do you have tattoos?

[mlp4me]

No tattoos here. I have a huge scar on the back of my left calf that I've debated getting covered, but probably never will.
I've always wanted rainbow brite on my back/right shoulder throwing star sprinkles! (She beats out mlp by a small margin as my favorite cartoon character...)
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[Sarahlacewing]

No tattoos here. I have a huge scar on the back of my left calf that I've debated getting covered, but probably never will.
I've always wanted rainbow brite on my back/right shoulder throwing star sprinkles! (She beats out mlp by a small margin as my favorite cartoon character...)
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Do it! Is it sad I still to this day buy the ice cream sprinkles shaped like stars because when I was a little girl I thought those were the star sprinkles they were talking about?

Also I am going this week (hopefully) to get this one designed by the lovely and talented StarDragon:
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[Icicle]

I don't have a tattoo, but I want Link to the Past Link in the blue tunic holding something up (probably just the sword) on the inside of my left wrist to cover up some old self harm scars. Just a matter of money being able to get out to do it and not bother our ride with a long wait/waits and rides.

[Bow Tie]

I have one tattoo and I want to get a couple more. I really want my dog's, who passed away about two months ago, paw print somewhere on my body, but I don't have anything they could use other than a mold that we have, but I wouldn't dare bring that in.

The next tattoo I plan on getting is the Green Arrow symbol:

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He is my favorite super hero and my boyfriend of 3 1/2 years looks like him. He's my Ollie. I will only get this if my boyfriend and I get married. It would be really weird if I got it and we broke up. While I would forever still love Green Arrow, the meaning behind the tattoo would be lost as it would be associated with both my boyfriend and my love for the character.

Another tattoo I've considered is getting the kanji for cherry blossom with some cherry blossoms around it somewhere because my name means cherry blossom, even though the spelling is different.


This is the tattoo I have:

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[flutterwry]

I'm a strange one with tattoos. I love tattoos myself, but I often don't like them on other people. That's personal preference though - and more than anything, I value meaning. If your tattoo means nothing to you, then I don't know why you got it. Conversely, if your tattoo means something to you, I don't care if it's a poorly executed blob - I just love it as a form of self-expression.

To 90% I agree to you - meaningless tattoos (like the 90's tramp stamp and the 2000's stars and skulls) or obscene motifs, even if they're well-executed, are nothing I appreciate. [Edit: I took out a link to a very disturbing tattoo, I think I'd better keep it family friendly over here.]

But I also feel sorry for those who have a meaningful tattoo which ended up being a horrible scratch. (You may remember this one: http://bit.ly/YmLty0 - quite heart breaking...) In these cases, I wish I could just go there and say "Come on, let's cover it up!"

The fear of bad execution is the reason why I'm still in search of the perfect portrait artist for my next tattoo. (Sadly Bob Tyrell is impossible to get a hand on - tried to mail him several times, never got a reply. Recently I found some extremely talented Russian artist... who turned out to be a hardcore neo-nazi. Blimey!)
So far, I only have my little one's name and birthday between my shoulder blades. (That's why I won't post it over here, sorry - little one's privacy first. )

By the way:  sherbertlegs, your dandylion tattoo is awesomeness! My favourite in this thread. 

[Sarahlacewing]

It is hard to find someone to trust I will admit that.  I usually go through word of mouth.  I see an awesome tattoo and ask where they got it done/what artist.  In addition, I look through their portfolios before I pick a person to do it. It's worth the extra money, time, and wait to get someone really good. 

[Clarabel Sapphire]

What a great thread, there are some great examples shown here and I also agree that a tattoo needs to have a personal connection to the owner. 

I have two tattoos, both related to my other passion in life which is my Ford Sierra Sapphire Cosworth.  On the top of the left arm I have the boot badge and on the right, a portrait of my car.

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One day I'd like a tattoo of my first pony Bow Tie along with a pelican and a Boeing 707.  That would be all my favourite things covered then 

[Galactica]

I LOVE the way tats look and have a Rainbow Brite tat-  those are great tattoos above, but they all look on the newer side, am I right?

My poor Rainbow isn't what she used to be.  She was wicked cute when I got her (on my ankle) but over the years (she is 17 years old now) she has blurred considerably.  I had always been careful to apply sunscreen and keep her out of the sun- but while her color looks great still, she looks a bit like a water-color that has bled.  All the tight black lines are now thick and blurry...

