Tattoos...your thoughts?
 

Myself and a friend were having this discussion and realized that this a topic that gets varying opinions quite often....Personally, I'm not a fan of them. I don't care for them....my friend recently got one lol.

So, what are your thoughts? Love them, like them, indifferent, dislike?

-Will

I have five tattoos and seven piercings... but I think I'm done. I ran out of inconspicuous places to put them all :p

I don't mind them, if they are tasteful, which I do realize is a matter of perspective. I don't think they look all that great when a person is completely covered in them. I'm actually thinking about getting one eventually.

I love them, and encourage people to have them done if there is meaning behind it, not just on a whim, or because they like the design.

I have 6 tats and Im not done yet...so I guess that means I love them.

I love to see some really well done ones, not some crap thrown on your body (ie the ozzy across the knuckles that was popular when i was in high school lol)

I think they're boss, but coming to a decision that you'll be okay with for the rest of your life (or until you have a big burn mark) is tough.

I enjoy tattoos. Tasteful ones placed carefully, at least. I really enjoy full and half-sleeves, and I've seen a lot of well-placed, well-done, meaningful tattoos that I really admired. I've also seen a lot of poorly-placed, poorly-done, distasteful tattoos as well.

I still don't have one myself, but I've finally got a design in mind that I can actually SEE instead of just having an idea I can't express. Thanks, I'm going to go email the artist I want now. ;)

I wouldn't mind getting a tattoo... but I can't think of anything that I want to put on my body that I know I'll still want 10 years from now.

love em, love em, love em. I have three myself and they all have meaning or tell a story from a chapter in my life. I prolly wont get any more tho because I don't want to be that woman who is covered in tats! No disrespect to women who are covered, my hat is off to you, your confidence is inspiring.

I will say that while I love tats some people just go over board....I honestly cant stand looking at Kat Von D (from L.A. Ink) because she has turned her body into a graffiti board (anyone who watches the show knows she lets people tattoo what they want where they want on her sometimes) and its disgusting to look at

Not my thing. I've seen too many, years later.

It ain't pretty.

Have em, love em, want more.. many many more.

Kat Von D is a babe. Sure she's a bit overboard.. but damn..

I think I would like one, something small, but it is a no-no for Jews (outside of holocaust numbers where it wasn't optional), so can not.

oh Im not at all saying she's not hot....she is....but what she's done to her body is a shame

I'm not that into them, but I think one or two smallish, unobtrusive tats is probably fine. My ex had a small flower which was actually a dragon swallowing its own tail, very stylized and discreet above her ankle. Not bad. And I have a good friend who's a druid, who has a small Celtic knot between his shoulders, and a line of ogham wrapped around his upper arm, spelling out an invocation to his favorite gods. Neither looks at all bad.

On the other hand, I think big-ass tattoos, or having a zillion of them, and any facial tattoos, are all really unappealing. And for God's sake, if you're gonna get a tattoo, have the common sense for it to be something artistic and timeless. One of the first guys I knew to get one, in high school, got the Def Leppard "Pyromania" cover done big on his bicep, and I thought it was the stupidest thing I'd ever seen him do, which was saying something.

I'm pretty sure the first three rules of tattooing ought to be: no band names or album covers, no names of people you're shagging, no pop-culture catchphrases or political statements.

Comon, levite, I know you want one of these:
http://blog.case.edu/zachary.rubin/2...8/doz0214p.jpg

I like big, solid black tattoos in places not prone to stretching out.

My tattoos will look roughly the same 75 years from now.

I think all you need is a good strong conviction, bro.

If you want a PacMan tat on your scrotum? Go for it.

I love em, I haven't been able to commit to something yet because while I'd love to have one custom designed for me (I'm thinking like a fallout style gas mask with the number 127 emblazoned on it) I dont know anyone talented enough to draw it in a way that would look good as a tattoo

(reference: http://www.fantom-xp.com/wallpapers/...ut_Tactics.jpg )

127 is the maximum value of a midi signal
that art style is so steampunk industrial tech and has always appealed to me.
it's like merging technology with mankind.

yeah, anyways, nuff outta me.

Actually, I'd hate to have to break it to the brother who got that eye-catching little piece of body art, but technically, Jewish Law says that we're not supposed to get tattooed. According to Jewish Law, you don't own your body, God does: you're supposed to return in to the earth out of which it was made as close to unmarked by permanent defacement as possible. So that means no tattooing, no deliberate scarring or burning, and not too much piercing for jewelry.

If you ever wondered why you never saw that many rabbis with ink, or couldn't figure out why that Hasid you just passed wasn't running right out to get a Prince Albert...now you know....

