Color tattoos can be an amazing work of art. When choosing to do a color tattoo you need to take into account a few different factors of your skin. Different skin tones and complexions can have a huge impact on the end result of your tattoo after it has healed and faded a little. Melanin is what gives your skin and hair a darker tone. Melanin is found in the dermis layer of your skin which is also where tattoo ink is put when getting a tattoo. People with little melanin will have a fairer skin tone, more melanin equals a darker tone. Knowing this can help guide you to picking out the right colors that will be vibrant and last.
Pale and lighter skin tones can serve as almost a blank slate and most to all colors can work and will show up bright. Lighter skin tones can work with deep, bright and vibrant colors while also working with softer muted colors such as light pinks, light purple, and yellows.
Medium and more tan skin tones might need a little bit more contrast with the color choice to stay looking vibrant after healing. Blues, purples and greens can provide a good contrast to your skins undertones to pop up. Vibrant oranges and reds could also be a good option. Yellows and whites will show up but they may not be very bright and color might fade more quickly.
In darker skin tones you will really want to focus on contrasting your skins undertones in order to fully have that color pop. Green, deep blues, magenta, or red could be good choices. Whites, yellows and oranges could come out looking dull with no impact.
In the end there is no hard and fast rule for tattoos and the colors that you can pick. It helps to understand the color wheel and you skin tones to find the best colors that can contrast and show up the brightest and last the longest while also understanding the more subtle choices that you can make. In the end find a good tattoo artist that you trust to create the tattoo that you will enjoy.
