Are bad tattoos our fault?

[truejew]

On a side note, My girlfriend has a half sleeve done by a pro working in a more then legitimate shop. Blow outs, skips uneven line work it has it all. She however did her homework and paid a lot for terrible work she was not happy about.

What about "catching crumbs" and stooping down to their prices?

If anyone here has ever worked in the west village or st. Marks in nyc should know a few "professionals" charging $80 an hour. While doing ecstasy tabs at work. People are just dumb... They don't look aT portfolios and certificates. They don't ask about hygiene and sterility.

[Johnny]

Some people think it is crazy to spend top dollar for a tattoo when it can be had for a much better price. Just the same as there are those who buy inexpensive cars because they think it is crazy to spend the money for a new, loaded car just to drive to work. Others prefer new, higher end vehicles. Neither is wrong. Everyone has a different idea of what they want from a car, just like everyone has a different idea of what they want from a tattoo. Neither is wrong so I certainly dont think it is up to me to tell someone I dont like what they have.

I was invited to this forum by a friend because he knows I would be in the camp of finding someone who does nice work. I have friends with simple kanji and they love it. I have another friend who has maybe 5 tattoos and none of them has been done in a shop. All were kitchen table, guitar string type deals. He loves them all but to me, some are not very attractive. I personally think it would be quite arrogant and pompous for me to judge such a thing anyway. Who am I? I think if someone gets a tattoo and it is important to them and they love it, I love it too.

By the way, I am getting my first tattoo on Friday so you fuckers better all say you love it!!!

[Liesel]

I usually just nod and say "Cool" or if it's really bad, "ok". When my brother in law got one in a guy's kitchen though, I did offer to take him to get it fixed for his birthday. He said "You don't like it?"

"Umm.." I replied "It could be better..."

[David Flores]

The first tattoos I got in a shop, I went to "the guy" who a bunch of people recommended, he was booked months out, heard nothing but good things about his tattoos and at the time all his stuff looked really good. To his defense his first tattoo was a technically perfect rendition of a realistic black and grey gargoyle, the only problem is I have grown to not like that style. The second tattoo ended up being a direct copy of a Frank Miller comic. I brought in some reference most of it in the Japanese realm, but had one pic of Miho from Sin City Comic book in my pile as I was and am a fan of that comic and Miho. I really was looking for a Japanese girl with a samurai sword, but he steered me toward the graphic novel, negative space black work of Frank Miller. It's probably done about as good as it could be, but it was a shitty idea for a tattoo and I paid a lot of money over a couple sessions to get it completed. In the end it is my fault for not knowing what a good tattoo idea was, and what a tattoo should look like and why some things shouldn't be tattooed, but honestly I still can't believe a guy with 20 years in the business, charging top dollar with a three month waiting list didn't know better. The funny part is a lot of people think the tattoo is awesome. I have a lot of tattoos and I know there are others on me that aren't perfect, but that is the only tattoo i wish I wish wasn't on me.

Usually I try to be nice to people about existing tattoos, but try to be up front with people about bad ideas and steer them in the right direction to get better tattoos.

[anthem]

Some people like bad tattoos. I had a guy tell me that bad tats make him look tuff.

[Scott R]

I feel like I accomplished something over the last few weeks, everyone I work with has multiple tattoos most done on a whim or just walk-in to a guy that their friend got work done by and get a tattoo. We have a new guy who wants his first tattoo. He wants a dragon and one of my friends who I also work with has a dragon. I could see the young guys wheels turning so I asked him to look at david bruehls or fernandos work at think ink in norman oklahoma before he scheduled somewhere else. He said he liked my bruehl tattoo but he didnt do dragons. I smirked and said does everything you saw look good even if you dont like the image? well yah was his response, I encouraged him to go talk with David at the shop. He now has a tentative start of early april to get his first tattoo with a great artist who will give him a clean tattoo that he will be happy with for ages.

[Dan S]

I just tell 'em the truth...usually "it's not to my taste, but if it makes you happy, kool".

And as far as bad work being the artists fault, sometimes!

I went into a shop in Rockford, Illinois, I won't say the name, but it's on State Street, right downtown. IT was just a spu-o-the-monet gig, I was with my new Lady, and wanted a name in a scroll covered. Old, old ink. Guy looks at it, no problem, and proceeds to mutilate the shit out if it. I finally ask him if he's drilling for oil or what. Took, literally, two months to heal, and most of the color bled right back out of it, leaving the original wording visible underneath.

Ah well-his fault for scratching it, and my fault for going to a tattooist I didn't know.

