Tattoo general

[Azvareth]

Scoffing at people with silly tattoos is a bit like scoffing at someone for liking silly movies, most of the time you'll come off as a pretentious prick.

 

A friend of mine likes key lime pie, so he got one tattooed.

 

(bad pic)

 

And it's one of my favourite tattoos. A major part of the western (particularly American) tattoo culture is, and always has been, about just silly as hell tattoos. It's been about silly guys and silly gals getting silly tattoos simply because tattoos as an aesthetic medium is hella' awesome. Just look at all the flash sheets from the '50s up until today, each flash piece is sillier than the other.

 

I blame a big portion of this whole "a tattoo cannot be wacky it has to be super serious and ~MEAN SOMETHING~"-mentality on the drama fest shows like Miami Ink and its ilk. Because the general public don't really want to see a bunch of fat bearded men getting sailor tattoos of pigs [bleep]ing - sob stories featuring attractive people usually make for better TV; when that part of the community has mostly been a minority (except the attractive part because let's face it we're all dashing gentlefolk).

 

Joking aside, you got a piece that obviously means something to you, and as far as I can tell it's done as well as it could've been, and you're happy with it. That's great. But to anybody else who looks at it, it means absolutely nothing and is not all that interesting to look at. I don't mean to discourage people from posting personal tattoos like these, but don't sit and sneer at other peoples' tattoos just because they can't whip out a 2000 word essay on the personal meaning behind them.

[xVertigo]

I 100% agree with Azvy here, a tattoo doesn't have to have some amazingly long and grandeur explanation to make it a good piece. I have the Zombie Audrey Hepburn because I love Audrey Hepburn and Grayson Castro did an amazing job on the original artwork. That's about it, that's the only explanation I really need. It doesn't matter how silly a tattoo is as long as it's well done.

 

Here is a perfect example:

 

 

Sure getting a picture of a tech deck and a hand is somewhat "silly" but anyway you look at it, that piece is amazingly well done and for its' beauty I appreciate it.

 

As Azvy said, you have a piece that means a lot to you but it's another thing that should honestly be left out when judging a tattoo. I don't care what it means, why you got it, or the reason it was done. At ANY tattoo expo you go to, if you enter the contests for "best piece" of a certain category just about the only question the judges will ask is when it was done as that has relevancy to judging the piece. Otherwise they do not give a crap what you have to say about your tattoo. They're judging it on artistic merit alone and that's all that matters.

 

Now, I know this isn't a tattoo judging contest but Azvy and I are simply trying to point out that when judging a tattoo it doesn't matter how silly it looks, what it means to you, or how much it costs. A beautiful piece, is a beautiful piece, is a beautiful piece. A crappy piece, is a crappy piece, is a crappy piece. The cost, the subject matter, or what it means to you will NEVER effect my judging of the tattoo. You judge them for what they are, and what they are is art. Do you REALLY CARE why the Starry Night piece was painted? No, you don't. You just know it's a beautiful piece and you appreciate it for what it is.

 

Quite a few of the tattoo blogs/websites I frequent will take user submissions, if I see an amazing piece accompanied by a long explanation. It definitely will warrant a read, as it can be interesting as to why they got it. But if it's a crappy or average piece, I don't care what explanation you come up with, it's never going to become a good piece. It may be cold or morbid but I do not care if it has anything to do with a dead relative or friend, if it sucks then it sucks. It's not going to all of a sudden become a spectacular piece just because you tug at my heart chords; sorry. Now I'm not saying your piece sucks, I'm just generally speaking here. So don't think I'm attacking you or your tattoo.

 

LA Ink, Miami Ink, NY Ink all those shows are bullcrap. The crews are purposely put together to cause conflict and drama. No one would care about Jersey Shore if it was just a bunch of Italian kids clubbing that always got along. No, people want drama. And these shows perpetuate a world of tattooing that definitely exists but it's a very small part. You'll find more people get tattoos done just for the sake of getting a good tattoo then they do because they have some drawn out boring meaning behind it. At the end of the day get a tattoo because YOU like what the piece is. It doesn't matter what the subject matter is or why you're getting it, if it's beautiful I'll love it.

