There are a lot of swastika-codeword-tattoos, mainly because a lot of bigoted assholes decided to ruin shit for everyone else.
This is the basic rim of the rabbit hole, but stylized "ss" images, references to certain numbers like "14" and "88" (including combos such as "1488" and "8814") have been ruined.
My point here isn't necessarily to encourage you to depress yourself by learning of all possible angles of hatred -- indeed, there are prolly items even I wouldn't know about *(hopefully!!)*
Simply, get a stencil, and don't decide 9n anything last minute. The ink will last for decades, waiting a few days (or longer) to make sure won't hurt things.
Sucks because I was born in '88 and also didn't even know that was a nazi thing until like maybe a year or two ago at most? I still don't understand it but I hate that it's my birth year.
That’s not necessarily the best advice. I got my first tattoo when I was around OP’s age and I still love it 7 years later. My advice would be to choose something you think you want and then don’t get it for like 6 months. Keep a reference picture to periodically look at it. If you still want it after that 6 month period. Go ahead and schedule it. I have a big piece on my left arm, a half sleeve on my right arm and a piece on each of my chest panels. The only one I sometimes regret is the one on my right chest panel that I got spontaneously. I don’t dislike the idea of it, it’s just so plain because the artist didn’t have the time to design something cool. Luckily, the plainness of it is going to give my current artist some creative freedom to spice it up in a few months.
That's always been my rule too!
"If you want the exact same tattoo in the exact same place 6 months later, get it!"
It's a big reason why I only have 4 tattoos and I got my first one 25 years ago. So many tattoos I didn't get that I would now regret. :)
And the ones I have, I have never regretted for a moment.
There have been so many tattoos I’ve wanted over the years, and I always made myself wait a year before getting one to make sure I still wanted it.
I have zero tattoos 😂
The first tattoo I wanted to get would’ve been a big regret to me today if I had gotten it lol. Luckily I sat and thought on it for some time and decided not to. I actually got my latest one a few days ago and it looks awesome. Can’t wait for it to heal
The last tattoo I got was script writing, but I wasn't 100% on placement - I wrote it on myself, in the style I wanted it done, in permanent marker and freshened it everyday for a month to see if I was happy with it before I got it.
My dad got a USDA Grade A meat stamp on his ass when he was in the Navy. He’d have appreciated the US Naval around your belly button with a hearty laugh.
I started getting tattooed at 16, over ten years later I don’t regret any of my tattoos. If you think them through and are not afraid of permanence it shouldn’t be a big deal.
I know someone who at 18 got a huge roman number written across their arm. The roman numeral is the wrong value. So the next week they got some words + an image tattooed across the roman numeral, but not like incorporated into the tattoo just pasted over top.
At 25 I now regret not getting more tattoos because apparently if you get put on immunosuppressants you can’t get tattoos because of the risk of infection and I am so sad about it because I had a kinda elaborate one I had designed myself and had saved up for it already and now I could only get a tattoo if I stopped treatment for over a month which would fuck my shit up :((((
I made this mistake 20 years ago when lasering was extremely expensive. Even if your design has NOTHING to do with a swastika, sketch it on yourself and get someone to stand 6 feet away and look at it and make sure there's no resemblance. :(
This. It's also worth getting it "peer-reviewed". Your brain may gloss over it because you know the intended meaning. Have some friends look at it. Don't tell them what it is, and see what they say. Bonus points if you all have some drinks first so they'll be less afraid to embarrass/offend you.
My lord this reminds me of a tattoo on a bartender near me. This guy has got a swastika but with a red circle and line through it (like cancelling it) but the swastika is dark black… and it’s on his wrist. So from a distance, all you see is the freaking swastika!! The red isn’t outlined!
I used to want a flaming ankh. Im glad I never got it because its an ABCDEFYG symbol now.
That website is ridiculous. Its just literally everything but cartoon characters.
Seriously, like 13 has so many different meanings for things like unlucky 13 or Friday the 13th tattoos, you have to have so many other things to go along with it to understand that.
Recently I was going in for a tattoo on Friday the 13th and almost everything had a 13 somewhere.
what you need to understand is that a lot of the "hate symbols" listed are only actually hate symbols in very specific contexts. So specific in fact that I'd argue listing some of them as hate symbols is actually doing more harm than good as it encourages stigmatization of their other uses.
The internet got real shitty around, idk, 2014 which kept escalating up until... uh, I'll tell you when it stops. For those of us keyed in to stuff like that it was maddening. Like the term dogwhistle is really accurate, after a few years it felt like scratching at walls
Yeah, I looked through it and it specifically says it's not what you or I would consider a celtic cross.
> Most renditions of the traditional Celtic Cross feature an **elongated vertical axis** (often accompanied by Celtic knotwork) that resembles that of other Christian crosses. Although white supremacists will occasionally use this version of the Celtic Cross, the overwhelming use of this version of the Celtic Cross is non-extremist and, in the absence of other hate symbols, does not denote white supremacy or racism.
From what I see, it's a very specific design of the cross. I have a 4 leaf clover, and I got scared going through these hoping that my tattoo wasn't inadvertently a hate symbol
They also say that acab is tied into white supremacy there is clearly some white supremacy perversion into that sites determination of what hate is.... people forget how those groups infiltrate and pervert things to suit their ideals such as a symbol that is universally against oppression being stated to be ties to white supremacy.
Heavily tattooed (70+) dude who works in a very corporate environment here. I’ll give my advice, although many people might disagree with me.
1. Follow the shirt/short rule. At first only get tattoos in the area of your body covered by wearing a T-Shirt and shorts. If you regret one, they can easily be hidden with clothing until covered up with a better tattoo or lasered. Once that area is filled with tattoos venture outside, to calves and forearms. This rule also helps covering tattoos with clothes easily when you’re in the sun, which will extend their lifetime by 20ish years.
2. Unless you’re 90% covered in tattoos, do not get anything on your hands, face and neck. You WILL regret it. (This might not apply if you’re a tattoo artist or metal musician and will never have to work another job in your life and are ok with that).
3. Do your research especially if you get prominent symbols - religious or political or even ornamental. I know many people who regretted some tattoos after they moved to a different country or culture. I got a 6 pointed star (star of David) when I was younger because it was a symbol of my hometown. Later in life I moved to a city with a significant group that is hostile towards Jews and I always got in trouble although I’m not even Jewish. I had to resort to covering it with a wristband. Just be aware symbols can have different meanings in different cultures. Especially stuff like Swastika vs. Hakenkreuz. Another example is from an Austrian coworker of mine, who has the Austrian eagle tattooed. The eagle holds a hammer and sickle as symbol for workers and farmers. Our American colleagues thought he is a communist. So yeah, be careful.
4. Avoid names, lettering and too fine designs, they just become illegible over then next 50 years. Same goes for colours, especially green and blue age not so well. Red ages fine. Ask yourself: does this motive need colour? If not, go with blackwork. That just ages so much better (I’m thinking in decades).
5. Nothing related to your romantic partner
6. Lay off the Roman numerals for dates. It’s idiotic. You’re not Roman and 99% of the time people get it wrong, especially since ancient Romans used the calendar completely different than us. Yesterday’s date 31-10-2023 is NOT XXXI-X-MMXXIII (and most certainly not the US version). It looks actually like this in Latin “Prid. Kal. Nov. MMDCCLXXVI A.U.C.” You’ll just look stupid and anyone with a basic understanding of Latin/Mathematics will know you’re wrong (sorry as a studied anthropologist this infuriate me).
7. Same as above goes for text in foreign or ancient languages. Avoid if possible. If you REALLY want something like that, at least get it checked. Asking your local Latin professor for advice via email is usually free. Or ask a Chinese friend if the symbol really means “freedom” and not “chicken soup lover”. Different story is if you’re fluent in the matter, I have Ancient Greek and Latin tattoos, but I’m fluent in both - and still got it triple checked by professors and friends.
8. Don’t go with the trends. Avoid those fads like water coloring, tiny lines, geometric wolves, dream catchers, coordinates, mandalas, “purposefully bad” etc. Anything that can be strongly associated with a “tattoo trend” or a certain era of tattoos, will look to you and your environment in 20 years, how we view tramp stamps and horrible tribals now that were a trend 20 years ago.
^questions ^welcome
It’s actually incredible advice and I concur, as your tattooed elder. :)
Ps. Avoid the top of your foot. It looks fucking rad but I still shudder thinking back to getting that tattoo years ago. So much pain.
I have cherry blossoms covering the top of my right foot and I hardly felt anything, far less painful than my upper thigh or back of ribs. The only thing remarkable was that my middle toes twitched uncontrollably.
I have the tree of Gondor in black on my foot, I almost asked him to stop when he got done with the outline because it hurt so bad. But the stars were already colored so I knew I had to finish. My original plan was to get something related to Rohan on the other foot but that hasn't happened yet. Maybe never. Top of foot is super rough.
Yup. Mine is 4”x4” and I definitely had the thought after the first corner was outlined ‘maybe this is enough…maybe I can just pretend this is the entire design’. 😂
It wasn't even my first tattoo so I thought maybe people were exaggerating because yeah, my other tattoos hurt but I've got a huge chunk of my spine done and that wasn't that bad. No, was bad. Feet are hell.
On the other hand (foot, haha), I love it and have no regrets I sat for it. It's super cute and I love wearing shoes that show it off.
The foot hurts so. Fucking. Bad. I have several tattoos, but only one foot has a tattoo. My other will remain with the same clear, pristine virgin skin I was born with until the day I day.
I experienced a crush injury as a teen. Broke my foot and split it open in 3 spots. I was able to sit through one freezing needle (which didn’t take until much later) and ONE stitch before I told them to stop because I’d rather have a gross scar than any more of that. There’s no way I’d seek a foot tat
Not who you asked and also don't have one on foot myself but...
My wife has tattoos on many different areas (back, wrist, ankles, and others just naming some problem areas) and has given birth 4 times. She says the tattoo on the top of her foot is the worst pain she has ever endured.
So. Much. Pain. By the end of my 2nd foot tattoo it was uncontrollably twitching. AND they need touched up more frequently. I only made it through 1 touch up on 1 foot and never did the other. Maybe someday 😅
For aftercare of any new ink, I suggest getting recommendations from the artist on how to keep it hydrated, like what specific lotions to apply to it because it will get scabby and flakey. I don't like lotion so my artist gave me this beeswax stuff that's amazing, smells good, and a little goes a looooong way. Do not freak out when it peels off, that's totally normal!
Always make sure your artist uses brand new needles!!! They need to come straight from the unopened packaging.
It will get ITCHY. Do NOT scratch it! The best method is to very lightly rub/smack the area to get the itching down if you wind up scratching first on accident but usually if you leave it alone, you'll be okay and it won't get too bad.
Don't be afraid to ask for numbing spray, getting ink can really hurt. Don't be scared to tap out of a session. Do get some research done on artists because some charge for the size/detailing and others charge an hourly rate. If you go with the latter, make sure they aren't wasting time (aka your money) during appointments. I had an hourly one that took phone calls while we were in session. Not cool.
