Tattoo Do's and Dont's!

Jennifer Aniston was recently spotted in NYC showing off her very first tattoo: the name "Norman" on the inside of her right foot. The fresh ink is a tribute to the 42-year-old actress's dog Norman, a Welsh corgi-terrier mix that passed away in May at 15 years old. "Memorial tattoos are a serious and often necessary thing, but Jennifer chose one of the worst places of all time to get it," says "NY Ink's " Ami James. "The foot is consistently being exposed to the elements, naturally exfoliating itself and being exposed to constant friction. Even a good tattoo will not withstand that for much time at all," the expert tattoo artist explains. "Jennifer will be lucky if that tattoo looks decent for even a few months."Tuesday, July, 5, 2011, 5:5 PM


Renowned tattoo artist Ami James became a household name, thanks to the groundbreaking series "Miami Ink," which debuted in 2005. As the first tattoo artist to gain such celebrity, James gave us an inside look into the tattoo culture on the hot streets of South Beach. After taking the industry by storm in Miami, the sharp-tongued, quick-tempered James brings his talents to the Big Apple this summer with "NY Ink" (Thursdays at 10pm on TLC). Click through this slideshow to see James's take on some of the most talked about celebrity tattoos.Friday, July, 1, 2011, 3:1 AM

The tattoos on Angelina Jolie's upper left arm show the map coordinates for the birthplaces of her children. The tats have been inscribed in the same spot where a tribute to the 36-year-old actress's ex-husband Billy Bob Thornton once lay. His name, along with a Chinese dragon, were surgically removed after the pair divorced in 2003. "Tattoos last a lot longer than most romances," James says. "Thank god for laser."Friday, July, 1, 2011, 3:1 AM

Newly engaged couple Nikki Reed and Paul McDonald wasted no time getting matching tattoos. After a two-month-long whirlwind romance, the "Twilight" actress and her "American Idol" alum beau inked each others' first names on their respective right-hand ring fingers. "I think when you have thought and effort, added with good taste, even the most simple tattoo concepts can be turned into something really nice," James says of the duo's expression of love.

"Heroes" starlet Hayden Panettiere is often pictured showing off the tattoo she has running down the left side of her back, despite it being misspelled. In full, it reads, "Vivere senza rimipianti," which is meant to be "to live without regrets" in Italian. Unfortunately for the 21-year-old actress, her tattoo reads "rimipianti" instead of "rimpianti," adding an extra "i." "She got the wrong person for the job," James says. "A reputable shop double checks spelling." Although initially horrified about the misspelling, Panettiere says she is proud of her tattoo and wants to "live up to what it means."

As a tattoo studio owner there are many steps involved in managing a successful shop. You may also decide to hire a shop manager to take care of many of these tasks for you. Whether you are the owner/manager or hired by the owner to manage the shop, learning how to take care of the daily duties involved in running the shop can be tedious, but doable.

jDifficulty: Moderately Challenging Instructions

1. Step 1 Learn how the specific tattoo shop you will be managing should be run. If you are the owner, you will already know the procedures to be followed, but if you were hired as the shop manager, you will want to discuss with the owner how he wants things done. You will also want to discuss policies with the individual tattoo artists to see if there are any special requirements they have. Also be sure you know all of the state regulations you must follow while effectively managing the business.
   
   
2. Step 2 Use business software to track sales, expenses, client and employee scheduling, inventory control, accounts payable and other aspects of the day-to-day business. If a software program hasn't already been set up, then, as manager, you need to do this first. But, if the program is already in place, learn to use all the aspects you will be using daily.
   
   
3. Step 3 Peruse inventory control sheets and any computer program in place to track all the necessary items needed to run the shop including needles, inks, disposables and cleaning supplies. Keeping these sheets or the program updated daily will help make ordering quicker and easier, if you are in charge of this task. Physically take inventory at least once a week to make sure what's in the computer matches what is actually on hand.
   
   
4. Step 4 Place any orders to replace used items in inventory and a make a shopping list for those items you buy locally. Pick up the items on your shopping list or send someone with the list to make these purchases. Depending on the size and the amount of business the shop does, you may have to do this daily or once a week may suffice for smaller businesses.
   
   
5. Step 5 Check the appointment schedules of each artist to see what is on the agenda for the day. Take note of open spots that could be filled with walk-in business you might receive throughout the day. You should also look at the rest of the week's schedule to see where new appointments can be scheduled. If artists have individual work schedules, check these schedules as well, to see when each of them is available for appointments. Appointments and schedules may be kept electronically on the computer, physically on a calendar or both.
   
   
6. Step 6 Pull out any necessary client paperwork or artwork on file for the appointments scheduled that day. Many states require certain forms to be filled out and a copy made of photo identification. If any of the day's clients are new, then have the proper paperwork ready for them to fill out when they arrive.
   
   
7. Step 7 Assign daily tasks to individual employees. You, as shop manager, will probably take care of most of the financial aspects, scheduling and ordering, but there may be other duties that you hand off to other people. For example, individual tattoo artists should keep their own areas clean, but the rest of the shop needs to be cleaned, as well. This includes cleaning the bathroom, taking out the trash and sweeping/mopping or vacuuming floors. As a shop manager, you may do these extra tasks yourself or assign them to other people.
   
   
8. Step 8 Take care of any daily paperwork required. Some shops will have separate office managers to take care of all the bookkeeping or the owner may do it himself, but some will also shuffle some of this paperwork to the shop manager. You will want to schedule time for these duties, as needed. The amount of time needed will depend on whether you just take care of simple tasks or you are responsible for all the accounts payable/receivable and other accounting tasks.
   
   
9. Step 9 Join a tattoo artist organization that can offer advice on how to manage a successful tattoo shop. The Alliance of Professional Tattooists and the National Tattoo Association are two groups you can start with. Inked Nation is an online community for tattooists and tattoo enthusiasts, but it also offers individual groups for those specifically in the business end of tattooing where you can talk with other shop managers and owners.