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Hey guys,

So I've been toying with the idea of getting a tattoo for a few months now. I've considered doing it previously, but something has always got in the way (money, petty excuses, etc etc), but now that none of my previous excuses can stop me, I'm giving serious thought to exactly what tattoo I might get done. I'm mainly considering quotes that are either quotes taken directly from personal experience or quotes from popular culture that have had a profound effect on or relevance to my life. This choice was in no small part inspired by my brother doing a similar sort of thing. I also got talking with a friend of mine who has a number of tattoos talking about the meaning of their tattoos and ended up not only knowing them a lot better but also truly understanding the potential meaning of any given tattoo.

So I'm curious:
What tattoo (or sort of tattoo) did you get? Did it have a particular meaning, or was it something else that motivated you to get the tattoo?
What advice would you give to someone getting their first tattoo?
Is there any advice you could offer?

Cheers guys

My advice is to REALLY think about it inthe long term. Will you still think its cool and meaningful when youre 50 or 60. My first was a devil with a tophat because 18 year old me loved tophats and devils. Later I realized the devil looks like an ICP character and that sucks. At 32 I honestly want it covered up or burned off because I still get young stoners pointing at my arm and saying "Doooooooood ICP rawks bro!"



You don't want that.

 KingCracker wrote:
My advice is to REALLY think about it inthe long term. Will you still think its cool and meaningful when youre 50 or 60. My first was a devil with a tophat because 18 year old me loved tophats and devils. Later I realized the devil looks like an ICP character and that sucks. At 32 I honestly want it covered up or burned off because I still get young stoners pointing at my arm and saying "Doooooooood ICP rawks bro!"

You don't want that.

And with one comment, you've summed up one of the biggest reasons why I used to hesitate - because I was never sure if it was a 'Good Idea'. Even at 24, I still think 'Thank hell I didn't go through with that stupid tattoo idea I had when I was 19.' haha

 IllumiNini wrote:
Is there any advice you could offer?

A "YOLO" tattoo never, ever goes out of style.

My first was done in Buenos Aires to mark a particular milestone achieved at sea. It doesn’t look that good, but I quite like it and don’t mind telling the story (not that it’s a particularly interesting story).

My others (including the title of my 3rd favourite album by my 2nd favourite band) were done at various points over the next 3 or 4 years. They don't particularly mean anything special to me. One was an image copied from a record cover, one was something I drew myself specially for the job. I only have 5 and the last one was done about 7 years ago.

I’m probably done with tattoos now. I now have a fiancé and daughter and I don’t really feel the need or inclination for some reason now. But never say never, I suppose.

The tattoos I have (and are obviously stuck with) are probably not what I’d choose to do now. But I don’t regret them a bit. They are each a marker of a specific time in your life, they reflect where you were emotionally, physically, developmentally and aren’t anything to be ashamed of, whether you still love them or not.

As babies we’re born perfect and unblemished. Throughout our lives we pick up little scars, broken and bent fingers, bust noses, etc. Each blemish has a little story attached and together they tell a story of a life lived. To me tattoos are exactly the same.

If I had one piece of advice though, if you are going for it, would be to spend money on it. And take time researching artists. You want a good one, one that demands a decent fee and has a decent waiting list. The artist is just as important as the design (maybe more important). It always surprises me how people will happily pay £200 for a pair of trainers, but then try cheap out on their tattoo.

Good luck.

Pick a theme that you like (sea animals, skulls, robots, etc.), then look for some example pictures of something close, but not quite. Then find a good artist, by whatever means you can, like word of mouth, reviews, Facebook (check out artists FB pages, as they post most of their work there). A good artist is crucial BTW, as they can turn any idea into something really cool. Then, stop in and see what they can do.

A few tips:

It wont happen the same day you go in. A good artist will need a week or so to draw something up. Plus a good artist will be a busy one.

Trust the artist! Cant stress that enough. If they ask you "are you sure?" or tell you it looks like something else (see post about ICP above) then definitely second guess yourself.

Get something original drawn up by the artist, even if its a phrase or just text. Let them do the work of making you look cool, because they know what's trendy and what all the 19 year old girls are getting right now (you want to stay away from that). Most will have their own style of script or text that they created themselves and use, so let them use it.

Don't be afraid of color. Straight black is cool and all, but adding some color to it separates you from the herd.

Good luck!

Don't get'em done on face, head, forearms etc etc.

Basically make sure you can cover them up with a "work shirt" and so forth.