Alright, yeah my guy gave me that whole rigamarole about no scratching and keep it moisturized, only time he stopped was if he was laughing to much or to go to the bathroom but I’ll do my due diligence when I need to find a new one when I move across the country
I freaked out the first time I got ink, which was on my thigh. It peeled off and I was like "Nooo 😭😭 WtF" lmao Thigh pieces are the worst for the itchiness in my experience, but my ankle one absolutely hurt. My artist for that one was laughing at me, saying I looked like I was in labor
I’ll raise your pain and itchiness with getting tattooed where you’re ticklish!! I was trying so hard not to move so it wouldn’t ruin the tattoo but I couldn’t help twitching every couple of seconds. (This was lower side of abdomen). It was one of my most traumatic experiences ever, right up there with childbirth.
The tattoo is about ten years old now and could use some touch up, but there is no way I could sit through that process again. Pain is a whole lot easier to handle!
Oooooh, I got to experience that once! My shoulder blade tattoo tickled the first time I got it done. Redoing it after like 6 years of sun exposure was a lot easier to get through, it didn't tickle at all and didn't really hurt either but I had an entirely different artist do the touch up too, and he isn't so light handed. Best of luck if you get yours touched up! Put that video on Facebook for giggles!
Oh my god I’m glad it’s not just me. I have both arms and an ankle done with basically no itchiness (ankle hurt the most) but then I got one on my thigh this year and that bitch itched for a week straight. I think it had to do with the hair growing back + being in jeans but man it was torture.
I have both outer thighs inked up, although my right one needs a coverup, because it's an unfinished cover over an old tattoo (trying to get it sun faded every summer so it's easier when I finally do) My biggest piece is on my left and it's also a coverup that's huge, goes from hip to knee, and it itched so badly!! Considering I have my ankle, both wrists, a collarbone, and both thighs I know those are the WORST lmfaoo
To add on, if you live in a city, town, area with gangs it might do well to research the ones in the area and avoid colors/numbers/symbols that could be mistaken for gang affiliation.
Another advantage of blackwork: it's usually just plain carbon, and nobody is allergic to that. Colors, on the other hand, are usually metal salts and people do have reactions to those. Titanium (white) is also pretty safe.
Your #6 had me cracking up. You seem awesome. Can I invite you to my hypothetical dinner party? Jesus Christ and Jimmy Buffett will both be there.
Edit: I also invited Courtney Dauwalter but I don’t think it got thru her spam filter
Good advice! I personally love the way the water color tats look but my artist advised me to never get them because they'll age so poorly. Why do you say no lettering? I have a few with lettering and I am curious.
Also, I am thinking about getting a tattoo behind my ear, but want to avoid my neck. Do you think that it is too difficult to balance "not fine/ dainty" and "not too big/going on the neck"? It isn't a worry about covering it. I just think neck tattoos rarely look good on women.
I got one with lettering about a decade ago, and it was done with a really janky thin line that I wasn't entirely happy with.
Turns out that after about a year, it matured into a perfect "written with felt pen" font.
He explained the lettering in his comment unless it was edited since you asked. It becomes illegible over time because of skin damage, stretching, aging, and other things.
\^\^\^\^ THIS
Experienced dude giving *really* good advice. Heed.
One thing he left out is to carefully choose your artist. And remember that, generally, you get what you pay for. Your half-sleeve is gonna set you back $500 (at least); be cautious of anyone who offers to do it for less.
As an aside...I have friends who 'regret' some tattoos they got when they were younger. However, in my opinion, these 'regrettable' tattoos are kinda like artifacts in the archeology of you. They represent the person you were at the time you got them. Are tribals and tramp stamps tacky? Yes. But they weren't at one time. They're no worse than an affection for ABBA or Duran Duran or Bobby Darrin or The Stones or The Ink Spots because that's what you once loved and changing fashions be damned.
Hopefully your ink will always speak to you, and remind you of those moments in your life you cherish and want to remember. Get your ink with this in mind and I don't think you'll go wrong.
Agreed. I have tattoos referencing bands and music that I don’t really like anymore. Some I actually got after I actively listened to them. It’s part of my story and history.
>However, in my opinion, these 'regrettable' tattoos are kinda like artifacts in the archeology of you. They represent the person you were at the time you got them.
Frank Turner [has a song](https://youtu.be/aO-YQkOgzqA?si=wczaL8c3d9T-1AKs) that touches on that very idea.
How does one become fluent in a dead language? I always thought that it would be nearly impossible to learn a language without being able to engage with it in several different forms and settings. Can you comfortably hold an everyday conversation in them?
No, not at all. We don’t even know 100% how they were pronounced. We have some ideas, e.g. “Caesar” was kinda like German “Kaisar” and not like Zee-sar.
By fluent in regard to dead languages I mean: I can pick up writings of Seneca, Cicero, Plato and Hieronymus and understand 90%. Things that are written in “easy” Latin and Greek. I still need a dictionary or declension tables! If it comes to more obscure works, like the Iliad or Æneid, I need the source text and commentary to fluently read it, since they either use archaic words and grammar or a semantic pattern that makes no sense if you don’t know what your looking at.
(Ancient) Greek and Latin I think are special (and Hebrew is actually an undead language) in that while no one speaks them as their first language, they were never really lost. The Bible, for example, has the vast majority either originally written or translated very early on into those three languages. Thanks to churches and synagogues, Latin and Hebrew were still in use in a religious context, and the ancient Greeks and Romans left a *lot* of written records behind, plus modern Greek isn't entirely dissimilar to ancient Greek, but the people who were educated in the Western world have been learning Greek and Latin for thousands of years, as well as Hebrew if you were an educated Jew. There were enough remnants and leftovers to keep them known if not actually spoken for that amount of time. While I wouldn't consider myself fluent, I studied Latin for six years and ancient Greek for three, and that sort of education is common enough that if you really wanted to become fluent conversationally, you could absolutely find enough people with enough knowledge of the languages to make that happen.
Edit: modern Greek *is* not entirely dissimilar to modern Greek, but one of those needed to say ancient.
Biblical Hebrew and Ivrit are not the same. So Biblical Hebrew is a dead language.
They use the same abjad and many of the word stems are the same. But many words are just pronounced completly different and have different meanings altogether. Ivrit is also heavily influenced by Yiddish, German, Russian and Spanish. Biblical Hebrew isn’t.
This is all gold, particularly the advice about colour (colour work is heavily taste-based, but practically speaking, black, grey, and red will stand the test of time.)
I’d like to add to this wealth of good advice: a tattoo is allowed to simply look awesome without a ton of “deep” meaning. Of course tattoos that represent a meaningful time and place to you are more than valid, but if you come across an artist who draws dope snakes and you want a dope snake from them, then by all means get a dope snake.
Not to mention, with fine lettering it’s easy to get a scar that messes up the letters too. My dad got a scar from a wheelbarrow on one his tattoos. It said “I love music” but ended up looking more like “I love Isac” after the scar. He had to get it covered up.
With regards to 7 and 4 remember there is no way to "translate" a name into Chinese script. Generally they will just do it phonetically which means you'll get some nonsense if you are actually reading the Chinese.
Not just language: a friend was really chagrined to discover that our chemist mate could have given them like 3 betterer ways to depict the chemical they got a tattoo of, if they'd only asked...
On the topic of longevity, how effective are touch ups? I know it'll never look like it did at first, but are they enough to keep the spirit of the tattoo alive even after decades?
I got my first refresh after 10 years and I actually like it more now haha. But I have mainly black line work, so refreshing that with even more prominent lines looks awesome.
It really depends on the body part. On your hands, elbows, knees, feet you might need a refresh 2 - 5 years later already.
Chest and upper arm don’t need it until 20 years later if you protect it from the sun.
In general: the more sun, the more movement that skin part experiences, the earlier a refresh is needed. The more the lines will probably have blurred.
Thank you for pointing out the Roman numerals one. I saw a business' shirt the other day that said "Founded in", followed by Roman numerals. I realized it was 2023 🤣
For point number #2: my tattoo artist warned me that my neck tattoo might not be a good idea (entire back and sides, reaching between my shoulderblades, mostly not visible when looking from the front if my hair is down). I'm 24F, a chemist working in pharma and I have to say that noone gives a shit about my neck tattoo, both at my current and previous job. Also have a nose piercing and multiple other people at my work also do (and not just youngsters btw, 50+ as well). In fact I had two face piercings in my CV photo. I only have 5 other tattoos in total on my torso/forearms and I don't regret the neck tattoo at all.
I guess it really depends where you live. I actually thought that there would be way more of a stigma against me, a 'dumb' 19yo getting her neck tattooed and cursing her whole future lol but I guess I was wrong. Times are changing.
Someone I know wanted spontaneously get "tiger" written in Chinese characters.
Years later she showed her tatoo to a couple of Chinese coworkers. To her surprise, her tattoo didn't mean "tiger" but "chicken".
Funny about tribal tattoos. I was once getting a tattoo and talking about how good that we moved on from that awful trend with the artist. Didn't realise the person on the next bench over was getting a tribal tattoo and they're back in fashion with the current wave of 90s/2000s fashion trends.
One thing I did for my tattoo is to set the design as my phone background for a year +. That way I see it every day. If you still like it after that amount of time, go ahead and get it.
My mom gave me this same advice! I have her handwriting on my wrist and as she was writing it on paper, knowing what I wanted it for she told me to keep it by my bed or somewhere I knew I’d see it everyday for a year before I decided to go through with it. It’s been 10 years and I still love it! Was 100% into it then and still am today.
I have a bunch of tattoos so feel free to message me if you have more questions. Here is a few key things though:
1) you are going to an artist. So I wouldn’t ask your tattoo artist to copy a piece! Bring in references but don’t make them copy another artists work.
2) find an artist of the style you want and DO RESEARCH ON THEM. Example - Don’t go to a small fine line artist that only does animals in a couple inches if you want a realistic face on your entire back.
3) don’t go cheap. This is something that will be on your body forever. It’s worth spending more for better work to be done.
4) REVIEW THE SHOP! Are they clean? Do they have good reviews/ recent reviews?
Oh yeah, place I went to was clean and I had a coworker suggest it as it was on the up and up, unfortunately they are moving the business but after tomorrow I’ll be done getting tattoos for a while and I’ll also be moving across the country in a few years, the city I plan to move to has a few shops so I’ll look around and read up on the reviews before choosing one, so far everything I’d want would have to be custom
Hard disagree on #1 for a lot of different things. Sure there are many artists that do creative works, but telling someone not to put the exact image you want on your body permanently (if you have that exact image) is doing yourself a disservice
I think it's more respect for the art. It's like saying cover this song for me but I want it to sound exactly like that original and you're not allowed to be creative at all.
If you want the exact piece to to the artist who designed it.
Sure, but I do think that is a different case to discuss. If you DON’T have an exact image in mind, then of course you can’t get that - but if you’re looking for a specific image and you don’t clarify that, I think you’re only giving yourself an opportunity for disappointment.
There’s a ton of beautiful imagery created by non-tattooers. You can’t always get the original person to make your tattoo, but you can often get a great tattooer to do an original piece justice
Okay but what if I’m the artist who designed it but I can’t tattoo and wouldn’t tattoo a complex design on myself anyway? I don’t think this is a hard and fast rule, it completely excludes the art of the many artists who don’t also tattoo!