[Azvareth]

You know the part in Miami Ink where Kat von D sits down with her new costumer (who coincidentally happens to be the singer from HIM), looks the person in the eyes and gently asks, "what is the story behind this tattoo?", after which she attentively nods at every single word as her customer wistfully recounts the story of how he accidentally dropped his favourite cat in a bucket of Clorox? Yeah, that shit never happens in real life. An anecdote from my very first session, I was explaining what the word in my tattoo means in Swedish (as it's in Icelandic), and I think my tattooist sensed I'd go into some boring personal stuff so she just stopped me and we immediately changed subject. I can't help but think that tattooists all over the world must wish for there to be a special place in Hell reserved for the people behind those shows, because they gotta have at least a few customers per week who at the drop of a hat will recount the boring story behind their wobbly Catholic cross tattoo.

[Furah]

I'm starting to think that for my birthday this year I'll get money from everyone so that I may get a tattoo. Nothing too big, and nothing that a shirt wouldn't hide, as a few clubs and pubs in my state are starting to refuse entry to persons with visible tattoos in an attempt to reduce violence and crime in their venues.

[fakeitormakeit2]

I 100% agree with Azvy here, a tattoo doesn't have to have some amazingly long and grandeur explanation to make it a good piece. I have the Zombie Audrey Hepburn because I love Audrey Hepburn and Grayson Castro did an amazing job on the original artwork. That's about it, that's the only explanation I really need. It doesn't matter how silly a tattoo is as long as it's well done.

 

Here is a perfect example:

 

 

Sure getting a picture of a tech deck and a hand is somewhat "silly" but anyway you look at it, that piece is amazingly well done and for its' beauty I appreciate it.

 

As Azvy said, you have a piece that means a lot to you but it's another thing that should honestly be left out when judging a tattoo. I don't care what it means, why you got it, or the reason it was done. At ANY tattoo expo you go to, if you enter the contests for "best piece" of a certain category just about the only question the judges will ask is when it was done as that has relevancy to judging the piece. Otherwise they do not give a crap what you have to say about your tattoo. They're judging it on artistic merit alone and that's all that matters.

 

Now, I know this isn't a tattoo judging contest but Azvy and I are simply trying to point out that when judging a tattoo it doesn't matter how silly it looks, what it means to you, or how much it costs. A beautiful piece, is a beautiful piece, is a beautiful piece. A crappy piece, is a crappy piece, is a crappy piece. The cost, the subject matter, or what it means to you will NEVER effect my judging of the tattoo. You judge them for what they are, and what they are is art. Do you REALLY CARE why the Starry Night piece was painted? No, you don't. You just know it's a beautiful piece and you appreciate it for what it is.

 

Quite a few of the tattoo blogs/websites I frequent will take user submissions, if I see an amazing piece accompanied by a long explanation. It definitely will warrant a read, as it can be interesting as to why they got it. But if it's a crappy or average piece, I don't care what explanation you come up with, it's never going to become a good piece. It may be cold or morbid but I do not care if it has anything to do with a dead relative or friend, if it sucks then it sucks. It's not going to all of a sudden become a spectacular piece just because you tug at my heart chords; sorry. Now I'm not saying your piece sucks, I'm just generally speaking here. So don't think I'm attacking you or your tattoo.

 

LA Ink, Miami Ink, NY Ink all those shows are bullcrap. The crews are purposely put together to cause conflict and drama. No one would care about Jersey Shore if it was just a bunch of Italian kids clubbing that always got along. No, people want drama. And these shows perpetuate a world of tattooing that definitely exists but it's a very small part. You'll find more people get tattoos done just for the sake of getting a good tattoo then they do because they have some drawn out boring meaning behind it. At the end of the day get a tattoo because YOU like what the piece is. It doesn't matter what the subject matter is or why you're getting it, if it's beautiful I'll love it.

