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Metamind: Tattoos?
mare_imbrium
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
You guys are the biggest group of people I know who know things about the internet.
I've been thinking about getting a tattoo for a long time but I don't know how to find a good artist in my area or how to find a good message board for tattoo enthusiasts. I've been thinking about getting a tattoo for years (okay a lot of years when I was younger and then again now that I'm older). I was going to get a tattoo to commemorate turning 30 but that sort of didn't happen and now I'm rapidly approaching 32.
I was thinking about getting a simple tattoo and then, if I can handle it, well, I've been seriously thinking about finding a really good artist who could adapt this piece here as a tattoo. I have loved this picture ever since I saw it on the cover of a book more than fifteen years ago. Yeah, I know, it's crazy. I mean some people have way elaborate stuff, but...it's a crazy thing to consider for someone who has no ink at all and is afraid she won't be able to do it because it'll hurt too much. I mean I am not artistically inclined enough to see how it could be adapted and how small I could get it and yet still be able to clearly make out the elements I find important (I'd want it on my back shoulder blade area).
So any links to shops, whatever (esp. southern CA - apparently I remembered this notion just slightly too late because I guess there was a tattoo expo at the Fairplex in Pomona just this LAST weekend, ugh) or just a good website with infos would be appreciated. I would have done a search for past threads about tattoos but search seems to be borked for me, sorry.
I've been thinking about getting a tattoo for a long time but I don't know how to find a good artist in my area or how to find a good message board for tattoo enthusiasts. I've been thinking about getting a tattoo for years (okay a lot of years when I was younger and then again now that I'm older). I was going to get a tattoo to commemorate turning 30 but that sort of didn't happen and now I'm rapidly approaching 32.
I was thinking about getting a simple tattoo and then, if I can handle it, well, I've been seriously thinking about finding a really good artist who could adapt this piece here as a tattoo. I have loved this picture ever since I saw it on the cover of a book more than fifteen years ago. Yeah, I know, it's crazy. I mean some people have way elaborate stuff, but...it's a crazy thing to consider for someone who has no ink at all and is afraid she won't be able to do it because it'll hurt too much. I mean I am not artistically inclined enough to see how it could be adapted and how small I could get it and yet still be able to clearly make out the elements I find important (I'd want it on my back shoulder blade area).
So any links to shops, whatever (esp. southern CA - apparently I remembered this notion just slightly too late because I guess there was a tattoo expo at the Fairplex in Pomona just this LAST weekend, ugh) or just a good website with infos would be appreciated. I would have done a search for past threads about tattoos but search seems to be borked for me, sorry.
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The best peice of advice I can give you is that if your artist doesn't make you feel comfortable, and you feel like you are imposing on their time, then find a new one. The money you pay is not just for the inking session, the shop should answer any questions and put you at ease. You are paying for a service. (Also, tip generously if you find one you like).
They don't really hurt. Honestly it's kind of like getting scratched by a cat for a while. The worst to me is the healing, it itches like a mofo.
A good artist will make some drawings for things you want to interpret, and get final approval before forever inking. I'm sure there are some amazing artists in your area, and next time you see someone with a cool tattoo just say "Hey person, nice ink do you mind if I ask which artist you use?"
You seem pretty set on a tattoo, but are you on that particular one? I personally really like that image, but impulse tattoos are never a good idea. A good standard rule once you have the design finalized on it is to sit on it for 1-3 months and if you still want it at the end of that time, then go for it.
As for artists, definitely be willing to pay for quality - and pick a specific artist, not just a shop. Read your alternative weekly newspaper, ask friends (or strangers) w/ tattoos that you like, look carefully over their portfolios (although remember those pictures are taken immediately after the tattoo is done and the colors will fade over time). Many shops will have portfolios online that you can at least get a sense of whether it will we worth visiting. In Seattle I can recommend Slave to the Needle but I am sure there are plenty of excellent places in CA.
Good luck!
I'll also echo Plushy's point about making sure you're 100% on the artwork. You may like that image but you won't get a perfect copy. Of course, that's also a good test of an artist/shop -- take an image that you like and talk to them about your options. If they say "Oh I can do that no problem, it'll be $$$," you shouldn't trust them (unless it's rather straightforward). A good artist will say "Alright, here's what I think," and be able to do a drawing of what they propose.
If I went to an artist and had them do a drawing and I ended up not getting them to ink it, I'd drop them something, depending on the complexity of the drawing.
Four inches would have saved me a lot of emotional drama.
This isn't true in a general sense at all. There are some places that feel like how KD describes, but there are other places that will have your body trying to tear itself out of the chair. I have full sleeves, chest, stomach, neck, back and there were some places I thought I was going to die. It's all relative to the person though. My stomach didn't hurt at all, but I've talked to other people who passed out when getting tattooed there.
