Thoughts about tattoos

[imiogri]

This is pretty out of the blue, but since this forum is so versatile why not talk about it! (It’s art after all, right?)

I'm seriously considering getting my first tattoo soon. At some point. But I keep getting cold feet. Does anyone have any inside information about how the experience is? I'm mostly worried about the amount of pain. I'm an extremely anxious person and very petite, so I don't really know what to expect or if it'll hurt more because of it. I know I could Google, but it’s always best to hear from actual people!

If you don't have any advice let's just talk about tattoos in general! Any thoughts about having them, any characters with them? You want tattoos? (This is what I'm thinking of getting!)

[minerrale]

Heyo!
I myself am very petite as you say, and have 5 tatoos. 2 small pieces, 1 huge one and 2 colored.
The levels of pain depend on several things.
First, on the location of the tatoo. Some areas of your body naturally have a more tight skin, and these tend to hurt more.
Second, colored tatoos hurt more than black and white ones, because of the amount of pressure needed to get the colored ink into your skin.
Last, it also depends on yourslf and your ability to stand pain.
I would NOT recommend being like me and starting with a tatoo that goes all around your upper leg: the inside and back of that part of your body hurts. The front, however, was so soothing that I almost fell asleep!

The design you want to get seems relatively simple for a tatoo artist, meaning he/she shouldn't need a lot of time to have it in mind, and thus will hurt you less ^^ it's also a very pretty one if I may say so

[Rhonder]

I don't have any experience with them (I'm not interested in getting any... too indecisive to make that sort of permanent decision ) buuuut I have a friend who's a tattoo artist~ I'll show her this thread and see if she has any thoughts/pointers.

[zammap]

IDK the pain is bearable. There are a few things I can compare it to, like eplilation, but you can't stop a tattoo every five seconds like you would with other activities. And yeah it hurts the most near, like, under your arm and stuff but it can also hurt the areas near bones as it vibrates you. lol.

I wish I could afford more tattoos. My husband has a really big snake that wraps around his whole body that is not finished and it's been uncolored for yeaarrsss.

Fun fact, I gave my friend a tattoo once lol.

[Rhonder]

Tattoo Friend's initial thoughts:

"Name drop me LMFAO jk
But that’s super normal for a newbie getting a tattoo

And it’s important to find an artist who is empathetic and understands how you feel and will work on you with designs and all
I carry various sprays in my arsenal that soothe angry skin /reduce swelling/ numbing/ for nervous clients

but clients need to know you shouldn’t rely on just the spray. It’s a tattoo it’s gonna suck
If we sprayed numbing spray before starting, the client may be happy at first but when that wears off/ which it will lol- they’re gonna feel all that pain all at once"

[imiogri]

That's really cool to hear from a reliable source, thank you!! I had no idea about the sprays. I think my biggest worry is that when I get nervous I shake uncontrollably. I don't know how to communicate that and not mess up my tattoo because of it, are there like straps??? lmao

[minerrale]

They are used to that, just warn them before it starts Sometimes after a 4h session of a colored tatoo some people will naturally shake from sheer exhaustion, but the artist can and will adapt to it

[skicoak]

On a different note, as a person with a 32 year span from when I got my first tattoo until now...

Be cautious about the permanence of what you choose to have done.

Even outside the cartoonish example of sailors with girls names covered up all over their body... your visual tastes can change a lot over wide spans of time.

Not saying not to do it, just visualize it through the various expected ages of your life.

[zammap]

I didn't know about the spray. maybe they use it without telling me? I can see how that would help with quick/little tattoos tho lol

Oh yeah expect to pay A LOT. They stuff is going to be on your body FOREVER so you don't want sub par. I got a three by three inch b&w tattoo done and over all cost was $300 (after tip, yes, remember the tip). I drew it myself and even supplied them with the files to print the stencil with but I can imagine the cost will go up even more if you hire the artist to design the tattoo also.

[YaoiParadise]

DO NOT USE A NUMBING AGENT. DO NOT.
I'm a big chicken so I thought it would be a good idea, and I actually had a MUCH harder time with those tattoos than I do now with the others. Doing it naturally, your body builds up a tolerance to the pain and the only difficult part for me is the 'burn' of skin that's already been tattooed. The sting to me hurts worse than the actual tattoo. If you use a spray/gel to numb yourself then all of the pain hits all at once and it SUCKS.

Grand total I have seven tattoos, but one of them is a 3/4 sleeve we've worked on in multiple sessions. Two of them were done in old-fashioned tebori- which I don't recommend until you've done a modern machine tattoo because you need to know how to deal with the healing process, I had more trouble with those than with the machine ones.

As I said, I'm a huge baby, I cry when I stub my toe. I'm also terrified of needles and getting my blood drawn is hell.
BUT I'm addicted to tattoos. It's an entirely different experience. The whir of the machine is lovely white noise and the pain isn't actually that bad, your body handles it. It's very soothing and relaxing to me at this point actually xD

The pain isn't as bad as you're afraid. The only parts where I got a little stressed was when he was on the inside of my knee, my elbow, and the inside of my arm near my armpit. Tattoos on my thighs, upper arm, inner arm, and lower leg have all been totally fine.

