Need Tattoo Advice!

nykoelle · May 2010

Going to get a pearl jam tattoo after my wedding in September. Why after the wedding? So my dad won't see it and end my life, of course. 26 or not, what Dad says, goes.

I have a ton of questions, need advice on what to get, where, what to expect, etc. Any and all advice appreciated. Whatever I do get, will be all black. No colors.

What I'm thinking of getting:
1. a guy in a parachute, like this. Our first dance, wedding song is Parachutes. And I like that song in general.
2. The Evolution.. logo? Sans the Pearl Jam words.
3. The lyrics 'The smallest oceans still get... big, big waves.' somehow artistically imposed.

Can't decide on which of those! I'm leaning toward #2 or 3. Thoughts?

How do I decide where to get it? Will it hurt insanely? Location wise I was thinking of my foot, but I heard that hurts, a lot, so I'm thinking between my shoulder blades. Or will that hurt a whole lot too? I'm a girl btw. I know that makes a difference in where I should get it. Tramp stamp is a no go.

thanks in advance. I've seen the facebook album of tattoo pictures, all very, very cool.

Umbertotamba · May 2010

Your foot will hurt like hell!!! The best advice anyone can give you is to get what you like where you like it after all it is there forever

My first Pearl Jam tattoo is on my right calf. Not only is there a stickman but lyrics to Oceans. This tatto took just over 2 hrs and had little pain.

My second tattoo was the tiki art from Dumbgun's Hawaii CCFA print, which I absolutely love! This one is on the front of my left leg, took 4 hours, and was probably one of the most painful things I have ever endured. Still glad I did it

Again tattoo's are all about you!!!

MANKIND · May 2010

i always thought the no code sign would be cool

nykoelle · May 2010

wow, very awesome tats! How did you choose the artist to do them?

Umbertotamba · May 2010

Same artist I used for one before that, that has also done a few people I know....Everytime I see his work its amazing. His name is Rob at Mystery Ink in Indian Orchard, MA

Hugh Freaking Dillon · May 2010

nykoelle wrote:

Going to get a pearl jam tattoo after my wedding in September. Why after the wedding? So my dad won't see it and end my life, of course. 26 or not, what Dad says, goes.

I have a ton of questions, need advice on what to get, where, what to expect, etc. Any and all advice appreciated. Whatever I do get, will be all black. No colors.

What I'm thinking of getting:
1. a guy in a parachute, like this. Our first dance, wedding song is Parachutes. And I like that song in general.
2. The Evolution.. logo? Sans the Pearl Jam words.
3. The lyrics 'The smallest oceans still get... big, big waves.' somehow artistically imposed.

Can't decide on which of those! I'm leaning toward #2 or 3. Thoughts?

How do I decide where to get it? Will it hurt insanely? Location wise I was thinking of my foot, but I heard that hurts, a lot, so I'm thinking between my shoulder blades. Or will that hurt a whole lot too? I'm a girl btw. I know that makes a difference in where I should get it. Tramp stamp is a no go.

thanks in advance. I've seen the facebook album of tattoo pictures, all very, very cool.

it's hard to say. it's one of the most personal choices you'll ever make. I have always wanted the Alive stickman. Of course, that is the most inked PJ tattoo there is, but I don't care, as that song literally saved my life when it came out. And has inspired me in ways I could never imagine ever since. You could always do something PJ-ish and put a personal spin on it. For instance, I just came up with an idea for my first tattoo that I thought would be pretty cool. You know the Smashing Pumpkins logo?

My daughter's names are Sam and Kate, so I was just going to change the "P" part of the logo into a "K", and there you have it. But again, whatever you do, just do it for you, and nobody else.

shep · May 2010

Umbertotamba wrote:

Your foot will hurt like hell!!! The best advice anyone can give you is to get what you like where you like it after all it is there forever

My first Pearl Jam tattoo is on my right calf. Not only is there a stickman but lyrics to Oceans. This tatto took just over 2 hrs and had little pain.

My second tattoo was the tiki art from Dumbgun's Hawaii CCFA print, which I absolutely love! This one is on the front of my left leg, took 4 hours, and was probably one of the most painful things I have ever endured. Still glad I did it

Again tattoo's are all about you!!!

Damn, had a hole book written out and just erased it... I guess I'll start over...

First, to the above, nice work. That art really pops.

