Your First Tattoo

[jasonfieber]

My first tattoo was a tribal around my right arm, with a ying yang in the middle to depict my inner opposites...got it at 18.  I have since gotten shoulder pieces, and most of my back is covered with a giant guardian angel backpiece. I have 10 tattoos.

[GASlick]

My first tattoo is a small medical caduceus on my left arm.  I got it when I graduated x-ray school.  I have my first initial and my wifes first initial with a vine running through them on my right chest.

My third is a cross on my right arm.  That is my favorite and biggest.  It has a tribal thorn design behind it.  I told the artist what I wanted and he free handed the thorns.  I found the cross on the internet and he tweaked the shading and stuff to really make it stand out.

It has a lot of symbolism to me the way it is layed out.

[Jim80]

my 1st tattoo is a silhoutte of a lion head with a saw blade around it. i have it btwn my shoulder blades. I plan on getting a 2nd one here soon, I wanna get an armband just not sure of the exact design, My wife and I are expecting our 1st child this May so I might get their intials incorporated in the armband, but not sure.

[Mikekoz13]

I got my first tattoo last August. It is a half sleeve that is on my upper right arm. It is an Angel reaching down to help pull a man from a pit (his own personal Hell) where many arms (his demons) are trying to pull him back in. The man is me (and yes he is SLY!) and the tattoo represents the bad things/times in my life and me eventually getting out of those times. Simply put..... it's about personal Salvation.

        I wanted a tattoo for about 20 years but could just never figure out what I wanted. Once I came up with the idea, I researched some tattoo artists, chose the one that was right for me, and had her draw up the tattoo based on my idea. i gave her my idea and total artistic control.

       So at 47 years old I got my first tattoo and I love it.


                                     Tattoos and being SLY........ two things most people just don't get...... and i like it that way.....


                                                               Mike

[JMMARICH]

Got my first one in 2000 outside Ft. Leonardwood. Simple USMC and an EGA on my upper left arm. It looked horrible lol. Took me a few years to realize JUST how bad it was. Got that one reworked in North Carolina outside Camp Lejeune in 2001 and it looks 1000x's better. Added some thorns around my arm in the process.

Got my second one last year at a good spot here in Birmingham. Its the American flag with USMC above it, and USN below it. My grandfather died from cancer a year prior and was in the Navy in WW2. We gave each other a hard time about our respective branches, and he was truely the best guy I have ever known. Its on my lower left leg and EVERYONE was shocked at how big it was when I came in with it. I wondered what I thought about always being able to see it, but I like it 1000000000 times better than the one noone ever sees.

--Josh

[xnewyawka]

That's great, JM, nice tribute to your Granddad.
And yes, I agree, tattoo's are meant to be seen.   

[foodfor4]

My first (and so far only tattoo) is of a skeleton that I got on the back of my shoulder. I got it just before my last year of high school. It is all black. I really like it and think it looks bad ass, but cute at the same time.

[bubbadave3]

I have 2 tats.  My first tat was a 3/4 Celtic braid on my L bicep.  After having gone to Maui a few years ago, I saw beige geckos all over the place.  I would have gotten a gecko tat done while we were in Maui, but I got a sunburn the day before we were supposed to leave.  Ultimately, I got a green gecko on my R bicep.

[SlyHigh]

A small cross above my inner right ankle.

I've since added a celtic band around that cross, a large cross on my back left shoulder, and an alpha-omega symbol on my right shoulder.

They are addictive, and I'd have more if my wife would let me.

[BaldBradley]

@xnewyawka- I agree, don't get a tattoo where no one will see it, especially if its something meaningful.

I got a mistake tattooed on my arm.


(you can see most of it)

I liked the logo of a clothing company and the co-owners had the logo tattooed on their arms and I asked randomly if it would be cool for me to get it done aswell. Long story short I got $200 worth of clothing (a sweatshirt and like six shirts) from the company for a $100 tattoo. Their products are so overpriced :c(

The company by the way is Kiaeneto, they are a clothing company aimed towards the gaming community. One of the owners is Dave "Walshy" Walsh who is one of the best xbox gamers around, he is a pro with Major League Gaming. Honestly I was a big fan of MLG and Dave, but I've moved on and regret getting the tattoo.

The tattoo artist must have been on drugs to have done as bad of job as she did. She couldn't keep the inner ovals the same size, she did a terrible job mixing the color, and she couldn't even stay in the lines. I contacted the artist on MySpace about a month after I got the tattoo asking if she could do a touch up on the tattoo and she told me the shop closed. Two and a half years later its still open, I wouldn't trust that place even with a touch up.

There is a picture of my grandpa hanging up in the family room and I would love to get it as a cover up. I will probably never have an extra $250 (give or take) lying around though. I thought it would be cool to suprise my grandma with the tattoo.

[Arnie]

Got my first tat in 1997 at Golf Tattoo, Pattaya Beach, Thailand...a wizard on my right arm to show my dedication to magic(thought I was going to get out of the Navy and be a magician).  Got it for a pair of Ray-Bans...since then I've added at least one more tat for every deployment I've been on.  I'm up to ten or so now.

[luky7evens]

My first tattoo is on my upper left shoulder, it is of a dragon.
I got it with my mom.
My second one I got with my sister.
My next with my dad.
the next with my best friend.
now i have run out of money for tattoos lol.

[xnewyawka]

Now I have run out of money for tattoos lol.

I totally get this one luky7evens. It does get to be addicting. I have been wanting to get some new ink myself. I would also like add to and refresh my older work. It's just not in the cards right now. Hopefully I can find an artist who is both skilled and affordable. 

[Bolohead]

I just got my tribal makau (Fish Hook) between my shoulder blades, now I'm looking at a tribal right and left to each side with maybe a honu in there as well.

[Slynito]

My first was after boot camp a "USMC" on my right arm. I had it covered with an eagle on a shield after I got pissed at the Corps. Years later I got a very cool "Yin Yang" and Dragon in several colors on my left shoulder. ...correct, they are addictive.