Choosing your first tattoo

[Our Endless Days]

my first tattoo was an anchor that i got at a shop in syracuse, ny for a $13 friday the 13 special. anchor turned out to be pretty shitty. i was bummed initially, but now i'm so glad i made the leap. if i hadn't, i probably would've never gotten tattooed.

[bulldog]

a little rose on my forearm, about a month later i realised it was way too small for a "mans tattoo" so got a shit dragon tattooed around it. 22 years im getting it lasered and ill think ill cover it with two big roses, which is what i should of got in the first place.

[guiniveretoo]

Still deciding on my design, but I'm contemplating a belly-rib-shoulder tattoo of a half real, half chrome vine of passiflora. Or maybe anemones.

I'd like Todo to do it I think, but I haven't talked to him yet. No money and probably a year or more before I can save up enough. :(

But hey! I'm researching, I've found an artist I like, and I'm on a tattoo forum talking to people about it. Right? :o

[slayer9019]

After waiting forever to get a tattoo and playing with a million ideas I decided to get this. I thought go big or don't do it (the original idea was to cover my entire calf, but the tattooer talked me out of it). It was inspired by Gustave Doré's wood cuttings from Dante's Inferno. I have owned the book (several copies) since I was younger and decided it was a good idea. I don't really like it all too much. It was exactly what I asked for but not what I wanted.

[rads]

My first tattoo was a star on my wrist, I don't regret having it but I wish I'd known more about tattooing so I could have gone somewhere that could have given me a better tattoo, to make it worse I was so over excited with having one tattoo I went pretty much straight out and got another tattoo even worse than the first - it was so terrible I got it covered up asap, unfortunately it still looks crap lol! But lesson learnt, I look back and think yeah wasn't my best idea but I've got a fraction of a clue now and spend a lot more time attempting to improve my knowledge! I keep thinking about covering them up but It's a little reminder of the start of my love of tattooing, so maybe they can stay on my wrist forever?!

[Dan S]

No matter how good or bad your first tattoo, it's still your first tattoo. I have (still) an india-ink piece or two, and would never get rid of them. I have one or two professional tattoos that might not meet the art committee's requirements, but they aer a piece of me, a piece of time, and a piece of my history that I would never alter. My very first pro tattoo is so faded as to be almost unidentifiable...and there ain't no way in hell I'd have it covered or cleaned up!

[irezumi]

when i was younger and didnt realize what it would eventually mean to me I covered my first tattoo, a hand-poke fish skeleton I did from when I was 15. really wish i still had that.

[Dan S]

when i was younger and didnt realize what it would eventually mean to me I covered my first tattoo, a hand-poke fish skeleton I did from when I was 15. really wish i still had that.

I've covered a bunch of teenage delinquent stuff, and some jailhouse work, nothing I really regret not having anymore.

Went into CTC once when it was still CLiff Raven Tattoos, and got bitched out by Cliff for doing a "Death Before Dishonor" around a sword on my arm. "Just one more I'm gonna hafta cover-up!" He didn't, but Dale Grande did, some years later.

[Dumpleton]

In 1999 I got a snowflake on my leg probably close to 1.5 inches in diameter, didn't really think to much about it just knew I wanted it and why, walked in asked for a snowflake the artist says ok she suggested I put it on my leg so there it is.

Considered getting it covered or used in a different design, at one point it was going to be an eye in a sugar skull.

Then it was going to be a part of a tall ship design, now it is a snowflake on my leg and will stay that way until it finishes turning into a black blob on my leg.

[heathenist]

I just got my first tattoo 2 years ago, it's a political cartoon by Thomas Nast, a depiction of the downfall of the Erie Ring which was led by Jay Gould who was basically a scumbag of all scumbag capitalist who bribed legislators to pass laws to help create a monopoly in the railroad industry, but it didn't end up working in his favor and led to the dismantling of his group. The story doesn't have any particular meaning to me other than I'm not a fan of big businesses using their power to manipulate laws and the market.

