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I have lots of tigers so I really like yours! I guess I just don't see many pictures of women with large scale stomach tattoos. It's always those little underboob things or something across the bottom. It's a nice large open space....I need to start planning something apparently :) Wildcat

These aren't FREE tattoos. You're going to have to pay to have them covered up or lasered off. Take a deep breath and stop. As @Devious6 said, do your research. Shit tattoos are no bargain.

I can't help but think that you'll set yourself up for another disappointment by getting another "free" tattoo...

Hello out there, I found this site while searching the internet in a panic in the middle of the night after getting my first tattoo last month. It went a long way towards helping me calm down and get accustomed to the idea of my new art - so thanks for that! I've kind of jumped in at the middle, so let me start at the beginning. I'm a 32 year old mum in Alberta. I have been fascinated by tattoos since I was a teenager, but it took me a long time to work up the nerve, commit to an idea, and take the plunge. I did my research, found a local artist who does beautiful line work, and settled on a little posy of the flowers that represent the birthmonths of myself, hubby and our kids. I got it below my collarbone with the idea that it could be covered up or not depending on the occasion. Turns out the little daisy pops its head out of a lot of my necklines, but I think it's kind of cute, like how flowers seek the sun (ok - I am a big nerd, but that sounds sappy even to me - sorry! LOL) I think it's cute NOW, but I was really surprised by my initial emotional reaction to getting tattooed - I had about 24 hours of crippling regret and anxiety, which led to the frantic middle of the night Googling. Anyway, skip ahead a couple of weeks, and I am kind of obsessed with conflicting plans for another tattoo. Can I just say that Pinterest is downright dangerous? So. Much. Content. I'm gravitating to flowers, leaves, etc. and like the idea of building a 1/8... 1/4... 1/2? sleeve (perhaps around to the shoulder blade) a few blooms at a time. I'm also toying with a memorial tattoo (tulips in a vase). My inclination is to create a flow of images that work together on one area... but I'm analytical, not particularly artistic. The artist that I went to did nice work, but her portfolio is mostly stand alone images, not really wrap around pieces or sleeves. There are a few little issues with the details (missing stems, etc) that she is going to fix for me, but I was a little bummed that she didn't catch them. I feel like I might need a more experienced artist that I can give my raw material to and trust to come up with a concept that works as a tattoo. I've been following a couple other artists online, and - yay - books will be opening shortly. This leads me to a couple of questions: 1. When an artist says their "books are closed", is the proper etiquette to wait until they announce they have opened them before sending an email for a consult? Or am I just putting myself further down the list? I don't want to be "that guy" who emails when they are already swamped. Just wondering what the norm is. 2. Is it crappy to switch artists? I guess I would hang artwork by lots of different artists around my house, so art on my body should be no different. 3. Is it weird or normal not to get to see the sketch until the day of the tattoo appointment? This is my control freak speaking. 4. If an artist with a wait list gets and email for a consultation that is essentially a list of botanicals and question marks, what are the odds they'll actually want to take the consult? 5. I like the idea of being able to selectively show/cover my tattoo(s), a sleeve is much more out in the open. I'd love any words of wisdom from the ladies out there who have upper arm artwork - I've seen lots of "who cares what anyone else thinks?" responses, and I kind of wish I could be that confident, but I'm not quite there. Even in my 30's I have to admit that part of this is fear of what my (tattoo-less) extended family will think. I was pretty freaked out about showing my first tattoo to my mom - and she was a little skeptical - but she came around and says she likes it - yes, I still care what my mom thinks! Haha... Wow, I sound like a basket-case... Help!

If someone is giving away tattoos that should be a HUGE red flag. Good artists are usually booked far in advance, not out trolling for clients.

Are there drop-outs? My first had a few and the artist retouched about three months later. One other had a line section disappear in just weeks. She re-did it while adding color fill and it all looks great now. Sent from my Le Pan TC802A using Tapatalk

You know what they say; if it sounds too good to be true, then chances are it is. Life's too short for shit tattoos.

So effing good!! I still can't get over how big everything is, like even the clouds.

^ looks like a tattoo on the stomach here's mine, we got creative with the placement:

My drawing ability is stick figures. Thank goodness tattoo artists are artists! I've supplied some reference before, like a picture of a specific flower, or a picture of my grandma, but my MOST favorite part of getting tattooed is watching the artist turn my idea into a picture.

This is about trust.... Find your artist. Explain your ideas. Most likely you will not see a drawing before hand but that doesn't mean that you don't have input. You have to trust your artist with your concepts. Be very clear in your consult what you like and don't like. The vast majority of artists want you to be happy and are willing to collaborate but you have to trust them.

Every time I am with my tattoo artist, he touches up his other work. I end up leaving with several fresh sections!

I don't have a problem with tattoos meaning things, I just hate the way how most people who want "meaningful" tattoos can only think of meaning in the most heavy-handed and literal way. For example, I have a swallow that I got on my birthday a couple of years ago because I was feeling pretty bummed because it was my birthday and I was feeling sorry for myself about aging or whatever. My wife got the same flash from a different artist a couple of weeks later around her birthday. When I think about that tattoo I remember having a super fun time getting it, I remember how my wife got hers done on a miserable snowy day and how we went out for poutine afterwards, etc., and the same goes for all my tattoos (albeit I don't have a lot of tattoos and I haven't been getting them for so long so maybe the details and memories of getting those tattoos is going to become less distinct over time). So those tattoos have a huge amount of meaning and significance for us, exactly none of which has to do with swallows.

I think the "meaning" issue is a real barrier for people when it comes to getting tattoos. At least it was for me. Before I had any tattoos I kind of didn't bother because I didn't know what I would get that would have enough meaning to have it written into my skin. My first tattoo was about my family a couple of years after the birth of my daughter. With my next few tattoos I was still kind of over thinking it and coming up with wild stories to tell myself about why what I wanted was a good idea. Now that I am more comfortable with tattoos in general (I've realized that nothing horrible has happened) I am more able to find enough meaning in just thinking it's cool.

My 9 year old daughter, after learning how much her grandmother hates tattoos, told me, "well, that's her problem then." :)