Choosing your first tattoo

[reverend1]

I got "Country Boy" across my back....please don't laugh yourself out of your chair. If it's any bit of redemption, it is now covered by a Kore Flatmo full backpiece.

When do you go back?

[Brock Varty]

May 20th-23rd...my tattooer budy is coming with and starting a backpiece with Kore as well. I am also consulting with Mike about some work on my throat/neck.

[reverend1]

May 20th-23rd...my tattooer budy is coming with and starting a backpiece with Kore as well. I am also consulting with Mike about some work on my throat/neck.

That's kind of funny. I'll be there May 24 for the second sitting on the tiger.

[Brock Varty]

I think @Dennis is going to be there the day before I get there. I won't be leaving until the 24th I think. I'll try to stick around long enough to meet up with you man. I think I still have your number, but I should see you before we leave anyway. Any idea what time you will be there?

[reverend1]

I think @Dennis is going to be there the day before I get there. I won't be leaving until the 24th I think. I'll try to stick around long enough to meet up with you man. I think I still have your number, but I should see you before we leave anyway. Any idea what time you will be there?

I normally get down there around 11:00-11:30, check in and head to the Blue Jay for lunch.

[nina]

this thread is great. im working on the idea and rough sketches for my first tattoo. This is making me consider some things!

[TattooedMumma]

my first was 7 buerflies going from the front of my hip (on that boney bit) around my side to the top of where my hip starts to meet my waist. I was 19 and got it to mark leaving a really shit situation to embarking on a new one.

id probably get the same thing again if I had my time over but I would probably get some realistic butterflies or some traditional flash instead of the 7 random butterflies I picked out of what flash was on the wall.then again- maybe not

but I still love it :)

[Tatspiration]

My first tattoo was of a tree. It symbolizes a lot of things for me and I could never see myself living without it. I think getting a first tattoo is all up to what you feel right about. It should definitely be something you would want to see every day for the rest of your life.

[Colored Guy]

Mine was 2 hearts and a banner with me & my wife's name on it. We were married almost a year... and having someone else's name on you is definitely a curse. We were divorced about 1.5 years later. It was almost a shame to cover it up since it was done so well. But it had to be done.

Rob

[taaarro]

Edit

[temporarytattoo]

Choosing your first tattoo is really an very big confusion so it is very to be patient while choosing the tattoo design

[tats4life]

My first tattoo concept was to have a few words of simple text with a personal meaning. Those words are "Long Live" in a sort of manly calligraphy type. I had several ideas I toyed with before that but settled on this for three reasons, it would be simple to do, wouldn't take long and wouldn't cost much. granted, those aren't necessarily the best reasons but we live and learn. I'm still happy with it mainly because it was well thought out and not impulsive.

[9Years]

First Tattoo Story:

I was 19. My college room-mate and friend-to-this-day from the Yukon had just gotten a tattoo of Yoda on his upper arm after a bunch of us put up $20 each and dared him to do it. It was/still is pretty killer.

After several weeks of us enduring his "hey guys, check it out, I'm drinking for two" jokes, we were sitting around the house one day. He was, as usual, admiring his new companion when he asked: "Hey man, if you were to get an impulsive tattoo, what would you get?". I hadn't really thought about it much, but as I was pondering my eyes rested on the massive pirate flag hanging in our living room. "I would totally do a skull and bones!" I said, to which he replied "......me too". Our third roommate came into the room around this time and asked us what was going on. We filled her in and she was way into the idea too. We made a blood-pact (or high-fived or something, it was a long time ago) and set out for the local shop.

We got to the shop right before closing. It was a Sunday night and only one artist was still there (it was a smaller shop). We told him we all wanted tattoos together. He asked what do you want? We all said "Skull and Bones". He was quiet for a minute and said, "well I'm about to lock up, but since you want something cool let me close down the shop and let's do it...if you woulda said something lame I woulda told you to come back later!".

So he locked up and we got tattoos! I went first and got a pretty straight forward skull n bones on my shoulder. Yukon went second and got a goofy looking skull and bones missing some teef on his biceps (his request: "can you make it look, y'know, shittier?"). Our third roomie got a mechanical/riveted skull n bones on the back of her neck. Pretty sure she was/is tougher than the rest of us!