...which is exactly why I posted it! It'd be like seeing a tattoo of Joseph Smith or the tablets on a Mormon's arm.

And for the ones that didn't already know...


Yes, that is my back.

Hey Levite, one of my Jewish friends has his name tattooed across his back in Hebrew. He always says that whenever he dies they'll just cut it off before placing him in a Jewish cemetery. Perhaps you should give that star a second thought.

I've got 2 tattoos that I'm really proud of because I put over a year into deciding exactly what I wanted and where I wanted it. The stigmas aren't nearly as rigid as they used to be so if you find something that you think you can commit to - why not?

In a few weeks I'll have something based upon this covering the upper half of my left arm:

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/...RL._AA240_.jpg

(not all album covers are stupid)

Sorry, dude. Your friend's right, they will do that, but it's still kinda bending the rules to the breaking point. And I personally prefer to be strict about stuff like body art, and instead do my rule-bending with stuff like interpreting the rules of kashrut (dietary restrictions) a little flexibly, or, you know, being a little flexible about all the sex I like to have....

Just a question of priorities, you know?

Kat Von D ... tks for the info. Janine Lindemulder ... hmmm ...now to convince my wife...lol...not really. Tatts are a personal thing, but I am thinking about temps for valentines day for her!!! Me ... a pissed off looking Donald Duck coz it suited the time ...and as for the 'when u get old' thing ... forget about it...something to tell the grandkids

I agree with Manic, when the time and effort are put into the decision, then it's well worth it. People will respect a great piece of work, not so much for spontaneous or questionable ones.

So does being inked mean that when I go I won't be able to get my deposit back?

Also, the above makes my views clear. If you want one (or more) and have a design that you know will work for you, go for it.

You know, I never cared much for them for the longest time. I could appreciate other peoples', and that was fine, but I could never imagine putting one on myself, and anytime lurkette mentioned getting a tattoo, I was sort of against it.

Then I found this:

http://www.thekua.com/rant/wp-conten.../12/WuWei1.jpg

I know, I know, everybody's got chinese on them. I know.

That pair of symbols is "wu wei". After the notion of the Tao itself, wu-wei is probably the second most central concept of Taoism. Literally it translates to "no-action", and it expresses a way of being at one with one's surroundings and allowing one's actions to be given by and expressions of that oneness.

I'm not a Taoist exactly, but it's probably as close to what I'm working to create myself as as anything else commonly practiced by any world culture. And wu-wei is as close to what I'm out to bring myself into the world as as anything else I've ever seen.

Okay, now that's classy. This is what I meant by one timeless thing. Not just visually pleasing, but excellent meaning, and something deeply important to you.

Yeah, that's awesome, dude. More power to you.

How about this?
http://z.about.com/d/tattoo/1/0/q/1/aodtat2.jpg
This is classy.

Hail to the king, baby.

Subtle. Although it might have saved ink and room to just get tattooed with a label reading, WARNING: Small Penis.

Wait, so having a tattoo of Bruce Campbell as Ash Williams is shorthand for 'I have a small penis?'

Well, crap, that's my next design out the window.

Seriously, levite is the first TFPer to make me cry.

I never wanted any tatoos myself. As far as other, to each their own.
Piercings are another matter. I love piercings.

excellent detail. how many tattooists can do that though? thats what I worry about when it comes to getting one.

if done badly it'll be 2 stick figures fucking off.

I used to love mine. I still love most of mine.
Just remember, no matter how much fun you had and how you never want to forget a trip of a lifetime, the Swedish flag is really, really hard to find a cover-up design for. Especially on your spine.

Funny, I love watching London Ink so much more because the focus is on the art when it comes to the tattoos. I trashed my last effort at designing a coverup. I don't know what to do, now.

It would be good to get the opinion of a native Chinese speaker, but that looks like 無為, which is Japanese for idleness/inactivity (possibly with the same Taoist implications as the Chinese you mention). I did a search and found that the traditional Chinese characters for wu wei are 無爲, slightly different. Either would probably be understandable, but it always helps to fact check before taking the plunge :)

Dave had a chinese symbol he wanted, but it seemed that when we researched we could never settle on the correct one....hehehehe so he went to China and got it done there to make sure to get the right one

Don't see the point.

They fade, they don't make you look better, and they make you unique in that non-conformist conformist sort of way.

I don't have a problem with people who want to do it, or think less of them, but I don't think its the best decision you can make.

A good friend of mine had a small tattoo over her right breast in college done. Now in her later 30's you are lucky to tell its not a bruise.

