areilla

Because the general public doesn't know any better. We're ignorant and we're not allowed to ask why it's particularly bad, because that's the equivalent of asking artists to divulge trade secrets. You're right, most of us are "tourists", and we don't spend enough time immersed in tattooing to know the difference. So...we walk around in blissful ignorance, proudly showing off tattoos that are, in reality, pretty crappy. And you know? the people we show them off to are impressed because they don't usually know any better either. In return, they show us their fabulously fucked up tattoos, too. And we politely compliment them on them (even though we are comparing them to the some of the prison tattoos that we see so often, thinking to ourselves, "I guess I've seen worse.") I guess we're just used to seeing so much junk that we've lowered the bar. Maybe that says something about the quality of work that's being done out there in general: lots of people doing tattoos who shouldn't be. Truly exceptional tattoos really stand out from the crowd, but I haven't seen many walking around. I'd have to say about 80-90% (or more) of what I see in my area looks like that dragon or much worse.

I dunno. I almost like the dragon on the left. Okay, I might not have the most experience/knowledge, so take this from a complete layman's point of view. The lines on all three are choppy and uneven (and the scroll lines on the gob of roses are really NOT great at all), but it almost works for the dragon, which looks sort of like a watercolour painting. If she said she meant for it to look that way, I'd believe her. And the three tattoos that abees posted aren't too bad, especially the eagle. I noticed that, too, that the lines on the feather tips were thickened or broken to add to the shadow/highlight effect. The only thing I could really pick out that might be improved is that the lines could maybe flow more smoothly. It doesn't look fluid, like Chad Koeplinger's eagle. That one shows an obvious deep knowledge of and comfort level with tattooing. The lines all flow and taper nicely, shading looks amazing, placement is perfect... And for a tattoo that could easily just be black and white when it's in a style like this (leaves are green, sun is yellow, sky is blue, etc.) the use of colour is terrific. So again for what it's worth, I'm just saying this as a layman, and it's just the way other people on the outside might see it.

Only two piddly-ass little tattoos so far, but of the two, the tail of the cross on my lower back tattoo made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. Lots of nerve endings there or something. The other one is just a small two and half inch heart on my rib cage, which didn't hurt at all. My husband said his hurt a lot. It's on his shoulder (delt), but there are a lot of parallel lines, so lots of outlining which made it feel like the guy was going over and over the same spot.

I had considered this. :) I'm certainly not as forward in my face to face life either. The psychology of social interaction on the WWW would be an interesting area of study, no?

Water off a duck's back, although it did make me pout for a bit. I'm working hard to keep my mouth shut, too. I'm not used to putting my foot in my mouth like that, and I don't care for the taste of boot leather. It's immediately apparent that, other than that last fiasco, there's a goodly number of intelligent, skilled, learned people here. I expect you'll see me around for a bit yet, although maybe not as outspoken.

Not an option anyway. They went out of business. surprise, surprise. If they did, I'd have to just go elsewhere. I don't think I'd mind seeking out someone to do a custom piece of their design if I had seen their portfolio and they had a distinctive style that I just had to have. But this was a first tattoo and I'm a bit of a control freak. :) Thanks for your answer. Good to know I wasn't the only one who thought it was unprofessional.

*sigh* I just got spanked for asking a dumb question a bit ago, so I hope this doesn't piss anyone off. I'm just looking for a reality check on this one. When I got my first tattoo, I spent a lot of time and energy designing it myself. I was excited at the idea of having something uniquely 'me' on my person. Okay, so the design was fairly simple traditional American, and it would fit right in with the rest of the flash on the walls. But it was MY design, that I created for myself. I went to the shop to get an estimate and book my appointment. The guy complimented me on my work and said, "Hey do you mind if I keep this here?" Naive, doe-eyed child that I was I perkily said, "Sure!", figuring he meant he wanted to tweak it a bit. Came back in for my appointment the next week and the guy at the desk asked what I was having done. I said 'that one right there.' pointing to my drawing on the desk. "Oh hey yeah! Rob (or whatever his name was) just put that on someone this week. It turned out awesome!" Your reaction to this? Was I overreacting to be angry that he put my custom-designed-for-me tattoo on someone else's ass before he put it on mine? Honestly I don't care if someone else got it after me...It's just the principle of the thing. If he had flat-out asked me if I minded if he reused my design in his shop, I would've been flattered. I would've just insisted that he put it on me first. I felt a little cheated. What do you think? Don't want to start a huge argument here, just a yay or nay.

Small world! I like it here. A little stuck in its ways, but that's a small town for ya. It's got everything we need without the rush hour traffic. :) Except a tattoo shop that is. We did have one here briefly - TrueHart Tattoo - but they moved to Kingston.

Okay I get it. Are my ass cheeks pink enough yet?

Thanks, gougetheeyes, this does make things clearer and you offer some very good advice.

