Hello

[Kai Lo]

Hello,

New to the site and overall tattoo life. Despite people I know and family not being fans I love it myself. Came here with the intent to ask some questions, got distracted by reading forum posts! So posting here now.

Excited to read some stories, get some answers, see some inspiration!

[Dan]

1 hour ago, Kai Lo said:

Hello,

New to the site and overall tattoo life. Despite people I know and family not being fans I love it myself. Came here with the intent to ask some questions, got distracted by reading forum posts! So posting here now.

Excited to read some stories, get some answers, see some inspiration!

welcome ! sit down and stay a while. ask all the questions you want to, there are no wrong questions. 

[Gingerninja]

Welcome!

[SStu]

A great education is available here. Welcome!

[Kai Lo]

I posted my first question, kind of curious as to opinions.

Tattoos make me all nervous, just off of how they heal and different things that have worked for different people. I always feel if I look at it wrong it won't heal properly..

[Gingerninja]

Definitely putting the cart before the horse! If you are in good health, choose a good artist and follow the aftercare, 99.9% of the time you don't have anything to worry about. Do you have any tattoos? Why are you worried about this? Most people worry about the pain or some sort of regret about getting a tattoo, not whether it's going to heal right. ? @Kai Lo

[Hogrider]

24 minutes ago, Kai Lo said:

I posted my first question, kind of curious as to opinions.

Tattoos make me all nervous, just off of how they heal and different things that have worked for different people. I always feel if I look at it wrong it won't heal properly..

From what I've seen, more people cause problems by too much care than by too little care.

[Kai Lo]

@Gingerninja

I have 2 tattoos, but part of for me why I get worried about the healing is because you get a tattoo for it to look a specific way. If it doesn't heal right, that goes away. I got worried because my recent one after following the same care I got a part of the finger that seemed to peel prematurely on its own, and didn't look right. I had someone say it looked like blowout that can't be helped.. but now I'm bummed because it only happened on one section and now it doesn't quite look the same. I'll give it a few months and then have it touched up and see it it can just be "edited" in size a little bit. May work.  

[oboogie]

7 hours ago, Hogrider said:

From what I've seen, more people cause problems by too much care than by too little care.

THIS THIS THIS

[Hogrider]

On June 1, 2018 at 3:33 PM, Kai Lo said:

@Gingerninja

I have 2 tattoos, but part of for me why I get worried about the healing is because you get a tattoo for it to look a specific way. If it doesn't heal right, that goes away. I got worried because my recent one after following the same care I got a part of the finger that seemed to peel prematurely on its own, and didn't look right. I had someone say it looked like blowout that can't be helped.. but now I'm bummed because it only happened on one section and now it doesn't quite look the same. I'll give it a few months and then have it touched up and see it it can just be "edited" in size a little bit. May work.  

I would suggest doing a lot of research on how tattooing works and the healing process and blow outs. First, I haven't seen a lot of tattoos that didn't heal 'right.' It might take longer if you screw up the aftercare, but it's really tough to screw one up permanently. Second, after care does not effect a blow-out. Third, there is no such thing as peeling 'prematurely' there is no set schedule. Also, I don't see how you can 'edit' the size of a text tattoo. Do your homework so that you have realistic expectations regarding what can and can't be done.

Tattoo shows have done a huge disservice in setting unrealistic expectations about the tattoo process. You're putting ink under your skin. Even with the best tattooers, shit happens. With bad tattooers bad shit happens.

 

Edited June 4, 2018 by Hogrider

[Kai Lo]

@Hogrider

I say "prematurely" because one part started to peel before the other (as in, the middle of the tattoo peeled before the rest even looked close to a peel) so it seemed strange to me. Now my other one was even more simple than this one, and it's only my second, so I don't have a lot of experience with what is "normal". I did go to the tattoo artist to ask his opinion but I also know he's really popular and doesn't have a ton of time to reply so I decided to also go to a tattoo forum to ask the opinion since I wasn't really getting an answer out of my research.