For me, a tattoo needs to have some significance. I'm definitely planning on properly representing my home city with a completely unjustified nod to sailboating, minus the text.
http://img229.imageshack.us/img229/2...tylogo1rw4.gif

When i want to not be a social smoker i think about getting a no smoking sign on me somewhere.

Also, my daughter's name in symbol form is always on the list too.

:lol:

"Excuse me sir, but look at my forearm. This is a no-smoking area. Please take your cigarette away from me."

That'll get you beat up pretty quickly...

:lol:

But seriously, it's only a matter of time before everywhere is a nonsmoking area. :paranoid:

Yeah......just be sure you have really reasearched the correct stroke of the brush.....this could easily translate to Beef and Broccoli!!!



Well she had a bad artist.......which is another point, if your serious about getting one and you have put serious thought into the design and placement then you should devout just as much time to finding the right artist.

I love them. A guy with full sleeves in insanely hot, same with ladies. I am planning on getting one on the back of my neck soon... but I'm still saving up.

thanks for the responses, good to get all the different thoughts on the topic :)...I guess I agree with some....I just can't think of anything that I know I'll be happy with years down the road, but one with sentimental meaning would be different...

-Will

I've got three ideas, none yet realized, and it's been ten years (and counting) since I came up with the idea for the first one. :(

The flip side is that I've decided to make the first one I get a reward for reaching one or two now-significant goals in my life. You can tell it's working fabulously, because I'm no closer to getting it now than I was a year ago. Ha.

I find tattoos marginally less ugly than scabs or open sores. Even if the design itself is aesthetically pleasing, it's out of place on a human body. Kind of like a nice pair of tits is are beautiful by themselves, or on a woman, but if they're man-boobs they suddenly become ugly.

I am a big fan of tattoos, always have been. I ended up getting my first this fall and I'm currently debating my next one. I'm having trouble pinning down a location and a design but it will either be on my thigh or my back and be something pulled from Buddhist scriptures. I'm lucky enough to currently be in a place that's somewhat of a hot spot for tattoo culture so I didn't have a problem finding a good artist.

Here I see a lot of really nice tattoos all the time but in most places I have to say that the majority of tattoos I see are no good. A woman that I met recently started telling me about her tattoos and it sounded like she had one for most of the guys she dated and she was trying to figure out how to cover them. Not smart if you ask me.

As for people looking for artists or something similar, the best way to find a good artist is to ask people who you see with great tattoos and go from there.

Miami Ink, LA Ink, and probably whatever other shows they might have suck. The difference between them and the top two places around here is that ours cost half as much and the artists haven't had a chance to let fame go to their heads. Yes, body art is a profession that allows you to make money, but when it becomes all about the money and fame rather than the art, I call it selling out.
Someone didn't get the memo (click for big)
http://content.imagesocket.com/thumb...244e4e90f5.gif
And that wasn't even a good Judas Priest album

And now I'm going to get up on my soapbox about terrible tattoos. I'm almost 100% sure that none of these belong to TFP members; if they do, sorry, but you deserve my ridicule and I will invite you to critique or make fun of any future piercings and/or tattoos if and when I get them.


Panther with elephantitis
http://content.imagesocket.com/images/IMG_2198d8b.jpg

Proofread your famous quotes before getting them permanently drawn on your skin.
http://content.imagesocket.com/image...4d22ee799f.jpg

Maybe he just plain forgot the fact that the dead man's hand is always four black cards and not a mix of black and red.
http://content.imagesocket.com/image...f180844944.jpg

Fortunately for him, the inside of the lip constantly rubs on the teeth, wearing these tattoos down to a faint purple blob over a period of about ten years.
http://content.imagesocket.com/thumbs/supf59.jpg

I've mentioned how much I hate Ayn Rand, right? Fortunately for this guy, 99% of the people who will even recognize this are probably objectivists who share his whacked-out philosophical views.
http://content.imagesocket.com/image...ooSmalle9c.jpg

Sometimes, on rare occasions, tattoos are so utterly stupid that they come around full circle back to awesome. These are two of them.
http://content.imagesocket.com/thumbs/burgerarm211.jpg
http://content.imagesocket.com/image...op_lol265f.jpg

To be fair, new inks and needles are enough better that the fading is prolonged past middle age if you give it proper care when it's fresh.

HAHAHAHA, NEVER FORGET!!! That's a truly awesome tattoo.

I don't really see the point of a tattoo on the inside of the lip, seems like a waste to me.