Quadruple check -- minimum -- the spelling of any words you're having done.

Might well also be worth giving them a google to check that they don't mean X/Y/Z elsewhere too -- never know where you're gonna wind up.

Oh, yes. You cant check spelling enough.

The last tattoo I got was about 8 months ago. While I was in the chair getting it, a tattoo was about to go on a woman's back with "In Remembrance" spelled "In Remembrence". No lie, I spoke up that it was spelled wrong after she had the stencil on and was showing it off to her friends. All of them, the artist, woman, and her friends, all took out their phones and double checked the spelling. She didn't even say thank you.

I only have two tattoos.

One is on my upper arm, and was done to commemorate entering my profession. It's easily covered up and most people don't know I have it.

The other is on my forearm and was done after my 1st daughter was born. It's her name in circular calligraphy, because even if Dr. Who goes out of style (blasphemy) it still looks good due to the geographic patterns and it will always be her name.

I thought to myself what makes me borderline unemployable and look like white trash, so I the tattoos opted for were four letter words across the knuckles and a big scrawling tattoo across my neck. I wanted people think I'm tough so everything looks like it was done in prison and I made sure they misspelled one of them as an inside joke because I'm edgy like that. I also made sure to use ink that degrades in about 10 years so the tats will get all fuzzy and morph into grey blobs as they get stretched out by the massive amount of weight I plan on gaining as I enter middle age. But by then I should have a wonderful career going at the oil change shop and my woman will be knocked up with our seventh kid so I'll never have to worry about just how fine I look.

I have 6 currently, some sentimental, some just cool imagery. My advice is to think of first whether you want it to be cool or sentimental or both, then wait at least 3 weeks and see if the idea still appeals to you.

Once you've done that, RESEARCH YOUR ARTIST AND SHOPS! There are some awful shops out there, and even if the shop is good, there are bad tattoo artists. On top of that, each artist usually has their own style, and obviously will do bad work if you're trying to get them to do something outside their style.

Lastly, don't skimp on tattoos! Yes, you don't have to spend an arm and a leg on a tattoo, but A) be wary of extremely cheap prices and B) consider it like surgery, it's gonna change your body permanently. Tattoos are extremely expensive to remove.


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 reds8n wrote:
Don't get'em done on face, head, forearms etc etc.

Basically make sure you can cover them up with a "work shirt" and so forth.

Quadruple check -- minimum -- the spelling of any words you're having done.

Might well also be worth giving them a google to check that they don't mean X/Y/Z elsewhere too -- never know where you're gonna wind up.

This too. The work shirt thing is huge, and a rule I abide by.

The first one was from a book they had in the studio. I liked it because it reminded me of Hellraiser but without being too cheesy.

The second one is a circuit board on my upper right arm. Got it because as humans we are trying to recreate ourselves with machine/computers. Both need energy, be it from food or electricity, to function. Both are affected by viruses as well. Right now there are still differences between the two but science is making that gap smaller and smaller.

Surprisingly, at the library I work at, they are OK with tattoos as long as they are tasteful.

I will also echo the sentiment of making sure it is something you want. My circuit board tattoo was done when I was 19, I'm 39 now and I have yet to find another tattoo I really want. Not to say I won't find one, just sometimes you have to wait a long time to find one you want, so don't rush.

Also, please, PLEASE, research your options for artists. Just because someone is cheap doesn't mean they are good, and same goes for pricey artists. Research their work if they have it online and when you find what you want talk to them about it and show them. The last thing you want to do is pay out the nose for something that ends up looking like gak. Once you get something done and it doesn't turn out right, covering it up with another tattoo can be a hassle.

 ProtoClone wrote:

The second one is a circuit board on my upper right arm. Got it because as humans we are trying to recreate ourselves with machine/computers. Both need energy, be it from food or electricity, to function. Both are affected by viruses as well. Right now there are still differences between the two but science is making that gap smaller and smaller.

Easy there, Skynet

Why do you want the tattoo? That's more important than what you are getting done.

Also, pop culture references are not a great idea. My friend had "Why So Serious" on her mons pubis, took her less than two weeks for the regret to set in.

If you must go with a "deep, meaningful" quote, spellcheck, spellcheck, spellcheck. "No Ragrets" is a thing.

You probably don't want a quote.

I was drunk

I've got an Arrows of Chaos logo on my upper arm because it's from one of my favorite Bolt Thrower (band) album covers, but another reason is that it looks cool to people that like Moorcock's books or even people that don't recognize it at all. And ofc, upper arm - a t-shirt of the proper size hides it if I wish to not show it.

