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go to the artist who did your roses is one idea

Im not sure what sort of tree you should get. Its really up to you, as it seems like this is a pretty personal thing for you. As far as your experience goes, Im aware of a traditional symbol that might reflect what has happened to you. In Japanese iconography, the cherry blossom (sakura) is an image used to symbolize a life lost too early. Cherry blossoms are very beautiful, but also fragile. They only bloom for a few weeks before they are gone. They symbolize somethong that is very beautiful, but that only lasts so long; Life. They are often paired with images of samurai who give their life in battle and have their life snatched away from them too early. Cherry blossoms have been tattoo motifs for hundreds of years, and make beautiful tattoos. Something to consider. Do some research, tho, as this is only my interpretation of Japanese motif.

I got my first tattoo about 5 years ago when my wife decided it was time for her to get a new tattoo after a long break. We decided to get matching tattoos of a terrible drawing I had done on a Mother's Day card of the two of us and our daughter all holding hands. Think of those stickers people put on their mini vans except drawn by someone who can't even print his own name legible most of the time. It is by far my worst tattoo and one of my favorites. I never thought that it would lead to all these other tattoos.

Hi Dan, this was meant to be a somewhat tongue in check post. Got a bunch of attention for a bit and gave me more laughs than I've had here in quite some time. This is the age of the internet, where people ask questions without caring about the answers. In the past few weeks many new users of this forum have posted some really novel questions. I'll agree that there are no stupid questions, but there certainly are stupid people! People are welcome to ask if applying butter and dog licks to a new tattoo is a good idea, but they had better not get offended or keep defending their position of ignorance when everyone who replies tells them why they're wrong. That is called learning, and a lot of new posters don't seem interested in experiencing it. We the chosen ones on LST know that good tattoos may only be had in one or the other of the "two styles". So when we see anything else we are inclined to be down on it. People get easily offended when talking about art, which if we look at it, tattooing in essence is. So let's try to be nice to each other, but sometimes you just have to feed the troll. Cheers.

i thought i wanted a tree for my first tattoo but when i started looking through portfolios i saw all these awesome tattoos that weren't trees. so i decided to get something else (followed by many other tattoos that also aren't trees) and i'm much happier because trees aren't really that exciting. edit to add: if it is going to be a smaller tattoo maybe focus on part of the tree. maybe maple leaves, cherry blossoms, or a pine cone and pine needles.

Yes. Hahahahaha.

my first ever tattoo I got about 7-8 years ago - its covered now - basically i went to a local shop - got a small tattoo of plankton (yes from spongebob) which promptly became infected - skin fell off - scars were established - it was then covered by this Bob Marley tattoo - which was later chewed on by a pitbull (whole nother thread there) - anyway - my tattoo selection process has changed since then - and I dont think i'd ever get another coverup - anyway...

My first tattoo was a little broken heart with a small rose I got straight from a flashbook when I was 14. I was shopping for clothes in the city with my mom and mentioned I wanted a tattoo. We walked straight from the mall to a tattooshop and picked something out. The original was a normal heart, but I asked for a broken one because I was "emo". Later I had some more rose added around it when I was 16. And then a (really, really badly done) girl shooting herself through the head with crows flying out, behind it when I was 17. At 20 I finally got some sense and had the whole thing covered and started getting good tattoos. :')

Reaffirmed my Catholic faith.

So, this turned out way better than I could have expected. Got it finished in two sessions with the second one at Allstar Ink in Limerick, Ireland. Chris Stuart was guesting there for a day prior to the London convention so I was lucky enough to grab the spot. A great experience again. I couldn't speak highly enough of Chris and the atmosphere was enhanced with the liked of Nagle, Peck, Topper, Noble, Arment all working there on the same day. Anyway, I'll let the pic do the talking ? Sent from my D5803 using Tapatalk

I didn't mention what my tattoo is, so I'll add it here. It's a drawing by the artist Keith Haring called "Barking Dog." He was a pop/graffiti artist from the 80s. He died of AIDS in 1990. I studied 20th century art in college and grad school, and I've been a fan of Keith's since I was a kid. I have two other drawings by him tattooed on me, too: a dancing man behind my left ear (from one of his larger drawings) and Funny Bunny on my right ankle. I also have a crown from graffiti artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, who was a contemporary of Haring.

