To tattoo or not a sly thing?

[Rusty Shackleford]

Claiming that tattoos are outside the norm...Hum... it's like you're trying to tell me that most people have three legs.  I'm not really sure how to react to that one because I don't want to come across implying that you are lying.  I'm sure that's your honest experience, but it's seems so bizarre:  I mean, the tribal armband tattoo alone has become so ubiquitous that it's actually mocked in mainstream advertising outlets.

I also live in a warm climate so people are generally more exposed than in colder climates and seeing tattoos on arms or legs is just about as common as seeing a scar or mole.  But even when I lived in another part of the country they were still widespread. 

You said that you're at least 47.  I'm 35, so maybe you're at the end of the anti-tattoo generation and I'm at the beginning?  It did seem to explode in popularity around the time I turned 18, but even that doesn't make total sense to me because one of the reasons I'd never get one was due to the abundance of green blurry things that used to be tattoos that I saw on the forearms of middle aged men when I was working retail after highschool.

 

[aarrggh]

          Tattoos are popular in Minnesota........ Most everyone i know and bump into has one........
       Of coarse earrings are popular too --but thats not my gig.........

[TheSlyKang]

I jumped on this thread late so Jason...... did you get the tattoo?
I can relate to your situation. My dad is a Baptist minister and I grew up the the Bible belt. I was in the Air Force for several years right out of high school and always wanted a tattoo. But when I went to different tattoo shops, I never saw anything that I would want on my skin for the rest of my life. I ended up waiting until my 36th birthday to get one. By that time I had two kids and had designed my own tat with their names. I just turned 40 and had my tat "enhanced" recently to add my 3rd (and last) child's name. It has meaning to me because I actually designed it, it contains my first initial, my wife's first initial, and each of my three kids' names. No one else will have one just like it. I did get it high on my arm so that it's easily covered with a t-shirt.
I showed the tat to my parents the day I got it so they wouldn't hear through the grapevine. The took it well. My dad even joked that he might go get the five grandkids names tattooed on his arm. I say give it lots of thought and then do what you decide is right for YOU.

[bubbadave3]

I dont know what I want to get but I want to get one.

A recipe for disaster if you ask me. Wait until you know what you want. Then wait. If you still want it, then go get it.

BootedBear, I'm totally with you on this one.  When I got my 1st tat, it was after a long time of continuously going back and forth to the shop where I was going to get it done.  I'd asked them all kinds of questions about their sterilization techniques.  I also picked out the design, and kept going back and forth, looking at the design many, many times before I finally decided to go with it.  I look at it this way:  a tat will be with you for a long time, so it needs to be something that you will enjoy looking at for a long, long time.  Ultimately, I have two tats that I've had for a number of years now, and have never had any regrets about having gotten them done.

[Mike]

For some reason I have been wanting another tattoo lately but am not 100% sure of what yet. I know I want some sort of Gallus species, thinking maybe a Lophura pheasant or even a proud looking American game rooster. Chickens have always been a part of my life, thats why I want one. Lophura pheasants have a meaning behind them, they will die protecting their family, are agressive and strange to some but very trusting and kind with others. Then I thought about getting a dunlaced wyandotte because I created that color but it wouldnt look that cool and if it got done wrong I would be ticked since I perfected them and would need the tattoo to show that.
 For the rooster I already have a few pics picked out that I want to pull this from this one and that from another to make the perfect one. The only thing I cant think of is placement. A friend suggested on my chest or back but I just dont know where.

[Razor X]

Claiming that tattoos are outside the norm...Hum... it's like you're trying to tell me that most people have three legs.  I'm not really sure how to react to that one because I don't want to come across implying that you are lying.  I'm sure that's your honest experience, but it's seems so bizarre:  I mean, the tribal armband tattoo alone has become so ubiquitous that it's actually mocked in mainstream advertising outlets.
 

I imagine that in some respects, tattoos are a lot like shaved heads; a lot more people have them these days, but most people do not.  As common as shaved heads have become, I still find pretty often that I'm the only shaved guy in a room, or one of a handful in a large crowd.  The only place where I feel like I'm possibly part of the majority is the gym.

[Kratos]

Shave heads and tattoos go together like Pb % j. I just completed my first half sleeve and will get another within the next couple of months, I cannot wait.

[Hook'Em]

post up a pic Peter

[Kratos]

The angel is symbolic of my grandmother who is standing on a grassy plain. The tree in the background has her initials carved in the bark along with the tree reflecting off the water in the lake area. The back piece is another severed tree branch with a stone topped with a rose.

[Kratos]

I had a nice chunk in the back missing in the first pic, it was the 4th of 5 seatings...but here we are

[Hook'Em]

That's some nice work their Peter.

[ozzie]

The angel is symbolic of my grandmother who is standing on a grassy plain. The tree in the background has her initials carved in the bark along with the tree reflecting off the water in the lake area. The back piece is another severed tree branch with a stone topped with a rose.

NICE ink, mate! 

[Kratos]

Thanks a lot guys, means a lot to me!

[BaldBear]

WOW, nice work. It almost looks like the angel is standing on top of someone with a flat top type haircut, and that swirl represents his ear. Maybe an homage to your "Pre-Sly" days?

[Kratos]

WOW, nice work. It almost looks like the angel is standing on top of someone with a flat top type haircut, and that swirl represents his ear. Maybe an homage to your "Pre-Sly" days?

  Thats good stuff BaldBear, I see exactly what you mean.