Reading your post makes me concede the fact I spoke too quickly. However, I do think that the personal semiotics is important for a tattoo, although as you mentioned, that's not relevant when it comes to the aesthetic value. I guess personal value is most important in the end because, after all, the person is the one who must wear it.

 

On a side note, not to be pedantic (it might just be because I go to NYU and art is almost unavoidable) but you mentioned not caring why the Starry Night was painted and context, purpose and motivation for a painting are actually extremely interesting aspects. A well-rounded understanding of an artwork brings something from the level of looking aesthetically pleasing at first glance to something that can be truly appreciated (hence as to why certain art historians say you can't even fully appreciate prehistoric art as we lack proper context).

 

@Azvareth's second post, wobbly Catholic cross? That is already an erroneous misinterpretation of the symbology (wobbly, I could care less about because it's the way I'm standing. However, people who conflate terms have a special place in hell in the academic world); don't try to make subtly insulting remarks because I accidentally said something that rubbed you the wrong way with no bad intent. Learn to civilly disagree without snide remarks by reading xVertigo's post.

[Azvareth]

@Azvareth's second post, wobbly Catholic cross? That is already an erroneous misinterpretation of the symbology (wobbly, I could care less about because it's the way I'm standing. However, people who conflate terms have a special place in hell in the academic world); don't try to make subtly insulting remarks because I accidentally said something that rubbed you the wrong way with no bad intent. Learn to civilly disagree without snide remarks by reading xVertigo's post.

 

Nah dude, nothing in my post there was aimed at you in any way, and I honestly don't get how it could be interpreted as such. I was mostly just adding to the point Vertigo made about the Ink shows. I was talking generally, and in my exemplification happened to use the Catholic cross. I could just as well have said "a wobbly tattoo of [pokémon figure]". As far as I can tell nothing about your tattoo is wobbly, the lines are pretty damn straight! Like I said, I've got nothing negative to say about your tattooists's work.

[xVertigo]

I never said I personally did not care about the meaning behind A Starry Night. Actually I'm quite well versed in the history behind a lot of artworks as it was my minor when I was in college going for degree in design.

 

You're unfortunately mistaking my use of "you" as if I'm specifically referring to you as a person. It's a generalized statement meant to be about the average person; not you as an individual. I will not understand how you misinterpreted the statements to feel like you're being prosecuted and need to defend yourself as no one here is attacking you. You're taking everything Azvy said as a personal attack on you as a person, which is not the case. He's making a generalized statement about tattooists having to hear the same boring story over again in regards to a symbol that is quite commonly tattooed on people. Also, do not mistake this as I'm referring to YOUR symbol; as I most definitely am not.

 

Also, I agree in regards to more traditional art forms the stories behind them can be quite interesting. However I'd like to quote one of my favorite movies to close this post (paraphrased here). In reference to the Qur'an "I don't need to be Muslim to find the poetry beautiful and images moving..." Pedantic or not, the story doesn't matter at the end of the day and I most likely won't remember five minutes from now as to why the person got it. Far too much emphasis is put on why the piece was created instead of just letting it stand on its' own. As it's been stated several times over the past few posts, a good or bad tattoo does not become great or horrible based on its' story or cost.

[fakeitormakeit2]

Well then, it appears I am a douche. My apologies to Azvareth, I was wrongfully assuming things.

 

And xVertigo, I didn't think you were referring to my piece; I just feel artistic context is essential to the work itself, be it a tattoo or a sculpture [but I think that's just my personal preference].

[Azvareth]

Well then, it appears I am a douche. My apologies to Azvareth, I was wrongfully assuming things.

 

And xVertigo, I didn't think you were referring to my piece; I just feel artistic context is essential to the work itself, be it a tattoo or a sculpture [but I think that's just my personal preference].