The reason I got it was as a milestone. I had quit drinking, quit smoking, and started martial arts for a healthier lifestyle. Why not put a mark on myself for that?

If you ever plan to stay in Japan, don't get a Tattoo, here they associate tattoo's with Yakuza, so i had issues getting memberships at a sports club and many onsen in the big city will block anyone with a tattoo.

My first tattoo was a 8 pointed star of chaos with crossed axes and an ork skull from the realm of chaos books, i have added a few more, but so they are not visible when i throw a towel over your shoulder.

Make sure your Tattoo is not visible when you wear a T-shirt.
some jobs are barred if the slightest tattoo is visible.

I have 7 and all but one are on my forearms. I agree that its not the best place for them if you want to work in the private industry, but I work for the IRS and they don't seem to care at all.

I am happy with each one because they all have a story around them even if they don't mean anything personal or deep. One though carries more than all the others combined.

About 6 years ago in a struggle with depression I attempted suicide.... after I was released from the ICU I was put into the psych ward for about two weeks. You are able to have a few personal belongs such as books, pictures, etc. But at that time, focusing on anything other than the reason I was there was too hard. I couldn't enjoy reading the way I used to.

My wife, ex wife now, brought me in a copy of Old Man Logan since I am a huge Wolverine fan. For reasons I wont explain here(too long of a story) that book bought me out of the spiral I was going down and I found a reason to try again. It started my road to recovery and so I have a tattoo of Wolverine not in his classic blue and yellow or brown and gold. Just him with his claws popped, in a duster, black shirt, normal pants, and a hat that covers his eyes.

Anyways, I have rambled on long enough. As said above, make sure you will be happy with it 50 years from now. If you can, then don't hesitate to get it.

Ouze wrote:A "YOLO" tattoo never, ever goes out of style.

reds8n wrote: Don't get'em done on face, head, forearms etc etc.

Here comes the YOLO Tattoo right across my forehead hahaha

reds8n wrote:Basically make sure you can cover them up with a "work shirt" and so forth.

Jehan-reznor wrote:Make sure your Tattoo is not visible when you wear a T-shirt. Some jobs are barred if the slightest tattoo is visible.

I had the same sort of thought. but in my mind took it one step further - Can I cover it up with a singlet? That might be pushing unnecessary limits, but same principle.

reds8n wrote:Quadruple check -- minimum -- the spelling of any words you're having done.

feeder wrote:If you must go with a "deep, meaningful" quote, spellcheck, spellcheck, spellcheck. "No Ragrets" is a thing.

I'm so paranoid about this. It'll be checking the spelling just as nervously and frequently as someone using the bathroom before a long bus trip haha

reds8n wrote:Might well also be worth giving them a google to check that they don't mean X/Y/Z elsewhere too -- never know where you're gonna wind up.

Good call.

feeder wrote:Why do you want the tattoo? That's more important than what you are getting done.

Well it comes down to a few things:

(1) I've always wanted a Tattoo.
(2) If I were to get a Tattoo, it must have meaning for me. As cool as it might look or sound, there's no point (for me, at least) getting a Tattoo simply because it looks cool.
(3) I've always like the idea of having a Tattoo that commemorated something meaningful in my life. It seems awesome and poetic if nothing else.

feeder wrote:Also, pop culture references are not a great idea. My friend had "Why So Serious" on her mons pubis, took her less than two weeks for the regret to set in.

Pop culture references are hit and miss. So the pop culture references I have in mind are to me not only cool quotes but have meaning in my life. So if we take your example of your friend's Why So Serious Tatto, I would never get such a tattoo because the quote - despite being a cool quote from a great movie - holds no real meaning for me personally.

feeder wrote:You probably don't want a quote.

Why?

Jehan-reznor wrote:If you ever plan to stay in Japan, don't get a Tattoo, here they associate tattoo's with Yakuza, so i had issues getting memberships at a sports club and many onsen in the big city will block anyone with a tattoo.

Fair enough. Can't say I ever want to live in Japan, but going on holiday there is definitely something I want to do. Cheers for the heads up.

In the Army, it was a right of passage to get a tattoo. I have always been a nerd. Scifi and Fantasy, I don't discriminate. My first entire long book series I read was by Anne McCaffrey and was about dragons. So of course my first tattoo was of a dragon, then my second, then I just got wings across my back to look like they were unfolding and I was getting ready to fly into combat gloriously.

