Most tattoos are not blue. The pigment, made from carbon, is actually jet black. Since the pigment is lodged underneath the skin, tattoos appear blue because of the juxtaposition of black against the yellowish to brown skin of most Caucasians. Although red is the second most popular colour, many other shades are readily available; in fact, most tattoo artist buy many different colourings, premade, from DuPont.
We spoke to Spider Webb, leader of the Tattoo Club of America, about the prevalence of black pigment in tattoos. He felt that most clients, once they decide to take the plunge, want to show off their tattoo; black is by far the strongest and most visible colour. Webb added that in the case of one client, albino guitarist Johnny Winter, a black tattoo does appear to be black and not blue.