sourpussoctopus

@Tornado6 I'm gonna echo the placement argument here. A few months ago I started a new sleeve, and the first hour or so was spent finalizing the design and figuring out how/where to lay it on my arm. The artist went on to explain how the arm is basically a cylinder, so a cohesive sleeve is about creating an image that complements and enhances your natural movement. (I hope I'm doing justice to his explanation.) So when I bend my arm now, the bottom bird's wing creates this really nice spiral where before was just a hard, 90-degree angle. What I had originally imagined got changed completely, but it was absolutely for the best. I have no gift for composition, haha.

Placement is important for a piecewise sleeve too, of course, but you can get away with a lot more with this approach.

As for the feminine/masculine thing and how people will read it, I don't think you should worry about that. It's going to be on your body, so on days you are feeling more girly, your tattoo will complement it. On days you're feeling tomboyish, your tattoo will it as well. In a way, a tattoo is the ultimate accessory, so how you carry it can change its quality.

I hope this makes sense.

@9Years On a superficial level, these kinds demons/devils just aren't my thing. I have an aversion to tattoos of male images (the misandry!), and since most of these depictions translate as male to me, I just don't like them. I appreciate the quality of the tattoo, but it's just not my taste. With that said, I love depictions of demonic, gnarly ladies (Medusa, witches, etc) and would totally consider getting one.

On the Kali thing, I wouldn't get a tattoo of a religious symbol, especially one I have a very superficial understanding of. I'm definitely into the image of this force of female fury, power and destruction, but I personally find it difficult to extricate that image from its religious connotations.

As a side note, I have an interest (a light hobby, really) in how certain imagery is recurring in the art of cultures that barely or never interact. You can clearly see the similarities between these medieval paintings of Satan and traditional depictions of Kali.

I love the way demon tattoos look, but I feel like I'm too soft to properly sport one, haha.

With that said, Luke Jinks' work is so good it's stupid.

Seconding the inner upper arm. It's just about the correct size, and can be easily built on/added to.

Oh, and there's also the back of the arm, above the elbow.

Those are so twee. But hey, at least he's trying!

I think it could hold up, though as someone who's only been tattooed for 3-4 years, I'm no expert on tattoo aging.

It could look great done by someone like Kelly Violence. I lurv her flowers.

White will generally turn yellow-ish on me within a year to two years. Everyone is different.

Same here - white ink turns yellowish on me almost as soon as it heals. It never holds. Which is why I just don't get all-white tattoos at all. Like, that girl's back could've looked great with black and grey piece (though I personally don't like the angel wing thing).

Lady heads are my favorite type of tattoo. Most of my current and planned tattoos are variations on that theme. It's something I never get tired of seeing.

My absolute favorite to date is Valerie's punk rock Virgin Mary.

As a thick-thighed girl, yes, you thighs are definitely prime. And they will look infinitely better with a big, gnarly tattoo over them. :)

Forgive the lengthy post, but I went through the whole thread and wanted to add a few things to the conversation:

I very much prefer men with tattoos. I guess it started with my very first serious crush way back when I was in middle school. My best friend told me my "type" is "aging punk rock" - Ha! Cracks me up every time I recall that conversation...

That is an excellent type.

I'm personally grateful for the built-in filter that my tattoos provide; I have enough now that the guys who don't like 'em mostly don't bother to approach me. Narrowing the dating pool a little isn't necessarily a bad thing--a whole category of "not good for me" I don't have to worry about!

This! Women have to contend with so much douchery while dating, anything that reduces it is great. The problem I consistently run into is that men are “intimidated” by me (I’ve been told this over and over for years, by girlfriends and guys alike). I wear too much black, I look too stern, tattoos make me unapproachable, my job is off-putting — my opinion is that if a man (or woman) is so insecure and frightened by my outward appearance, I want nothing to do with them.

I’ve only had one serious, long-term relationship (6 years) which sunk for reasons far more serious than my tattoos. But, as I started getting work done towards the end of it, he very clearly expressed his dislike. I’ve had other flings with plainskin guys, but they didn’t seem to feel strongly either way about it.

I have quite a bit more work now and I plan to become heavily tattooed, and I can’t see myself with someone who doesn’t support it. I think it would be cool to share ideas and discover artists, and have someone who gets exactly what it means when I say “don’t touch it, it’s fresh”, haha. With that said, I wouldn’t want to get tattooed together. Getting tattooed is something I very much enjoy doing solo and I’d like to keep it that way, whether my SO is tattooed or not.

that being said, I HATE IT sometimes. I can talk for hours and hours about a certain artist, or an idea I have, or just a love for a certain style, and he has nothing to say back. I save pennies for large work while he saves up for a house. He is understanding about the art/tattoo world, but he just doesn't get it. Just like when I draw something, he appreciates it, but it just doesn't feel like we are connected when I am creating art, or getting tattooed.

