New to the forums

[tacifone]

Hello everyone,

I am new to the forums and just want to introduce myself quick. My name is Tyler and I am 20 years old and live in Upstate NY. I have always been interested in tattoos since I was a kid. I do not have any yet but plan on getting one over the summer or within the next few months. I hope to learn a lot from going on this site and look forward to talking to some of you guys.

[Iwar]

Welcome!

[bongsau]

Welcome @tacifone

Summer is for getting sunburned, swimming and enjoying yourself with minimal clothes on haha.

Post-summer...tattoo season, best time to start that new piece ;)

good luck!

[tacifone]

Thanks for the replies guys! And I never really thought of that until you just mentioned it. Maybe that gives me a good excuse to bump it up sooner to get it done and healed up before summer starts haha

[DavidR]

Welcome @tacifone.

Spend as much time as you can reading the forums; there's a lot of wisdom packed in these pages. And if you don't have an account yet, get on Instagram and start following local artists whose work appeals to you.

[tacifone]

Thanks for the comments guys. I can already tell that this forum is a very welcoming community unlike some of the other forums I have been on for various things. I am sure I will learn a lot and maybe some day I can help others on here if I learn enough about the art of tattooing.

[knucklehead211]

New as well, and I definitely second the notion to wait until after summer. Not only will you avoid sun while the ink is healing, but artists are less busy as well! For me it has always worked out well since my birthday is the same month as xmas, so I always had funds by jan/feb!

[tacifone]

What do you guys think of getting a tattoo in say the month of may? It isn't too nice here in Upstate NY yet and is also somewhat far enough away from the dead of summer where I would think the tattoo should be somewhat healed up by then

[knucklehead211]

Start of May could work. I wanted to have my calf started by end of feb/start of march, but the tax man held me up so I am getting a late start. Not to mention it's a big piece, so my artist wants to do the outline, then the shading, then the color... just hoping I can be finished before swim season!

[tacifone]

Good luck with it man! Would love to see some pictures of it once you start it. I am really looking into what shop I am going to go to in the Upstate NY area. I am talking back and forth with a fellow member on who is really pointing me in the right direction of some good shops in my area

[gabyham]

Haha I know the feeling of really wanna have a tat. I already have one but I can't wait to take my second one. I'm still looking for a designer tho because my drawing really sucks haha. But indeed you better get it before or after summer. I'm curious for wat you are going to take :) good luck with it :)

[tacifone]

I'm thinking of a traditional style family crest on my chest most likely but I might do it on my upper back. Leaning towards chest though. I think its a good piece for me to start with to honor my family and my grandfather.

[knucklehead211]

Good spot, a former friend of mine had his on his pec. If you want to save real estate, you could also do it on your bicep. My avatar is a pic of my traditionalized family crest on my mom's side, thought it went really well.

[tacifone]

I would do it on my bicep but my arms aren't quite big enough haha. I am a pretty scrawny person. Trying to bulk up a little bit but for now I don't think an arm tattoo would look too good on me.

- - - Updated - - -

And do you guys think my chest would be a better place for a first tattoo compared to my back between the shoulder blades?

[knucklehead211]

If you get it on your back you'll never see it! Not to mention I feel like between the shoulder blades would be a hard spot to take care of on your first tattoo; hard to wrap, hard to sleep on, hard to monitor and hard to apply lotion to. Then again, I have no ink on my back, so another member may know better. I think on one of your pecs would be the better of the two.

As far as bicep goes, I hear ya on the scrawny arms. No one needs to ask me "do you even lift bro?". BUT, the nice thing about the arm is that you can make something that would look small on your back look big on it. The inside of your bicep is a nice flat area that can hold a big design if it goes from pit to elbow really well. Plus, it's way easier to sleep on, wrap, and keep clean and moisturized. But, it's just my .02. Good luck with whatever you go with!

[xcom]

Back tattoos are bit hard to take care of? Yes they are.

My wife and kids for the most part help me for the first 2 weeks or so and than I try to just do it my self.

I bought two lotion back applicators to help me one) apply lotion on my own and two) I use the other stick to wash my back on my own.

Other than that back tattoo's are awesome! :)

[knucklehead211]

Haha another reason to hold off, what if you want to do a massive backpiece down the road?! I've left my back and chest alone for that exact reason.

[xcom]

Haha another reason to hold off, what if you want to do a massive backpiece down the road?! I've left my back and chest alone for that exact reason.

This holds true.

[tacifone]

Thanks so much for the input guys! I am really leaning towards chest now. I want something that can easily be covered and like you guys said if its on my chest at least I will be able to see it everyday. Back to the arm thing, I would like an arm tattoo but like I said I have scrawny arms and am also worried about it sticking out past a shirt. I know I could most likely cover it with a t shirt, but I am looking for jobs in the law enforcement/environmental conservation fields and I know they are very serious about not having any visible tattoos. Another thing: I feel like I have a fairly high pain tolerance, at least I would like to think that haha. I am not worried about the pain of the tattoo a whole lot because of it being part of the experience and I will appreciate it more after the pain. For those who know, is the pain of a chest tattoo near you peck pretty bad or is it one of the better places to start?

[Shaun1105]

By what I've heard, your chest is a pretty painful place to get a tattoo. I'll be able to report with more detail in a week because I'll be mostly done a chest tattoo this time next Sunday. I think near the sternum is more painful than the pec area. I think starting with a 'more painful' place is a good idea though because as you say it's part of the experience and the excitement of getting tattooed hides some of the pain.

I think one of the best places to start is your shoulder both in terms of pain and in terms of visibility. Easy to see if you want to show it (and no need to be completely shirtless) but also easy to hide under pretty much every t-shirt. If you measure it, I'd bet your shoulder has almost as much space as your pec, it just doesn't seem as large because it's round and you can't look at it directly very easily.

[tacifone]

I'd love to know how that tattoo turns out for ya and how it feels while getting done. I was thinking my right pec right in between my collar bone and my nipple. Your idea of a shoulder tattoo is a good option I have never really thought of. At least I know exactly what I want as a design, and where I want to go to get it done. The only thing I need to figure out now is where to put it on my body.

[knucklehead211]

Definitely agree with @Shaun1105, my first was right in that area. I was really apprehensive about the pain, not say I'm a sissy but it was going to be a whole new level I figured. Then my artist started up and I was like, "that's it?". By the end of that session though, whole nother story. Same as the morning after when I woke up lol!

[tacifone]

Thanks for all the input guys. I have a tough decision to make regarding the placement now haha. I like the idea of a shoulder tattoo but I still seem to think it would look odd on me since I am kind of small, 5'11" and only 148 pounds. My chest is a little bigger though so I think it would look a little better there, but since its my first I'm not sure if I want to dive right into a pretty painful first tattoo. I still have time to think but in the end I still think chest would look best on me.

[Graeme]

Tattoos hurt. Some spots are worse than others, sure, but they're all going to hurt. The good thing is that as much as it might suck in the moment, tattoo pain is bearable and chances are if you grit your teeth, focus your mind, and breathe deeply, you'll be able to get through even the worst of it. The point I'm trying to make here is don't let your perceptions of how much it's going to hurt influence where you get tattooed. Get it in the spot where it's going to look best.

[tacifone]

Thank you for the response Graeme. Your comment makes a lot of sense. I know that it's not going to feel great but in the end I will hopefully have an awesome tattoo that will be well worth it!