General Discussion

I've wanted a tattoo for a long while, and now that I'm employed again I can actually start saving up for one. I'm not too worried about the pain, since I have a pretty high tolerance for it, but I feel like I should have some idea of what I want before I go through with it.

There's so many possibilities that it's overwhelming, I want something simple to start, but other than that I'm not sure. I thought maybe hearing what other folks have might help me figure out what I want for myself.

What sort of tattoos do y'all have? What was it like to get them? Any planned tattoos you're excited about?

i have 5 and i have many more planned, but i’m waiting until i’m a bit more financially stable to get them. i feel like once you have one tattoo, the fear of regretting them diminishes, but that might just be me!

my first tattoo was only small, just above my ankle, and i had a very good experience with it. it didn’t hurt too much, and i didn’t have to travel far as the studio was just atop my street.

my second one on the other hand… wasnt so great. i got it in a rather painful place on my body (inner bicep) and the tattoo artist was rather heavy handed. i thought because of my good experience with my first, that this one would go swimmingly. not only did i have to travel two hours there and back by train, but i actually had to get it done in two sittings due to its size and the fact that i sat for three hours before tapping out. THEN another lockdown happened, so it was months until i got it finished.

do i regret any of it? no. do my tattoos have any meaning? not really! they’re just what makes me happy. i have large difficulties expressing myself, and tattoos are a way for me to translate what makes me, well, me, onto my body. i love each and every one of them and i wouldn’t change them for the world. if you’re 100% certain you want one, i say go for it! personally i would recommend your first as a small one in an inconspicuous place, so you can get a feel for the pain and so if you perchance don’t want it anymore, it’s easy to hide.

aftercare is a big thing in getting tattoos, but i feel like i’ve rambled enough (sorry i just really like tattoos LOL). if you ever decide on getting one, feel free to drop me a message and i can give you general advice, and because i just like listening to people talk about their experiences!

[color=purple]I have seven tattoos and plan to get more, just need to save up to get them. Most of my tattoos are video game related, except for three of them. Happy to go into further detail if you'd like! :O I've had a really good experience for all of my tattoos. For all of the tattoos that were large, coloured or done in delicate areas, the artists have always made sure that I'm doing OK and done their best to make sure I'm comfortable. Even for the smaller tattoos. As of now, I've found a studio and an artist I trust, and said artist has done over half of my tattoos. He's an absolute legend. Similar to what doremy said, some of my tattoos don't really have meaning- some of the video game ones especially. I don't regret a single one, all of them were money well spent. [emoji=heart] They're a part of me now, and I will always love them. If you know what you want to get, then 100% go for it! And if you want a second opinion on a design, feel free to ask the artist who will do your tattoo, they're always willing to help.

I have 20-something if you count them individually, my right arm is a patchwork sleeve and I got a few in the same session haha. I have plans for another sleeve on my other arm, filling out the space left on my legs, my chest, etc...

I love biology and animal science so my tattoos are mostly themed around nature. E.g. one leg is all dead animals/skulls while the other will be live ones. But I do have a couple medieval illustrations in there. I really only like blackwork style so that’s what everything is.

Starting out simple is a good idea, that’s what I did! I was worried about my tolerance at first but it ended up not being a problem at all, I actually sit great. I’ve mostly had good experiences, my first two or three small tattoos at street shops were eh but since then I’m picky about the studios I go to and always have a good time.

I have three currently--my zodiac sign (Leo) on my left ankle, a nautical star on my left wrist, and the Pyro from Team Fortress 2 on my right calf.

I haven't had the itch for another tattoo yet, which is surprising, but none have been regrettable for me so far.

i have 3 :] one on my upper back of a cabbage butterfly with semicolons on the wings, one big snakey with forget me nots and grape hyacinths that wraps from my left upper back alllll the way around to below my collarbone, and something inspired by my favorite book of all time, a monster calls, right above my right ankle!

i love them all. the snake and butterfly are highly symbolic. only thing i regret was getting that snake done in a single 7-hour long session actually i dont regret it, despite how much pain i was in. it took me 6 months to get that appointment lol

trying to get a fourth rn! itll go below the snake and be apart of that sleeve. and i might get a bug behind me ear with it :o

my tips: HYDRATE. drink a ton of water right after you get it done AND while it heals. seriously. drink so much water you think you might drown for the whole two weeks. I did that for my snake and it BARELY peeled and itched. the artist was shocked when i went in for a touch up... all but 2 tiny spots were perfect.

and only use vaseline/aquaphor when youre extremely dried out. it clogs your pores. i used aveeno natural lotion and straight shea butter most of the days and they healed great!

I have 2 tats atm. Got my first one a few years ago which went well but healed b a d. Its a lil geometric fox as I loveee foxes. My other tattoo is of Kirby with Links hat and sword lol but it has colour. Both are on each of my forearms ( maybe slight regrets with the Kirby one? mainly because i love small dainty ones and this one is a heckin big 10cm one- harder to hide..) Definitely hurt a lil with the colour one as she went over my wrist tendons quite a bit to fill in, that said, it's a weirdly nice pain? lol like it hurt but it didn't pfttt. I had mine done next to a window and just watched the birds fly it was so peaceful? But yeah definitely have some future ideas for my tattoos, id love a bunch on flowers with each flower representing my family. Or something about my dog.[emoji=dog 3 size=1] Or..anime hmm I used coco butter for my recent one, works amazingly and keeps the colour!

I don't have tattoos yet, I want to get two but can't get the designs finalized. one is going to be a treble clef inside a star (still figuring out how I want to stylize the star, my inspiration for the whole piece is stained glass but I think the clef would be too much if I made it stained glass, maybe it works if I make the clef metal though...) and the other is going to be a stylized dragon skull (can't get the design of the dragon finalized and I can't stylize a design I don't have)
maybe I'll come up with a third design someday but I kinda want these two first. I'm also terrified of pain (I don't necessarily have a low tolerance but I have a weird near-phobia of getting hurt, once I'm hurt I'm okay with it but I'm terrified of getting hurt) so I don't think I'll be getting them any time soon, I need to be in the right mindspace.