Fine, so I'm a parasite. I'm not sure exactly how to formulate a response to this that expresses how I feel about it without generating a whole lot more inflammatory responses. Again, you don't know me. As far as I can tell, I don't think I said anything purposely aggravating. There seems to be this concept of "real tattooing" out there that is never explained. And when I say, "Okay, so YOU tell ME, what is real tattooing?", the response seems to be "If you have to ask, you'll never understand." If there was anything about this industry that would drive me away it's snobbery. I'm not like that, so maybe I wouldn't ever fit in if it means that I need to become an elitist. And no, I'm not just saying that because I'm in the 'have-not' category. That's something about me that would not change, and if it ever did, I'd have to change careers because I wouldn't like what I had become. Apparently there is only one "real" way to do things. I'm not sure what you mean by "save tattooing". I have no illusions that I'm a rockstar who's going to bust onto the scene and just amaze everyone with my incredible skills. And I have no idea what I can say that would keep you from jumping down my throat. I guess I'll just keep quiet and let you know when I get a full back piece, eh? My thanks to those who were friendly and answered my questions. I do appreciate it. I think I've said enough. You'll probably see me lurking here and there (if everyone doesn't mind), learning what I can. This is a fantastic site. But I think perhaps I'll take Mr. Robson's advice and just shut up and draw. (areilla takes her ball and goes home)

Napanee. It's about 30 minutes west of Kingston. Do you know the area?

Hi everyone, I'm new to the board and just wanted to say a quick hello. Tattoo enthusiast perhaps but not really qualified to call myself a collector yet. My job/social life doesn't really allow for it at this point. Someday I'd love to be the one actually doing the tattooing but that's a ways off. I live in Ontario, Canada and...not really sure what else to say here. I'm sure if it's relevant, I'll mention other stuff in other posts. Looking forward to getting to know folks and hope to learn lots.

LOL, it's a little ironic, isn't it? Most tattooers get someone else to do their tattoos, right? Two hairdressers in town. Which hairdresser would you get to do your hair: the one with the Hollywood celebrity hair or the one with the mullet? If you said the one with the celebrity hair, you'll wind up looking like Joe Dirt. Anyway, thanks Shmitty. The plan is not to get rich and famous, but to get good and to do good work and let word of mouth do its thing. I'm alright with having a little less business if it means maintaining my integrity. When the time is right, and I find the right artist, I have a couple of ideas rolling around in my head.

Well...thankfully I'm all the way up in Canada and you won't have to deal with me. I'm sorry that my apparent lack of passion offends you, although I think perhaps you might want to get to know me better before you jump to conclusions about that. I want to do the art for the sake of the art itself, but I haven't found the right artist or piece for myself yet. It's a highly personal decision and I don't like the idea that I would be judged by my lack of tattoos any more than I would like the idea of being judged by the world at large for being covered in them from head to toe. It's just a choice. The fact that I would stand behind that choice - I hope - would say something about my character.

You're right about both things. Like I said, I hate making mistakes, so you won't see me doing large, intricate, custom pieces anytime soon. And I guess I'm overthinking the simpler flash tattoos that are the bread and butter. If the client is happy with it, who the hell am I to say they're wrong? I still say I'm going to refuse to do some stuff though. If I can't show it to my mother, I ain't puttin' it on you.

I didn't say that. I liked the experience, but I don't like the shops in my area. I've been drooling over Daemon Rowanchilde's work (urbanprimitive.com), but when the work starts at $300/hr, I'll have to be satisfied with just drooling. I also like his philosophy, that the act of tattooing someone - and the experience of being tattooed - is as much a part of the art as the finished result. People use tattoos to find closure and healing, to remind themselves of their inner strength, to create bonds with others, to celebrate a new beginning... A clever tattoo can turn a devastating injury into an icebreaking conversation piece. I love the "Gone to the Market, be home soon, Love Pig" tattoo. And the guy who had "Out of Order" tattooed over his badly scarred (okay, missing) ear. I don't want anyone who doesn't understand this concept anywhere near me with a tattoo gun. So far, I haven't found anyone local who fit the bill. Guilty as charged. My current job is "perfect". The pay is great, benefits are awesome, hours are flexible, and the people are amazing. There is absolutely nothing wrong with my job, except that it's not right for me. I don't want a traditional, soul-sucking 9-5 job. I want a career dammit! I want something that depends on ME to make it or break it. If I quit right now, my job opens up for some other Jane Q Public to walk into, and things just keep marching right along. But as a tattoo artist, I would never be done learning, and if there's one thing I love more than anything it's learning. There would always be some new technique to master, drawing skills that could be improved, etc. My success would be directly related to my determination to improve myself and my skills. As far as the rockstar thing, no. I'll satisfy myself with a new mustang or whatever when the time comes. Tattooing makes sense in so many ways. Completely flexible schedule, 100% self-directed, portable, and it's a practical way to earn a living as an artist. I love the idea of getting to meet lots of interesting people and being the one who makes it possible for them to express themselves like this. I'm not sure why you would suggest I do the same. I don't think I've really put enough out there for anyone to determine whether or not I'd do well in this field. Why do you feel you would not be a competent tattooer? Okay, I know that everyone sucks early on in their career in any skilled profession, but does that mean that only the VERY best artists should be working? Not every tattooer will be the very best, but if they stay within their comfort zone artistically, they still do very well. Will I ever "master" the art? I have no idea. But I don't think it should stop me from trying. Do I feel I have a pretty good shot at being a really good tattoo artist? Yes I am confident that I do. I'm a perfectionist and hate making mistakes. In any case, it makes no difference right now. I can't really pursue this avenue until I'm financially able to quit my current job, so the industry is safe for now. In the meantime, I'm just trying to learn more about it.