That is something you don't really plan for when getting a tat.  As a youngster, I had always just thought that the people with blurry tats had gotten bad work.  Turns out- nope.  Now I'm one of those people.  It's sad but I would like to erase her and start over.

For any future tattoos-  I'd go with a design that is more forgiving of the years - something that looks good or even OKAY as a slightly blurry water color  (fewer black lines)

I'd love to get an octopus but I'm afraid that design ISN'T a forgiving one...

[flutterwry]

It is hard to find someone to trust I will admit that.

Tell me about it... It was rather easy to find someone who did quite good script tattoos. He opened on my street, I saw some of his script pieces and went for it. (I guess script is one of the more doable genres, at least if you know some basics of orthography. ) What I really did appreciate was his honesty - he said right away: "I don't do fineline and portrait, I'm more of an Old School guy!".
Finding a GOOD portrait expert is much harder. I want a photorealistic portrait of my child... so only the very best is good enough.

It's worth the extra money, time, and wait to get someone really good.

Absolutely!
A tattoo is something one will wear for the rest of life. It can't be taken off like shoes or pants. It won't grow out like a bad hair cut, either. Laser removal costs a fortune, is painful, may leave scars and does not always work. Neither do cover-ups come for free - and some tats (especially bold and dark ones) are very hard to fix nicely.
Now and then I have a feeling that some people are not aware of the consequences. 

My poor Rainbow isn't what she used to be.  She was wicked cute when I got her (on my ankle) but over the years (she is 17 years old now) she has blurred considerably.  I had always been careful to apply sunscreen and keep her out of the sun- but while her color looks great still, she looks a bit like a water-color that has bled.  All the tight black lines are now thick and blurry...

Hmmm... that's sad. Is it possible to give it a little touch-up, maybe?

For any future tattoos-  I'd go with a design that is more forgiving of the years - something that looks good or even OKAY as a slightly blurry water color  (fewer black lines)

I'd love to get an octopus but I'm afraid that design ISN'T a forgiving one...

I wonder how these will look after 17 years:
http://www.tattoostime.com/images/214/free-hand-octopus-tattoo.jpg
http://www.galleryoftattoosnow.com/HyperspaceStudiosHOSTED/images/gallery/Octopus_Tattoo_M.jpg
http://allentattoo.deviantart.com/art/Octopus-tattoo-280221460
- they don't have those defined black outlines, but a watercoloury look from the beginning... I really like that style...

[nollilols]

All the tight black lines are now thick and blurry... That is something you don't really plan for when getting a tat.  As a youngster, I had always just thought that the people with blurry tats had gotten bad work.  Turns out- nope.  Now I'm one of those people.  It's sad but I would like to erase her and start over.

Yeah, I didn't realise that when I got my first tattoo either - the quote in my handwriting - it was crisp when I got it but even after five years the edges of the letters have softened and it looks a bit more like I wrote on myself with permenant marker than got a tattoo. All the same, I love it dearly and wouldn't change it. The entire idea of writing it in my handwriting was to give it a temporary/whimsical feel, that's just become more defined by the blurriness I guess.

[Sky_Rocket_Sammie]

After care is critical.  As is a steady handed tattoo artist, especially for people wanting script,portraits ect.

[Eviecorn]

After care is critical.  As is a steady handed tattoo artist, especially for people wanting script,portraits ect.

Yep.  Can't stress that enough.  Also:  a cheap tattoo isn't good.  A good tattoo isn't cheap.

Anyway, I have a lot of tattoos.  This is just a few favorites of mine. Not going to bore you with back stories, but rest assured they have them.

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And my most current, still unfinished:

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[lupachiotta]

Oh you've got some really nicely executed ones!

[Lady Starflower]

I have 3 at the moment:
Stitch on my back:
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4 leaf clover on my left wrist:
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I'd love to get a Scottish thistle flower beside it some day

And the word:
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Just above the ditch on my right arm. Ruffian as a tribute to the most amazing race horse ever, done in the Prada font.

I'm dying to get a tattoo of Starflower on my other wrist I just haven't found a picture of her that I'm totally in love with yet.

[Cumberbatch2012]

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