As far as money goes I don't think it's too bad? I've paid $350 (with tip) per 4 hr session for my sleeve, my small memorial tattoo was $150 with tip, and my shop runs an AWESOME event every Halloween where they do tattoos for $50 so getting established somewhere is a good idea if you want to keep getting tattoos, events like that for regular patrons are pretty common.

Pics of my most recent tattoo and the working sleeve for reference ^-^

I highly recommend ibuprofen and ice after you get the tattoo to prevent swelling, I found that the most irritating part of the healing process. Be very careful not to keep it TOO moist. A tiny amount of bacitracin the first and second day each time you wash (I do once in the morning, once in the afternoon after work, and once before bed), light unscented lotion for a week afterwards. Make sure you wash with delicate, unscented soap.
The WORST part is taking off the covering after sleeping on the tattoo the first night, the ink run-off makes me want to vomit.

You can message me if you have any more questions ^-^

[JeanGuillet]

from a distance tattoos really look to me like horrible bruises. especially the color ones. like 'oh no you must have gotten hit by a truck...oh it's just your tattoo...'

[LordVincent]

Oh I absolutely love tattoos, I always found them attractive (if they are well done and don't offend me) and always wanted them. I have yet to get any though because 1. I am a big baby, but I have multiple piercings so at this point I think I've warmed up to the body mod experience enough to take the next step. 2. I have yet to afford it. I have high standards, so only high quality tattoo artists would satisfy me. Meaning I gotta get ready to spend a lotta cash.

I think my tattoos will end up being spiritually related, since that is a big thing for me after what I've been through in life. I spent my teen years being bullied and told what to believe by assholes online who were supposed to be my friends, so now I am very expressive about what I ACTUALLY believe in. Having it immediately on display on my body would be so empowering.

[BobbyjoeX]

my dad always told me if i get a tattoo, to put it somewhere where its easy to cover up (you know, incase you get a job where its not allowed)

[Maps]

Gave my character one!

(And no, it’s not the Deathly Hallows )

I have yet to get one also, but I’d love to get one on the back of my neck under my hair line so I can hide it for my jobs (I work in professional environments that I’m sure would be a little judgey).
I studied in Cork, Ireland and lived there for 9 months and am thinking of getting one when I go back to visit.
Lots of my friends have them (man I might be the only one who doesn’t???) and many of them said certain spots hurt (ribs, top of foot, near bones, etc) and some have said that they weren’t so bad. I’ve been told it sort of feels like a needle that is ripping your skin, which I’m sure is unpleasant, but since so many people have them it can’t be that bad?
I got a nose ring once and that hurt like a motherfuh but I’d probably do it again.

[lynestjules]

I can honestly count on one hand how many friends I have that don't have any tattoos. I don't have any and I honestly don't want one. Getting tattoos has become the norm. I get pressure from friends who say "C'mon be different!" Truth is, having a tattoo doesn't make you different. Not having one does. We're now at that point.
I don't have any negative things to say about tattoos, its a person's choice to have one.
Personally, I have 0 tolerance to pain, I don't love a piece of artwork so much that I would want to have it on me for the rest of my life. I hang the artwork that I love and if I grow out of it, I can change it up.

[QueenofBabyLoon]

I am personally not a fan of tattoos. But this is a personal choice. Most of my friends and coworkers are very tattooed. Intricate, big tattoos are very popular around here. The tattoo you wish to get yourself is very subtle and elegant.

Now, a few things to take into account when asking questions about pain is that men and women do not experience the same intensity of pain for the same procedure. Women have more nerve receptors than men and the specific balance of certain hormones in the female body does increase the sensitivity of women to pain. So, a man might tell you he has not felt much pain from getting a tattoo and a woman might feel a good amount of it for the same tattoo.

Finally, something people don't take into account is that some dyes have metals in them. And when you want to go get an MRI, this might lead to a sensation of heat at the place of the tattoo. Some people feel it, others don't. It generally isn't dangerous. But I am throwing that out because it is the main reason I personally wouldn't want a tattoo.

[Kann]

I like tattoos and would want to get one in the future. When I'll be able to afford it. XD

Like most people said, it's better to pay more to get a tattoo done by someone who knows what are they doing than getting it done cheap.

[SilentHamster102]

Personally I don't a fan of tattoo without meaning behind it. For me it's ok as a mark for something, like that person is a prisoner, sailor, soldier, etc. but actually I don't care if it's without any meaning. This type of tattoos is just not my cup of tea and I never will do something like that for myself.
But at the same time I want to do one after the military service with emblem (or something like that) of the military branch I will serve in.

[imiogri]

I think a lot of people have meanings behind their tattoos. It doesn't have to be anything solid like what they specifically do or what their life means, because that can change too! The tattoo I want to get has a very strong emotional connection to me. It's the album cover of a song that literally changed my life, so I do very much think it's worth it and nothing I will regret.

[imiogri]

Awesome!! Thanks for the great advice and rad pictures.