Dan DiMattia

Just saw some of his stuff on the homepage... I have to say some of that dot tattoo stuff looks really good. My question is what does it look like in 10 years? We all know that tattoos bleed into the skin, fade, expand, etc. Do the dots just bleed together and make a stronge shade? I would love to see some of his long term work.

Im sure someone will correct me if Im wrong, but I think bold black is probably what will stand the test of time the longest. for sure, all tattoos fade and time has its way with em, but strong black is what will hold the best. that said, I think I would expect after 10-15 years pretty much any and every tattoo could use another layer of pigment to bring it back to life, or at the least kick it back up to the place it was when fresh.

That's an excellent question and one I asked myself before I became Dan's guinea pig as the first person he used the dot work shading on. That's only 4 years ago so not enough time to see any remarkable difference. However, I will say that the dotwork is a shading technique, so the effect is indeed like grey shading and should age similarly. Also, everyone's skin ages differently and it all depends on your lifestyle, exposure to sun, etc. An unintentional sunburn to my back left my black backpiece looking lighter than my blackwork arms so sun is a heavy factor. I also agree with Gabe that solid black does age very well as far as work I've seen -- that's what Dan is known for and I've seen pieces he did over 15 years ago still looking sharp. Personally, I like the way tattoos age and fade in general over time on older bodies--making them look more organic and a part of the body, but I agree that its good to keep artwork fresh and protect that investment at the start.