Thanks for the link. It seems the opinion of the majority is that anyone who doesn't buy what they're selling can't be trusted. I wondered if that was maybe the case. Ah well, it'll have to be what it will be. I haven't decided what I want yet, and you can only tattoo your skin once. Once it's there, it's done. I think maybe it came across that I somehow don't like tattoos. That's not the case at all. I think they're cool. I'm drawn to the medium of tattoos for a number of reasons. The work by the shops in my area is, to be honest, not impressive. Both my tattoos were disappointing and NOT what I intended. This is one of the reasons I'd want to take up the craft. I design something for a friend or family member, they take it in to the shop and proudly show me the result...and it's never the way it should've been. I just want to cut out the middle man and get it right myself. When I say I hold the body sacred, I mean that it needs to be shown respect. I would have a real problem tattooing stupid looking shit on anyone. Looney Toons characters? Sports teams? Crude, vulgar, demeaning, "gangsta" crap? Playboy bunnies and boyfriends names? This will probably be my sticking point. I would likely end up turning away a lot of business because I don't know if I could bring myself to mar someone's body with a tacky bumper sticker that I KNOW they're going to regret when the wisdom of age eventually prevails. The first one I designed for my friend...okay that one really sucked and it's my fault. It might be salvageable, but it'll need a real magician to make it work. The second one I made for her - a fairy/witch character to put in the middle of her upper back - looked pretty cool on paper, but the tattooer just made a mess of it. Especially the face! It needed a much finer line. And the colours were blotchy and uneven. My husband's phoenix looked not too bad because it was designed to work well with the firm outline, but the tattooer wasn't very good at drawing a straight line. The pin-up girl I did for my friend's husband turned out pretty good, the artist did a great job rendering it. I'm still working on my artwork though, so after looking at it, I realize I could've done a better job of the drawing itself. But they were completely happy with it, so I guess I should be, too. Hey if a superior artist wants to rework a sketch I've done and the result is a better tattoo, I'm all for it. I'm just getting tired of a perfectly good drawing ending up looking like crap...permanently.

I'm a secretary and I work at a university in an academic department. I have two small and discrete tattoos that are easily hidden under anything but a string bikini, and there's not much chance of my being caught dead in one since I stopped hitting the gym. I got them for myself, so I don't go out of my way to show them off to anyone. My "tramp stamp" shows if I'm bending over to pick something up but that's about it. My teenage daughter thinks its terrible that I have one at all, but hey! Mommy gets to have a life too. For the most part, I'm discrete about my tattoos and (when I was wearing jewelry) my belly button piercing. I'm getting a little old to have a belly button ring anyway. But I actually like the idea that most people would think I'm the LAST person to have any kind of body modification. When they find out that I have one they're usually really surprised. You can see that they look at you a little differently. I like that. Don't I get tired of trying to shock people, my husband asks. No, not really. I'm here to remind everyone that every single person you meet has a story, and it's usually not the one you expected they'd have. Funny story: I went to the grocery store and was in the pharmacy department. I stooped down look for something on the bottom shelf, threw my selection in my basket and went on my way. A few aisles later, an older gentleman, probably in his 70's, stopped me. He was very polite but he said he had to tell me that he saw me back in the pharmacy. He was getting his blood pressure measured at the machine and when he saw me stoop down and saw my tattoo...well dammit if it didn't cause his blood pressure to jump up! I blushed 10 shades of red. It was really cute.

Hi everyone, new to the board. You've heard it a million times, but I'm yet another tattoo artist wannabe. My questions have, I'm sure, been asked and answered a thousand times on here, so I won't get into that. My one question is, how many tattoos does a tattooer need to have to be taken seriously? I have two. I don't feel compelled to cover my body with tattoos just to convince others that I'm serious about it. The two that I have hold meaning for me and I do not want or need a full sleeve, a full back piece, tattoos up and down my legs or torso, covering my chest, etc. to further express myself. At least not yet. The human body is sacred and so I don't take its permanent modification lightly. If I feel moved someday to add to them, so be it, but until then, unless you know me real well, you wouldn't even know I had them. I actually kind of like that. It has shock value. ;) But that's just me. A friend of mine is an avid collector and that's how she expresses herself. She even has a couple that I designed for her (although the guy who did them screwed them up and they need to be reworked). Everyone has a different path and a different personality. But the question remains: Would you get a tattoo from a someone (who was otherwise an excellent artist) who didn't have a lot of tattoos? Does it add to their credibility somehow? Looking forward to getting to know my way around the board.

Bwahaha! I love this.

Looks like Gumby on steroids.