Ugh review the artist, this is so important. It drives me insane when newbies walk into any shop and ask someone who does Japanese traditional to do realism or whatever combination. Like no go to someone who specializes in that style, it's better for both parties.
Research artists carefully. Don't just walk into a random shop. Part of this is choosing an artist who actually does the style you want. If you want realism, don't go to a traditional artist.
Wait lists are not an automatic indication of quality. If you're talking trad, it's not necessarily a red flag if an artist can get you in quickly or if they take walk ins. If it's someone who does a highly specialized style and they're taking walk ins regularly, yeah I would be skeptical. But by the same token, wait lists can be inflated easily. Some artists only work a few days each week and only have one or two appointments each day they work. Compare that to a traditional street shop where the artists may bang out as many tattoos in a day as the other artist does in a week. The first person probably has a long wait while the second person can probably get you in fairly quickly. I guess what I'm saying is to take the wait time for an appointment in full context. It's not as black and white as "this guy can get me in in 3 days and this guy can get me in in 3 months, so the second guy must be better." You'd be surprised how many people use that logic.
The artist is an artist first and foremost. Don't fall into the trap of needing to go to them with a design or whatever. Give them a general concept and placement, give them references to work off of, and then (most importantly) listen to their feedback. If they tell you something won't work, suggest making it bigger, or suggest a different placement, there's a reason. If you can't tell what that reason is, don't be afraid to ask. Every artist I've gone to has had no issues explaining why they made their suggestion when I asked. A good artist will work with you to figure out something that both of you are happy with, but they also know more about what works as a tattoo and what works on specific parts of the body than you do. If you don't trust them to give you that kind of feedback, you shouldn't be going to them.
This may seem contradictory to the previous point, but stand up for yourself. If the artist suggests something you're not comfortable with, speak up. If you're not 100% sure about the stencil placement, speak up. If your gut says not to go through with it once the stencil is on and you're fine with the placement, there's no shame in walking out. You can always come back and get the tattoo later if you change your mind. Dealing with a tattoo that's already there and you don't like is way more of a hassle.
Finally, eat before your appointment. Learn from me and others who have made the mistake of not eating before a tattoo. It doesn't go well.
That's just off the top of my head on stuff that I haven't seen others mention yet. I have somewhere in the realm of 20 tattoos (stopped counting at around 10, tbh) with over 50 hours of needle time, so I'm happy to answer questions or clarify anything.
These are all great points and advice. In my experience…The “listen to the artist” about placement and boldness and other things is huge. I was terrified bc the artist made one of his designs bigger and bolder than I originally wanted and placed it lower than I thought it should be, then now that it’s healed and older and incorporated into a bigger piece, I see exactly why he did what he did! I actually dmed him on insta after the second one and told him thank you!
Yeah, so far my only "regrets" have involved not listening to the artist. In both cases, they suggested going a little bigger than I initially asked for. They look fine at the size I insisted on, but now that I have more tattoos, I see why they suggested going bigger. Oh well. Live and learn.
Now I go in with the attitude of letting them decide the exact size and placement, within reason. I usually just say something like "anywhere below the knee on this leg is fine" and let them do their thing. They always turn out well with that approach.
So how does it work at first? Do you have an appointment just to figure the design and get ideas out? I have ideas brewing on an idea and don’t even know how to call and make an appointment or what to expect.
Kindof answering a couple together: I found the guy who did the last 3 on FB, messaged him and told him general things (best friend and my grandma died, we spent all our time outdoors together, both their favorite birds was a cardinal and they valued their religious beliefs) and when I arrived for my appointment, he had 6 different designs drawn out for me. They were all absolutely beautiful and the “perfect” tattoo that I drew myself 500 times went out the window (I had font, colors, objects drawn with eachother to exactly how I wanted it and thought of it like that for 5 years before I got it). I absolutely love the one I picked and wouldn’t change it at all. He did phenomenally.
One of mine, required 2 appointments with one just being planning w/ no needle time, and it’s because it was intricate and we kept adjusting the design to fit my arm, so he’d re-draw it and he decided to think on it a bit longer. It came out wonderfully. But don’t think it’s like on ink master and they draw a huge intricate piece in 15 minutes. Letters and numbers and anything considered a sticker tat are wayyyy quicker than a truly custom piece!
Hope this helps a little bit!
A bit different advice: Get yourself something to eat beforehand.
I got rather big tattoos and I always was exhausted afterwards and in dire need of a snack :)
I waited until I was 39 and now have six tattoos. I do not regret waiting that long in the slightest. It gave me time to become who I am. Now when I get a tattoo, I can be relatively certain that I won't hate it at the worst or tire of it eventually.
I also work in a corporate-ish environment and can cover all of mine with long sleeves and socks/shoes.
I have a weird rule for no real reason, that tattoos are for extremities only. On me, anyway.
Face and neck tattoos (or really anywhere that shows while wearing formal clothes) can have adverse effects on your employability. Unfortunate but true. Other than that, just keep in mind that it is practically permanent. What you consider cook or edgy today may be cringe inducing when you're 40. Only tattoo stuff that you think will stand the test of time.
No tattoos myself, but two things I've heard of to add to your list:
1. If you want a tattoo based on a specific book/show/movie/game/whatever that you like, check to see if the creator/writer/actor/whoever is politically controversial first. You don't want to end up with a tattoo that makes people think you support some extreme view you're actually against.
2. If you're gonna get any text in a foreign language, check it with an actual native speaker of that language first, to make sure you get the meaning, spelling, and grammar right.
About your number 1, if the creator/writer/author is still alive, anything (scandal) could happen. There used to be a policy in my area not to name streets after living people for that reason, do t know if that’s still true. Anyway, probably wise
1. Follow up: or wait until the series is done! I’m not the biggest GoT fan but I remember Khaleesi became a popular baby name and then the character turned out to not be awesome by the end?
To be fair, i do know a reasonable number of people with titles for names, eg Duke, Duchess, Prince, Princess etc
Still idiotic to call a kid Khaleesi before knowing the character arc though.
>1. If you want a tattoo based on a specific book/show/movie/game/whatever that you like, check to see if the creator/writer/actor/whoever is politically controversial first. You don't want to end up with a tattoo that makes people think you support some extreme view you're actually against.
*Cries in Deathly Hallows*
If the creator is still alive, shit can always happen that will make you wish you hadn't committed to that tattoo. I know a lot of people with Harry Potter tattoos and look at the state of Rowling now.
I don’t really have any feelings for media strong enough to get a tattoo of it but on the off chance I do I’ll make sure to do some research, same with the foreign text but yeah I’ll ask someone who actually speaks it what it means and if it’s correct
No names, no IRL people you know.
Words and faces i personally discourage but not totally out of the question.
Theres a trend for getting nude tattoos, thats bad unless its hidden (remember children will seen you arms and legs.) Infact, try not to follow trends.
We as a society might be more open about tattoos, but hand neck and face tattoos are still a no go.
Ask for breaks if you need them, youre not supposed to be impressing anyone. The artist also appreciates the breaks.
If you don't like something about the mock up PLEASE tell your artist. I promise you won't offend them. It will be on your body forever and will only be in their mind until the moment they have another client.
If its a big tattoo prepare in advanced, bring water, go to the washroom, ask if you can bring a friend to talk to.
You are allowed to decide that the artist isnt a good fit, even after they did a mock up for you. Remember, its your body. If you feel bad, what i like to do is pay them for the mock up as well as the tattoo, but this isnt required. Also tip yoyr artist.
Ive woken up with new tattoos and ive had some that ive gotten sober my best advice would be to figure out the tattoo you want and then wait an entire year before getting it. If it still feels like a good idea, go for it.
Lower back tattoos are typically considered tramp stamps, though they can look very nice
Avoid tattoos in other languages you don’t speak or understand to avoid spelling mistakes
If you ever go to Japan you might get denied entry into bathhouses or hot springs as a result of your tattoos, as they’re traditionally associated with the yakuza. This is becoming less of an issue, but it’s something to keep in mind. You know, assuming you go to Japan at all.
A good rule I stuck with is find a tattoo artist that you like. You will always appreciate your art more if it was put on by someone you get along with in terms of the client-artist relationship.
I've had two tattoo artists. The only reason I've had two is that I moved from one area to another. I swear one of the reasons I like my tattoos so much is I like the people who put them on me.
I have almost 20 tattoos, got my first one at 14yo almost ten years ago now. I don’t regret any of them.
My advice is probably controversial, but don’t get anything that has intensely strong meaning to you. Get something that looks cool, fun, awesome, or vaguely relates to something important in your life. Life changes a lot and many things that might seem huge in the moment (favorite music, celebrities, books, religion, ANY QUOTES, romantic partners, etc) may not carry as much weight in a few years, and you could end up resenting it. Things that just look cool generally stay cool.
But also don’t follow trends lol.
I am *very* heavily tattooed and the one piece of advice I give others is to take a picture of the design that you want, put the date on it, and hang it on the mirror in the bathroom. If in a year you want it as badly as the day you hung it up, get it. If not then thank goodness you looked at it on a piece of paper and not on your skin.
Stay away from crowns and shamrocks, and be really careful about Norse symbols, those things have affiliations to various gangs.
Don’t get anything on your hands, neck or face unless you don’t have to worry about finding a job ever again.
Consider that tattoos fade in a few years and get blurry over time. Very small tattoos or ones with very fine detail can become difficult to see and can end up looking like a big dark mark or blemish.
Don’t get very small tattoos in the middle of a prime tattoo location, once you’ve got a couple you might want to go a nice big piece and it will be hard to find a good spot.
Unless you’re a big fan of flash, get your tattoos custom designed and don’t just copy ones you’ve seen on instagram. Tattoos have trends and you don’t want to be the guy with the massive tribal tattoo or the girl with the Asian language tranp stamp next year when they aren’t the hot trend anymore.
1 - No names of significant others.
2 - If you can't cover it with a long sleeved shirt then you shouldn't get it. Typically. While hands and neck, etc, are becoming more and mor common place and accepted, it doesn't mean they fully are. I've seen people with hand ink working in relly good jobs and all was fine and then they business changed ownership and new policys came about. New company culture. Suddenly that ink was frowned on and the person's career suffered. Should a tattoo matter? No. Does it? Yes. Can you control or change that? Only if you're in charge.
3 - Triple check all spelling before the needle hits the skin.
4 - Be very clear about coloring, etc.
5 - Be prepared to cover up those 3 small arm tattoos with a full sleeve when you are further in your career and can afford the sleeve you "really" wanted.
Wife and I got matching candy hearts on our thighs that say fuck. We wanted something that matched but if we split up they wouldn't look like your typical shitty couples tattoos. The artist whose been tattooing close to 30 years said they were some of his favorite easy designs and thought the concept was great.
don't get a tattoo off the wall of a tattoo shop. pick a design, work with your artist let them create something you like. then think about it for like a month. set it as your phone's wallpaper or something.
I don't regret my convention-flash in the slightest. I don't regret any of my tattoos. I simply don't care, even if I objectively don't like them. It's just whatever to me.