I have done research, but in all honesty I'd never read anything that had to do with "blowouts". It doesn't "ruin" the tattoo in any way necessarily, but definitely doesn't make it quite what I was going for (which in the end doesn't bother me that much. I'm not quite that picky.) Given that I'm the type to research something almost to death, I'm really surprised I never heard of a blowout, but hey. What you don't know.

Really a lot of stuff I've found for tattoos is  ideas for tattoos (doesn't help me) healing process (which basically says don't touch it let it peel, which I know so that also didn't help me), and not much else. But also if I don't know quite what to look for it's hard to find. 

I've never seen a tattoo show, so I honestly have no idea what they do or don't have as an "expectation". I know talking to a few of the artists at the shop I go to they gave ideas to me on what would or would not work for me, which was really helpful. 

Honestly I feel like in trying to "research", I've just been getting a lot of random websites of people who like promoting tattoos, but have no real opinions or advice to give which is why I came here. Off of seeing other people's tattoos, I have noticed what I now know is called "blowout", but honestly until you get one you don't really know what it means for you and how it will affect what you get. Does it ruin it? no. Does it change the idea of it? no. Is it 100% what I expected? nope. But I also don't feel as if there is anything wrong with that. It's just the overall question to a group of, what I was hoping and do seem to have, experienced people within the tattoo community over general questions that I don't feel really get answered in plain old research. 

I hope that makes sense. And I do appreciate the response. I'm honestly glad though that even if it's not 100% what was expected, the unexpected shit is not that bad at all. 

[J.Stell]

As you get more and more tattoos you will figure out what works for you: after care and healing wise....  Blow outs are part of tattoos being handmade, and part of the deal, depending on what you get tattooed, where on the body, and by whom.... Tattoo artists are not machines, and unfortunately not all people adhere to rules or the "road" in tattooing, IE; finger or hand tattoos on people that aren't fully sleeved... It's a process, but if you really are into it, you'll get the hang of it, the deeper you fall into the rabbit hole. . . 

Jennifer

[oboogie]

8 hours ago, J.Stell said:

As you get more and more tattoos you will figure out what works for you: after care and healing wise....  Blow outs are part of tattoos being handmade, and part of the deal, depending on what you get tattooed, where on the body, and by whom.... Tattoo artists are not machines, and unfortunately not all people adhere to rules or the "road" in tattooing, IE; finger or hand tattoos on people that aren't fully sleeved... It's a process, but if you really are into it, you'll get the hang of it, the deeper you fall into the rabbit hole. . . 

Jennifer

I love seeing you here, Jen. Hurray! @J.Stell

[Kai Lo]

@J.Stell

If you don't mind me asking, what do you mean on the comment: unfortunately not all people adhere to rules or the "road" in tattooing, IE; finger or hand tattoos on people that aren't fully sleeved.

What is the difference between just getting a plain finger tattoo or having it with a sleeve..?

and now that it's actually starting to heal it actually looks pretty friggin' fantastic. I just had a panic moment when it looked part blow part not and I thought it was going to be all... wonky. It's looking beautiful now, getting more healed and awesome.

[J.Stell]

5 hours ago, Kai Lo said:

@J.Stell

If you don't mind me asking, what do you mean on the comment: unfortunately not all people adhere to rules or the "road" in tattooing, IE; finger or hand tattoos on people that aren't fully sleeved.

What is the difference between just getting a plain finger tattoo or having it with a sleeve..?

and now that it's actually starting to heal it actually looks pretty friggin' fantastic. I just had a panic moment when it looked part blow part not and I thought it was going to be all... wonky. It's looking beautiful now, getting more healed and awesome.

Well....  If you perchance were not just beginning to get tattoos, and starting out on hands/ fingers, (which most tattooers in the traditional sense of rules/core values typically don't do, with newly beginning clients.)....  You would not have kinda had a "Anticipation - Panic - Grief" moment, you would be further along in knowing about the process.... How different parts of the body heal, how you personally do your after care- cause it's a learning process for everyone: what routines work best FOR YOU...