To the OP:

I've had a lot of work done. And can share a few thoughts:

To begin: Don't start with the top of your foot. I've had all the usable area on my left foot tattooed, and let me tell you, it was the worst pain I've had so far. It made the inside of my upper quad seem like a cake walk. As well, the foot is a pain in the ass for healing up properly. I've had my ankle area touched up 3 times now and it still isn't quite perfect.... but I'm not going back to try again anytime soon. The outside of your bicep is supposed to be the most comfortable area to get tattooed (haven't done it yet), and the upper part of your back is alright (but stay away from your ribcage, front or back).

Next, I would say, the art is all in the eye of the beholder... however, you shouldn't go into your artist with your image set-in-stone. If you pick a good artist, they will know all kinds of little improvements that can be made to make the tattoo come out better. If they have been tattooing a while, they know their medium, and you should trust them. A good artist will always do a good job, make sure you check out their portfolio and his/her art and the quality of his/her work is up to snuff. Also, don't be thrown off by a stencil. A lot of times the stencil won't look the best, but by the time the artist is finished it looks amazing...

Also, I would advise you to make sure that you connect with your artist. You want someone that you can hang out with for X amount of hours and still tolerate. I've been to a bunch of artists, and now I just have one guy that I go to, and he does all my work. We get along real well, and he knows my tastes... and his pricing for new work keeps getting lower cause we have a history. I started going exclusively to him after I had a real bad experience with an artist elsewhere. I did a 4 hour sit with this one artist and at the end of it I was ready to throttle her... she was a real bitch and made my experience terrible to the point where I am considering covering it up...

Finally, and most importantly: DON'T CHEAP OUT!!! if you have something that you really like, but it costs too much, either save it and come back when you have enough, but don't settle for something you don't want... you will regret it. All of my work is custom and I love it all to pieces. I have friends who can't stand a lot of their work years later, just because they know they comprimised and settled on something they didn't love.

If you've got any questions, feel free to PM me... in the meantime I'll see if I can take a few pics of some of my ink for you.... I have one PJ tattoo, but like all my stuff it's not a carbon copy of the PJ imagery it's based on... I always give my guy a free hand to play with it how he wants....

cheers,

shep

i am a target · May 2010

shep wrote:

.

Finally, and most importantly: DON'T CHEAP OUT!!! if you have something that you really like, but it costs too much, either save it and come back when you have enough, but don't settle for something you don't want... you will regret it. All of my work is custom and I love it all to pieces. I have friends who can't stand a lot of their work years later, just because they know they comprimised and settled on something they didn't love.

shep

i agree with shep on this one. do not (under any circumstances) go cheap. go to a shop where you can get a consultation and talk to the artist and ask to see the drawing before they put it on you. also. never everevereverever feel pressured into getting it done. if it doesn't look EXACTLY the way you want it to look then ask them to change it. any artist worth a damn will change whatever you want.

BinauralJam · May 2010

I recently wanted to get a tattoo of my MSG 2 ticket on my arm but the tatto artists said he couldn't do it. apparently straight lines and text is hard. Sucks, thought it was a cool and original idea.

Umbertotamba · May 2010

Definately well written Shep!!!

UpSideDown · May 2010

Tattoos are such a personal thing....its pretty hard to give advice on it. Best advice overall though......pick one, take time and let it sink in. If u still want it after a few months.....then go for it.

morello · May 2010

I was obsessing about getting the stickman a couple of months ago but tbh then I met a guy/got a new boyfriend & so have been distracted by that for the last while.

Anyway I've got 2 other tattoos & re the pain I just wanted to say for me it/they hurt like FKN unbelieveably!!!!!!!!!!!!! The way I describe it is imagine a red hot needle going into your arm(or shoulder or leg, or wherevare you're having the tattoo...., going right through & coming out the ther side! I hope that creates a picture of something that hurts a lot coz it really really does!!! But then like I said I've got 2 so it obviously didn't really put me off.

Thing is the pain does stop straight away so as long as you can just make yourself bear it.....
JM2CW.

BALLBOY · May 2010

Dont get one, that is my advice. It seems everyone has a tattoo nowadays & people are putting them in really silly places like down their arms & wrists. Go against the grain & dont do it. Sick of seeing them. Sorry if i have caused you any offence, it just had to say it.

hankholetsgo · May 2010

BALLBOY wrote:

Dont get one, that is my advice. It seems everyone has a tattoo nowadays & people are putting them in really silly places like down their arms & wrists. Go against the grain & dont do it. Sick of seeing them. Sorry if i have caused you any offence, it just had to say it.

Everyone also owns a tv, a pair of jeans, has internet connection, listens to music, etc. etc.

You should continue your rebel streak and give all that up, too. Go against the grain!

Gmoney · May 2010

i think the guy in the parachute is an awesome idea! The other two our to obvious in my opinion. A little mystery behind the meaning of the tat is what makes them cool and personal.