Girl, I feel you. Putting your phone in front of someone’s face and going “isn’t this the most amazing tattoo you’ve ever SEEN!?!?” to hear a nonchalant “it’s okay” just crushes your enthusiasm.

I was feeling OK with the amount that I had spent on my tattoos, until a close friend asked me what I had paid for them and I stupidly told him. His face dropped, and I spent the next 10 minutes justifying to him why I felt it was money well spent.

At first, I got side-eyed by friends and guilt-tripped by my mom all the time (she was a single mom; as a rule, how I spend my money gravely concerns). And yeah, when you add up all those hours of tattooing together, it looks like a lot, but it’s spread out over a long time, with carefully chosen artists whose work I love and find extremely beautiful. People outside of tattooing only see the number, they don’t understand the attachment you have to your own work. That shit is priceless.

@Bonnie Baker Oh damn, if you don't love the lab then it's a bit tougher. A lot about science sucks, we just endure it for the privilege of doing research, haha. But if you love the subject, then you could go the education route, too. Medical school is roughhh (it's my plan B, in case Chemistry doesn't work). I have friends in all stages of that, and it's a LOT of work. Best of luck, either way!

@pollywog Thanks, Miss! I'm really glad I got over my silly reservations and joined.

@DeathB4Decaf @xcom @Upndown @Dan Thanks, dudes!

For that size, I would go ribs. My ribs aren't done, but I think the thighs are such prime real estate and look super badass with a big piece.

Hi Bonnie!

My first tattoo project was a full sleeve, so I get your desire to start big. I don't have my back done yet (mainly because I can't settle on a design - so many ideas!), so props to you!

I still get butterflies before every tattoo, but as soon as the needle hits and you know there's no going back, they melt away and you're fine. The knowledge of permanence is soothing, in a way. So don't worry about about getting nervous. Like Graeme said, seeing your work grow and your idea come to fruition, is very reassuring and satisfying.

Getting tattooed sucks though, so there will be shitty times. As for clothing, the ladies thread has an excellent discussion on clothing options for getting tattooed and healing. Hopefully it gives you some good ideas!

@hogg Thank you, kind sir.

@Tornado6 It's never bad if it's done intentionally, in my opinion :)

@Graeme Well, it's hard to articulate it, but tattoo culture is a very niche thing, made up of very opinionated, strong and - yes - intimidating characters. (Which I understand - I, too, feel protective over things I'm passionate about.) I've always appreciated the art so when the time was right, I sought out to get tattooed, but worried being rejected by this tight-knit community. Hence the fear of joining, silly and irrational as it was. However, the warm welcome I've received from everyone here is really reassuring, and I'm really glad I joined. So, thank you!

@Bonnie Baker Hello fellow Chemist! I'm a TA for the Gen Chem course at my school, so I come across many students in your situation. Orgo is hard, I won't lie, and there will be courses that are harder. (In all honesty, I actually failed my Quantum course in the first year of graduate school.) But your affinity for coursework isn't nearly as important as your skills in the lab. I love the laboratory, so I suffer through the courses so I can have the privilege to work in a lab, doing research under a mentor I respect. It's excellent that you have lab experience! In my opinion, if you enjoyed and found yourself at ease in that environment, then please try to push through the coursework. I'll gladly help you out, if you need it!

As for post-graduate school, I'm interested in environmental remediation, so hopefully I'll get to continue my research in that area.

Being a tattooed old lady is one of the things that actually makes me look forward to aging.

Hi ladies! Sorry to jump in mid-conversation like this, but I just read through the entire thread, and there were a couple of things I wanted to comment on. Here we go:

I have gotten tattooed by some fucking awesome female tattooers: Stephanie Tamez, Marie Sena, Maud Dardeau, Cat Bijou, Rebecca Guinard, Eilo Martin. While I do not specifically seek out female tattooers, I do think that as a women who cares about women a lot, I notice the work of female tattooers more than folks with less gender consciousness might. Does that make sense? There are so many women doing great work that deserve more attention than they get. I'd love to get work from: Virginia Elwood, Wendy Pham, Juni, Jill Bonny, Sheila Marcello, Claudia de Sabe, India Amara and LST's own amazing @cltattooing .

I also find myself gravitating towards women's work far more often than men's. That's not to say I don't like the work of male tattooers (I've been tattooed by a few), but I find that I vastly prefer the work of women (however subconsciously).

I think part of it is because tattooing has been a boys' club for such a long time (or at least perceived as such), that I feel much more at ease getting work from lady tattooers than guys. Even with topics like how to dress for a tattoo in a tricky spot, I think female tattooers are much more receptive and understanding of those concerns.

