mnpedro75

I am asking for opinions, or artistic thoughts....as I know what I am about to ask will be answered with a "get whatever you want" I have a samurai fighting a dragon on my arm, wind bars, cherry blossoms and a koi fish swimming down my chest as a chest panel. I will post a picture later but am trying to paint a picture of a somewhat traditional Japanese theme that is a chest panel, covers my shoulder and is a half sleeve. So enough background, I am looking to get a substantial amount of ink on my other side to balance out things. Thoughts on people completely switching themes from one side to the other? Side completed is full color and I was thinking of going black and grey on the other? Thoughts on going to a completely different theme? I am curious on some peoples thoughts.... My thought is they are two different sides of the body and could reflect different tastes

I freely show people the work I have done on me and let them decide if they want to check out a certain artist. A lot of time I tell them to just visit various reputable shops and talk to the people and see if they are dinks, look at their portfolios and make an educated decision themselves.

It just really numbs the area where applied. Keep in mind you have to apply 2 hours in advance. Best way to describe the numbing, if someone were to slap you really hard on the area where it was applied you would barely be able to feel they had even touched you. Make sure you get some cream with at least 2.5% lidocaine or whatever super numb has in it.

Best thing I ever did after going through about 6 laser sessions.....USE "SUPER NUMB" Basically a litocaine cream you can get off Amazon for cheap. Apply 2 hours before your appointment and then make sure there is a thin layer smeared over the area to be lasered, cover with saran wrap and tape. work the excess cream back and forth about every 20 minutes under the saran wrap. Technician will wipe the area off right before they zap it, you can hardly feel the laser. Best advice I have ever gotten about reducing the pain of laser

Forever yours tattoo in Elk River, MN....formerly located in Anoka MN..... by Carl

Are the lines all pretty thin? I am just wondering how long the lines will hang in there. I suppose if they ever did start to move or lighten up on you then you can get it re-outlined.

This might go without saying but the artist I work with always stresses cover up your fresh tattoos, with just clothing, for that first 5 weeks.

I actually enjoy people staring....but a rude comment is kind of uncalled for. I think I would simply laugh a little and walk away.

This thread should be a prerequisite for anyone to read before they get their first tattoo. 2 pictures are worth a thousand word.

Just thought I would drop a quick note to let people know a little about me: Live in the MPLS area of Minnesota 39 years old First tattoo at age 18 Have a chest panel and a half sleeve on one side, with a few other decorations scattered around my body Currently undergoing some laser to open up my options for future art Why am I here? Tattoos in my opinion are a great expression of peoples likes, thoughts, dreams, fantasies, goals, etc, etc and talking about them, looking at them and offering each other advice is a ton of fun for me and very interesting. Although I got my first tattoo 21 years ago, I had a tattoo epiphany about 7 years ago. I woke up one day and realized that tattoos are literally artwork and not just someone coloring in and outlining a design. I have gained a huge level of respect for artists and the power of tattoos. After hearing people come in and talk with an artist while I was getting tattood or on a break, they would really badger the artist about what they specifically wanted and they were really unwilling to be flexible. I learned that they are artists and can tell you if something will work or will look like crap, take there advice they are professionals. Anyone who simply slaps whatever tattoo you have in mind on your body without a care as to what it will look like is not doing you justice. I have come a long way.....and still have a long way to go.

This is my first post but I have been getting tattoos for over 20 years. So just thought I would offer my opinion since I am currently getting some laser done to remove some cartoon tattoos I got on my forearms when I was 18, now 39 years old. I would have a discussion with your tattoo artist and see what he/she can and can't do. The one thing I would say is don't get a specific cover up because it is the only thing that will cover properly, if you DONT really dig the cover up design. Sometimes they simply need the tattoo lightened up in order to achieve what you want. The old measure twice and cut once saying applies more to getting tattoos than woodworking in my opinion......I am spending a good deal of money to remove some not so thought out decisions I made when I was 18 and hit up the local shop on walk in day.... If you need to do some laser to end up with what you want on your arm for the rest of your life...bite the bullet and do it if the artist says it is needed.