Question:
the only mods I`ve had before are piercings which most people say
that inevitabally at one point in your life, or another you are going to
take out. This is why I`m asking you R.A.B.bits for your tattoo
experiences, a definitally permanent form of bodyart. I`ve been thinking
about getting alot of heavy black work done and am curious just how many
people actually like their tats over the long run. I`m thinking the more
time that is spent into planning it, and finding someone that does great
work is a definite plus. Anyone ever regret getting tats? How about
highly visible ones? I don`t know, I change my mind like my underwear
(alot, thank you) and have been fancying the idea of getting a neck tat
(I`m sure my mind will change in a few weeks and say "What was I
thinking?!") And that forearm tat fantasy of mine has always been there
also. What are peoples experiences with highly visible tats? Like I
think, the more planning that goes into it, the more time spent thinking
about it, proper placement, a great artist, and possibly an established
career, wether it be semi conservative or not, and possibly established
personal life all contributes to people enjoy their tats longer, or for
that matter FOREVER! But of course its what a person wants, and is a very
important decision that I think no one should rush into, and then again if
its something you really want, do it. Hey, I don`t got any tats, I may be
talking stoopid, but thats basically what I think. And about tat removal,
any past or present experiences with that? I guess heavy black work would
be extremely hard to remove, but then again, I`m not rushing into something
like this. Please help me! I really want to discuss this topic more!
Answer:
- The problem is if you are already thinking of getting a tat removed, maybe
you should put a hell of a lot more thinking into it. A tat should be a
personal extension of your self, or self expression, maybe if you want to
look cool, you should think of a temporary tattoo, at least you can change
it when ever you want
- mine is not highly visible - but here is a quick rundown of my
experiences to date:
I thought about getting my family crest - on my shoulderblade - small (cuz I
was scared) for a long time (2 years or so) and always talked about it, all
my friends thought I was all talk.
One day, I met a lady whilst doing a caricature art job, and she commented how
she wanted her son to get a tattoo, but not those nasty earrings..
I wanted my tat (I had just turned 18 a week before - which is the legal age
in IL) RIGHT AWAY. so I took my small design, went to the local tattoo
parlor, and had it done.
I wanted some touch ups, later, and when that healed, the lettering (too
small) was screwed up, the lines were miserable, and teh rendering was
mediocre.
I was PISSED! I eventually found Misha, talked to a lot of people, and she
has done a great job of the coverup of part of the original, into a much
larger and more beautiful piece. (pics to come soon..)
the moral: think long and hard about your design and placement, search out a
good artist (talk to people, look at lots of pics), and be SURE you want it
before you go. Don't fall victim to the "I want it NOW" mentality, like I
did.
- Before I got my first ink, I wore the design in henna for a while to get
the feel of it. Naturally, once put in ink it looks different (and is
also about 1/4 the thickness!) but it does give you an idea of what it'll
look like.
In the interview with ManWoman in ModPrim he talks about having his third
eye tattood on as an outline at first, and then as he managed to convince
his tattooist that YES HE WANTED IT, so he got it inked in further.
From the r.a.b. tattoo faq it says that the majority of people who are
displeased with their tattoos are unhappy due to lack of quality. If it's
your first tat, try to plan ahead as to what you might want to do next.
Don't waste good real-estate on "test" artwork!
Tat removal. Don't consider it. At least not now. If you've got a tat
which you *really* want to get rid of, then maybe pay the big bucks. Just
as you wouldn't go into a marriage thinking 'well, if it doesn't work out
we can always get a divorce', so you shouldn't go into a tattoo parlour
with the tat-removal doctors business card in your wallet.
As for tattoo design, for myself I'm sure I'll *never* be satisfied with
something detailed. I'd always want to change it, tweak it, alter it,
adjust it, whatever it. Personally I always like symbollic, outwardly
simple solid blackwork. Even browsing through the tattoo mags, no matter
how nicely a (eg) photo is rendered into ink it still isn't _perfect_.
My first (and currently only) ink is a really *really* simple design
around my ankle. I suppose my only regret about it is that it's too
small. Sitting in the chair I didn't want the comfortable buzz to end and
would have had the other ankle done if I'd have the cash on hand...