Not a dig on you, but merely an objective observation of the "new" - "Who gives a F***: give them what they want" moments I am seeing all over the place.... I'm just getting old.

And you would know: FINGERS BLOW OUT, it's part of the landscape, and it's not a big deal. It adds character.

Once upon a time, in a land before Myspace, FB, IG.... If you wanted a hand or a finger tattoo...

You HAD to be sleeved fully, or an actual tattoo artist to get such places on the body tattooed... People look at an individual differently when certain parts of the body are tattooed: Hands, Faces, Throats, Neck... Body parts that aren't customarily covered in regular or professional attire....

It's a "I wanna sleep at night knowing I didn't just screw this young person out of something by putting a tattoo somewhere that may not jive with my heart"...  

And we have been everywhere, and moving and being here in Tulsa, TATTOOS are a huge thing people knee jerk react and judge on still to this day.... Sucks.

Jennifer

[oboogie]

13 hours ago, J.Stell said:

Well....  If you perchance were not just beginning to get tattoos, and starting out on hands/ fingers, (which most tattooers in the traditional sense of rules/core values typically don't do, with newly beginning clients.)....  You would not have kinda had a "Anticipation - Panic - Grief" moment, you would be further along in knowing about the process.... How different parts of the body heal, how you personally do your after care- cause it's a learning process for everyone: what routines work best FOR YOU...

Not a dig on you, but merely an objective observation of the "new" - "Who gives a F***: give them what they want" moments I am seeing all over the place.... I'm just getting old.

And you would know: FINGERS BLOW OUT, it's part of the landscape, and it's not a big deal. It adds character.

Once upon a time, in a land before Myspace, FB, IG.... If you wanted a hand or a finger tattoo...

You HAD to be sleeved fully, or an actual tattoo artist to get such places on the body tattooed... People look at an individual differently when certain parts of the body are tattooed: Hands, Faces, Throats, Neck... Body parts that aren't customarily covered in regular or professional attire....

It's a "I wanna sleep at night knowing I didn't just screw this young person out of something by putting a tattoo somewhere that may not jive with my heart"...  

And we have been everywhere, and moving and being here in Tulsa, TATTOOS are a huge thing people knee jerk react and judge on still to this day.... Sucks.

Jennifer

Love you, Jen! ❤️ xoxo

[Kai Lo]

@J.Stell

Okay, so maybe this is me being picky on what I'm reading...

but if I'm reading correctly, then anyone who is an actual artist would not tattoo someone on certain body parts first because it goes against a "rule", and the only way they would have given me this tattoo is if I agreed to do a full sleeve first.

No offense to the culture but personal I find that a bit disappointing. 

I mean, I understand making sure someone knows what will/may happen with the the tattoo, doing aftercare.. but honestly you'd think no matter WHERE on the body a tattoo goes, it's going to be a little different so even getting a tattoo on your arm will not be the same as on your finger.. so that won't "help" prepare a person in any way if the blowout will be more intense. Then if someone just wants a small finger tattoo.. they all of a sudden can't commit to that without having a sleeve they don't actually want because of a "rule"? 

Seems a bit extreme. But like I said I'm new to all of this and I don't know the culture. 
Where I'm at everyone is very accepting of tattoos. Of course, they will always (I feel) be jobs where it's preferred to have tattoo covered but outside of that it's not a judging. 

In the end to me? A sleeve/rib/neck/face tattoo... will not prepare me for a blowout on a finger. And the blowout itself did NOT bother me. It's because when the first section peeled before the others, that section of blowout looked more extreme then the rest of how it looked on the tattoo, so I had a little panic moment because it looked like the rest wasn't going to get quite the same look and it was going to be a bigger blob of ink in the middle of the tattoo. Luckily that did not happen as the rest started to heal and peel.

