Been thinking about getting a tat...

DeVore · 18-06-2003 12:45pm #1

Right, I've been thinking on and off for about 4 years about getting a tattoo (or possibly two!)

Theres a few things I know for sure:

1. I dont want it where it is visible when wearing normal clothes.

2. I want to design it myself and have it mean something serious to me. This tat is for me, not for showing other people particularly.

What I cant decide is a design sufficently important to me to have it branded on my body

I've got it down to 3.

1. A small circle with Pi in it in strong red... has a lot of meaning for me in my life both in terms of my personality and my spirituality.

2. The Boards.ie eyes (you know... oO ) but I'm not sure about this because while Boards is a big part of my life right now, it might not be 10 years from now (though I cant see that happening... 10 years is a long time though!)

3. A Barcode simply because I think the world is turning people into comsumers and products. I dunno about this one though because its a bit ...something....

So I'm working up the nerve to decide... the idea of pain doesnt bother me... its the permanence of it that gives me some pause...

DeV.

Beëlzebooze · 18-06-2003 12:55pm

so you ask a bunch of strangers on the internet, about what they think you should have branded on your bod for all eternity?

allthough I don't know you, I would go with the Pi or the Eyes.

The Pi speaks for it's self, where as the eyes....you say that Boards is a big part of your life, and I get the impression it is a major thing for quite a few people, friends have been made etc. through this site. A lot of those friendships will outlive boards, so it could be nice to have a permanent reminder of the seed you planted.

bubbles · 18-06-2003 1:05pm

Cool, nice on DeV. Got one myself on my upper arm there a couple of months ago, and I love it. Currently working on a design of a new one for around my wrist which I'll get getting done in a couple of weeks when I get the one on my arm finished. I would never get a tattoo somewhere thats visible. My watch will cover it nicely.

Out of the 3 options - I'd go for number 1. Mainly because you said it means something to you, but you said you want something you designed yourself. The other 2 options are hardly unique, and I hate the idea of picking a design from a book, or somewhere else. To me, a tattoo should be absolulty 100% unique. The barcode sounds too common for me

I'm sure there's loads of scumbags out there with one.

As for the pain of getting it done? Its nothing. You certainly feel it, only when you look at the needle doing its work, because it looks like a blade being sliced into you because the needle is moving so fast. Sticking a normal pin into yourself once would be alot more painfull. Its sore when they wipe it down tho, and at the end when they scrub it. Ink and blood is a hard mix to clean from the skin! After its done, its just like bad sun burn, uncomfortable.. then a week later the itch will set in, which is annoying.

And rememember - you can always get it removed - so go for it.

Fetch · 18-06-2003 1:22pm

Well I guess all you need to remember is that even if the subject of the Tattoo loses meaning to you it still records a moment in your life... whenever you look at that Tatt it'll remind you of how things were when you got it done so in a way its recording your life... thats the way I've always looked at it and I've never regretted any of the work I've ever got done...

P.S. post a pic when you get it done...

eth0_ · 18-06-2003 1:30pm

Please Dev, not the barcode. They look awful and unless you do them quite large, the lines end up bleeding into each other after a while.

Hellrazer · 18-06-2003 1:36pm

Originally posted by DeVore

Theres a few things I know for sure:

1. I dont want it where it is visible when wearing normal clothes.

2. I want to design it myself and have it mean something serious to me. This tat is for me, not for showing other people particularly.

What I cant decide is a design sufficently important to me to have it branded on my body

I've got it down to 3.

1. A small circle with Pi in it in strong red... has a lot of meaning for me in my life both in terms of my personality and my spirituality.

2. The Boards.ie eyes (you know... oO ) but I'm not sure about this because while Boards is a big part of my life right now, it might not be 10 years from now (though I cant see that happening... 10 years is a long time though!)

3. A Barcode simply because I think the world is turning people into comsumers and products. I dunno about this one though because its a bit ...something....

So I'm working up the nerve to decide... the idea of pain doesnt bother me... its the permanence of it that gives me some pause...

DeV.

Ok Ill answer in order of your questions.

If you`re in Dublin Pm me and Ill give you my mates number who`ll sit down with you for an hour or so,go through your design ideas and come up with something that you`ll feel is individual to you.He does specialise in custom work and is quite good at specialist designs.

As for you design ideas
Number 1 sounds good but think hard about the red colour.Make sure that you go for a darker red than you want as lighter reds can fade to a pinky colour so if you go darker(blood red is good)it wont fade as much.
But dont go for the barcode.Problem is that when you get older(by older I mean 20+ years) these barcodes run into each other from skin growth,extra fat layers building up etc and tend to end up looking like a black square.