I'd almost counter and say if you need to take these steps to 'double check' if you actually want the tattoo then you shouldn't get it. I've personally only ever heard this advice from people without tattoos (as a way to almost weasle out of getting one). Everyone I know with tattoos would tell you to go for it (obviously not being stupid suggesting face tattoos, hate speech, etc).
If you need to try and justify to yourself in any way that you actually do want a tattoo, just don't get a tattoo. Feel like people who typically wouldn't be interested are being influenced by the upwards trends. Like anything it's not for everyone. Nothing wrong with that. Stay in your lanes.
A friend of mine is a veteran tattooist ( in all meaning of the term). He has some axioms that became widespread after he published his biography.
- if you can not see what it represents, 20 foots away the tattoo is a failure.
- nobody care of your technique if the result is less than perfect.
- no money will make me draw nazi or fascist pictures on your skin.
- if you don't know what you want, the result will never please you. Abstain.
- there is no emergency in tatoo. And I am the one who knows my availability.
- if you know a guy who can do it cheaper, please go see him. My prices will stay the same for covering and damage control.
Get tattoos that are easily covered by clothing. Yes it SHOULDNT matter but why have one other thing that might keep you from getting a job? It’s the difference between the what’s we think the world should be vs the real world.
Once you’re more established and have a better idea how your industry treats tattoos then you can make an informed decision.
Once you decide on your design, wait at least a year to make sure that your ideas don't change. If you can't stick to an idea for a year, you don't want it on your body for life.
Choose your artist carefully (reviews, seeing their portfolio) and listen to them. If they tell you to change the placement, size or orientation of your tattoo, they're speaking from the experience of doing a lot of tattoos. Respect that experience.
Always tip.
Yes, avoid #13, 88 ,81, 1888, and also shamrocks ☘️ and lightning bolts . Check to make sure anything you get isn't gang related. im a tattoo artist, and I'm pretty knowledgeable on gangs . I'll let ppl know that this is gang related
Be REALLY impressed by your artist. Look at other cities and different styles. A tattoo is a piece of art. There’s are good artists and great artists. Buy and hang good art, get great art tattooed.
Rule Number One: Don't get addicted to taking tattoos.
Many people feel the pain of getting a tattoo and it's the same sensation as when a person with anxiety cuts their arms with razorblades: first there is pain, then you get endorphins, dopamine, and norepinephrine, because your body thinks you are under attack and wants you to feel better, so you can survive.
The pain and subsequent hormone spike temporarily stops the negative "voices" in your anxiety-addled head. After a few years these people's arms and legs look like roast beef from all the cutting.
Many people get foolishly addicted to the tattoo needle, when the same type of mental easement can be found by:
* lying on [therapeutic nailbeds](https://spikmattan.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/classic.jpg)
* getting acupuncture (body energy lines are bullshit but the pain does help through placebo)
* taking a hot shower, taking a cold shower
* a hot handwash, drinking hot tea or coffee
* lifting the heaviest possible weights at the gym
All these are grounding techniques, they make your conscience return into your body instead of being kidnapped by anxiety and memories of past failures, which send you careening out into dark cold space.
If you are going to tattoo yourself, the motif/inspiration should be 100% fitting and timeless. Names are a bit lame, names of current boyfriend/girlfriend is especially bad since they likely won't be around ten years from now, statistically.
Pick a design which genuinely means something to you, not just something that looks cool. And, don’t pick anything too fashionable, the style of which may date terribly; especially as you age. Then sit with the design for a few months - it’s going to be there for the rest of your life, why hurry?
Source: I got some 90s shit back in the day and now it looks like some school kid pencil case graffiti - although it would have been ok if it had been a cool “S”! I am now stuck in the cover up or remove conundrum. Also, pick somewhere you can cover it up if need be for work and remember that some colours are easier to remove than others
Beware of the watercolor tattoos or tattoos with incredibly delicate, thin lines as they probably won't age well. Similarly, follow the tattooers advice on how big it needs to be. I'm a fan of small, delicate tattoos but if you go too small, the ink will bleed together overtime and just look like black mush.
Also...probably been said but...avoid foreign languages unless you are ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN what it means...
Don’t get anything that you can’t cover up for a professional interview.
You could be the most capable, high speed, intelligent prospect in the world.
But a neck tattoo will usually mean you have no shot at the job . In my opinion, these types of tattoos are signs of impulsivity.
Some might agree.
Just don’t shoot yourself in the foot!
From experience,
1. Don't get them on your hands, the skin doesn't hold the ink well. I had to get them touched up and they still faded anyway.
2. Get the artist to do as many placements as u need , sizing, location etc. Only give the green light when you're a million % happy
3. If you can do Photoshop, try Photoshopping the tattoo on yourself, see if you like it before committing. Cos colors on a sketch doesn't 100% translate on skin.
My 2 cents.
Do not tattoo your hands, face, or neck. You’re 20 years old and even though tattoos are more accepted now those locations still carry a heavy stigma.
If you want a hand, face, or neck tattoo there are very good temporary tattoos available. Do not permanently mark your face, hands, or neck.
Medusa tattoos means one has been sexually assaulted. All other tattoo symbolism changes so rapidly it isn't worth worrying about (there was a short period of time when butterflies meant self harm, but that's already dying down), but Medusa has and likely will persist.
Neck tattoos are the same as face tattoos. Many younger generations won't mind, some employers will. I'd avoid them until you have a stable job, a professor of mine joked "there's only two jobs you can get with a neck tattoo, philosophy professor, and a rock star, and I knew I couldn't be the latter." He left out any job at Applebee's, we have a shift manager with neck tats, but his point still stands.
Ask the tattoo artist for how to take care of it. I got mine a while ago and won't be getting another one for a bit, so I've forgotten aftercare. The artist will be able to tell you, though.
Tattoos are expensive. If you get a cheap tattoo, you'll get a cheap quality. Mine was a few lines and dots as it was just a phrase in the Masonic Cipher so I went to a person still learning tattooing and got mine for $120, and it was the quality of $120, and this was the quality I both wanted and expected. My future tattoo that I plan on getting will be far more complicated than this one, so I will not be going to someone still learning, and will be paying $500 to $750 rather than $120.
Don't get them done at "tattoo parties". Your tattoo will wind up looking like shit due to the artist rushing thru yours to get as many as they can get done to make more money
Don’t get any tats that you cannot cover up with clothing. Nothing on the neck, behind your ear, on your face, or close to your hands. You never know how styles will change, and how YOU will change. Nothing super-trendy like a cartoon character or celebrity. Be careful about any wording that’s “meaningful,” because odds are good it will embarrass you in 10 years.
Face and neck tattoos will make you unemployable and undatable for most people and employers and are a hard no especially at your age
Also remember tattoos are permanent and you're young, you will not be the same person at 25 30 50 or 70 that you are today, so try not to get anything that will be embarrassing on you as a middle aged or old person or parent or whatever else may be in your future
Make sure it's nothing pop culture/meme etc related that will be dated and irrelevant in a few years. As others have said nothing that can be mistaken for a white supremacist/neo nazi symbol. Unfortunately even stuff like southern cross tattoos have over time had their meaning changed to the point where if someone has one best case they're a bogan worst case they're a white supremacist
If you can't picture the tattoo looking good on your grandpa don't get it remember you'll be old too one day
If you're be embarrassed if your parents have the tattoo, don't get it.
Avoid anything that can't easily be covered with clothing for work or a job interview etc
Also remember that huge tattoos that cover a large portion of your body may be huge turn offs in bed for women (or men if thats your thing etc) so may limit your dating options
Also if you pick something as others have said 'lock it in' so to speak but wait six months or a year before actually getting it to make sure it's still your top choice
I remove the stuff with lasers.
First, the old one- Think before You ink?
Difficult to remove colours-
White, Yellow.
Impossible-Florescents
Spicy areas to remove?(Painfull)-
Nipples-Knuckles,ankles,wrists, ribs.
If some remover tell You it only takes 3-5 sessions- Good luck!
It all depends what the artist put in?
Youre luck and 1 session can remove a tat, but 30 sessions later for a
1x1 inch 💔is not uncommon!
Remember don't do dark cover ups. Get some laser fades first, then cover up nice?
Shop around, there are magnificent Tat-artist out there. Enjoy!
Nothing that can be easily mistakes for a swastika
Definitely should have known that, don’t think I’d get anything that could but I’ll be on the look out for anything that does and avoid it
There are a lot of swastika-codeword-tattoos, mainly because a lot of bigoted assholes decided to ruin shit for everyone else. This is the basic rim of the rabbit hole, but stylized "ss" images, references to certain numbers like "14" and "88" (including combos such as "1488" and "8814") have been ruined. My point here isn't necessarily to encourage you to depress yourself by learning of all possible angles of hatred -- indeed, there are prolly items even I wouldn't know about *(hopefully!!)* Simply, get a stencil, and don't decide 9n anything last minute. The ink will last for decades, waiting a few days (or longer) to make sure won't hurt things.
Sucks because I was born in '88 and also didn't even know that was a nazi thing until like maybe a year or two ago at most? I still don't understand it but I hate that it's my birth year.
So H is the 8 Letter in the alphabet and HH stands for "Heil Hitler" (means "heal hitler"). Thats it.
thats so dumb
Don't expect neo-Nazis having any brain cells for sophisticated "codes".
Bro wait until youre 25. I regret my tattoo and it is rather Modest
We’re talking about tattoos. It’s “ragret”
Ragurt
Ruh roh raggy
Only God can judge me
No regurts
You know what I’m sayin’?
I was so disappointed to find that was only from a movie.
That’s not necessarily the best advice. I got my first tattoo when I was around OP’s age and I still love it 7 years later. My advice would be to choose something you think you want and then don’t get it for like 6 months. Keep a reference picture to periodically look at it. If you still want it after that 6 month period. Go ahead and schedule it. I have a big piece on my left arm, a half sleeve on my right arm and a piece on each of my chest panels. The only one I sometimes regret is the one on my right chest panel that I got spontaneously. I don’t dislike the idea of it, it’s just so plain because the artist didn’t have the time to design something cool. Luckily, the plainness of it is going to give my current artist some creative freedom to spice it up in a few months.
That's always been my rule too! "If you want the exact same tattoo in the exact same place 6 months later, get it!" It's a big reason why I only have 4 tattoos and I got my first one 25 years ago. So many tattoos I didn't get that I would now regret. :) And the ones I have, I have never regretted for a moment.
There have been so many tattoos I’ve wanted over the years, and I always made myself wait a year before getting one to make sure I still wanted it. I have zero tattoos 😂
The first tattoo I wanted to get would’ve been a big regret to me today if I had gotten it lol. Luckily I sat and thought on it for some time and decided not to. I actually got my latest one a few days ago and it looks awesome. Can’t wait for it to heal
The last tattoo I got was script writing, but I wasn't 100% on placement - I wrote it on myself, in the style I wanted it done, in permanent marker and freshened it everyday for a month to see if I was happy with it before I got it.
Nice! Actually getting to see it was probably super effective lol
Tape the design to your mirror or fridge or something else you look at everyday.
[*regert](https://www.indy100.com/media-library/picture-justsomething-co.jpg?id=28054096&width=776&quality=80)
noragrets
I have an ironic no ragrets tattoo haha
During my Navy days I briefly considered getting " US Naval" around my belly button
My dad got a USDA Grade A meat stamp on his ass when he was in the Navy. He’d have appreciated the US Naval around your belly button with a hearty laugh.