Also, I think many people get enough tattoos where it doesn't really matter what you add to it anymore. For instance, Kat Von D is pretty much covered at this point, so I don't think it really changes much to add a couple just for fun. Besides, you've gotta run out of ideas for great tattoos at some point.

And in all fairness the people on Miami Ink are pretty good artists, and they have their own styles which you don't see in the majority of tattoo artists IMO. That said, I'm not going to pay to fly to miami just to pay twice as much to get inked when I have some really good artists here to choose from.

As an artist, I have drawn tats for others, but like many here, I can't think of amything I'd be really happy with for life. Hell, I can't even think of a design I want to carve into an artificial pumpkin to have year after year, much less a tattoo.

Besides, when I do something I usually jump in with both feet. If I do get inked, it would be a mid-life crisis thing and I'd probably do a 3/4 back design. Something Irish, like some really intricate celtic interlace.

I love tattoos. I have always wanted one and two years ago I got my first one. Now I have 6; and I'm not done yet. I have this thing with "making things mine." I draw on stuff, add stickers, and personalize everything. I think that's one of the reasons that I love tattoos. I even like getting them, but then again I haven't had a truly painful one yet. Some people say that "your body is a temple;" I say that God made my body perfect and I am making it beautiful.

Edit: 4 of my 6 tattoos mean something to me. They are things that represent times of my life, things that (because they are fairly new) that I believe. When I get 80 I'll be able to look back on the tattoos that I have designed and remember more than just my life, but also my frame of mind. These tattoos are memories of things that I can't really take pictures of - things that I want something as simple as a picture to represent.

They are also fun conversational pieces. Smile.

My attitude toward tattoos is a simple one: I don't like them. I have seen some really cool ones, and even then I had a voice in the back of my head going "glad that ain't on me."

My wife has one, and I'm fine with it. It's in a place where it's not very obvious. I am glad she doesn't have piercings though.

I try very hard not to make hasty judgments when I see people with tattoos and piercings, but for whatever reason, it's not always easy. Maybe if I were 10 years younger, this would be a non-issue. But for some reason, when I see someone with a lot of obvious tattoos, it seems like a statement about a lifestyle choice. I'm not clear on why I see it that way.

This is just my opinion, but that's exactly what it is for many people. I think the same thing goes for people with many obvious piercings or anything else that's part of an alternative lifestyle.

Dont mind them one bit. One or a sleeve, its self expression and i truly appreciate that.

That being said. I love my tattoo. Its symbolic and filled with great memories.

I don't see the point of them personally.

And i reckon that young women getting lower back tattoos seems a bit sheeplike, no matter how sexy they look.

Personally, I hate that lower back tattoos are now a bad thing, yes many women get tattoos there for the wrong reasons but many women and men get tattoos everywhere for the wrong reasons.

The lower back is anatomically (if that's a word) the best place on a woman's body for a tattoo. It's least likely to change over time and many designs just wouldn't work well anywhere else.

/rant

everyone i know seems to think that lower back tats are "tramp stamps." which is just silly. I'm not a tramp and my next tat will be on my lower back.

and it is a great place to put a tat - not only because of the chances of it changing, but it's a nice, smooth (meaning shoulder blade free), large spot.

I love tattoos. Not all of them of course, they have to be well done.
I think they can be really sexy.
I have one myself and it was really hard to decide what to get. I want another but again... very hard for me to decide and I won't just pick one off the wall. It has to be at least partly my idea and then designed by the tattoo artist so its an original piece of art.

The one thing i can't stand is the old standby hatred that goes "you're gonna regret that when you're 60". WTF is that supposed to mean? Does anyone really think about that statement? When i'm old and gray I'm going to have a lot more to worry about than any tattoos and more than likely I will be showing a lot less skin... even being a guy. Plus I think it says something about how you lived your life.

Yeah i want a real tattoo.

ive got 2 piece of shit tattoos i regret.

One is an Operation Ivy tattoo on the inner part of my thigh on my left leg. I did it with a safety pin wrapped in string.

the other in an anarchy symbol on the back of my right arm, done with a guitar string. (i was 12, what do yah want)

I dont know, it might seem childish or awkward, but i would like invader zim on me somewhere. but who knows, that idea will probably fade.

damn i need an idea.

I like tattoos. On other people. I don't know if I'd ever get one.

But if I did, it would go a little somethin' like this:
http://cdnll.img1.imagechef.com/w/08...c40de56f41.jpg

Or:
http://cdnll.img1.imagechef.com/w/08...a06ed05ec9.jpg

I was never interested in tattoos, even during my teenage years. But suddenly this year, while in my early forties, I feel like doing just about every crazy thing I can to my body just to rid myself of the vestiges of my incredibly boring life.

