WhyMista

I have many tattoos on my hands. Two words on the knuckles of each hand which are about two years old and look just as good as they did when I got them, the sides of my I guess palms with a phrase on each and are around the same age as the knuckles and have yet to be touched up and only have minor fading which a simple touch up could fix and then along the outside of each pointer finger which is about a year old which has faded a bit but nothing a touch up could not fix. However unlike most people I ride a motorcycle so I rode to the shop with riding gloves not cruiser style but motoGP style gloves and as its my only mode of transportation throughout the entire healing process I was putting on and taking off these gloves man times a day and also sweating as they were done during the middle of the texas summers. I do take good care of them and simply by the nature of wanting to keep my hands from being all dry and cracked i keep them moisturized constantly.
If you want them get them, as long as they are done by someone who knows what they are doing and you care for them properly you should be fine. Yes you'll probably need to get them touched up but don't you also have to go get say an engagement ring etc checked once a year and possibly cleaned to ensure it looks its best for eternity?!

I met a tattooer a few years back, can't remember the guy's name but he was a real nice dude and a pretty decent artist. He was telling me that even as a tattooer he was having a hell of a time finding someone to do his hands without his arms being done first. His argument was that he didn't WANT his arms done. As we get more and more into the "general public" (I loathe using it, but I can't think of a better way to delineate the difference between "tattoo people" and everyone else) using tattoos to express aesthetics that aren't so codified to our subculture...
Sorry... got really wordy there.
Anyhoo.... He eventually got his hands done. Still doesn't want his arms done. I worry that we're trending into a snobbery thing and that we're the ones that need to change. Like when Hardy started really pushing the planned out Japanese bodysuit versus the more traditional 'patched vulcanized tire' look there was a "these people don't GET it" snobbiness towards single piece Americana tattoos. But we've luckily worked through that. Now we're more evolved and just make fun of chromed up pieces.
That or these Warped Tour Bodysuit folks are just douches.
Either way.

Here is a pic of some knuckles that I shot a few years ago.

I've been riding year round for seven years. I'm on my fourth bike a triumph daytona 675
Also a picture of my old 05 zx6r(636)

I make tattoos for a living and it's not about me.
The only pet peeve I have is tattooers who cannot spell. Don't be arrogant, check the dictionary. Now check it again.

Welcome. I'm new here as well just west of Dallas. Slowly working on getting more work done.

We don't talk money on this forum. If you want to do that in real life with friends, family, strangers, or whoever else, fine, that's your choice, but here isn't the place for it.

As I said earlier I won't ask someone that question because I do see why it can be construed as rude or inappropriate. However I don't find it offensive because if its someone who doesn't have tattoos or know anything about them they are most likely asking an innocent albeit naive and possibly offensive question. I liken it to how people ask me if I killed anyone in Iraq. Its a dumb question but its not asked out of malice or disregard for my feelings, its borne out of ignorance and ignorance is nothing more than a lack of knowledge.

Oh sorry. I wasn't trying to be unfriendly. I was still in the mindset of going off of what is the norm here stateside. Most forums I'm apart of are primarily US/Canadian so it takes me a second to remember things are different elsewhere.
I also was meaning the whats so offensive more as a rhetorical question so thats why I asked what question did I ask. That was on me. I indicated your view was snobbish before I saw you were from Austrailia. Now it makes sense especially in light of the other thread I read about tipping and the fact most of my friends from the UK and Austrailia have markedly different views on things such as that than we do here.

@Breakme is an Aussie too, so we're on the same page as this. Yes, different cultures do have different expectations, but don't worry...many people here haven't been brought up on that old time respect.
I concede that we will view this from a different vantage point.

"hey look at this guy's skin, its like instagram but instead of on my phone its right here in front of me."

I agree with Julio, its like racial slang. If you aren't part of the race, you can't use the word. In other words , if you aren't black , you shouldn't be dropping N bombs.

I agree. All the ones I have so far do have a specific meaning but at least my half sleeve on my left arm and eventually my right will be just artistic. I actually stumbled upon this site by accident. I had been looking for a forum like this for a while and had given up and last night I forgot what I searched for but this came up and I was like 'well awesome found what I stopped looking for by accident'

Head tattoos are generally for the kind of people who don't seek the opinions of others or have to consider how to hide them.

The fingers are painful. It's a funny area the hand and fingers as some areas are alright, then a few mils across, completely different.
Both my hands/ fingers were blasted solid but and we jack hammered the ink in so we wouldn't suffer drop out.
Getting down towards the cuticle of the nails were excruciating and working between the webbing also a little tricky.

Nothing wrong with getting tattoos that don't have some deep and meaningful and fuckin mystical meaning attached to them. Good attitude. And good attitude too that you have a general idea but will leave it in the hands of your chosen tattooer.

excuse my language but.. he is SUCH a cock.
Is he even actually old enough? and his feet are rank. (sorry for such negative vibes so early on a wednesday morning!)

i don't know what's grosser, her pancake booty or that tattoo.

I think she lost her ass! (arh, arh, arh :rolleyes:)

It looks like a South Park Jesus.

I always thought the most painful spot to get tattooed was whatever spot you were getting tattooed. Waka waka!

All of the above!
ALso:
The healthier you are the more prepared your body is for what's about to happen to it. Try not to come in hungover, get a decent nights sleep, eat a good breakfast, and lunch, essentially come in on a full stomach, by hydrated, and be relaxed as much as you can.
I've been told that exfoliating the are you are going to get tattooed for about a week before hand helps greatly with the healing but that's more of a suggestion.
Try to keep an open mind. Tattooers are professionals(for the most part, but not always so do your homework!). We have a wealth of knowledge we can bring to bare at any time for you, so take advantage of that. You will get a great tattoo. A tattooer who cares won;t talk you out of your idea, but might help you do it in a way that transcends your personal whims and trends, and will age gracefully, and compliment you as a person. Though it may be somewhat different than what you initially had in your head. Try to be a little malleable, and trust your tattooer. Try not to be some emotionally attached to every single detail. Remember: you aren't thinking like a tattooer. You think like a person who likes certain images and is used to seeing things on t-shirts, computer screens, and prints. Sometimes things don;t work in skin and we try like hell to make things work the best for you.
Try to remember that as much as tattooing has become a main stream product for most clients, it's still a hand made craft to us. If you are expecting hospital levels of sterility, Professional attitudes and expert technique then see us, not just treat us, but SEE us as professional craftsmen/women. Most of us have your best interest at heart because we can and do see the big picture. We are looking at your tattoo in our heads 10 years into the future. At least. We just want to do a nice tattoo for you. So when a tattooer explains why an idea is too complicated at a certain size, or why there is too much clutter, or that outlining it pink may not be the best idea, pay heed to that. You are hearing the educated opinion of a craftsman.
If you want a tattoo, don;t let your significant other try to do all the talking. Be plain, and straightforward with the things you want out of your tattoo. The less we have to guess, the fast we can get on the same wave length and make you happy.
If you are on vacation and you plan on things like tanning, going to the beach, strenuous activities, swimming, hot tubs, etc. Plan to get your tattoo at the ass end of your vacation so there is less interference with healing(and we can't tattoo sun burned skin so take care of it!), but try to get to the shop at the beginning of your vacation to set the appointment up, or if possible call ahead. Many shops can accommodate walk in's at most times, but since you have a limited time, try your hardest to think ahead. Rush jobs at the last second may not be ideal especially if you want something more involved than a single sitting, quick tattoo.
Avoid food that makes you fart before the tattoo. No one wants be sniffing your pooh ghosts while they work.
Hope some of this helps.