From someone whose been getting tattooed for 16 years, ask people who have work that you like where they got it done at. Go in to the shops, look at portfolios, talk to the artists if you can. NEVER EVER EVER EVER go somewhere you can just walk into and get work done. The best artists have waiting lists. And don't skimp. This is going to be on you forever, make it quality.
Big pieces aren't so crazy right off the bat. A girl I was dating got her first tattoo at 28 and it was a full back piece.
Completely have to agree with this. It doesn't matter much what your current job allows as far as tattoos, you always need to think about the future. If you want tattoos, get them someplace you can cover up very easily.
As for artist, the easiest way to find a good one is to ask people on the street where they got their tattoo done if you like the look of it, then go into the shop and look through the artists portfolio and if you like what you see go for it. For the shops around here if you bring in a picture they copy it to the correct size for the placement, then print it off on some transfer paper so the artist only has to worry about the actual tattooing which a bad artist can still fuck up very easily.
agee with Esh. find a good artist even if you have to wait a while. it is worth it.
i actually like the image you posted and think it could translate well to a piece so long as you get a good artist to draw it up
PlushyCthulhu, like I said in my original post, on my 30th birthday I thought about getting a tattoo to commemorate being 30. Not to get one THAT day, but to come up with a design, etc. At the time I was thinking I would get a rope of variegated ivy around my ankle with kind of a cool vine design, started researching it, etc. I was really nervous about the idea of getting a tattoo so I thought that kind of design would be nice - as in, I'd get like, a leaf first, and see if I could handle it, and then get the whole thing. But even at the time I was thinking to myself (because I was kind of into watching that L.A. Ink show at the time and they usually showcased big pieces - I actually stopped watching it not because I was no longer fascinated by the process but because the drama was bullshit), "if I ever got a big tattoo it would be" and I immediately thought of that picture above even though I hadn't seen it in quite some time. Anyway, then things happened, life, I lost my nerve, etc, and that ivy tattoo never really happened. That was 19 months ago. I was thinking again last night idly, about getting a tattoo (don't recall exactly why it popped into my head) and my mind immediately flashed back to that picture. Such that I had to go find it, because I used to have part of it as an avatar on an old board and I have that but I didn't seem to have the big picture saved anymore or the artist's name anywhere. So it would actually be more apt to say that, while I am not set on getting a tattoo, if I were to get one, I can't imagine getting anything else. But certainly if I had a tattoo artist sketch out an interpretation of it for me, I would then again think about it for a few months to make sure I was sure.
Chases Street Demons, where would that be?
This is the general area where I think I would like it to be, and maybe that size or a little larger. http://tattoodesigns.niima.us/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Shoulder-Tattoo.jpg Now, that site is NSFW, but that should be a link just to one pic which is SFW.
Okay this took me WAY too long, I am in no way good at using photoshop or gimp (which is what I actually used) but I imagine the horse being moved over and the skirt rotated sort of like this so the tattoo would be taller than it was wide, and other than the girl and horse not a lot of these elements NEED to be there (trying to decide on the rose, it is pretty small and hard to see even in the original)
Anyway here is my horrible gimp (hah) job at it. I'd like something like this but like, you know, prettier looking. And the skirt flowing downwards more.
Another opinion question: color or grayscale? I am leaning towards color but I've seen lots of nice grayscale tattoos...
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Also, I forgot to ask. I know you have to pay for good tattoos, and I would be willing to do so. The only problem is I have no idea how much that would be. Like not even a ballpark as to what I should expect to pay for quality work.
mts, I would give the artist the original image of course but I thought it would be useful for myself to monkey around with it a little bit to show myself (and you all) what I would modify on it. I'm not going to mess with it any more.
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Which is also completely negotiable. My wife got a tattoo that many friends, including other tattoo artists, say is in the $1000 range (took 3 sessions of 4 hours each, and the art is quite good) for $175. Location helps (Wisconsin) bring the price down so do not expect to get that cheap in so cal, but you can negotiate a flat fee instead of an hourly rate. Also see if the artist will through in free touch ups for a period of time, or even for life as my wires artist did. Tattoos fade and being able to go in and get it brightened anytime is great if you like the piece
When choosing an artist, take a good look at the portfolio. Look for straight lines with consistent thickness. Look for colors bleeding through outlines. Good artists can be booked for a while, and if you find one you like, it's worth it to wait for them. Tattoos are forever, no need to get antsy and rush out if somebody's booked. Also, make sure they are good at the style you want, whether it's black and grey tattoos, portraiture, or traditional style tattoos.
Well in my personal case my tattoo is on my neck. Yes, I know, I'm one of THOSE guys. Despite the flack I caught from it from people I really wouldn't consider moving it if my chosen career didn't have this "collar" thing. I have no regrets, I just wish it was someplace where I wouldn't have to disturb it.
The shoulderblade is a pretty decent choice, the downside being that you never get to see it. Very sheer blouses might still show through, but it's usually not a problem.