(and I'm not saying any of this as an insult, I mean obviously everyone here that is replying is experienced. I'm just saying what I feel for myself, since I know that even if I end up tattoo'd more places.. I'd still panic if I think something went wrong on one.)

 

[el twe]

If I may... It's really not about the blowout.  It's about changing cultural norms and how lots of people these days are rushing into tattoos in highly visible places before really committing to being a 'tattooed person' (ie arm sleeves, more larger pieces).  Every artist and every client will have different views on this, but I have to say I agree with the old school mentality - certain tattoo placements are 'earned' in that sense.

[Dan]

3 hours ago, el twe said:

If I may... It's really not about the blowout.  It's about changing cultural norms and how lots of people these days are rushing into tattoos in highly visible places before really committing to being a 'tattooed person' (ie arm sleeves, more larger pieces).  Every artist and every client will have different views on this, but I have to say I agree with the old school mentality - certain tattoo placements are 'earned' in that sense.

this times 100 !  thank you @el twe for saying this,

 it needed explaining. :)

[oboogie]

4 hours ago, Kai Lo said:

@J.Stell

Okay, so maybe this is me being picky on what I'm reading...

but if I'm reading correctly, then anyone who is an actual artist would not tattoo someone on certain body parts first because it goes against a "rule", and the only way they would have given me this tattoo is if I agreed to do a full sleeve first.

No offense to the culture but personal I find that a bit disappointing. 

I mean, I understand making sure someone knows what will/may happen with the the tattoo, doing aftercare.. but honestly you'd think no matter WHERE on the body a tattoo goes, it's going to be a little different so even getting a tattoo on your arm will not be the same as on your finger.. so that won't "help" prepare a person in any way if the blowout will be more intense. Then if someone just wants a small finger tattoo.. they all of a sudden can't commit to that without having a sleeve they don't actually want because of a "rule"? 

Seems a bit extreme. But like I said I'm new to all of this and I don't know the culture. 
Where I'm at everyone is very accepting of tattoos. Of course, they will always (I feel) be jobs where it's preferred to have tattoo covered but outside of that it's not a judging. 

In the end to me? A sleeve/rib/neck/face tattoo... will not prepare me for a blowout on a finger. And the blowout itself did NOT bother me. It's because when the first section peeled before the others, that section of blowout looked more extreme then the rest of how it looked on the tattoo, so I had a little panic moment because it looked like the rest wasn't going to get quite the same look and it was going to be a bigger blob of ink in the middle of the tattoo. Luckily that did not happen as the rest started to heal and peel.

(and I'm not saying any of this as an insult, I mean obviously everyone here that is replying is experienced. I'm just saying what I feel for myself, since I know that even if I end up tattoo'd more places.. I'd still panic if I think something went wrong on one.)

 

Why are you going on and on about the blowout? That isn't the point.

[Hogrider]

20 hours ago, Kai Lo said:

A sleeve/rib/neck/face tattoo... will not prepare me for a blowout on a finger.

Actually it will. ;-)

When you've had 50-100 hours in 'the chair' getting tattooed, you know what to expect.

Refusing to tattoo face, neck or hands on someone with no tattoos is not punishment, it's protecting them from themselves. It's a big step and not a good idea for a first tattoo. 

I don't think a lot of people understand the permanence of tattoos. Yea, you can laser them off, but there will still be something there. Most of the time your skin doesn't look perfectly normal, at least I've never seen it. And when you are young, it's hard to imagine that you could someday want to get into an industry that isn't accepting of face, hand or neck tattoos.

If you continue to get tattoos, some day you'll understand. 

[SStu]

and, really - in this day and age, the point is mute. There is no problem at all readily finding a tattooist who will happily tattoo whatever anyone wants, anywhere - and honestly, in this day and age, the stigma of some small hand and/or neck tattoo isn't going to affect many employment opportunities. At least in bigger cities. The new generation has more freedom to express (and possibly regret - and that statement is not a reflection on this particular case).