And I'm not talking about getting a small patch of ink in an inconspicuous part of my body. Instead, I'm thinking of getting some Haida art applied on the sides and along the spine of my body, from my neck to my feet, pretty much where there's no excessive amount of body hair (that rules out my entire chest).

Here's an example of the style I'm considering, this one found at http://www.steve-a.co.uk.
http://www.steve-a.co.uk/main/images/neill2.jpg
If you do a Google search for "Haida tattoo", you'll find many more examples. They're all single tone, solid colour, and highly spiritual drawings inspired by art from the Haida Nation.

Of course, I'll start with a single drawing as a test to make sure I have no allergic reactions to the ink. Afterwards, I'll start adding more of them, all following straight lines along the length of my body, each one working together to tell a mythical story.

When it's all done, the animal figures on my body will become my guardian angels, always looking out for me wherever I go.

I only have one tattoo at the moment, but I have never regretted it. I am seriously thinking about having more ink done in the future. On the other hand piercings are something that have never really appealed to me.

http://a300.ac-images.myspacecdn.com...de93d30613.jpg


http://a630.ac-images.myspacecdn.com...beda85f6cd.jpg


MY THOUGHTS? As a guy looking at a half naked woman, my thoughts are not quite work safe, at all.

My thoughts on "why" this appeals to me seems to be that this crosses over in to the realm of fantasy. These "markings" make this person a little more alien, a little "less human" and I think part of us all desires to live in a reality where different types of humanoids existed. Its part of what makes the elven/dragon/etc high fantasy stuff appeal to us to begin with. We thrive on diversity, we WANT to be different, no one desires a nation of clones.

That said, god damn, that is such a fucking turn on. See my signature for details.

Seconded.

Something tells me you should wait a few years and see if you still want Invader Zim.

That said, there are many great artists out there that can do cover tattoos, it would depend a lot on what's already there.

I'm starting to save once I start my new job, I plan on having my second tattoo 14" by 16" or so on my lower back by this time next year. Seven lotus flowers and either a Buddha sitting on them or the Zen symbol worked into each lotus.

I'm pretty iffy with tattoos.
My dad always complains about how he hates tattoos, and thinks they are dumb. I've been interested but have yet to find anything I want to permanently place on my body. I'm satisfied with myself for now.

http://t4.imagechef.com/ic/imgout/sa...e08a450491.jpg
http://t4.imagechef.com/ic/imgout/sa...f99706a9eb.jpg
http://t4.imagechef.com/ic/imgout/sa...0cdcc3ce61.jpg

I might actually consider doing this.

My family has asked that I do not have any more ink installed. They have requested me not to go to Temple with them. How do I move my pics from my "pictures" file to my TFP post. Mincken

you got me.


hahahaha.

yeah, ive wanted that tatoo for a bit. im a big fan of jhonen vasquez's work. either zim or johnny the homicidal maniac with squee and shmee.

zim is just way more colorful.

im also thinking about getting the crimson ghost tat'ed somewhere on my body, but that idea might also fade.

eh who am i kidding, i will always love the misfits.

Personally I have one, a rugby tattoo on my right thigh. I like it there because I can see it and its personal. Not many people can see it (only the lucky few I take my pants off for!) unless I'm playing rugby. I would love to have more, but expense and ideas are failing me now.

I love this suggestions though:
I was born in Alaska and getting some native art (maybe not as big) is very interesting to me!

Thanks for the support, ruggerp11! I'm probably at least six months away before I get my first ink. I'm already altering the design, and moving closer to the lifelike characters Bill Reid incorporated in his art, his most revealing example being his sculpture "The Spirit of Haida Gwaii". I'm seriously thinking of getting a full landscape done in that style, on the entire back of my body, from my upper arms down to my calves, all done in black ink with shading, mainly to avoid potential allergic reactions to colored inks (I might be vulnerable to them).

I might still change my mind later. That's why I have to spend a lot of time on this design as well as find the right artist to do the job. It'll probably take a year to finish all the tattoos, and I'll be wearing this work of art for the rest of my life.

The more I think about doing this, the more I really, really like it. I should have thought of this ten years ago!

I personally wouldn't mind getting one, but it's nowhere near my top list of priorities. However, being the horror fan that I am, whenever I see some big dude with his entire upper torso and arms blacked out with all sorts of insane little pictures, I can't help but stare, try to find some gore, or a little Voorhees here and a Krueger there. Fun stuff, in my opinion, but not really for me.

My thoughts? I need more.