Thinking about getting a tattoo

[dog20]

I was only teasing about Betty Boop

lies

[The Zook]

Price varies, and so does the pain.

Tattoos are great, I have a number of them myself. The more exposure the area gets and the fattier the tissue is, the least likely it will 'hurt'. All tattoos 'hurt' to some degree or another, but the pain is much more tolerable in areas that are used to being stressed (sunburnt, scraped, etc).

The upper arm in general is pretty safe for pain until you get around to the back side of it, then it gets pretty tender.

Remember also, sometimes the cheapest tattoo quote isn't necessarily the place to go... ask people in your area who have tattoos where they went, look at the tat and judge for yourself.

My latest (just done this past Saturday).

I had my kids' names tattood inside a flame on my elbow.

[Ryan]

I was only teasing about Betty Boop

lies

He probably already has it and just doesn't want to come clean...

[GASlick]

That's really cool Lucky.  My armband is going to incorporate my kids' names.  She has done the art and it looks great.
Can't wait to get it on me though.

[Vash]

it will be a collaborative effort regardless.  Might as well let someone with more experience in tattooing have a little more say in it.

Indeed. A quality artist will also be able to help with body placement. You want a tattoo that suits the musculature of the body part you are tattooing. Some designs will move weird or not lay quite right in certain areas when your muscles flex and stretch. There's a lot that goes into a quality tattoo besides the actual design itself.

A heavy handed artist can leave you with scars under your ink. Someone who doesn't trim his needles enough can go too deep and cause raised areas. etc, etc, etc...

Experience helps, but can hurt too. I had my inner forearms done by a guy with a wall full of trophies, medals and magazine articles. Over 30 years in the business. Trouble is that for all his experience, at 56 years old, his body was starting to betray him. His hands shook a bit while working, I got needle burns, His dug too deep and I had a bitch of a healing process. Couldn't makes fists for 3 days, missed a day of work over it and have scar tissue under those tattoos.

I relied entirely on the pictures on the walls, his sterling reputation and experience. These were among my first tattoos and they were my worst. They looked terrible for years, until  I found my current artist and he salvaged them into what i wanted them to be in the first place.

Lesson learned. 

[Timmay]

I was only teasing about Betty Boop

lies

He probably already has it and just doesn't want to come clean...

Shhhhh...you guys....i swear....you cant just keep anything to yourself can ya?  Nah...always gotta blurt it out.  LOL

[Mikekoz13]

I cut and pasted this response that I gave in a thread a while back:

My advice for your first tattoo......

Take your time and find a GOOD artist. Make an appointment to go talk to the artist. See if you have a good feeling about both the artist and the studio. If you don't, go somewhere else. When you are in the studio, look around carefully. Look for dirt in the corners or any other signs of the place not being clean. Ask to see both the autoclave and the certificate that shows that it's certification is up to date.

Price should never be your FIRST concern. Never have truer words than "You get what you pay for" been uttered. Cost is a concern for most people but it should never be your first concern.

Think long and hard and BE SURE of your design. If you are going to have strictly "text" done you will most likely not get the best artist in the studio but more than likely an under study. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, just something to be aware of. Good artists that I've met don't care to do strictly text but don't mind it as part of a more involved tattoo.

When you go to get your tattoo....... bathe just before you go. You're going to be in very close proximity to the artist and they will appreciate it. My artist even commented on the fact that I smelled clean the first time she tattooed me.
Wear a sleevless shirt (if getting your shoulder tattooed) or a shirt that is easily removable. Don't wear your best shirt because there's a good chance you may bleed onto it.

And after you get your tattoo....... TIP THE ARTIST. Most people don't realize that this is good protocol but believe me the artists really apreciate it. They will remember and do touch ups ,etc. for little or no charge if you treat them well. 15% or so will make your artist very happy.

[OneOfTheFew]

I'll tell you what...

so far <---- I have one on each arm, 1/2 my back and currently working on my lower right leg from knee to ankle. With over 24 hours in the chair,my back(spine) has been the most pain, followed by the lower part of my shin , down near the foot. Both have been tremendously painful. nothing unbearable but not fun.
but one thing is for sure,that whole bonier = more pain thing just isn't the truth, cause the back of my calf stung like a SOB, and I have heard that the ass hurts an aweful lot too.



If you can imagine what a red hot fire poker dragging across your hands and then slowly shoved under your finger nails feels like... tattoos feel nothing like that.

The pain is NOT the same for each person.

to some bee stings are nothing more than a pinch to other its eccrutiating (sp?) pain.
the same with tattoos.

 Just suck it up, if it didn't hurt everybody would have one.


The price would likely be around $250 or so, the average artist charges around $125 an hour and a 3~5" tattoo should take around ~ 2 hours tops. But by all means DO NOT LET PRICE BE A DECIDING FACTOR. look through the artists' portfolio and then decide if the work looks good to you or not.




OH YA, I ALMOST FORGOT ---- LET US SEE PHOTOS WHEN ITS COMPLETE.

[StumpyDave]

I've got a tiger on my right shoulder because my first son was born in the Chinese year of the Tiger.
I've got a dragon on my left shoulder because my second son was born in the Chinese year of the Dragon.
My daughter was born in the year of the horse.  I haven't been able to find a macho image of a horse that I liked, but I've got a cute ass.
My wife was born in the year of the rooster.  I refuse to be drawn into any jokes regarding a c0ck!

[dog20]

I may get an animal on my neck so people will think I'm tough

[marty22]

panther here and an eagle and my name.

[Timmay]

I have a snake...but its not a tattoo lol

[PeripheralxMvmnt]

[img width= height=]http://a672.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/33/l_ca5f2237312e2cb8fd59cd38642c2fbf.jpg[/img]

This is one of three pieces (St Michael, Based on Guido Reni's painting in Capucins' Church in Rome http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Guido_Reni_031.jpg) and the worst parts about this one was the spot near the elbow and at the very top near my shoulder. Tattoos hurt, no getting around it. But some spots are more tolerable than others. And no doubt you get what you pay for. You pay cheap, you get cheap. Just remember the A&D ointment and plastic wrap!

[Brkeatr]

I may get an animal on my neck so people will think I'm tough

Hey Dog.....with that tattoo on your neck and your new grill....you'll look like a lean mean fightin machine....

[cooncatbob]

I may get an animal on my neck so people will think I'm tough

That's not a good reason to get a Tat.
Somebody might want to see how tough you are.
Better to look mild on the outside and be a Badass then to look tough and be a marshmallow.