone with a similar skin tone wondering what color will look good on you as a tattoo, just go through this article and find your answer.

About Author

Jonathan Corby "Jonny" is a guy who is passionate about Tattooing and successfully running a Tattoo Studio in NY. Through my journey as a Tattoo Artist I have made unforgettable memories. This irrational poetry and sense of freedom of art on skin has given a blissfull experience to my life. Each Tattoo has a story behind it; Lets share one!