Also, a lot of my tattoos are variations on the "gypsy girl". It's my favorite theme. I like images of strong, expressive women, so to me it makes sense to have a woman be the one to apply that to my body.

In conclusion: girl power!

Helllloooo Ladies!

We have already discussed how being female and having tattoos often seem to invite strangers to act inappropriately on many levels. And I definitely found this to be true when I had just a couple, largish, visible tattoos on my arms. But NOW, I find it is the exact opposite. When I venture out of my life bubble into the normal world I find people give me a wide physical berth and that when I notice men noticing my tattoos, they avert their eyes/avoid eye contact. It's been really fascinating and I have been REALLY enjoying the space.

I was wondering if anyone else has had this experience as they have approached more visible full coverage.

***I am far from fully covered by our standards but have recently realized that in a v-neck, short sleeved t-shirt and cuffed jeans that I look preeeetty covered (minus neck and hands)

I, like all women, have been catcalled for most of my life - and I hate it. (It's one of the many reasons I dread summer.) But I noticed that when I started to get more tattooed, the catcalls shifted from disgusting and lascivious to dudes shouting some variation of "I love your tats!". A guy approached me once to in a supermarket to tell me he had "mad respect" for me because of my tattoos. (Let's disregard the fact he only respects me because he thinks I can handle pain and I'm not some ~weak, fragile flower~, which is sexist as hell.)

I still get my fair share of gross shit yelled at me. While it is still vastly unnecessary and uncomfortable to have my body commented on, at the very least some of those comments have shifted to something that doesn't make me fear for my safety, unlike before.

You lucky bastard.

Emily Rose Murray is at the top of my wishlist. I want a piece from her SO bad.

Yes! The inside of my arm was the first time I ever came close to tapping out. Brutal.

Inside the arm, near the armpit has been the worst for me. That shit burns.

I feel like most spots are pretty tame if you just go over it once or twice, but any spot becomes a nightmare when the artist has to go over it multiple times (shading, layering, etc). But then again, I think I've pretty much run out of easy spots so everything will be straight suckage from here on out.

Thanks everyone! I'm pretty happy with all of them. I credit that to waiting until I was 24 to start getting tattooed, which gave me plenty of time to mull over (and avoid) teenage ideas for ~sick tats~. That, and I'm a consummate researcher.

Hey guys! Thank you for the warm welcome! I'm excited to talk tattoos with you all!

Okay, I'll eventually get the hang of embedding, but for now links to peep's instagrams will have to do. All these are from when the tattoos were still fresh (of the ones I could find) because I actually don't have pictures of my work. But I'll try to get around to taking decent photos of it all healed up and settled. Anyway, let's start:

First session for my sleeve with Thomas (going for my second appointment soon):

Instagram

Instagram

Eva is by far the person I have the most work from. Chronologically:

Instagram

Instagram

Instagram

Instagram

Instagram

Instagram

From Sarah Carter. Least painful tattoo ever:

Instagram

My Valerie girls. I love these things:

Instagram

(Side story: You know that gorgeous punk rock Virgin Mary Valerie did a while back? I was supposed to get a punk girl from her that week she was at Kings Avenue, but decided to delay it because I thought these two made a better pair. And then she came out with that Virgin Mary and I've been kicking myself since. I'm actually thinking of going to England to get a second pair of girls on my calves to finally get my punk girl. She will be mine. Oh yes, she will be mine.)

I'll try to get pictures of the other ones, since I couldn't find them online.

Disclaimer: My skins swells up like crazy when I get tattooed, so some of these are kinda distorted. Like I said, nice pictures of healed work on their way.

My name is Laura, and I've been a part-time lurker for a while, but finally decided to join today. Though I must say I'm still a bit intimidated, I'm starting to feel more comfortable calling myself a collector, and it seemed fitting to formally join the tattoo community (in however small a way).

I'm currently in graduate school and just shy of a couple of years from my PhD in Chemistry. Tattoos have not been a problem, it turns out. On my second year I got pulled aside by a professor who, after seeing my sleeve, went on to show me a couple of Ed Hardy pieces he had done in the 80's. (It was a bit weird, but kinda cool.)

I've been fortunate enough to have been tattooed - in chronological order, 'cause why not - by: Eva Huber, Allyson Bennett, Valerie Vargas, Cris Cleen, Steve Whittenberger, Sarah Carter, and Thomas Hooper. I have many more ideas I'd love to see executed by the many insanely talented people in my wishlist, so I hope I can continue to forsake my non-existent savings account for years to come.

Anyway, just wanted to shoot the shit with some like-minded folks who enjoy and respect tattooing, artists and enthusiasts alike.

So - hey everyone!