[J.Stell]

I'm gonna use your "blow-out" as a metaphor:

Part of the tattoo/line is a little too deep, the ink spread... Because you got in over your head with this tattoo,  just like the line, it got a bit deep, then up it pops for a little air- you waded back up into shallower water, where the comfort zone was/is.... 

Blow-outs happen.... and if you weren't such a beginner in the "getting tattooed" pond... You would have been totally fine swimming in the deep end of the pond, cause you would have known... Hey,  it's not just a "you pick it, we stick it..." It's a hey.... kinda big deal, but regardless, you would have been prepared for such a thing....

PS. It really sucks when someone has basically no tattoos, and they come into a place and start using "jargon" that they don't even understand, a little bit of manners, and a lot of mutual respect : will get you everything in a shop.

Regardless.... I wish you the best in your tattoo collecting path.... And lots of luck.... When I was 18 and in a shop, I really do wish someone would have looked out for me... I didn't have that until I started working in the second tattoo shop, of my career... And I use the age of 18, because that's baseline beginner age, to me...

I have an entire arm of dumb ass clowns... CLOWNS. And they cannot be removed. Just looking out for ya kiddo. AND I HATE ICP. but with this dumbass entire left arm: everyone thinks In love ICP. NO.

Jennifer

 

 

Edited June 8, 2018 by J.Stell

[Kai Lo]

@J.Stell

I'm guessing that when you mentioned the "jargon", you mean me using the term blow-out. I'll say, it's the only word that I "kinda-ish" have an idea of what it is because when I first got on this forum someone saw what I was dealing with and said that it looked like blowout and to look it up. I'm not going to pretend that I had any knowledge of tattoos or terms or any of that because I didn't, and still don't, know 99.99% of any of it.

I will say that when I first went to get a tattoo, I finally got over my anxiety enough to get offline and go in to talk to an artist about what I wanted. I showed him, told him size, and had him look at it, look right at me and say "no". For one, it was Pinterest (I know, I know, I already got scolded on that for both piercings AND tattoos. Like I told them, I'm 100% cool with it NOT being exactly like how the picture is, but it's for "inspiration", because I'm honestly just not that creative by myself), and he stood there with me a while showing me his tattoos, where they were placed, and why he would or would not do a tattoo placement. However, he is also the one I talked to first about getting a finger tattoo as well and never mentioned anything. We did however go over the tattoo I wanted, why it wouldn't work how I wanted it, made changes to style and placement. I haven't had it done quite yet.. I want to though!

I was first interested in a tattoo when I was 16-17, but waited until I was past 24 before going in and getting one for the exact reason of not wanting to make a mistake. The 2 I got were ones I've been interested in for the past 5 years, so I decided to get them done. I got the first small one done because I didn't want to commit to something big in case: 1. I couldn't "handle" the needle (they freak me out despite having a bunch of stuff pierced and now tattoos, but those 2 are very different things and I didn't want to commit to something I couldn't finish). 2. In case after a short time period I regretted getting one at all. Which honestly is where the sleeve commitment comment came in. I wouldn't want to commit to something like that just to regret it which I think I would since I'm just not into sleeve tattoos like that on myself. They look sick on other people, just not for me.

Also, I just want to say: If anyone has taken my comments as rude, I do apologize, they are not meant to be. I'm just trying to figure out a number of these things for myself and as I said before, am not part of the community so there are new things coming up that I'm obviously not aware of and trying to figure out. Such as the tattoo in one location preparing you for another, not getting a hand/ other tattoo done until being more experienced.. trying to work through understanding some of these things and by doing so I'm saying "out loud" what's in my mind, which may have come across as blunt/confrontational/ rude. Which is really, really not how I'm saying it in my head as I'm typing, so I just want to try to make this clear. Again, if it was taken that way, I do apologize and I really appreciate everyone's advice.  

[Kai Lo]

On 6/7/2018 at 1:50 PM, oboogie said:

Why are you going on and on about the blowout? That isn't the point.

I was talking about it because that's what my original question/post had to do with on the tattoo.