[posterboy7596]

I try to be as honest as I can with people without being too harsh. My problem is that most of the "hey look at MY tattoo(s)" comes in response to them seeing my tattoos. There seems to be this expectation that all tattooed people are part of a larger family, and I just don't get down with that. Other people, with at least decent work, who seem to have a clue about what the fuck they're doing I can almost always connect with on some level. When it's some ass-clown who lets his buddy who is trying to "learn" scratch all over him in his kitchen, and then wants to show it off like I should give a fuck, I don't really connect with that. That's not to say I don't have at least one tattoo I regret. I do have one, and it stays hidden away most of the time as a reminder of what not to do. I didn't read the entire thread, but I liked something the first post said. Sometimes I feel like my even half-hearted approval of the garbage someone is defacing their body with is going to possibly have the effect of encouraging them to get more garbage on them. I'm a big believer in doing what you want to your own body, but I also believe if you ask me what I think I have the right to be honest with you. Anyhow... sorry to rant... just my 2cents. Peace and love folks :p

[Shannon Shirley]

I have touble understanding why alot of people don't stand up in the middle of these bad situations and leave or worse.

I just tell 'em the truth...usually "it's not to my taste, but if it makes you happy, kool".

And as far as bad work being the artists fault, sometimes!

I went into a shop in Rockford, Illinois, I won't say the name, but it's on State Street, right downtown. IT was just a spu-o-the-monet gig, I was with my new Lady, and wanted a name in a scroll covered. Old, old ink. Guy looks at it, no problem, and proceeds to mutilate the shit out if it. I finally ask him if he's drilling for oil or what. Took, literally, two months to heal, and most of the color bled right back out of it, leaving the original wording visible underneath.

Ah well-his fault for scratching it, and my fault for going to a tattooist I didn't know.

[Dan S]

I have touble understanding why alot of people don't stand up in the middle of these bad situations and leave or worse.

What can I say, normally I would have. I had just gotten divorced, and REALLY wanted that name covered up. Started out okay, but as the guy dug deeper and deeper, I realized I had gotten a shit sandwich, but by then, hey-not much I can do but hope it heals decently. MY bad.

[Bunny Switchblade]

I have given up.....i just smile!

If they are happy with it then....it is what it is!

If someone asks me who to go to then I tell them....but I know they probably aren't

going to really listen! It gets frustrating for me though to see pretty young ladies

with absolute garbage on them! It does however make me appreciate the freinds I have in the

craft that have helped me a long with awesome advice! I am also surprised I have listened to

them....ha ha ha.....fortunately i did though! ;)

[gougetheeyes]

I think about this all the time; someone shows you a really jacked up tattoo and waits, beaming for your praise. For the most part, I used to say "nice one" or something noncommittal, but I've increasingly had less of a poker face and have been getting called on not liking their tattoo.

When they ask what's wrong... I've been telling them.

Is not letting a friend know he/she is wearing garbage (on a technical level, not an ideological level) tantamount to encouraging them to get more crap work?

Or should I just be polite?

Thoughts?

Along the lines of being honest with people...

Girl was in the bar the other night with a couple on her lower forearms and said she had a bunch of questions for me related to tattoos so I said, Shoot. She asked me if the inner bicep hurt and I said that for me, it was a lot less painful than I expected. She said that it couldn't be true. I said, Ok, it is, but next question. Then she asked me what the worst spot on my arm was and I said, The ditch probably. Then she asked me how much another spot hurt and I said, Look, everyone is crazy different when it comes to pain and that some places on me were awful but other people were okay, and vice versa, and she should just go for it because the reward outweighs the pain by far. Then she got mad at me and said I was jerk. I now realize this was probably because I didn't pick up on her (possible) flirtations at the time, but I have started being a little bit more honest when it comes to this stuff. I'd only make a face at someone's bad tattoo if it was really bad, otherwise, it's "Oh, nice!"

[slayer9019]

Along the lines of being honest with people...

Girl was in the bar the other night with a couple on her lower forearms and said she had a bunch of questions for me related to tattoos so I said, Shoot. She asked me if the inner bicep hurt and I said that for me, it was a lot less painful than I expected. She said that it couldn't be true. I said, Ok, it is, but next question. Then she asked me what the worst spot on my arm was and I said, The ditch probably. Then she asked me how much another spot hurt and I said, Look, everyone is crazy different when it comes to pain and that some places on me were awful but other people were okay, and vice versa, and she should just go for it because the reward outweighs the pain by far. Then she got mad at me and said I was jerk. I now realize this was probably because I didn't pick up on her (possible) flirtations at the time, but I have started being a little bit more honest when it comes to this stuff. I'd only make a face at someone's bad tattoo if it was really bad, otherwise, it's "Oh, nice!"

I personally gave up the nice talk. I got tired since a lot of people I know started to get shit and I said...oooo nice. Now I yell at them but they dont listen. I think we need to start reinforcing what a good and bad tattoo look like.

[Scott R]

@slayer9019 if they are male friends i suggest a good punch nothing to really hurt them just punch them and say "It hurts me worse to see your tattoo"

[slayer9019]

@slayer9019 if they are male friends i suggest a good punch nothing to really hurt them just punch them and say "It hurts me worse to see your tattoo"

Idk those rough tattoos look like they hurt way more than any punch I would deal out to a friend.

[temporarytattoo]

Even an bad tattoo can be made good with tattoo artist talent so choosing an nice tattoo artist is very important before tattooing.