Anyone have a tattoo?

T

twopu

New member
My wife and I have been talking about getting tattoos for a while. We keep putting it off when we hear stories of regret (location or type of tattoo). I think we are passed that and plan on putting them in discrete areas. She is leaning towards a smaller butterfly or fairy on her lower back and I was thinking about a buddha on my right shoulder. I'm having a hard time finding pics. I know we can go to the tattoo studios but we wanted to have something to guide the artist. Where can you find pics? Anyone have regrets? Suggestions on selecting a tattoo studio?

Thanks
 
First of all, find someone with credentials, and ask for pictures of tattoos they have done. Make sure you choose the right person to ink you.



Just search for pictures online I suppose. Try google images. As long as they have an outline, anything is possible. Also, depending on how detailed you want your tattoo to be, it may be cheaper to get it charged by the hour.



You can probably search online for a tattoo parlor as well. Look up yellow pages, and then search the name of the place on google. Many of them have websites.
 
I agree. Find someone good whose work you can see, either in pics or on the people they've worked on. Too many people have tats they just decided to get one night at a random shop and they aren't of the best quality. It shows. Paying more for someone who does quality work would be worth it IMO. I don't have any ink, but I have two brothers that have multiple tattoos. Theirs are of the "wander in and get 'er done" variety. Don't do that.

That being said, how do you decide on a picture that you want on your body FOREVER (for the most part). I've always been curious to get a nice tatoo, but I just can't think of anything I want on my skin permanently.
 
Definately try Google images. I would also recommend a trip to your local library. You might need to go to a University Library, but you should be able to find books on Buddhism. I would also recommend searching for Tibetan and Nepalese art. Nepal has a very rich Buddhist history.



I agree with everyone else. Find a artist that other people recommend. Make sure you like the work they have done. And, make sure you feel good in the place (i.e. it's clean).



It took me quite awhile to research and design my tattoo. I ended up getting my birthday in Mayan hieroglyphs. It is something that is personal and unique (exactly what I think a tattoo should be). I'm in the process of designing my next tattoo (I like to take my time).



Good luck and post some pics when you finally get it done.
 
Thanks for all the help. I'll check out google and research the different arts. My wife and I have been wanting one for some time so it's definitely been a process. I can't even buy a pair of sneakers without spending at least a week researching it. Picking a picture/designing one will probably take me at least another month.



Everyone I know who has a tattoo has always referred me to the same place. They all said that he charges a little more but he's worth it. I don't mind spending the money for something that will be on my body for the rest of my life. On with the search...
 
I spent alot of time in the library and art galleries looking for ideas and pictures, plus the internet is full of places that have pictures. But two of my tattoo's came from ideas I got in the most unlikely places. 1 from a greeting card found in a truck stop and 1 from a ad in some junk mail, but the designs just happened to be exactly what I was looking for. You just never know where you will find the perfect design, so keep an open mind and always be on the lookout for designs.

There are several top notch tattoo studios that have thier own website, just doo a google search for "tattoo". The high quality studios have sections giving advice on what to ask an artist and what to look for as far as cleanliness and sterilization eqipment. Also provide advice on what to do prior to getting a tattoo and after, and after care is extremely important if you want your tattoo to stay looking good for a long time.

It takes research and some time to find a quality artist and the design you want, but in the end, the time spent looking is worth it. If you see a tattoo on someone that looks great, ask them about it and who did it. Most people are proud of thier artwork and are glad to discuss it. Also if you see a tattoo that looks terrible, politely ask the person who the artist was who did it (that way you will know who to stay away from) I have done that myself, pretended to be interested in a tattoo to find out the artist, and made sure to remember who it was so I could avoid that artist in the future.

Good luck and have fun.
 
bluemoon said:
Also if you see a tattoo that looks terrible, politely ask the person who the artist was who did it (that way you will know who to stay away from) I have done that myself, pretended to be interested in a tattoo to find out the artist, and made sure to remember who it was so I could avoid that artist in the future.

Good luck and have fun.
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That's a really good strategy. I'd have never thought of it.
 
I found both artists I've used by word of mouth. Just talking to people whose tattoos I liked, asking about the person who did them, etc... Otherwsie all the info you've gotten here pretty much covers it. I definitely do not regret getting mine.
 
longtimegone said:
Questiom - how much do tatoos actually hurt? because i've always sorta wanted one but my pain threshold is, like, *nothing*.
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How much a tattoo hurts really depends on several factors. What you are getting and where you get it are 2 important factors. Also differant people seem to feel pain differantly if differant parts of thier body. For me it starts out feeling like a cat is constantly scratching you, and after a while it just burns. The intensity of those feelings for me was lowest in the fleshy parts of my body and more intense in areas that were close to bone and muscle. (A friend of mine is just the opposite and my wife slept through hers). Also for me a tattoo that requires alot of fine line work is more painfull than a tattoo that is mostly shading in. I don't consider myself to have a high threshold to pain and in fact a few friends of mine seem to handle the pain better than I do, and I have sat through tattoo's ranging from 1.5 to 2.5 hours ( I was awfully glad when the 2.5 hour one was finished, it was all fine line on my shoulder blade) and have come back for more.
 
I've also heard that the further away the tattoo is from your waist, the more it hurts. Could be because there is less "cushioning" on the extremeties.
 
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