Here is my advice, make sure if you are getting a large project done, you take the time and money to finish it. I got the wings outline when I was 20, single and money was not a real care in the world. I still have it to this day, not filled in, not completeted and I am 38. I don't regret it, but I wish I would have finished it.

Tattoos are the road map of stories to your life, but make sure the story is written and told well, and not half-ass.

I was never going to really get a tattoo. But I did, its nothing fancy and it's just the kanji character for brother.

I got this after the death of my younger brother a several years ago. Just wanting something that will stay with me.

 IllumiNini wrote:

feeder wrote:You probably don't want a quote.

Why?

Well, I'm guessing you're still fairly young. What seems deep and meaningful now will likely seem trite and shallow to your future self.

 redleger wrote:
Tattoos are the road map of stories to your life, but make sure the story is written and told well, and not half-ass.

Fair call.

 feeder wrote:

 IllumiNini wrote:

feeder wrote:You probably don't want a quote.

Why?

Well, I'm guessing you're still fairly young.

Well as I said in a previous comment, I am 24, which is still young, but old enough to have enough life experience to draw upon for a meaningful tattoo.

 feeder wrote:
What seems deep and meaningful now will likely seem trite and shallow to your future self.

True, but this could always be said regardless of age.

 feeder wrote:

 IllumiNini wrote:

feeder wrote:You probably don't want a quote.

Why?

Well, I'm guessing you're still fairly young. What seems deep and meaningful now will likely seem trite and shallow to your future self.

That's a pretty loaded statement. Besides, most people don't change much once they hit about 25. They usually lock in their ideals.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 IllumiNini wrote:

 feeder wrote:

 IllumiNini wrote:

feeder wrote:You probably don't want a quote.

Why?

Well, I'm guessing you're still fairly young.

Well as I said in a previous comment, I am 24, which is still young, but old enough to have enough life experience to draw upon for a meaningful tattoo.

 feeder wrote:
What seems deep and meaningful now will likely seem trite and shallow to your future self.

True, but this could always be said regardless of age.

Yeah, forget this. Get a quote if you want to, it's no more shallow or trite than a regular tattoo could seem later in life. However, if you get a quote, spell check!!

 IllumiNini wrote:

 feeder wrote:
What seems deep and meaningful now will likely seem trite and shallow to your future self.

True, but this could always be said regardless of age.

Exactly.

 shiner wrote:
Oh, yes. You cant check spelling enough.

The last tattoo I got was about 8 months ago. While I was in the chair getting it, a tattoo was about to go on a woman's back with "In Remembrance" spelled "In Remembrence". No lie, I spoke up that it was spelled wrong after she had the stencil on and was showing it off to her friends. All of them, the artist, woman, and her friends, all took out their phones and double checked the spelling. She didn't even say thank you.

I've seen a local with "REPSECT" in large letters on their forearm ...

I have..............................several.....and I can hide them all if needed. One is a memorial tattoo for my grandfather, one is a tribute tattoo to my grandmother...one is a reminder to "Live Free" after enduring and leaving an abusive relationship that went on for WAY too long...most of mine are animals of some sort...I am a certified veterinary technician so animals mean a lot to me and have helped me get through some tough times in my life. I'm definitely not done getting tattoos, and when I'm "50-60" years old...I'm gunna be one bad ass b*tch Judge me if you feel so inclined to do so...I won't lose any sleep over it

I have one. A relationship I was really invested in was falling apart. She wanted a tattoo, so I decided to get one with her to help try to keep it together.

It didn't work.

That being said, I was still smart about it. Made sure I got something I'd never regret. I had the Air Force symbol put on me.

Now granted, I don't know if you'd have anything like that to go with, but my advice would be to find something that means a lot to you. Something that you can always look at, and never regret. Or barring that, have it put somewhere you don't have to look at it at least.

It's been said before, but definitely only go for one if you're 100% on board with the design. A Tattoo can change to a Tramp Stamp pretty fast

I've thought about it in the past, but I've decided to keep my skin clean of them; I have enough UV markings and scars to make me look different

G.A

I have 6. I have a large one that covers most of my right arm. If I need to look professional I just throw on a long sleeve or button up shirt. They each have different meanings to me over the course of my life, some with great memories, some as reminders. I plan on getting many more, just not more on my arm. Worst tattoo was UV ink. stopped glowing 3 months after I got it and touchups.