While the other two were going, I went across the lot to the pub and ordered a bunch of food for everyone and brought it back to the shop. After we were all wrapped up and giddy we had a meal with our tattooer, bullshitted for a bit then went home. All in all, it was pretty much the best thing ever. Man, I love that tattoo and those people!

So I guess my first tattoo was a bro-tatty? Ha! What do you call it when one of your bros is a lady?

Lessons learned that day:

1) Tattoos are fun. The experience is a huge part of it.

2) Trying to cram literal meaning in tattoos is for the birds. Or at least not for me. SKULL N BONES now reminds me of great times and great people. And Fun (remember fun?).

3) Impulsive tattoos are really really great. Don't let anyone tell you different.

Thanks for listening...

Edited February 17, 2014 by 9Years
weird double post

[tats4life]

Good story, most people never really get that in-depth about their tattoo experiences IMO. I like the idea that the meaning for you is about the memories and not some kind of philosophy or abstract concept. Not sure I'm all about the implusive stuff myself but to each their own and obviously it worked out for you and your friends.

[KegRN]

Us late teen young "ladies" used to hang out at the local shop out of boredom, living in a small town without much to do. The people who worked there and the people who came in were good company. They had a lot of down time so I think they liked having us there, maybe they were being polite. One day I just decided on impulse to get one. Hadn't ever thought of it before. Went through a book of flash and chose a tribal dragon. I am now getting it covered next month after years of tattoo envy when at the beach.

Side story. One day I came in the shop upset over money I owed and couldn't pay. I had a girly pity party that evidently made the guy who did my tattoo feel bad. Being ever the drama queen that I was (and still am without the lying) I made up a story about how I found out I had cancer and my family was mad that I didn't want treatment and that I was leaving town to live out the last of my days on the road. :rolleyes: Anyway, this guy coughed up $200 to help me out. I left and paid the bill that was originally the problem and of course never went back to that shop. Years later I felt really guilty about taking advantage of this guys generosity and tried to find him. Called a number and asked if the guy on the other line used to work in a tattoo shop in my town and he said yes. I proceeded to tell him the story and how sorry I was and ask for his address so I could mail him his cash back and the guy laughed and said he wasn't him and that he said yes because he thought it was a prank. Anyway, I never did find him. I gave the $200 to a friend of mine who was hard up and I believe she has paid it forward as well. So if your out there, your money is still floating around helping people. You did a good thing.

[scubaron]

Ha, got my 1st tattoo 4 months ago at age 48. 2nd a month ago. 3rd scheduled in 2 months. I guess you might call it mid-life crisis. I think it's more a combination of things:

- never realized the different styles and options of tattoos. Always only pictured traditional tattoos (which I don't like)

- tattoo location. don't need to be publicly displayed unless I want to.

- 48 yrs of life's experiences. My appearance is what it is. I not "trying" to be anything. I am who I am. I can't control everything.

- tattoo has personal meaning to me and relates to specific times/places/experiences/memories.

[Victor]

My first tattoos were done in a friends basement, by a traveling gypsy tattoos guy that had a seasonal shop in the summer and traveled in the winter. Not knowing any better, I had chosen art pieces that were impossible to do at the size I originally though I wanted, besides the fact that art was beyond the Tattooers skill set and if and besides that again, they were way outside my budget. Imagine trying to reproduce a BROM painting at a playing card size on a dudes stomach, below his belly button, lol. How naive.

So last minute dealing, after plan A was crushed, Plan B was to look through his flash designs and I picked a cool design. My choice was a standby Dragon, and additionally a symbol (actually a tattoo on a fantasy character from a Heavy Metal Art Magazine series) which was meaningful to me. So my first tattoo experience was two tattoos, one on the classic first timer upper arm location (dragon) and the other on my stomach. Don't think I even have pictures anymore of those tattoos on me.

The Tattooer was actually really good at what he did and applied two solid great looking tattoos. Despite the last minute scramble I was really happy with the choices I made and only covered them up later because my want for larger more magnificent Tattoo Art had outgrown the existing real-estate art.

[ChrisvK]

People who freak out over choosing their first tattoo forget the most important thing: Picking your first artist. Make that decision well and the first tattoo will be the best for you