People will always say that a Tattoo is for life and you`re scarred forever etc etc but my line on this is Fu<k it I got it done,enjoyed being different and so what if Im 70 and have this on my arm or whatever.A tattoo DOES become part of your individuality and I guarantee you that once you get one done you`ll see that it can be as addictive as heroin and within a year or two you`ll start saying to yourself " just one more little one and then Im finished"----It never happens that way----I personally dont know anyone with just one tattoo---or is not planning another few.

Hope this helps,Richie.

Stark · 18-06-2003 1:59pm

The all sound good. Like the barcode one, I was thinking of getting a barcode one myself before. The ones they had in Dark Angel on the back of the necks looked well cool but maybe too visible, though it could be handy for security scanning me into work

Could always get the oO one, if boards is dead in 10 years then you've just got another obscure tattoo that you can say means anything you want, or else just looks nifty.

Beruthiel · 18-06-2003 2:09pm

I would agree with the lads here Dev, just use black, look at any tattoo that’s old, the colours fade, they don’t look the best. Barcodes have been done, even Henry Rollins has one on the back of his neck.

nosmo · 18-06-2003 2:14pm

Originally posted by Beruthiel
...even Henry Rollins has one on the back of his neck.

Unfortunately, so does Pink

DeVore · 18-06-2003 3:05pm

Thats great advice guys...

the only thing is that while I usually like pure black for tats (particularly large open-spaced ones)... I dont think it will look well on the design I'm thinking of for the Pi one... I was thinking of more of a dark red... I thought the dyes were much better now and more modern that they dont fade so much?

Also, I havent decided where to get it. I'm dithering between on the left or right side of my chest or on my shoulder.

You're right about the idea of getting more of them though... I'm already thinking "why not get both! one on each shoulder!"

DeV.

Hellrazer · 18-06-2003 3:33pm

Originally posted by DeVore
Thats great advice guys...

the only thing is that while I usually like pure black for tats (particularly large open-spaced ones)... I dont think it will look well on the design I'm thinking of for the Pi one... I was thinking of more of a dark red... I thought the dyes were much better now and more modern that they dont fade so much?

Also, I havent decided where to get it. I'm dithering between on the left or right side of my chest or on my shoulder.

You're right about the idea of getting more of them though... I'm already thinking "why not get both! one on each shoulder!"

DeV.

Yep Dev the inks are a lot more modern and dont fade as much now but since the sun is a bleaching agent and skin stretches etc over time I dont think Id like to be stuck with a pink tattoo.

bubbles · 18-06-2003 3:45pm

I think it all got to do with the size u want the tattoo DeV. If it was small, lets say the size of a 5cent coin - it would look fine in any colour. One thing I don't like is multi coloured tattoo's, because after a few years they tend to show their age. Could always go back in a few years for a touch up tho.

As for getting one on both shoulders.. get one to start with, since its going to be your first, and see how you take to it over a few months, if you like it, go for another!

You'll also have to decide on a place to get it done. You probably know of a few good, clean and safe places already, and if ya don't u better start asking.

liam4mail · 18-06-2003 4:00pm

The barcode sounds cool... but who the hell can hold their hand that straight for all those lines... you know what I mean??

I like the eyes idea too.

Maybe you should start a poll!

nosmo · 18-06-2003 4:11pm

TBH, if you can't trust the tattoo artist to do a few straight lines, how can you trust him to mark you for life?

liam4mail · 18-06-2003 4:24pm

Nah, these are STRAIGHT lines!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Samara · 18-06-2003 4:41pm

I'd prob recommend the Pi too Dev, and go for the dark red, inks these days are pretty durable providing you follow the after care instructions and don't lounge around in the sun too much, besides if it's something that means that much to you I'm sure you wouldn't shirk from getting a top-up a few years down the line in the event it does fade!

You seem to be pretty much on the same wavelength as myself, Ive been toying with designing a personal discreet tat for myself for quite a while now, haven't got as far as you yet..but I will....someday

I do however have my tattooist lined up, a good and talented mate to help me with my design.

Makaveli · 18-06-2003 11:38pm

Apparently (or so I've been told) red die cannot be removed by laser because the lazer cant read it or something.
I dunno, the only reason I found out was because someone had filled out a lotto sheet in red pen and the laser was reading it as a blank page and somebody said laser cant read red.
So if this is true, make sure you really want a red Pi because it's not coming off.

Blitzkrieger · 19-06-2003 12:52am

I doubt if that's true. Afaik the laser burns the layer of skin that the tattoo is on, so it wouldn't matter what colour it is. It's probably aimed by the doctor too.

Shiminay · 19-06-2003 1:17pm

Haven't read everyone elses reply, but here's my 2c...

I reckon the Pi would be best for you cause like you said, it reflects alot about your life and personality. Also, it'd look pretty cool and different.

Took me 2 years to decide on my first tattoo (the guitar on my arm - I know you've seen it) and another 4 to get my second (I had the idea a half hour after the first one was finished!) which is a string of binary code running down one side of my back.