This is a cover up of my first tattoo, which was shit. (I got in 1996 when I was in college with little to no thought, and I was half in the bag.), so it is really my second tattoo. It was covered up in 2011, and I haven't stopped since. Now I've lost count.

I did a search but didn't see anything more than "getting/just got my first tattoo" type threads. Wondered about everyone's first ever tattoos. Do you still have it? Do you still like it? Do you feel attached to it? Etc. I got my first two days after I turned 18, on Halloween, 1992. My best friend and I got matching tattoos-a rose off the wall. Hers is teal, mine is purple. We were the only tattooed students in high school, and were considered huge bad asses. People remarked about how large it was and I thought, really? It didn't seem large to me, but, yanno, then party dots became like the "cool thing" to do, so if you put my rose next to a party dot it looked like I had a full bodysuit to those people I guess. As I've gone along in my tattoo adventures, I had one of mine covered, which ended up turning into this big Japanese wind/water deal, and now I'm looking at my first few from my 18-21 year old self and wondering if I want to keep them like they are, rework them, incorporating them into something new either way..or remove/cover them w/something else that fits me now.

There's little to no activity as it is. This would kill it dead.

First tattoos were wild roses on each hand and a shrimp on my collar bone 3 years ago when I was 18. They were original drawings from the t-shirt artist Craig Robson, whom was my favorite artist at the time. I was entoxicated by art school culture and didnt really think ahead. I initially wanted the shrimp behind my ear but decided to not because I thought it would hurt too much. I regret them because they were pulled off the internet and I enhibited the artist from doing a better job because I wanted them to be exactly like the picture. I also regret getting them on my hands, as they cant be covered. Getting anything on your hands/head is a bad idea in general, let along as your first tattoo. I also regret getting the shrimp on my chest as it enhibited me from getting a large chest piece latter on. I told the artist to make it darker after my bad heal for a touch up and it's sort of just a dark mess now. I've seen worse out there but if I was to get laser surgery these 3 would be the ones Id get rid of. I should have gotten them on my leg or something. Much easier to hide and work around. I dont have any good photos of the shrimp as its hard to photograph, but heres a voomed in crop of me while I was getting my chest tattooed.

Artwork from Frank Turner's Poetry of the Deed. In the process of lasering it off, so I can get a coverup done!

Brian I totally understand, I have several other tattoos but for some reason the tree is "speaking" to me

@deleplank I am very, very sorry to hear of your loss. I cannot imagine, so sending you massive amounts of light and hugs. So, do you mind if I ask some questions? I think the idea of a tree is cool. Do you have other tattoos? Where would you want it? In my opinion, the type of tree is a personal choice. I don't think that there's any one answer. What resonates with you?

My Grandfathers' WWII service serial numbers on each tricep after my first grandfather passed. They each pretty much raised me.

I could have answered that question...but I was a history major in college.

Go to a tattoo artist.

Hey @steve and thanks for chiming in. Great forum, thanks for all your hard work! I still had this happen until yesterday, will let you know if it keeps on doing it.

Am I being too pedantic to have doubts about the concept because the hydrogen in amino acids doesn't come from stars, but instead dates back to the big bang?

Hi Guys, sorry for not responding to this thread sooner. This issue was caused by a server caching setting I had enabled to speed up the site. I turned it off as soon as I noticed what you describe above. Let me know if you still see it happening?

Also, maybe once you're feeling more confident from looking online, don't hesitate to look at portfolios in a shop! The pictures are so much better even if you've seen some of the same images on Instagram, plus you can get a sense of whether your prospective tattooer will be kind and helpful for your first tattoo.

If tattooing just worked by placing a pool of ink under the skin, then the force of impacts could force it to move like squashing a blood-filled tick. But it doesn't. The ink placed in the epidermis during the process is mostly consumed by macrophages which are sent by the body's immune system to deal with the intruding ink or absorbed by skin cells - fibroblasts. The majority of the macrophages and fibroblasts remain in the epidermis and retain the ink which is why the tattoo remains visible. Over time, some ink does break down and gets carried away which is why they fade over time. But, the cells don't get moved about when you get hit. You may have bruising as the body reacts to the trauma...much like when you got tattooed, but the cells don't get rearranged and pushed out into other areas on the epidermis. I learned this by watching a TED video.