Aaron 23 · May 2010

gabbahank wrote:

BALLBOY wrote:

Dont get one, that is my advice. It seems everyone has a tattoo nowadays & people are putting them in really silly places like down their arms & wrists. Go against the grain & dont do it. Sick of seeing them. Sorry if i have caused you any offence, it just had to say it.

Everyone also owns a tv, a pair of jeans, has internet connection, listens to music, etc. etc.

You should continue your rebel streak and give all that up, too. Go against the grain!

You're really making the comparison between owning a television and getting a tattoo?

+1 for no tattoo, but ultimately it is your body, do what you want.

nykoelle · June 2010

Wow shep (and everyone) thanks for the pointers. That's exactly the kind of stuff I needed to know. I've read more on the foot tattoos, and I'm definitely agreeing with you, and skipping on that. I'm really leaning toward between my shoulder blades.

Up to now, I hadn't even thought of the cost of it. I assumed it would be a lot.

Do any of you know about fading? I was going to go with just solid black, is there a better, longer lasting color I should go with? Also, what of hypoallergenic colors? Are all of them formulated to be hypoallergenic? I have a few wacky allergies (bananas for example), want to make sure I'm covering all my bases.

Thanks again everyone. I'm looking forward to getting my ink

shep · June 2010

nykoelle wrote:

Wow shep (and everyone) thanks for the pointers. That's exactly the kind of stuff I needed to know. I've read more on the foot tattoos, and I'm definitely agreeing with you, and skipping on that. I'm really leaning toward between my shoulder blades.

Up to now, I hadn't even thought of the cost of it. I assumed it would be a lot.

Do any of you know about fading? I was going to go with just solid black, is there a better, longer lasting color I should go with? Also, what of hypoallergenic colors? Are all of them formulated to be hypoallergenic? I have a few wacky allergies (bananas for example), want to make sure I'm covering all my bases.

Thanks again everyone. I'm looking forward to getting my ink

Directly between your shoulder blades shouldn't be too bad... but be aware, your spine is going to be fairly sensitive (more so than the meat of your shoulders, but no where near as bad as your foot

).

Anything and everything will fade with time. There is no such thing as a fade proof tattoo. A solid black will stay deeper, longer, but it's all relative. I have a lot of colour, and it has all kept very well to date. Just make sure you cover it up with sunscreen whenever you have it exposed in direct sunlight for extended periods of time. Sunlight is your tattoo's worst enemy (unless you are someone who spends time in a tanning bed, then that is your worst enemy and I would advise against a tattoo altogether because tanning beds will destory work).

Most artists will have a set of inks that they work with, and again, they will know their inks well if they are good at what they do. I wouldn't recommend asking an artist to use a specific type of inks, as it will probably take them out of their comfort zone, and may shade in ways they are not used to and distort the tattoo.

As for allergies, I think you should be ok, but ask. Most all the inks that artists use now-a-days are hypo-allergnic... however, if you stumble into a very staunch traditionalist, you may run into any artist who still uses metallic inks, and these are not so good for you. But, there are very few of these people left (i've yet to encounter one, and unless you're getting tattooed in Japan, it's not going to be an issue), as most have switched to modern inks, so I wouldn't worry about it a whole lot.

Cheers,

shep

nykoelle · June 2010

Thank you again shep for the super informative reply. I think it'll be good. To answer your few small questions, no I don't tan, or go tanning, ever. Though I'll be sure to be careful with the sunscreen on it, never thought of those two going hand in hand (tattoos fading and sunlight). Guess its no different than a painting on the wall.

Thanks again! :geek:

catscheller · June 2010

I just got my first tattoo last year and found my friend Joe's blog post about getting a tattoo extremely helpful!

As far as location goes, I would think long and hard about how visible you want it to be. Because of my current job and future jobs I'd like to have, I had to make sure I got it someplace that is pretty much always covered by normal clothes. So, I got mine on my hip. It's always covered, but it's still easy enough to show people without have to expose any naughty parts.

Also, in regards to after care, trust me on this one (and I'm sure that shep will agree) you will get a different opinion about what is the best aftercare from almost every single person you talk to. It can drive you nuts because aftercare can play a big part in how good your tattoo eventually looks and you want to make sure you're doing the best thing. Mostly, the point is to keep it clean and lightly moiturized and you should be good.

Kimba · June 2010

Okay...I hope you have an extremely active imagination....this is a quick sketch but it's possible to condense all your ideas into a unified image...(you could even eliminate text and have the un-evolved ape-shape be the one beneath the parachute...) good luck to you : )
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Need Tattoo Advice!

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