Here's the tattoo:

I still like it a lot, only concern is that it won't age well because a lack of hard outlines, but I lather with sunscreen and keep it out of the sun as much as possible.

[SStu]

@heathinist = that's a helluva 1st tattoo.

[heathenist]

@heathinist = that's a helluva 1st tattoo.

Yeah, I wanted something big. At the time I wasn't sure how many more tattoos I would want, so I had a go big or go home mentality about it.

[Dan S]

Yeah, I wanted something big. At the time I wasn't sure how many more tattoos I would want, so I had a go big or go home mentality about it.

And it looks like you hit the jackpot with it! That cartoon was in the NEw yorker, wasn't it? I gotta dig, I think I've got an old book of their political cartoons from way back, and that was one of them. If I've got it, and you want it, it's yours. Absolutely heavy first tattoo!

[heathenist]

And it looks like you hit the jackpot with it! That cartoon was in the NEw yorker, wasn't it? I gotta dig, I think I've got an old book of their political cartoons from way back, and that was one of them. If I've got it, and you want it, it's yours. Absolutely heavy first tattoo!

Thanks, I'm really happy with it still.

I don't know for sure, I know it was originally printed in Harper's Weekly, where Thomas Nast did almost all of his political cartoons, but it's possible that it was printed by the NY Times as well. I nearly spent $200 on a Thomas Nast print when I was visiting Boston, but didn't want to spend the money at the time, though, had it been that specific print, I most likely would have.

[Cinder]

My first tattoo was a feather I got a couple days ago. I had one all designed out, but then got into the shop and was pretty much like "I want a feather in this shape, with blue, purple, and a pink aura," and the design was the exact image I had in my head. For years I've been wanting a phoenix tattoo, but didn't want to take the plunge just yet. So, I settled with a "falling feather" that would match the design/style of the upcoming phoenix. I want to add more shading/highlights but everyone tells me to wait until it heals and then see how it turns out.

[HaydenRose]

I got my first tattoo a few months after I turned 18. I went very big, but don't regret it. I had been contemplating it for a long time and got it as soon as I could. The roses represent the lineage of the name "rose" in my family. However, I was set on black and white, and made it clear, but the artist they recommended was big on color--he does really bright, bold pieces (and they are great and stand the test of time incredibly, just not for me). He really pushed color and for my first tattoo, I think I was really easily swayed. Today I would have just left and gone some where else. So he did the outline and then we decided we would discuss color after and make a decision. Then, after 3 hours, he asks ME to pick out the color I want among his ink bottles. Looking back, I don't know any one that does that (and I said I really wanted it black & white). Not only was it my first tattoo--I was super naive--but what do I know about how ink transfers to skin? (Not to mention, I DIDN'T WANT COLOR!) Anyway, long story short, it still looks the same today. I even went back and asked him to grayscale it, and he said it was impossible. But Grez at King's Ave said it's no problem, so I'll probably go back to them once I have some $$$.

Here's the picture, but has any one here ever asked the customer to pick out the color they want? Just curious.

[David Flores]

I got my first tattoo a few months after I turned 18. I went very big, but don't regret it. I had been contemplating it for a long time and got it as soon as I could. The roses represent the lineage of the name "rose" in my family. However, I was set on black and white, and made it clear, but the artist they recommended was big on color--he does really bright, bold pieces (and they are great and stand the test of time incredibly, just not for me). He really pushed color and for my first tattoo, I think I was really easily swayed. Today I would have just left and gone some where else. So he did the outline and then we decided we would discuss color after and make a decision. Then, after 3 hours, he asks ME to pick out the color I want among his ink bottles. Looking back, I don't know any one that does that (and I said I really wanted it black & white). Not only was it my first tattoo--I was super naive--but what do I know about how ink transfers to skin? (Not to mention, I DIDN'T WANT COLOR!) Anyway, long story short, it still looks the same today. I even went back and asked him to grayscale it, and he said it was impossible. But Grez at King's Ave said it's no problem, so I'll probably go back to them once I have some $$$.

Here's the picture, but has any one here ever asked the customer to pick out the color they want? Just curious.