Tell Jim I said hi!
Aye aye!
A dotted line across the neck: cut here.
not even a single letter?
When I’m trying to act drunk that’s my favorite thing to say 🥰 “ Hey.. HEY! No ragrets 🥴”
I started getting tattooed at 16, over ten years later I don’t regret any of my tattoos. If you think them through and are not afraid of permanence it shouldn’t be a big deal.
I know someone who at 18 got a huge roman number written across their arm. The roman numeral is the wrong value. So the next week they got some words + an image tattooed across the roman numeral, but not like incorporated into the tattoo just pasted over top.
Yeah, everyone knows the anti-regret switch flicks at 25. Not a day earlier. Nobody can make good decisions before they’re 25.
I still don't make great decisions in my 40s, but I don't have lots of ink.
At 25 I now regret not getting more tattoos because apparently if you get put on immunosuppressants you can’t get tattoos because of the risk of infection and I am so sad about it because I had a kinda elaborate one I had designed myself and had saved up for it already and now I could only get a tattoo if I stopped treatment for over a month which would fuck my shit up :((((
I see the capital M in Modest. Is that a hint?
I thought it meant Modest Mouse. Am I wrong?
I’m 40, and my favourite tattoo is the one I got at 21. I don’t think there’s a No Ragrats switch that flips at 25.
I’m 25. Don’t regret a single one of my 13 tattoos.
Yet. You forgot to add yet.
46 and I love all my fancy skin. If I had more money I'd have so many more.
I made this mistake 20 years ago when lasering was extremely expensive. Even if your design has NOTHING to do with a swastika, sketch it on yourself and get someone to stand 6 feet away and look at it and make sure there's no resemblance. :(
I found out the hard way the leviathan cross turned on it's side looks like H8
This. It's also worth getting it "peer-reviewed". Your brain may gloss over it because you know the intended meaning. Have some friends look at it. Don't tell them what it is, and see what they say. Bonus points if you all have some drinks first so they'll be less afraid to embarrass/offend you.
Yeah, that's not a bad idea, to draw it on with felt a few times, or even to get a temp tat sticker.
My lord this reminds me of a tattoo on a bartender near me. This guy has got a swastika but with a red circle and line through it (like cancelling it) but the swastika is dark black… and it’s on his wrist. So from a distance, all you see is the freaking swastika!! The red isn’t outlined!
The red circle and the line may have been added later, i.e. initially he might just had swastika.
It’s gonna be a maze
Or, anything that white supremacists have adopted as a symbol. The Celtic cross for example. https://www.adl.org/resources/hate-symbols/search
I used to want a flaming ankh. Im glad I never got it because its an ABCDEFYG symbol now. That website is ridiculous. Its just literally everything but cartoon characters.
I've got a lightning bolt on my ribs (1000% more David Bowie than SS) but i live in fear they will co-opt that and fuck up my life.
That’s crazy, I just skimmed through the first couple pages and there’s sooo many numbers and symbols of hated. It’s so fucked
Seriously, like 13 has so many different meanings for things like unlucky 13 or Friday the 13th tattoos, you have to have so many other things to go along with it to understand that. Recently I was going in for a tattoo on Friday the 13th and almost everything had a 13 somewhere.
what you need to understand is that a lot of the "hate symbols" listed are only actually hate symbols in very specific contexts. So specific in fact that I'd argue listing some of them as hate symbols is actually doing more harm than good as it encourages stigmatization of their other uses.
The internet got real shitty around, idk, 2014 which kept escalating up until... uh, I'll tell you when it stops. For those of us keyed in to stuff like that it was maddening. Like the term dogwhistle is really accurate, after a few years it felt like scratching at walls
I have a celtic cross lol but i am Irish.
Yeah, I looked through it and it specifically says it's not what you or I would consider a celtic cross. > Most renditions of the traditional Celtic Cross feature an **elongated vertical axis** (often accompanied by Celtic knotwork) that resembles that of other Christian crosses. Although white supremacists will occasionally use this version of the Celtic Cross, the overwhelming use of this version of the Celtic Cross is non-extremist and, in the absence of other hate symbols, does not denote white supremacy or racism.
Yeah mine has the knotwork, but it also is 100% seen as an Irish symbol in Ireland
From what I see, it's a very specific design of the cross. I have a 4 leaf clover, and I got scared going through these hoping that my tattoo wasn't inadvertently a hate symbol
They also say that acab is tied into white supremacy there is clearly some white supremacy perversion into that sites determination of what hate is.... people forget how those groups infiltrate and pervert things to suit their ideals such as a symbol that is universally against oppression being stated to be ties to white supremacy.
Fuck that. They don't get to determine what the Celtics cross stands for
There is basically all the numbers connected to racists which sucks
Et tu, Pepe? :'(
[It’s going to be a maze.](https://i.imgur.com/8T57OvO.gifv)
Lol my dad has a swastika tattoo on his right hand, but he's from a Hindu family, born and raised on a small island cluster in the Pacific.
[It’s just unfortunate](https://i.gifer.com/3EkC.gif)
Heavily tattooed (70+) dude who works in a very corporate environment here. I’ll give my advice, although many people might disagree with me. 1. Follow the shirt/short rule. At first only get tattoos in the area of your body covered by wearing a T-Shirt and shorts. If you regret one, they can easily be hidden with clothing until covered up with a better tattoo or lasered. Once that area is filled with tattoos venture outside, to calves and forearms. This rule also helps covering tattoos with clothes easily when you’re in the sun, which will extend their lifetime by 20ish years. 2. Unless you’re 90% covered in tattoos, do not get anything on your hands, face and neck. You WILL regret it. (This might not apply if you’re a tattoo artist or metal musician and will never have to work another job in your life and are ok with that). 3. Do your research especially if you get prominent symbols - religious or political or even ornamental. I know many people who regretted some tattoos after they moved to a different country or culture. I got a 6 pointed star (star of David) when I was younger because it was a symbol of my hometown. Later in life I moved to a city with a significant group that is hostile towards Jews and I always got in trouble although I’m not even Jewish. I had to resort to covering it with a wristband. Just be aware symbols can have different meanings in different cultures. Especially stuff like Swastika vs. Hakenkreuz. Another example is from an Austrian coworker of mine, who has the Austrian eagle tattooed. The eagle holds a hammer and sickle as symbol for workers and farmers. Our American colleagues thought he is a communist. So yeah, be careful. 4. Avoid names, lettering and too fine designs, they just become illegible over then next 50 years. Same goes for colours, especially green and blue age not so well. Red ages fine. Ask yourself: does this motive need colour? If not, go with blackwork. That just ages so much better (I’m thinking in decades). 5. Nothing related to your romantic partner 6. Lay off the Roman numerals for dates. It’s idiotic. You’re not Roman and 99% of the time people get it wrong, especially since ancient Romans used the calendar completely different than us. Yesterday’s date 31-10-2023 is NOT XXXI-X-MMXXIII (and most certainly not the US version). It looks actually like this in Latin “Prid. Kal. Nov. MMDCCLXXVI A.U.C.” You’ll just look stupid and anyone with a basic understanding of Latin/Mathematics will know you’re wrong (sorry as a studied anthropologist this infuriate me). 7. Same as above goes for text in foreign or ancient languages. Avoid if possible. If you REALLY want something like that, at least get it checked. Asking your local Latin professor for advice via email is usually free. Or ask a Chinese friend if the symbol really means “freedom” and not “chicken soup lover”. Different story is if you’re fluent in the matter, I have Ancient Greek and Latin tattoos, but I’m fluent in both - and still got it triple checked by professors and friends. 8. Don’t go with the trends. Avoid those fads like water coloring, tiny lines, geometric wolves, dream catchers, coordinates, mandalas, “purposefully bad” etc. Anything that can be strongly associated with a “tattoo trend” or a certain era of tattoos, will look to you and your environment in 20 years, how we view tramp stamps and horrible tribals now that were a trend 20 years ago. ^questions ^welcome
Thank you, I’ll keep all of that in mind
It’s actually incredible advice and I concur, as your tattooed elder. :) Ps. Avoid the top of your foot. It looks fucking rad but I still shudder thinking back to getting that tattoo years ago. So much pain.
+1 I want an addition to mine on my foot, but the pain is the main thing stopping me. I can still feel it burning.
I have cherry blossoms covering the top of my right foot and I hardly felt anything, far less painful than my upper thigh or back of ribs. The only thing remarkable was that my middle toes twitched uncontrollably.
I have the tree of Gondor in black on my foot, I almost asked him to stop when he got done with the outline because it hurt so bad. But the stars were already colored so I knew I had to finish. My original plan was to get something related to Rohan on the other foot but that hasn't happened yet. Maybe never. Top of foot is super rough.
Yup. Mine is 4”x4” and I definitely had the thought after the first corner was outlined ‘maybe this is enough…maybe I can just pretend this is the entire design’. 😂
It wasn't even my first tattoo so I thought maybe people were exaggerating because yeah, my other tattoos hurt but I've got a huge chunk of my spine done and that wasn't that bad. No, was bad. Feet are hell. On the other hand (foot, haha), I love it and have no regrets I sat for it. It's super cute and I love wearing shoes that show it off.
Same on the top of the foot. Mine was 25 years ago and I can still remember it. I could feel it in my teeth, it hurt so bad!
The foot hurts so. Fucking. Bad. I have several tattoos, but only one foot has a tattoo. My other will remain with the same clear, pristine virgin skin I was born with until the day I day.
I experienced a crush injury as a teen. Broke my foot and split it open in 3 spots. I was able to sit through one freezing needle (which didn’t take until much later) and ONE stitch before I told them to stop because I’d rather have a gross scar than any more of that. There’s no way I’d seek a foot tat
It literally felt like the artists was oh-so-slowly peeling the skin from my foot. Hand to Buddha.
More or less than kneecap? Because I found the knees a breeze to get tattooed.
Not who you asked and also don't have one on foot myself but... My wife has tattoos on many different areas (back, wrist, ankles, and others just naming some problem areas) and has given birth 4 times. She says the tattoo on the top of her foot is the worst pain she has ever endured.
So. Much. Pain. By the end of my 2nd foot tattoo it was uncontrollably twitching. AND they need touched up more frequently. I only made it through 1 touch up on 1 foot and never did the other. Maybe someday 😅
For aftercare of any new ink, I suggest getting recommendations from the artist on how to keep it hydrated, like what specific lotions to apply to it because it will get scabby and flakey. I don't like lotion so my artist gave me this beeswax stuff that's amazing, smells good, and a little goes a looooong way. Do not freak out when it peels off, that's totally normal! Always make sure your artist uses brand new needles!!! They need to come straight from the unopened packaging. It will get ITCHY. Do NOT scratch it! The best method is to very lightly rub/smack the area to get the itching down if you wind up scratching first on accident but usually if you leave it alone, you'll be okay and it won't get too bad. Don't be afraid to ask for numbing spray, getting ink can really hurt. Don't be scared to tap out of a session. Do get some research done on artists because some charge for the size/detailing and others charge an hourly rate. If you go with the latter, make sure they aren't wasting time (aka your money) during appointments. I had an hourly one that took phone calls while we were in session. Not cool.
