How often would you get tattooed?

[marley mission]

@tc3500

agreed for sure - 45 this month myself

i've disclosed on here before i have a degenerative eye disease that may or may not leave me blind or near it as i hit the golden years

no time like the fucking present man!

lets enjoy this shit

[Dan]

for the last few years I have been getting 2 or 3 a year,that's cool for me,I would like to get more,but I also like to do many other fun things too.

[joakim urma]

4-5 times a year is good for me now. Had some years before when I could get 10+ pieces in as many months. Need to save some skin so I can enjoy this as long as possible, have enough space for the people I really want to get work from and also see what kind of interesting artists will be around 15 years from now.

[Manu Manu]

2 or 3 a year sounds fine for me. Of course it dépends of my savings too

[Boiled Dove]

Another member of the 45 club here. I would love to be able to get a new tattoo about every two months. That way it continues to be a special event and I have plenty of time to enjoy the new piece and let it settle in before adding another. The caveat would be if I were working on a large, multi session tattoo, something I have yet to do. In that situation I would want to keep going every other week or as often as the artist is willing to work on it. I know you have to strike a balance between working on sections and allowing them to heal on such projects.

[marley mission]

much respect to those folks who dedicate to the process of large scale pieces

i think it would test my patience

i also think i prefer large areas to be covered with medium size pieces and a little negative space in there too

[rufio]

22 atm. Full chest/belly allmost done. When this project is done I will get full sleeve right away. I need to slow down.

[Mark Bee]

Heh, lots of us 45 year old types around here. I was on a tear for a few years and was getting tattooed every two weeks for months on end. I've stepped back a bit and I've only had 4-5 in 2015 and only 2 so far in 2016. I expect I'll do a few more this year, and hopefully I'll be back at the Montreal convention this year.

[DJDeepFried]

I'm 45! And I would get tattooed every six weeks if I had the dough.

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[Dan]

since we're doing ages,I should add, I'm an old guy at 56.

and yes,I would get tattooed every month if I had room on my body and funds to pay for it.

[Benjamin97]

On Saturday, November 05, 2011 at 11:24 AM, dcostello said:

Ideally every day.

once a month works though.

Once a month would be IDeal

[oboogie]

I've been getting one or two a month for a while now ...

[Devious6]

I guess I may be the oldest here at 61. It took me until 4 months ago to get my first. I'm planning my second for September of this year only because I enjoy swimming and don't want to miss any pool time this summer.

At my age, I'm not sure what, if anything, I'll do after this next one.

 

I came back to edit this after re-reading because my last sentence seemed to indicate age was driving my thoughts - it isn't. Honestly, getting my first tattoo has actually energized me in some ways. It came in conjunction with losing 25lbs (so far) to get me down to my weight when I was in the Army. I'm wearing tank shirts and sleeveless shirts - something I really never did before - to show my ink. I really enjoy looking at the work others are having done. And I find myself really wanting to get my next one done now...not wait. But, it's just more practical to wait until fall.

I am blessed...or cursed...with a good amount of body hair so that drives space availability issues. My upper arms and shoulders are pretty clear so they are perfect spots. The rest, not so much and I don't want to spend my retirement shaving my body. So, for me, inside and on my biceps and inside my forearms are possible.

I've approached my first and next tattoos by looking for designs that speak to me - that relate to who I am and how I want to be remembered. Perhaps that's a reflection of my starting at this point in my life. Certainly, though, my experience on 9/11 in the Pentagon caused me to look at life differently. Any time you find yourself part of a Smithsonian exhibition and you're still alive to see it, you need to reflect a bit on what you want to do with the rest of your life.

So, in answer to the OP's question, for me it isn't about a specific time or number. It is about an emotional tie to a design that drives my desire to get that next piece of art.

 

Edited June 26, 2016 by Devious6
A little more thought.

[Gingerninja]

Mark, above all, thank you for your service. I'm in the 50+ club, too. It literally took me decades to figure our what I wanted. Now, I'm all in trying to get what I want done completed in the next two years. The upside is that since I'm older, I can afford to get what I want and by whom (if they'll have me). :) @Devious6

Edited June 26, 2016 by Gingerninja
Forgot to tag my response

[Graeme]

@Devious6With respect to body hair, I say get what you want, body hair or not.  We have only limited say in what our bodies look like, but with tattoos we can adorn them how we choose.  I think one of the real shames with the instagram era of tattooing is that we are inundated with these tightly-cropped pictures of fresh tattoos.  It doesn't give you a very good idea of what real tattoos look like on real people: tattoos are for any age, body size or type, amount or lack of hair.  You don't need to start shaving your body unless you want to.  Unless it's the hottest part of the summer and long sleeves and pants are too uncomfortable I try to keep my tattoos covered up while I'm in public, and them not being visible doesn't change how my tattoos make me feel about myself.  If you just want to get your arms tattooed because that's where you want to keep them, that's cool!  Just don't think you have to stop there because you have body hair.