I would focus on the fact that you have a very talented tattooer willing to give you the tattoo you wanted in the first place.

To kind of answer your question, No our shop would not make someone get color that only wanted black and grey. I try to stress to people that pretty much anything can be a black and grey or color tattoo and everyone loves doing both. I would ask input on color for someone getting a color tattoo and at times would suggest them to change their suggested color scheme in order to have a mix of warm and cool colors that compliment each other, but ultimately it's the customers choice what if any colors they want.

Sounds like there was definitely a communication breakdown somewhere along the line.

[heathenist]

I'm confused, I don't see any color in those roses. But yeah, that sounds really pushy and unappealing if that's how it went down.

[irezumi]

He said it never got past the outline. Artist asked him to pick colors and he didnt pick any.

Hayden, I think you will wind up with something better than you imagined if Grez does it. Go for it. That tattoo can be finished in black & grey.

[Bunny Switchblade]

Did someone say Grez????

Oh....fuck yeah!!!

Grez did a personal favorite of mine on a good friends wife......he is near the top of my list of people to be tattooed by right now!

[HaydenRose]

He said it never got past the outline. Artist asked him to pick colors and he didnt pick any.

Hayden, I think you will wind up with something better than you imagined if Grez does it. Go for it. That tattoo can be finished in black & grey.

Thanks, I'm hoping he'll have some openings after the summer. And @David, I am considering color now (4 years later), I just would rather the artist do what they think is best, like what you said. He actually wanted to do magenta for the petals & bright pink on the folds. Even if he did a great job, which I'm sure he would, I am not a pink gal. Also just remembered his reasoning for going colored is because black and white roses look like cabbage. Well now I have some beautiful black & white work roses on my arm and no one goes "ewww, you got a cabbage tattoo?"

[hgiles]

I got my first tattoo a few months after I turned 18. I went very big, but don't regret it. I had been contemplating it for a long time and got it as soon as I could. The roses represent the lineage of the name "rose" in my family. However, I was set on black and white, and made it clear, but the artist they recommended was big on color--he does really bright, bold pieces (and they are great and stand the test of time incredibly, just not for me). He really pushed color and for my first tattoo, I think I was really easily swayed. Today I would have just left and gone some where else. So he did the outline and then we decided we would discuss color after and make a decision. Then, after 3 hours, he asks ME to pick out the color I want among his ink bottles. Looking back, I don't know any one that does that (and I said I really wanted it black & white). Not only was it my first tattoo--I was super naive--but what do I know about how ink transfers to skin? (Not to mention, I DIDN'T WANT COLOR!) Anyway, long story short, it still looks the same today. I even went back and asked him to grayscale it, and he said it was impossible. But Grez at King's Ave said it's no problem, so I'll probably go back to them once I have some $$$.

Here's the picture, but has any one here ever asked the customer to pick out the color they want? Just curious.

that tattoo aint great. get grez to fix it asap!

[Kev]

My first tattoo was based off a Miraculous Medal I found in a bag of M&M's at work. I originally wanted the full body version, but Ezra Haidet talked me into doing a modified version based on a Renaissance painting that integrated both sides of medal. I think I went with it because I grow up surrounded by Catholic imagery and maybe subconsciously because my Mom's named Virginia and she hates tattoos.

If I could do it differently, I'd probably gone with some color vs. black and grey; I don't know why I was initially opposed to color, but I love it now.

[stormface]

I'm thinking about getting this on the back of my arm, tricep location:

I'm not particularly religious (in a past life, yes), but the theme resonates with me. The design hits me

in the gut, running an being swallowed up by your fate and such.

Do you guys think this will work as a tattoo? No size restrictions.

[SStu]

I'm thinking about getting this on the back of my arm, tricep location:

I'm not particularly religious (in a past life, yes), but the theme resonates with me. The design hits me

in the gut, running an being swallowed up by your fate and such.

Do you guys think this will work as a tattoo? No size restrictions.

Definately new skool. Find a really good portrait or realism artist.