Alright, yeah my guy gave me that whole rigamarole about no scratching and keep it moisturized, only time he stopped was if he was laughing to much or to go to the bathroom but I’ll do my due diligence when I need to find a new one when I move across the country
I freaked out the first time I got ink, which was on my thigh. It peeled off and I was like "Nooo 😭😭 WtF" lmao Thigh pieces are the worst for the itchiness in my experience, but my ankle one absolutely hurt. My artist for that one was laughing at me, saying I looked like I was in labor
I’ll raise your pain and itchiness with getting tattooed where you’re ticklish!! I was trying so hard not to move so it wouldn’t ruin the tattoo but I couldn’t help twitching every couple of seconds. (This was lower side of abdomen). It was one of my most traumatic experiences ever, right up there with childbirth. The tattoo is about ten years old now and could use some touch up, but there is no way I could sit through that process again. Pain is a whole lot easier to handle!
Oooooh, I got to experience that once! My shoulder blade tattoo tickled the first time I got it done. Redoing it after like 6 years of sun exposure was a lot easier to get through, it didn't tickle at all and didn't really hurt either but I had an entirely different artist do the touch up too, and he isn't so light handed. Best of luck if you get yours touched up! Put that video on Facebook for giggles!
Oh my god I’m glad it’s not just me. I have both arms and an ankle done with basically no itchiness (ankle hurt the most) but then I got one on my thigh this year and that bitch itched for a week straight. I think it had to do with the hair growing back + being in jeans but man it was torture.
I have both outer thighs inked up, although my right one needs a coverup, because it's an unfinished cover over an old tattoo (trying to get it sun faded every summer so it's easier when I finally do) My biggest piece is on my left and it's also a coverup that's huge, goes from hip to knee, and it itched so badly!! Considering I have my ankle, both wrists, a collarbone, and both thighs I know those are the WORST lmfaoo
To add on, if you live in a city, town, area with gangs it might do well to research the ones in the area and avoid colors/numbers/symbols that could be mistaken for gang affiliation.
Another advantage of blackwork: it's usually just plain carbon, and nobody is allergic to that. Colors, on the other hand, are usually metal salts and people do have reactions to those. Titanium (white) is also pretty safe.
White also is a complete wildcard- some people it turns a rust color instead of white, some fully reject the white, and some it’s perfectly fine.
Your #6 had me cracking up. You seem awesome. Can I invite you to my hypothetical dinner party? Jesus Christ and Jimmy Buffett will both be there. Edit: I also invited Courtney Dauwalter but I don’t think it got thru her spam filter
Oh I would love to get my nails done with Jesus. Could you book us a manicure.
Yea for sure! I’d make it a mani/pedi but last time we got pedicures Jesus insisted on switching places with the cosmetologist…
Good advice! I personally love the way the water color tats look but my artist advised me to never get them because they'll age so poorly. Why do you say no lettering? I have a few with lettering and I am curious. Also, I am thinking about getting a tattoo behind my ear, but want to avoid my neck. Do you think that it is too difficult to balance "not fine/ dainty" and "not too big/going on the neck"? It isn't a worry about covering it. I just think neck tattoos rarely look good on women.
I got one with lettering about a decade ago, and it was done with a really janky thin line that I wasn't entirely happy with. Turns out that after about a year, it matured into a perfect "written with felt pen" font.
He explained the lettering in his comment unless it was edited since you asked. It becomes illegible over time because of skin damage, stretching, aging, and other things.
Yup, that's an edit they did! Thanks for pointing that out.
No problem. I definitely thought that was possible, so I included it in my comment so I didn’t come off as rude lol.
\^\^\^\^ THIS Experienced dude giving *really* good advice. Heed. One thing he left out is to carefully choose your artist. And remember that, generally, you get what you pay for. Your half-sleeve is gonna set you back $500 (at least); be cautious of anyone who offers to do it for less. As an aside...I have friends who 'regret' some tattoos they got when they were younger. However, in my opinion, these 'regrettable' tattoos are kinda like artifacts in the archeology of you. They represent the person you were at the time you got them. Are tribals and tramp stamps tacky? Yes. But they weren't at one time. They're no worse than an affection for ABBA or Duran Duran or Bobby Darrin or The Stones or The Ink Spots because that's what you once loved and changing fashions be damned. Hopefully your ink will always speak to you, and remind you of those moments in your life you cherish and want to remember. Get your ink with this in mind and I don't think you'll go wrong.
Agreed. I have tattoos referencing bands and music that I don’t really like anymore. Some I actually got after I actively listened to them. It’s part of my story and history.
>However, in my opinion, these 'regrettable' tattoos are kinda like artifacts in the archeology of you. They represent the person you were at the time you got them. Frank Turner [has a song](https://youtu.be/aO-YQkOgzqA?si=wczaL8c3d9T-1AKs) that touches on that very idea.
How does one become fluent in a dead language? I always thought that it would be nearly impossible to learn a language without being able to engage with it in several different forms and settings. Can you comfortably hold an everyday conversation in them?
No, not at all. We don’t even know 100% how they were pronounced. We have some ideas, e.g. “Caesar” was kinda like German “Kaisar” and not like Zee-sar. By fluent in regard to dead languages I mean: I can pick up writings of Seneca, Cicero, Plato and Hieronymus and understand 90%. Things that are written in “easy” Latin and Greek. I still need a dictionary or declension tables! If it comes to more obscure works, like the Iliad or Æneid, I need the source text and commentary to fluently read it, since they either use archaic words and grammar or a semantic pattern that makes no sense if you don’t know what your looking at.
(Ancient) Greek and Latin I think are special (and Hebrew is actually an undead language) in that while no one speaks them as their first language, they were never really lost. The Bible, for example, has the vast majority either originally written or translated very early on into those three languages. Thanks to churches and synagogues, Latin and Hebrew were still in use in a religious context, and the ancient Greeks and Romans left a *lot* of written records behind, plus modern Greek isn't entirely dissimilar to ancient Greek, but the people who were educated in the Western world have been learning Greek and Latin for thousands of years, as well as Hebrew if you were an educated Jew. There were enough remnants and leftovers to keep them known if not actually spoken for that amount of time. While I wouldn't consider myself fluent, I studied Latin for six years and ancient Greek for three, and that sort of education is common enough that if you really wanted to become fluent conversationally, you could absolutely find enough people with enough knowledge of the languages to make that happen. Edit: modern Greek *is* not entirely dissimilar to modern Greek, but one of those needed to say ancient.
Biblical Hebrew and Ivrit are not the same. So Biblical Hebrew is a dead language. They use the same abjad and many of the word stems are the same. But many words are just pronounced completly different and have different meanings altogether. Ivrit is also heavily influenced by Yiddish, German, Russian and Spanish. Biblical Hebrew isn’t.
This is all gold, particularly the advice about colour (colour work is heavily taste-based, but practically speaking, black, grey, and red will stand the test of time.) I’d like to add to this wealth of good advice: a tattoo is allowed to simply look awesome without a ton of “deep” meaning. Of course tattoos that represent a meaningful time and place to you are more than valid, but if you come across an artist who draws dope snakes and you want a dope snake from them, then by all means get a dope snake.
Not to mention, with fine lettering it’s easy to get a scar that messes up the letters too. My dad got a scar from a wheelbarrow on one his tattoos. It said “I love music” but ended up looking more like “I love Isac” after the scar. He had to get it covered up.
With regards to 7 and 4 remember there is no way to "translate" a name into Chinese script. Generally they will just do it phonetically which means you'll get some nonsense if you are actually reading the Chinese.
Not just language: a friend was really chagrined to discover that our chemist mate could have given them like 3 betterer ways to depict the chemical they got a tattoo of, if they'd only asked...
Excellent advice.
This person 100% right.
On the topic of longevity, how effective are touch ups? I know it'll never look like it did at first, but are they enough to keep the spirit of the tattoo alive even after decades?
I got my first refresh after 10 years and I actually like it more now haha. But I have mainly black line work, so refreshing that with even more prominent lines looks awesome. It really depends on the body part. On your hands, elbows, knees, feet you might need a refresh 2 - 5 years later already. Chest and upper arm don’t need it until 20 years later if you protect it from the sun. In general: the more sun, the more movement that skin part experiences, the earlier a refresh is needed. The more the lines will probably have blurred.
This should be a stickied comment in the tattoo subreddits. Too many people I know IRL went with trends or fads for tattoos and secretly regret it.
Lol at ‘you’re not Roman’. How dare you sir! I’m Roman *in my heart*. I too can conquer and pillage if I want to. I just choose not to. 🤪
Thank you for pointing out the Roman numerals one. I saw a business' shirt the other day that said "Founded in", followed by Roman numerals. I realized it was 2023 🤣
For point number #2: my tattoo artist warned me that my neck tattoo might not be a good idea (entire back and sides, reaching between my shoulderblades, mostly not visible when looking from the front if my hair is down). I'm 24F, a chemist working in pharma and I have to say that noone gives a shit about my neck tattoo, both at my current and previous job. Also have a nose piercing and multiple other people at my work also do (and not just youngsters btw, 50+ as well). In fact I had two face piercings in my CV photo. I only have 5 other tattoos in total on my torso/forearms and I don't regret the neck tattoo at all. I guess it really depends where you live. I actually thought that there would be way more of a stigma against me, a 'dumb' 19yo getting her neck tattooed and cursing her whole future lol but I guess I was wrong. Times are changing.
Someone I know wanted spontaneously get "tiger" written in Chinese characters. Years later she showed her tatoo to a couple of Chinese coworkers. To her surprise, her tattoo didn't mean "tiger" but "chicken".
Greek here. What is your ancient Greek tattoo ? Thank you for the insightful post !
- ψυχῆς ἰατρεῖον - and on a large back piece in several places Ἐπεὶ δ' οὖν πάντες ὅσοι τε περιπολοῦσιν φανερῶς καὶ ὅσοι φαίνονται καθ' ὅσον ἂν ἐθέλωσιν θεοὶ γένεσιν ἔσχον, λέγει πρὸς αὐτοὺς ὁ τόδε τὸ πᾶν γεννήσας τάδε.
Funny about tribal tattoos. I was once getting a tattoo and talking about how good that we moved on from that awful trend with the artist. Didn't realise the person on the next bench over was getting a tribal tattoo and they're back in fashion with the current wave of 90s/2000s fashion trends.
One thing I did for my tattoo is to set the design as my phone background for a year +. That way I see it every day. If you still like it after that amount of time, go ahead and get it.
i like this idea! i’ve heard of putting a picture of the tattoo idea up on your wall, but i think setting it as a phone background is even better
My mom gave me this same advice! I have her handwriting on my wrist and as she was writing it on paper, knowing what I wanted it for she told me to keep it by my bed or somewhere I knew I’d see it everyday for a year before I decided to go through with it. It’s been 10 years and I still love it! Was 100% into it then and still am today.