 

No worries man. Obviously we just prioritise different things when it comes to tattoos. I assume you coming from, I guess, a more theoretical approach therefore like the context and meaning, whereas me (and Vertigo) are really just big fans of tattoos as an artform, so we don't think any of that stuff is essential (or necessarily interesting) as long as the tattoo is done well and is visually interesting.

[obfuscator]

@azvaeth: Some great work on page 6. Beautiful stuff.

[blakdragon39]

I have a tattoo of a... black dragon. :P I can't seem to get a good picture with my phone, and I can't find the cord for my camera anywhere, so I can't post a very good pic. I took this shortly after I got it:

 

[hide][/hide]

 

Runescape was actually the first place I used my name, Blakdragon39. Ever since then, I've used it EVERYWHERE. It's become sort of an alter ego to me I guess. And I've always liked dragons. :P Had the idea bouncing around in my head for a couple years, and some people got together last year and bought it for me for my birthday. ^^ Definitely happy with it.

[Duff]

Probably the coolest tattoo I've ever seen to date.

 

 

[Azvareth]

Probably the coolest tattoo I've ever seen to date.

 

 

 

It's pretty nice. Who's the artist?

[Duff]

Sorry Azv, I searched for a good 30 minutes trying to find the source of the picture and figure out the artist, but I can't seem to find him/her.

[Azvareth]

Sorry Azv, I searched for a good 30 minutes trying to find the source of the picture and figure out the artist, but I can't seem to find him/her.

 

If you're into realistic pieces like that one, this tumblr has a lot of quality stuff: http://[bleep]yeahqualitytattoos.tumblr.com/

 

([bleep] as in intercourse)

 

I'm usually not a huge fan of hyper realistic tattoos, but some of the stuff posted there just absolutely blows my mind.

 

Like this one by Matteo Pasqualin:

 

[Star.]

I want to get an itty bitty crown on the inside of my left wrist. Possibly the 'Keep Calm and Carry On' crown (but in black):

 

 

Will probably get this done next year or something. I'm always on the lookout for other good looking crown designs but this one does mean a lot to me.

[1_man_army]

Can anyone recommend a decent site where I can trawl through images of good examples of tatoos? I'm looking for some inspiration over what to get for myself.

[Azvareth]

Can anyone recommend a decent site where I can trawl through images of good examples of tatoos? I'm looking for some inspiration over what to get for myself.

 

There are a couple that I follow, but most of them are of the traditional/old school nature - so if you know more specifically what kind of style you're looking for I could probably help you out more and find some other sites for you.

 

http://www.theboldwillhold.com/ (traditional)

http://preeminentpie...blr.com/archive (kind of mixed, but mostly american traditional and japanese)

http://www.tattoosnob.com/ (just good tattoos all around, but a lot of traditional and realistic)

http://swallowsndaggers.net/ (traditional and neo-traditional)

http://[bleep]yeahqualitytattoos.tumblr.com/page/2 (realistic)

(http://mikeadamstattoo.tumblr.com/) (traditional)

http://meditationsinatrament.com/ (black-n-grey/dotwork)

[Shiny]

I'm going to be getting a tattoo next month, hopefully. Around 3.5" x 2.5, so nothing huge, on the side of my body. I'm thinking of a camera design, since it means a lot to me. I consider myself a photographer, and it is a passion of mine. These were mocked up by me in illustrator (live trace, and tablet).

 

 

If you had any thoughts about the tattoo, or placement feel free to chip in. Also, I need to find a tattoo artist, though I'll probably go to my older brother's one. I'm getting quite excited!

[Tim]

I'm going to be getting a tattoo next month, hopefully. Around 3.5" x 2.5, so nothing huge, on the side of my body. I'm thinking of a camera design, since it means a lot to me. I consider myself a photographer, and it is a passion of mine. These were mocked up by me in illustrator (live trace, and tablet).

