Faolan

my boyfriend who is somehow not tattooed by now, said this when i told him it would be a few more months until i got my next tattoo and we had to be careful to avoid some part of me "this is ridiculous, you're already 2 to 0 with me, i need to go and get mine done before you get your next one." Also, my grandparents live abroad so they had no idea i had gotten a tat until they came over for dinner on a visit. my immediate family and they were sitting together in the living room and my sister was talking about my dads tattoos, he's covered, and my grandpa said in the politest way possible "I'm glad your father is the only one in the family to have tattoos." this was met with a silent moment of everyone (mom, dad, siblings, and myself) looking at each other and immediately followed by everyone rolling around and laughing. Then we told them i had a tattoo which they complimented after i showed them. Also i think plainskin could be derogatory, but i like it anyways. to me it really expresses the early days of modern tattoos and those who got them when it was way more taboo. I might use it as a derogatory term for someone who was being rude and self righteous or something about my tats, but to say that about someone who is respectful of tattoos and tattooed people sounds wrong. - - - Updated - - - When i read to them my brother and sister love to trace mine, it tickles so much but they love it. In my experience when it comes to appreciating tattoos kids really know how to do it.

You could wait until they ask, because if they ask then they're kind of ready to know, it's like they are not afraid to ask so they probably aren't so afraid of the answer. hope that makes sense.

Be proud of it and don't care what people think, and as for that woman i would simply say "your beliefs are not my beliefs" or nothing at all. If something like a tattoo offends people they can just look away and mind their own damn business, and as for you my friend you will get used to the stares, be they in awe or disapproval, but definitely having pride and love for your beautiful tat will make it easier to ignore.

If you like it how it is then dont, if you don't like it and think it needs more color then i would get some copies of the design and color them in. When i designed one of my tattoos i wondered what colors would look best and i colored in lots of variants to see what i liked best. So color some in and see what you think, if you make one you really like put the drawing up on the wall for a month, and see if you still like it better than how it looks now. Remember, first worry about how it looks to you and then how it looks to others, and consult your artist on what colors to not put next to others so it will age well.

I was 18, it was three days after my birthday and i was finally at the legal age, my artist is an old family friend who works at tattoo paradise. I'm part Irish so i wanted something uniquely Celtic that few people would get and found an old drawing of a Celtic warrior with a la tene tattoo sleeve and thought it was perfect so he designed a variant for the first piece to go on my shoulder. I wasn't scared, mostly excited, but i didn't know what to expect. The guy is great with first timers, he explained everything he was doing and when he started he told me he was going to do a quick line so i knew how it felt and then when i was ready he'd really start. It was very painful, naturally, but he helped me get through it and we had some great conversations so all in all i had a great time. i have to say the worst part was the healing afterwards being sore and having to be careful when i slept, and i survived the dreaded itching and was able to carefully scratch the untouched skin in and around the tat. To me it's very special because it was my right of passage to become a man.

I agree with this, 2-3 weeks default. The healing time depends on size and how well you took care of yourself during the healing. make sure to eat lots of healthy food and water, maybe vitamin supplements, and you should heal quickly and be good to go, otherwise you need more time to heal and let your immune and nervous systems rest and recover.

Hi my name is Faolan, I love tattoos my whole life and have been planning my tattoos since i could draw. Since my dad was covered before my birth this has always been the norm for me, and people without tattoos seem strange. I stated my tattoo collection three days after turning 18 and have two so far but wont be finished until most of me is tattooed. I'm excited to see what knowledge and help this place can give me on my escapades in the years to come. Thank you.