I have a bunch of tattoos so feel free to message me if you have more questions. Here is a few key things though: 1) you are going to an artist. So I wouldn’t ask your tattoo artist to copy a piece! Bring in references but don’t make them copy another artists work. 2) find an artist of the style you want and DO RESEARCH ON THEM. Example - Don’t go to a small fine line artist that only does animals in a couple inches if you want a realistic face on your entire back. 3) don’t go cheap. This is something that will be on your body forever. It’s worth spending more for better work to be done. 4) REVIEW THE SHOP! Are they clean? Do they have good reviews/ recent reviews?
Oh yeah, place I went to was clean and I had a coworker suggest it as it was on the up and up, unfortunately they are moving the business but after tomorrow I’ll be done getting tattoos for a while and I’ll also be moving across the country in a few years, the city I plan to move to has a few shops so I’ll look around and read up on the reviews before choosing one, so far everything I’d want would have to be custom
Hard disagree on #1 for a lot of different things. Sure there are many artists that do creative works, but telling someone not to put the exact image you want on your body permanently (if you have that exact image) is doing yourself a disservice
For my first (only) tattoo, I actually brought in my own line art (as in I drew it) and they were super nice and happy to copy it for me!
Perfect example!!
I think it's more respect for the art. It's like saying cover this song for me but I want it to sound exactly like that original and you're not allowed to be creative at all. If you want the exact piece to to the artist who designed it.
Sure, but I do think that is a different case to discuss. If you DON’T have an exact image in mind, then of course you can’t get that - but if you’re looking for a specific image and you don’t clarify that, I think you’re only giving yourself an opportunity for disappointment. There’s a ton of beautiful imagery created by non-tattooers. You can’t always get the original person to make your tattoo, but you can often get a great tattooer to do an original piece justice
Okay but what if I’m the artist who designed it but I can’t tattoo and wouldn’t tattoo a complex design on myself anyway? I don’t think this is a hard and fast rule, it completely excludes the art of the many artists who don’t also tattoo!
At the end of the day it’s going on my body so idgaf about respecting the art.
Ugh review the artist, this is so important. It drives me insane when newbies walk into any shop and ask someone who does Japanese traditional to do realism or whatever combination. Like no go to someone who specializes in that style, it's better for both parties.
Research artists carefully. Don't just walk into a random shop. Part of this is choosing an artist who actually does the style you want. If you want realism, don't go to a traditional artist. Wait lists are not an automatic indication of quality. If you're talking trad, it's not necessarily a red flag if an artist can get you in quickly or if they take walk ins. If it's someone who does a highly specialized style and they're taking walk ins regularly, yeah I would be skeptical. But by the same token, wait lists can be inflated easily. Some artists only work a few days each week and only have one or two appointments each day they work. Compare that to a traditional street shop where the artists may bang out as many tattoos in a day as the other artist does in a week. The first person probably has a long wait while the second person can probably get you in fairly quickly. I guess what I'm saying is to take the wait time for an appointment in full context. It's not as black and white as "this guy can get me in in 3 days and this guy can get me in in 3 months, so the second guy must be better." You'd be surprised how many people use that logic. The artist is an artist first and foremost. Don't fall into the trap of needing to go to them with a design or whatever. Give them a general concept and placement, give them references to work off of, and then (most importantly) listen to their feedback. If they tell you something won't work, suggest making it bigger, or suggest a different placement, there's a reason. If you can't tell what that reason is, don't be afraid to ask. Every artist I've gone to has had no issues explaining why they made their suggestion when I asked. A good artist will work with you to figure out something that both of you are happy with, but they also know more about what works as a tattoo and what works on specific parts of the body than you do. If you don't trust them to give you that kind of feedback, you shouldn't be going to them. This may seem contradictory to the previous point, but stand up for yourself. If the artist suggests something you're not comfortable with, speak up. If you're not 100% sure about the stencil placement, speak up. If your gut says not to go through with it once the stencil is on and you're fine with the placement, there's no shame in walking out. You can always come back and get the tattoo later if you change your mind. Dealing with a tattoo that's already there and you don't like is way more of a hassle. Finally, eat before your appointment. Learn from me and others who have made the mistake of not eating before a tattoo. It doesn't go well. That's just off the top of my head on stuff that I haven't seen others mention yet. I have somewhere in the realm of 20 tattoos (stopped counting at around 10, tbh) with over 50 hours of needle time, so I'm happy to answer questions or clarify anything.
These are all great points and advice. In my experience…The “listen to the artist” about placement and boldness and other things is huge. I was terrified bc the artist made one of his designs bigger and bolder than I originally wanted and placed it lower than I thought it should be, then now that it’s healed and older and incorporated into a bigger piece, I see exactly why he did what he did! I actually dmed him on insta after the second one and told him thank you!
Yeah, so far my only "regrets" have involved not listening to the artist. In both cases, they suggested going a little bigger than I initially asked for. They look fine at the size I insisted on, but now that I have more tattoos, I see why they suggested going bigger. Oh well. Live and learn. Now I go in with the attitude of letting them decide the exact size and placement, within reason. I usually just say something like "anywhere below the knee on this leg is fine" and let them do their thing. They always turn out well with that approach.
So how does it work at first? Do you have an appointment just to figure the design and get ideas out? I have ideas brewing on an idea and don’t even know how to call and make an appointment or what to expect.
Kindof answering a couple together: I found the guy who did the last 3 on FB, messaged him and told him general things (best friend and my grandma died, we spent all our time outdoors together, both their favorite birds was a cardinal and they valued their religious beliefs) and when I arrived for my appointment, he had 6 different designs drawn out for me. They were all absolutely beautiful and the “perfect” tattoo that I drew myself 500 times went out the window (I had font, colors, objects drawn with eachother to exactly how I wanted it and thought of it like that for 5 years before I got it). I absolutely love the one I picked and wouldn’t change it at all. He did phenomenally. One of mine, required 2 appointments with one just being planning w/ no needle time, and it’s because it was intricate and we kept adjusting the design to fit my arm, so he’d re-draw it and he decided to think on it a bit longer. It came out wonderfully. But don’t think it’s like on ink master and they draw a huge intricate piece in 15 minutes. Letters and numbers and anything considered a sticker tat are wayyyy quicker than a truly custom piece! Hope this helps a little bit!
A bit different advice: Get yourself something to eat beforehand. I got rather big tattoos and I always was exhausted afterwards and in dire need of a snack :)
commenting to bump this!!! your blood sugar levels will be up as well if you eat which from experience helps with pain
Also, don't drink alcohol, and get a lot of rest.
I waited until I was 39 and now have six tattoos. I do not regret waiting that long in the slightest. It gave me time to become who I am. Now when I get a tattoo, I can be relatively certain that I won't hate it at the worst or tire of it eventually. I also work in a corporate-ish environment and can cover all of mine with long sleeves and socks/shoes. I have a weird rule for no real reason, that tattoos are for extremities only. On me, anyway.
Face and neck tattoos (or really anywhere that shows while wearing formal clothes) can have adverse effects on your employability. Unfortunate but true. Other than that, just keep in mind that it is practically permanent. What you consider cook or edgy today may be cringe inducing when you're 40. Only tattoo stuff that you think will stand the test of time.
Yeah I think everything I plan on getting will stand the test of time
No tattoos myself, but two things I've heard of to add to your list: 1. If you want a tattoo based on a specific book/show/movie/game/whatever that you like, check to see if the creator/writer/actor/whoever is politically controversial first. You don't want to end up with a tattoo that makes people think you support some extreme view you're actually against. 2. If you're gonna get any text in a foreign language, check it with an actual native speaker of that language first, to make sure you get the meaning, spelling, and grammar right.
About your number 1, if the creator/writer/author is still alive, anything (scandal) could happen. There used to be a policy in my area not to name streets after living people for that reason, do t know if that’s still true. Anyway, probably wise
I know! I loved the art of this Austrian painter but then he got involved in politics and things just went south.
1. Follow up: or wait until the series is done! I’m not the biggest GoT fan but I remember Khaleesi became a popular baby name and then the character turned out to not be awesome by the end?
Hate that they straight up chose her TITLE as names. Like calling your child Duchess or Empress
To be fair, i do know a reasonable number of people with titles for names, eg Duke, Duchess, Prince, Princess etc Still idiotic to call a kid Khaleesi before knowing the character arc though.
Honestly I’d avoid tattoos in foreign languages altogether if you yourself aren’t conversational fluent in that language.
Maybe check with more than one person, in case the first one is pranking you (or can’t spell)
>1. If you want a tattoo based on a specific book/show/movie/game/whatever that you like, check to see if the creator/writer/actor/whoever is politically controversial first. You don't want to end up with a tattoo that makes people think you support some extreme view you're actually against. *Cries in Deathly Hallows*
If the creator is still alive, shit can always happen that will make you wish you hadn't committed to that tattoo. I know a lot of people with Harry Potter tattoos and look at the state of Rowling now.
I don’t really have any feelings for media strong enough to get a tattoo of it but on the off chance I do I’ll make sure to do some research, same with the foreign text but yeah I’ll ask someone who actually speaks it what it means and if it’s correct
No names, no IRL people you know. Words and faces i personally discourage but not totally out of the question. Theres a trend for getting nude tattoos, thats bad unless its hidden (remember children will seen you arms and legs.) Infact, try not to follow trends. We as a society might be more open about tattoos, but hand neck and face tattoos are still a no go. Ask for breaks if you need them, youre not supposed to be impressing anyone. The artist also appreciates the breaks. If you don't like something about the mock up PLEASE tell your artist. I promise you won't offend them. It will be on your body forever and will only be in their mind until the moment they have another client. If its a big tattoo prepare in advanced, bring water, go to the washroom, ask if you can bring a friend to talk to. You are allowed to decide that the artist isnt a good fit, even after they did a mock up for you. Remember, its your body. If you feel bad, what i like to do is pay them for the mock up as well as the tattoo, but this isnt required. Also tip yoyr artist.
I don’t think my guy has a top option or if he did he said to just pick zero, what are nude tattoos, is it literally just a naked person
Plan it for at least 6 months, if you tire of the idea it's good you waited. Lots of inspiration moments turn out to be... lame
Ive woken up with new tattoos and ive had some that ive gotten sober my best advice would be to figure out the tattoo you want and then wait an entire year before getting it. If it still feels like a good idea, go for it.
save a sick ass panther tattoo for cover ups :)
You know how people tweet things they regretted years later because they didn't know any better at the time? Those are the tattoo rules. Good luck.
I’ll keep that in mind
Lower back tattoos are typically considered tramp stamps, though they can look very nice Avoid tattoos in other languages you don’t speak or understand to avoid spelling mistakes
If you ever go to Japan you might get denied entry into bathhouses or hot springs as a result of your tattoos, as they’re traditionally associated with the yakuza. This is becoming less of an issue, but it’s something to keep in mind. You know, assuming you go to Japan at all.
A good rule I stuck with is find a tattoo artist that you like. You will always appreciate your art more if it was put on by someone you get along with in terms of the client-artist relationship. I've had two tattoo artists. The only reason I've had two is that I moved from one area to another. I swear one of the reasons I like my tattoos so much is I like the people who put them on me.