Chrome on Windows here. Happens on IE, too (Windows).

I like that you knew the scientist behind the phrase!

I would recomend a scientific approach to finding out if this happens. The first step is to have a professional topographical survey done of the two full sleeves on both your arms. After that you will have to keep close track of any impacts that your arm's sustain. The g-force measuring equipment is heavy and hot, but in the name of science I feel you should person-up and wear it for the cause. Finally after each impact above the small bump level (impact force in kilonewtons as yet to be defined) you will need to re-survey both your two full sleeves on both your arms daily, perhaps twice, to look for fading. External variables, such as light exposure and aging will be hard to account for, but hopefully the measuring equipment will provide some sun protection. Best of luck in this scientific endeavor! I salute your bravery and willingness to devote your life to the furthering of our tattoo longevity factor knowledge.

I have the Minor Threat black sheep on my foot, I got it a couple months after turning 18. Not the greatest experience, the guy I went to was a little unfriendly and the shop wasn't the best. Tattoo came out okay but probably needs a touchup by now. I used to be straight edge so it held a lot more meaning then than it does now, but I still like the band and it reminds me of my past and all that good stuff. I probably wouldn't do it again if I had the chance, but it doesn't really bother me either. I've considered getting a hop tattoo on my other foot for a humorous contrast between feet: one for straight edge and one for beer.

i got my first tattoo when i was 16, an outline of a cross on my chest. My second tattoo was to cover up the first. Cant say i felt attached to either, its been in the way of other stuff for nearly ten years now.

I got my first about six months ago...a month shy of my 61st birthday. Got my second last Saturday. After many years of finding excuses not to do it, I finally decided it was time to make it happen. Where do I go from here? I have no clue...but you never know.

I first found this forum years ago. Mostly lurked and learned. Watched all of the video interviews. And read a lot. Now it seems like a lot of the people who started this forum have little to no association with it anymore. Many amazing tattoo artists used to post here and I miss their opinions and insights. I used to get excited to check out the contest page, lowdown and upcoming tattoos. In my opinion this place isn't what it used to be. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I've now lost 33 pounds and stabilized around my goal weight. I may try for another 5 pounds but, who knows? All of the college social functions make eating healthy difficult...but I'm determined to hold the line. I've learned that I can have a splurge from time to time, and then just get back to my routine. I am feeling so much better - but now need to buy some new clothes including 34" waist pants....which I have not worn since high school. The weight loss and tattoos have made me much more confident to wear sleeveless shirts and tank shirts..something I've never done before. Why did I wait until I was 61 to do this? Ugh. By the way, did I tell you how much I love this new tattoo?

I agree with this. You don't have to make someone feel stupid for not knowing as much as you. This is not always true. Telling someone their brand new tattoo is shit, or even that you think it's ugly, is never helpful and is pretty rude.

Hope my jokes didn't come across as mean spirited, by the way--they were certainly meant in a spirit of silliness. I'm in the middle of a difficult heal myself.

i hate when people ask "what about when you get old?" Well surely then will be old with tattoos rather than young with tattoos?

I guess it is because tattoos are so much in the public consciousness, but I don't understand why people feel so comfortable coming up and touching my tattoos, and asking personal questions, completely out of nowhere. This is similar to when I have been pregnant and strangers feel quite comfortable coming up and putting their hand upon my belly. EXCUSE me? I have been stopped in public by strangers and asked to raise the sleeve of my shirt so a better view can be achieved. ????? How is this different than if you had a really nice piece of jewelry or outfit on, and I just walked up to you and touched the collar of your jacket or fingered your watch/necklace, asked you where you got it, how much it cost, etc.? How about if you had a nasty scar on your arm and I couldn't quite see the entire thing, and I asked you, a stranger, to raise your shirt sleeve a bit so I could see it all. It would not be acceptable behavior. I realize that people assume you have tattoos because you want them to be seen, maybe, and you want to share them with the world, but not necessarily!