[marley mission]

@Graeme yup agree on all points man

@Devious6 you'd be suprised how well tattoos retain their 'impact' even in hairy areas 

Edited June 26, 2016 by marley mission

[pidjones]

Was 61 when I got my first, and at 63 (soon to click another digit) have 4 with one being a composite covering all of my left shoulder from back to elbow. I have no plans for more, but getting my right forearm piece lasered until it can be redone the way I want it. Then no more. If I had desire for more and the extra funds, I'd be at it about once a month but seriously, this is all I want. I do enjoy the experience, even the healing as it is amazing to see how the body works this way.

[Dan]

3 hours ago, Graeme said:

@Devious6With respect to body hair, I say get what you want, body hair or not.  We have only limited say in what our bodies look like, but with tattoos we can adorn them how we choose.  I think one of the real shames with the instagram era of tattooing is that we are inundated with these tightly-cropped pictures of fresh tattoos.  It doesn't give you a very good idea of what real tattoos look like on real people: tattoos are for any age, body size or type, amount or lack of hair.  You don't need to start shaving your body unless you want to.  Unless it's the hottest part of the summer and long sleeves and pants are too uncomfortable I try to keep my tattoos covered up while I'm in public, and them not being visible doesn't change how my tattoos make me feel about myself.  If you just want to get your arms tattooed because that's where you want to keep them, that's cool!  Just don't think you have to stop there because you have body hair.

"I try to keep my tattoos covered up while I'm in public"   with respect,why do you do that ?

Edited June 27, 2016 by Dan

[lape]

I remember telling my ex that it would be pointless to have my chest tattooed because I'm a hairy guy. Year later I got my chest tattooed. Currently a hairy guy with an awesome chest tattoo. It is still surprisingly visible, and I have no plan on shaving my chest or trim my chest hair any time soon.

[Dan]

34 minutes ago, lape said:

I remember telling my ex that it would be pointless to have my chest tattooed because I'm a hairy guy. Year later I got my chest tattooed. Currently a hairy guy with an awesome chest tattoo. It is still surprisingly visible, and I have no plan on shaving my chest or trim my chest hair any time soon.

I have been lucky,I don't have any heavy body hair,not much on my chest really at all.hell,I don't even grow a good beard.

Edited June 27, 2016 by Dan

[Intomyskin]

In preparation for my Japanese back/sleeve/chest panel piece, I've actually been getting some hair removed on my pectoral area where part of my tattoo will be. I want the tattoo to read cleanly and clearly. To my eyes, hair over tattoos make them look somewhat indistinct.

[Graeme]

9 hours ago, Dan said:

"I try to keep my tattoos covered up while I'm in public"   with respect,why do you do that ?

Part of it is practical.  I try my best to protect my tattoos from sun damage and putting on sunscreen is much more of a pain in the ass than it is to wear clothes that cover them in the first place.  

 

Part of it is that I like tattoos better when they're secret or partially secret.  

[Devious6]

I enjoy showing mine - just one so far - because people tend to be surprised by it. As a retired senior Army officer and now a college president, I enjoy breaking the stereotype. If people push for tolerance, acceptance and inclusion then they also need to overcome their pre-conceived ideas of people who have tattoos.

Edited June 27, 2016 by Devious6

[pidjones]

2 hours ago, Intomyskin said:

In preparation for my Japanese back/sleeve/chest panel piece, I've actually been getting some hair removed on my pectoral area where part of my tattoo will be. I want the tattoo to read cleanly and clearly. To my eyes, hair over tattoos make them look somewhat indistinct.

The one that I have on a pectoral happens to lie in a "bald" spot.

[HettyKet]

I've not been getting tattooed for that long, 2 and a half years or so. Had about a year of (mostly) monthly appointments which was lovely, but it's been 4 to 6 months between times since then which feel like huge periods of waiting. So, in an ideal world of unlimited money and free choice of appointments, I'd love another year or two (or three) of monthly sessions outside the summer months. 

1 hour ago, Graeme said:

Part of it is that I like tattoos better when they're secret or partially secret.  

Same here. Feels like it helps them retain their power or something.