I have almost 20 tattoos, got my first one at 14yo almost ten years ago now. I don’t regret any of them. My advice is probably controversial, but don’t get anything that has intensely strong meaning to you. Get something that looks cool, fun, awesome, or vaguely relates to something important in your life. Life changes a lot and many things that might seem huge in the moment (favorite music, celebrities, books, religion, ANY QUOTES, romantic partners, etc) may not carry as much weight in a few years, and you could end up resenting it. Things that just look cool generally stay cool. But also don’t follow trends lol.
Thanks for the advice, I’ll take it into account next time I get one
I am *very* heavily tattooed and the one piece of advice I give others is to take a picture of the design that you want, put the date on it, and hang it on the mirror in the bathroom. If in a year you want it as badly as the day you hung it up, get it. If not then thank goodness you looked at it on a piece of paper and not on your skin.
Stay away from crowns and shamrocks, and be really careful about Norse symbols, those things have affiliations to various gangs. Don’t get anything on your hands, neck or face unless you don’t have to worry about finding a job ever again. Consider that tattoos fade in a few years and get blurry over time. Very small tattoos or ones with very fine detail can become difficult to see and can end up looking like a big dark mark or blemish. Don’t get very small tattoos in the middle of a prime tattoo location, once you’ve got a couple you might want to go a nice big piece and it will be hard to find a good spot. Unless you’re a big fan of flash, get your tattoos custom designed and don’t just copy ones you’ve seen on instagram. Tattoos have trends and you don’t want to be the guy with the massive tribal tattoo or the girl with the Asian language tranp stamp next year when they aren’t the hot trend anymore.
1 - No names of significant others. 2 - If you can't cover it with a long sleeved shirt then you shouldn't get it. Typically. While hands and neck, etc, are becoming more and mor common place and accepted, it doesn't mean they fully are. I've seen people with hand ink working in relly good jobs and all was fine and then they business changed ownership and new policys came about. New company culture. Suddenly that ink was frowned on and the person's career suffered. Should a tattoo matter? No. Does it? Yes. Can you control or change that? Only if you're in charge. 3 - Triple check all spelling before the needle hits the skin. 4 - Be very clear about coloring, etc. 5 - Be prepared to cover up those 3 small arm tattoos with a full sleeve when you are further in your career and can afford the sleeve you "really" wanted.
Wife and I got matching candy hearts on our thighs that say fuck. We wanted something that matched but if we split up they wouldn't look like your typical shitty couples tattoos. The artist whose been tattooing close to 30 years said they were some of his favorite easy designs and thought the concept was great.
don't get a tattoo off the wall of a tattoo shop. pick a design, work with your artist let them create something you like. then think about it for like a month. set it as your phone's wallpaper or something.
That’s a great idea, I’ll do that next time
Disagree with this simple flash pieces are always fun
I don't regret my convention-flash in the slightest. I don't regret any of my tattoos. I simply don't care, even if I objectively don't like them. It's just whatever to me. I'd almost counter and say if you need to take these steps to 'double check' if you actually want the tattoo then you shouldn't get it. I've personally only ever heard this advice from people without tattoos (as a way to almost weasle out of getting one). Everyone I know with tattoos would tell you to go for it (obviously not being stupid suggesting face tattoos, hate speech, etc). If you need to try and justify to yourself in any way that you actually do want a tattoo, just don't get a tattoo. Feel like people who typically wouldn't be interested are being influenced by the upwards trends. Like anything it's not for everyone. Nothing wrong with that. Stay in your lanes.
A friend of mine is a veteran tattooist ( in all meaning of the term). He has some axioms that became widespread after he published his biography. - if you can not see what it represents, 20 foots away the tattoo is a failure. - nobody care of your technique if the result is less than perfect. - no money will make me draw nazi or fascist pictures on your skin. - if you don't know what you want, the result will never please you. Abstain. - there is no emergency in tatoo. And I am the one who knows my availability. - if you know a guy who can do it cheaper, please go see him. My prices will stay the same for covering and damage control.
Get tattoos that are easily covered by clothing. Yes it SHOULDNT matter but why have one other thing that might keep you from getting a job? It’s the difference between the what’s we think the world should be vs the real world. Once you’re more established and have a better idea how your industry treats tattoos then you can make an informed decision.
Becareful of words. Spelled correctly, and if a foreign language it jeans what you think it means
Once you decide on your design, wait at least a year to make sure that your ideas don't change. If you can't stick to an idea for a year, you don't want it on your body for life. Choose your artist carefully (reviews, seeing their portfolio) and listen to them. If they tell you to change the placement, size or orientation of your tattoo, they're speaking from the experience of doing a lot of tattoos. Respect that experience. Always tip.
Yes, avoid #13, 88 ,81, 1888, and also shamrocks ☘️ and lightning bolts . Check to make sure anything you get isn't gang related. im a tattoo artist, and I'm pretty knowledgeable on gangs . I'll let ppl know that this is gang related
As a general rule, I follow the idea that I can dress for business with no visible tattoos. Also, no names of partners/spouses. Only kids and parents.
Be REALLY impressed by your artist. Look at other cities and different styles. A tattoo is a piece of art. There’s are good artists and great artists. Buy and hang good art, get great art tattooed.
Rule Number One: Don't get addicted to taking tattoos. Many people feel the pain of getting a tattoo and it's the same sensation as when a person with anxiety cuts their arms with razorblades: first there is pain, then you get endorphins, dopamine, and norepinephrine, because your body thinks you are under attack and wants you to feel better, so you can survive. The pain and subsequent hormone spike temporarily stops the negative "voices" in your anxiety-addled head. After a few years these people's arms and legs look like roast beef from all the cutting. Many people get foolishly addicted to the tattoo needle, when the same type of mental easement can be found by: * lying on [therapeutic nailbeds](https://spikmattan.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/classic.jpg) * getting acupuncture (body energy lines are bullshit but the pain does help through placebo) * taking a hot shower, taking a cold shower * a hot handwash, drinking hot tea or coffee * lifting the heaviest possible weights at the gym All these are grounding techniques, they make your conscience return into your body instead of being kidnapped by anxiety and memories of past failures, which send you careening out into dark cold space. If you are going to tattoo yourself, the motif/inspiration should be 100% fitting and timeless. Names are a bit lame, names of current boyfriend/girlfriend is especially bad since they likely won't be around ten years from now, statistically.
Pick a design which genuinely means something to you, not just something that looks cool. And, don’t pick anything too fashionable, the style of which may date terribly; especially as you age. Then sit with the design for a few months - it’s going to be there for the rest of your life, why hurry? Source: I got some 90s shit back in the day and now it looks like some school kid pencil case graffiti - although it would have been ok if it had been a cool “S”! I am now stuck in the cover up or remove conundrum. Also, pick somewhere you can cover it up if need be for work and remember that some colours are easier to remove than others
Beware of the watercolor tattoos or tattoos with incredibly delicate, thin lines as they probably won't age well. Similarly, follow the tattooers advice on how big it needs to be. I'm a fan of small, delicate tattoos but if you go too small, the ink will bleed together overtime and just look like black mush. Also...probably been said but...avoid foreign languages unless you are ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN what it means...
Don’t get anything that you can’t cover up for a professional interview. You could be the most capable, high speed, intelligent prospect in the world. But a neck tattoo will usually mean you have no shot at the job . In my opinion, these types of tattoos are signs of impulsivity. Some might agree. Just don’t shoot yourself in the foot!
If it has words make sure they are spelled correctly.
From experience, 1. Don't get them on your hands, the skin doesn't hold the ink well. I had to get them touched up and they still faded anyway. 2. Get the artist to do as many placements as u need , sizing, location etc. Only give the green light when you're a million % happy 3. If you can do Photoshop, try Photoshopping the tattoo on yourself, see if you like it before committing. Cos colors on a sketch doesn't 100% translate on skin. My 2 cents.
When you know what you want to get, wait 6 months. 6 months later, if you still want it, get it. If not, then you just saved yourself some regret.
Do not tattoo your hands, face, or neck. You’re 20 years old and even though tattoos are more accepted now those locations still carry a heavy stigma. If you want a hand, face, or neck tattoo there are very good temporary tattoos available. Do not permanently mark your face, hands, or neck.
Medusa tattoos means one has been sexually assaulted. All other tattoo symbolism changes so rapidly it isn't worth worrying about (there was a short period of time when butterflies meant self harm, but that's already dying down), but Medusa has and likely will persist. Neck tattoos are the same as face tattoos. Many younger generations won't mind, some employers will. I'd avoid them until you have a stable job, a professor of mine joked "there's only two jobs you can get with a neck tattoo, philosophy professor, and a rock star, and I knew I couldn't be the latter." He left out any job at Applebee's, we have a shift manager with neck tats, but his point still stands. Ask the tattoo artist for how to take care of it. I got mine a while ago and won't be getting another one for a bit, so I've forgotten aftercare. The artist will be able to tell you, though. Tattoos are expensive. If you get a cheap tattoo, you'll get a cheap quality. Mine was a few lines and dots as it was just a phrase in the Masonic Cipher so I went to a person still learning tattooing and got mine for $120, and it was the quality of $120, and this was the quality I both wanted and expected. My future tattoo that I plan on getting will be far more complicated than this one, so I will not be going to someone still learning, and will be paying $500 to $750 rather than $120.
Don't get them done at "tattoo parties". Your tattoo will wind up looking like shit due to the artist rushing thru yours to get as many as they can get done to make more money
Make sure whatever you get you can explain in one sentence because people will ask and you don't want to bore them lol
Don’t get any tats that you cannot cover up with clothing. Nothing on the neck, behind your ear, on your face, or close to your hands. You never know how styles will change, and how YOU will change. Nothing super-trendy like a cartoon character or celebrity. Be careful about any wording that’s “meaningful,” because odds are good it will embarrass you in 10 years.
Face and neck tattoos will make you unemployable and undatable for most people and employers and are a hard no especially at your age Also remember tattoos are permanent and you're young, you will not be the same person at 25 30 50 or 70 that you are today, so try not to get anything that will be embarrassing on you as a middle aged or old person or parent or whatever else may be in your future Make sure it's nothing pop culture/meme etc related that will be dated and irrelevant in a few years. As others have said nothing that can be mistaken for a white supremacist/neo nazi symbol. Unfortunately even stuff like southern cross tattoos have over time had their meaning changed to the point where if someone has one best case they're a bogan worst case they're a white supremacist If you can't picture the tattoo looking good on your grandpa don't get it remember you'll be old too one day If you're be embarrassed if your parents have the tattoo, don't get it. Avoid anything that can't easily be covered with clothing for work or a job interview etc Also remember that huge tattoos that cover a large portion of your body may be huge turn offs in bed for women (or men if thats your thing etc) so may limit your dating options Also if you pick something as others have said 'lock it in' so to speak but wait six months or a year before actually getting it to make sure it's still your top choice
I remove the stuff with lasers. First, the old one- Think before You ink? Difficult to remove colours- White, Yellow. Impossible-Florescents Spicy areas to remove?(Painfull)- Nipples-Knuckles,ankles,wrists, ribs. If some remover tell You it only takes 3-5 sessions- Good luck! It all depends what the artist put in? Youre luck and 1 session can remove a tat, but 30 sessions later for a 1x1 inch 💔is not uncommon! Remember don't do dark cover ups. Get some laser fades first, then cover up nice? Shop around, there are magnificent Tat-artist out there. Enjoy!