 

 

If you had any thoughts about the tattoo, or placement feel free to chip in. Also, I need to find a tattoo artist, though I'll probably go to my older brother's one. I'm getting quite excited!

Personally, If I was to get something like that, I'd make sure its got a nice open space so I could always expand on it in the future, there's a lot of things you can tie in with that, not just photography itself. (In saying that, god do I need to learn how to re-use CS5)

 

I came up with an idea for a tattoo myself, only problem is figuring out where on my body is the best spot for it and how will it look in 10 years since its a gradient, not full colour or solid black.

[1_man_army]

Can anyone recommend a decent site where I can trawl through images of good examples of tatoos? I'm looking for some inspiration over what to get for myself.

 

There are a couple that I follow, but most of them are of the traditional/old school nature - so if you know more specifically what kind of style you're looking for I could probably help you out more and find some other sites for you.

 

http://www.theboldwillhold.com/ (traditional)

http://preeminentpie...blr.com/archive (kind of mixed, but mostly american traditional and japanese)

http://www.tattoosnob.com/ (just good tattoos all around, but a lot of traditional and realistic)

http://swallowsndaggers.net/ (traditional and neo-traditional)

http://[bleep]yeahqualitytattoos.tumblr.com/page/2 (realistic)

(http://mikeadamstattoo.tumblr.com/) (traditional)

http://meditationsinatrament.com/ (black-n-grey/dotwork)

 

Thanks for that, I'll have a good look through them. I'm not sure what style I'm looking to get just yet, I'm a bit indecisive lol.

[Azvareth]

I'm going to be getting a tattoo next month, hopefully. Around 3.5" x 2.5, so nothing huge, on the side of my body. I'm thinking of a camera design, since it means a lot to me. I consider myself a photographer, and it is a passion of mine. These were mocked up by me in illustrator (live trace, and tablet).

 

 

If you had any thoughts about the tattoo, or placement feel free to chip in. Also, I need to find a tattoo artist, though I'll probably go to my older brother's one. I'm getting quite excited!

 

Your tattooist is gonna give his/her input regarding placement and such regardless (unless said tattooist is a jerk), but personally I think side tattoos are better suited for bigger and "longer" pieces (whereas yours is obviously quite small and wide). A girl friend has a huge phoenix bird on her side, for example, and it's basically the ideal spot and placement for that motif and that size. So yeah, unless you add elements to the background to add some height to it, or alternatively flip the camera 90 degrees, it's probably gonna look a bit misplaced on your side.

 

It's unlucky that the proportions of a camera don't really fit in all that well anywhere on the human body (unless you play around with the perspective and angle etc). Tattoos are generally longer than they are wide, because that's how most peoples' bodies look. Flipping the camera 90 degrees would definitely work though, but since it's a quite small piece, I'd personally put it somewhere smaller like my arm, shoulder or leg.

 

But like I said, as long as you're open, your tattooist will be able to make it work regardless.

[Shiny]

Fair call on the comment on the sizing. I think an open leg space could also work well. I want to minimise stretching, through growth. Will that ultimately be a problem?

[Azvareth]

Fair call on the comment on the sizing. I think an open leg space could also work well. I want to minimise stretching, through growth. Will that ultimately be a problem?

 

English isn't my native language, but do you mean growth as in, for example, exercising and getting "bulkier legs"? If so, that really won't be a problem. The skin has an amazing ability to adapt, so unless you plan on going on a steroid binge and increase your muscle mass by over 200% in a very, very short time, you've no reason to worry.

[Shiny]

Fair call on the comment on the sizing. I think an open leg space could also work well. I want to minimise stretching, through growth. Will that ultimately be a problem?

 

English isn't my native language, but do you mean growth as in, for example, exercising and getting "bulkier legs"? If so, that really won't be a problem. The skin has an amazing ability to adapt, so unless you plan on going on a steroid binge and increase your muscle mass by over 200% in a very, very short time, you've no reason to worry.

 

You picked me up perfectly. In that case, I might go for a thigh tattoo.