My wife's got a small one on the top of her foot - that is an area where there won't be any stretching and you can cover if you want.
For a tattoo of the size that I assume this one is going to be I honestly can't imagine doing it anywhere BUT my back. And I don't even want it to be my whole back, but it's a pretty solid filled in area. I've seen arm, side, leg tattoos that are more open, airy patterns that might be cool for me in those places, but this picture I only want in one place. I can always see it in the mirror.
Top of the foot sounds like a neat place for a little design, and I do enjoy wearing sandals. But I get a lot of compliments on my cute feet, I don't know if I would want to mar them.
So I've been looking at a couple of artist portfolios. There's this place called Avalon Tattoo down in San Diego, that would be two hours away but not a big deal, and I've only looked at a few of the artists' work and a lot of it is just incredible. I have no idea how I would choose.
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The larger and more sessions involved for the piece, the lower this will go though. I've never met a tattoo artist (a good one anyway) who doesn't lower his prices for large pieces of work. Also, remember to tip. I usually toss my artist an extra $100 on top of the 3 hour session charge. I'm a little heavy handed though and honestly most of them are happy with whatever. My artist is amazing and only charges normally $140 an hour, but it's Portland, so there's a pretty saturated market. I think the people who charge upwards of $200 are a little ridiculous. If you get someone in the $135 - $175 an hour range you're probably ok.
Also, another good tip, KEEP THE TATTOO OUT OF THE SUN FOR PROLONGED PERIODS. If you must keep it exposed, sunscreen sunscreen sunscreen. The sun DESTROYS tattoos.
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If the email is on their site, go for it. It's not bad form at all.
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you said so cal, but not exactly where. if you are anywhere near san diego check this guy out
www.craigdriscoll.com
but he may be more graffiti style than you want
See, I am not going to be able to judge quality. Maybe I haven't seen enough good tattoos, only the horrible ones that everybody posts to laugh at. So anybody who does a decent job is going to look great to me. Heh.
But yes, I can see how that guy is better. But you're right about his art style. Not necessarily too graffiti? I don't know...just seems like that picture would look better softer? Less hard lines, I guess I'm saying. Like I feel like he could do a version of it and you could tell what it was and it would look good but I still probably wouldn't like it. Hell, I don't know. This is hard.
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Like someone else said, that work is...ok. His colors aren't very bright at all and the artwork is only fair to midland.
See, this is exactly what I'm talking about, though. I feel like I apparently don't know how to judge quality. Maybe I'll check out the portfolios at that place in Seattle PlushyCthulu recommended, just to get a feel for what is good.
If anyone else knows of a person, anywhere, they think does good work and has a portfolio online, please post a link like mts did, just so I can look and learn.
What do we think about her? That was another one I liked last night, she's up in Los Angeles. Let assume already that I'm going to hear her color stuff is so so. Also from what I'm gathering you need crazy colors at first because they look brighter at first and fade over time? I think I read that somewhere.
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This is one of the places I'm looking at in my area. They seem really good to me, but I have the same problem of not knowing what to look for... maybe one of the more experienced in here can give us some tips on what to look for?
Looking at the first three people's galleries that pop up, it's actually really bad work. Especially that J-Rock guys. The colors are bad, the art is bad, it's just bad.
I go to Atlas Tattoo here in Portland. Dan Gilsdorf does my work. Look at how his colors pop, look at the art. That's an example of what to look for.
try
http://terryribera.com/home.html
http://laurabullets.com/home.html
http://sadiekennedytattoo.com/
http://blog.chrisgarvertattoo.com/ though he is huge and you will pay way more than others
ceres
eh i was very unimpressed. there are a ton of good artists in philly
http://www.independenttattoo.com/artists.cfm most of the artists seem decent Matt and Jay seem the best
general suggestion is to look at the worst images in teh portfolio since that is worst case scenario. also if you see someone who is good check out who they have links for.
What do we consider traditional? Also, mts I emailled that guy you recommended before and I was pretty honest about how I thought his work was really good but I wasn't sure if the style would match with what I wanted to do and asked what he thought and if he'd rather not do it if he had a recommendation to who he thought would be strong in that area. Hopefully he gives me some good info.
Edit: Maybe I should go back to my original plan and get that ivy tattoo on my ankle first to see if I like a particular artist/like getting tattooed at all. I am not good at making big decisions like this.
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Any idea what Dan's waiting list is like? I'm assuming that, in this town, it's probably 6 months at the minimum.
http://tattooflash.info/shop/tattoocards/index.html
but there are variations.
Okay, I see what you mean.
Craig emailed me back recommending two different guys: http://www.mdtattoos.com/tattoo-galleries.html
and http://www.nikkohurtado.com/index.php
I'm still looking through their galleries.
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Those colors are definitely amazing. The one I'm looking at is greyscale, but I understand that's just as hard to do well. I think I'm in love with Dan's peacock, though; if I lived anywhere near that coast, that's probably where I'd go.