Tattoo machines, tattoo ink, transfer paper, tattoo needles, etc. are vital accessories for tattooing. And as a tattoo artist, you will always make sure that you only quality products to provide precise and beautiful tattoos. But the lighting part is most likely to slip from your mind as people don’t really talk much about lighting for tattoos. Lighting does play a crucial role in tattooing just like any other vital accessories do. Bad lighting can cause eye strain and headaches. And it is very difficult to do long tattoo sessions with bad lighting.
Many times newbie artists fail to recognize the bad lighting set is the prime cause behind their constant headaches and eye strain. Choosing adequate lighting is not that difficult for tattooing. There are plenty of good lighting sources in the market specially designed for tattooing. Wonder what lights most tattoo artists use? Stick around to find out.
Key Takeaways
- The most used light source by tattoo artists is the LED light source.
- Most tattoo artists use LED floor lamps.
- UV lamps are also used by tattoo artists to make UV tattoos.
- LED lights are cheaper, use less energy, are eco-friendly, create less heat, etc.
Lights Tattoo Artists Use for Tattooing
At present time most tattoo artist uses LED floor lamps. Because LED is the best light source at an affordable price and being the floor lamp type gives it more stability. The second most popular light would be LED headlamps as they are smaller, cheaper, and maybe convenient for some artists. That said every professional tattoo artist will have a UV lamp in their arsenal. Why is that? UV lamps are a must-have when you do a UV tattoo. Even though UV tattoos are not that common but when an artist makes a UV tattoo, it will be impossible to do without a UV light source.
LED light
I don’t think you can find any professional tattoo studio that does not use LED lights. LED means light-emitting diodes. They do not use filaments like other bulb and uses less energy. And compared to other bulbs they create less heat. That is why LED light literally became a go-to for tattoo artists, photographers, and many other professionals.
UV light
UV lamps are made of composed of fused vycor and fluorescent lamp tubes. These lamps can produce ultraviolet light in two forms such as 185 nm and 253 nm in the UV-C band. You may wonder what is the need for UV or black light for tattooing. These UV lamps are used by tattoo artists to make UV tattoos. UV tattoos require special ink that is invisible in normal lighting. So for visibility artists use UV lamps while making these tattoos. That is why popular studios have UV lamps. But studios or tattoo artists who just started their careers may not bother getting one of these lamps as they most probably won’t be getting any UV tattoo requests from their clients.
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6 Reasons Why LED Lights Are the Most Used Light Source for Tattoo Artists
There are many reasons why LED is the most used light source among tattoo artists.
I am listing them below:
1. Cheaper
LED lights are cheaper compared to other light sources that do not even provide bright light as LED. So from an affordability point of view, LED wins against pretty much any other light source out there. Any beginner tattoo artist or small studio can easily afford quality LED lamps for their setup.
2. Long lifespan
LED lights last much longer than normal bulbs. A normal incandescent bulb has a life span of 1,000 hours approximately on the other hand LED lights have a lifespan of 50,000 hours approximately. The life span of LED is insanely long compared to other light sources. Now what type of artist or tattoo studio would not want a light for tattooing that does not need to be changed every now on then? Having a long life span also saves you money as you won’t have to make frequent purchases. Everyone loves to save that replacement cost.
3. Uses less energy
The amount of watts or power an LED bulb consumes and the amount of lumen it produces is magnificently amazing. It uses very less energy and produces much more lumens. Other light sources create some useless lumens which you don’t get any benefit from but LED cuts on the wastage and produces more useful lumens or light for you. LED bulbs can save up to 60-70 % of energy compared to other light sources. This energy-saving quality directly affects the electricity bill. Who does not want to cut down their electricity bill? A tattoo artist uses lights for a long period of time, so a light source that uses less energy will always be preferable to them.
4. Cold weather
Regular light sources may cause issues when you use them in cold weather. But LED lights do not have any issue performing in cold weather. On the contrary, it has been seen that LED light performs 5% better in cold weather. What kind of tattoo artist would want a light source that might cause issues while working in cold temperatures? That is why LED lights are preferable by tattoo artists regardless of the type of weather they live in.
5. Eco-friendly
People are more aware of their environment now and also care more about the environment. So people who choose to go with eco-friendly products will definitely choose LED as it is an eco-friendly source of light. It saves energy and it does not use any mercury internally like other light sources which makes it safe to use and dispose of.
6. Less heat
LED produces less heat compared to other light sources. Too much heat from the light can cause an uncomfortable environment for both the artist and the client. To work without any heat issues artists, tend to go with LED rather than other light sources.
FAQs
Which type of light tattoo artists uses the most?
Tattoo artists mostly use LED floor lamps for tattooing.
Is LED headlamp good for tattooing?
Yes, LED headlamps are good for tattooing.
Is LED ring light good for tattooing?
Yes, LED ring lights are good for tattooing.
Final Thoughts
Does not matter where you go, you will most probably find tattoo artists using LED light for tattooing. Because it is the best and most affordable light source in modern tome. In LED lights you will find LED floor lamps to be the most used type of light among tattoo artists. Because it gives more stability to work with and light dropping from the lamp does not hurt the eye. You will also see LED headlamps being used by many tattoo artists. It actually depends on personal preference of which type of LED light is more convenient to use for tattooing.
There is another light source which is UV light that artists use. Even though it is not so popular yet studios or artists keep UV lamps for making UV tattoos. Without a UV lamp, you won’t be able to see the ink and hence won’t be able to make UV tattoos.
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