Both tattoos are invisible when wearing normal, everyday clothing and both mean a hell of a lot to me personally. I'm not really into the idea of having a thing drawn onto my body just cause it looks good - it has to have meaning and it still has to mean something in 20/30 years time!

The guitar (Gibson SG to be precise) signifies my love of music - something I've always had and will always have.
The binary is the start of a theme for my back...
It's a julien date (i.e. internal date format for a computer) converted into binary code. The date is when my dad died. I plan on putting several significant dates on like that - when you're fat and have a big back, placement is not a concern

Good luck with it whatever you do!

Karl Hungus · 19-06-2003 9:57pm

I've been giving serious consideration to getting the doughboys from Johnny somewhere... I'm not going to bother getting into why I think they're such great characters, if you've read Johnny, you'll know, if not, go read it now. Other than that, I think that the fact that they're comic characters will remind me not to take things too seriously.

I also quite like the Opeth logo:

That's probably the first thing I've seen that I though to myself, yes, if I was getting a tattoo, that would be great. Nothing had ever taken my fancy before. I know the idea of getting a 'Band' tattoo is generally not the best idea, but I really love the logo as a peice of art in itself. Besides, Opeth would probably be one of the few bands I can still see myself listening to in 10 years time.

Although I still don't plan on getting anything done for a while...
Thoughts?

cournioni · 20-06-2003 11:18pm

I don't normally like getting band tattoo's because of the obvious, not liking them in the future. But I got one there not so long ago, of my all time favourite band Pantera. I have listened to them for the last 13 years and not once in that time have I ever even been close to being put off them. They split up last month and I am still proud of my tatt... I think I always will be because it will remind me of everything in my youthful days. So I would recommend it AW, if you are really BIG into Opeth and you have good memories while listening to them then why not?

Pantera forever!!

My tattoo is a smaller version of the one in this attachment...

nesthead · 21-06-2003 12:40am

thats cool pornapster.....

ye go with the boards related thing DeV, it gives me happiness everytime i go on the net and im only a "insane poster"! think of all them happy chappys with 1000+ counts who have been members of an incredible community for years! thats thanks to what you did and you should have a reminder of that!

Shinji · 22-06-2003 10:49am

Your thinking on this seems to be much the same as mine... I've been thinking about getting a tatoo for a while, and have basically decided that I'll do it at the end of the summer. Still not entirely sure on a design, but leaning heavily towards a phrase in Kanji running down from the nape of my neck. And no, before someone starts, I'm not posting because "oriental characters are cool", I can actually read the phrase I'm going for and it means a fair bit to me

The other thing I've been thinking about is a game or anime character, probably stylised (maybe in silhouette) on my shoulder or somewhere that *I* can see it, albeit not visible in normal clothes. It's the "message in a bottle" theory; I want to leave a mark somewhere that the person I am in 20 years time won't be able to ignore, and that will remind him of the person I used to be. Just in case he forgets or something

The Pi thing sounds like the one that means most to you. Maybe the Boards Eyes are your message in a bottle - reminding Tom about Devore, in case he forgets?

DeVore · 22-06-2003 10:59am

aye, thats pretty much it really.

The way things are going though, I'll need to leave DeVore a reminder about Tom lol...

DeV.

lemondrop · 23-06-2003 12:46pm

Originally posted by Makaveli
Apparently (or so I've been told) red die cannot be removed by laser because the lazer cant read it or something.
I dunno, the only reason I found out was because someone had filled out a lotto sheet in red pen and the laser was reading it as a blank page and somebody said laser cant read red.
So if this is true, make sure you really want a red Pi because it's not coming off.

Yea i work in a Tesco and quite a few customers come in with Lotto filled in in red and you have to explain it them. Think carefully about the red!!!!

nesf · 25-06-2003 9:03pm

Um, the whole red laser thing is just down to the type of laser used. IE the one used for lotto is meant to read a colour on redish car that isn't red....

Anyways DeV you're pretty much in the same situation I'm in, been thinking about getting one for 3 years now, but I've no idea what to get. Or at least I haven't settled on the one idea yet.

-Padraig

Fetch · 26-06-2003 12:41am

Yeah I have to say the whole laser thing sounds a bit odd... surely if a laser couldnt read red they would just colour the edges in black or whatever and the laser would go to work on what was in between...
It just seem silly that they would have a soulution like laser surgery and it wouldnt deal with what? i dont know 10-20% of tattoos?

yellum · 02-07-2003 7:30pm

Barcode: Nooooooooooooooooooo

The Pi one is cool.

I'm getting the Tat on my back extended again when I have the time and money. I reckon it might cost me another €300 in total but it might make me happy then. I'm almost happy with what I have.

Been thinking about getting a tat...

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