Tattoo

[frozilla]

Would it be a bad idea to get a tattoo of a walrus on the back of my leg? I'm completely serious right now. I'm deliberating on whether or not this is something I would regret.

[Memitim]

I think that regrets, much like tattoos, are a personal thing. Are you the kind of person who has had many regrets? If so then I would guess that unless that walrus tattoo has some highly personal significance that you will regret it at some point. Just seems like there are some people who can't reconcile themselves to making a decision that sits right with themselves, usually based upon their concerns over the perception of others.

I myself have a couple that I got way back when I was in the Navy and haven't regretted either of them even once, despite being a corporate lackey. Hell, I'm looking forward to getting some more ink (after I upgrade my amp, at a minimum ) and my wife occasionally eggs me on to get another.

My rule for getting a tat is simple: go to the studio and talk it out with an artist. Get the image down so that you can see it. Now leave. Give it a day or two to think it over. If you're still itching to get it done then go for it.

[IconBasser]

yes.

[excane]

There is no way that anyone will disagree with you that a walrus on the back of your leg is 100% awesome.

[iamlowsound]

Tattoos don't come off. That is what you need to think about when you get a tattoo. I have two, I don't regret them. There has been a few times when I have asked myself if I regret them, the answer has alway been no. My last one had a years worth of thought put into it.

lowsound

[tplyons]

How old are you?

How long have you wanted this tattoo?

Tattoo's should not be spontaneous and should be carefully considered. I have three years planning my ink and still haven't gotten it done. Still not 100% sure it's perfect for me.

[Fontaine]

Originally Posted by iamlowsound

Tattoos don't come off.

OMG REALLY?!?!?!

[iamlowsound]

Originally Posted by Fontaine

OMG REALLY?!?!?!

Go check out most the the ink out there. People don't understand that they don't come off. There are a lot of people with really bad artwork, poorly thought tattoos or just simply something they regret. They don't come off, pay for a good tattoo, put lots of thought into it and realize that you can't take it off in three years.

lowsound

[StanFan]

I've never had the desire to get a tattoo, and in general I think tattoos look better on girls than they do on guys.

I can't even picture a walrus tattoo that would even look good at all. Do you have a picture of what it will look like?

Edit: If it looks like this, go for it!!

[bongomania]

Agreed, that is one awesome walrus there. Choose your graphics carefully, as there is a DJ business called "Upper Playgound" which uses a walrus as a logo, and you don't necessarily want people coming up to you and saying "you really love Upper Playground, huh?"

[popinfresh]

If you're asking this question online, there's a good chance it's yes.

I've seen a lot weirder things tattoo'd on someone than a walrus, but if you're asking here than maybe now's not the time. Get the design in your head, think about it for a year and see if you still want it done.

[Sartori]

How long have you wanted it? If you've wanted it for years, and have thought it out, then I see no reason not to do it. Provided, of course, lots of planning to make sure it's a well done image.

[spade2you]

I enjoy tattoos, although they're a bit too common IMHO. I don't mean "common" as bad, but there are so many people that get 'em these days that they've ruined the taboo. Anyway, this probably doesn't apply, just throwing it out there just in case. If you're a runner/biker/triathlete, I tend to recommend against them. Even with tons of sunscreen, I get entirely too much sun on my arms and legs that I will need to avoid them unless I give up biking.

[L-A]

Can you explain to the curious ones why you have it?

If yes, and you're not ashamed of the explanation, get it.

[guitar ed]

Regarding your tattoo, I don't know why you want a walrus. I assume that it means something to you. It damn well better mean something to you, because it ain't gonna wash off.

As for the back of the leg, again: why there?

All of that said, I have a tat of a stalking tiger on my shoulder blade. The cat because I like cats, and they mean something to me. The shoulder blade because I can hide it easily enough.

I have four rules regarding tats, that I would suggest anybody follow:
1) No names. Maybe your kid. But not the wife or girlfriend. They change too often.
2) Be stone cold sober when you get it done. It hurts more, but you will be less likely to regret your choices. Also, you won't bleed so much.
3) Below the collar line and inside the body frame, so that the tat can be easily hidden. The leg qualifies. Although tats are becoming main stream, it is very hard to get a professional job with your neck & face all done up.
4) Make damn'd sure the person doing your tat knows their stuff about sanitary work conditions. Hepatitis and HIV/AIDS are only 2 of the nasty bugs you can get from a shared needle or ink. Art work ain't worth dying for.

Also, remember that you will be turning your skin into hamburger. It hurts like all get out. You might also ask your artist what the pain level is for a tat on that part of your body. Different body parts, different pain levels.

Later,

edg

[popinfresh]

Originally Posted by guitar ed

Regarding your tattoo, I don't know why you want a walrus. I assume that it means something to you. It damn well better mean something to you, because it ain't gonna wash off.

2) Be stone cold sober when you get it done. It hurts more, but you will be less likely to regret your choices. Also, you won't bleed so much.

Sorry to burst your bubble, but there's quite an amount of times me or friends have been tattoo'd with alcohol in us and none of us have bled anymore than normal, maybe a tiny bit here and there

As for tattoo's that mean something, it's totally up to the person. Some of my favourite tattoo's are fun pieces that have no deep meaning behind them.

[i_got_a_mohawk]

Originally Posted by guitar ed

Regarding your tattoo, I don't know why you want a walrus. I assume that it means something to you. It damn well better mean something to you, because it ain't gonna wash off.

As for the back of the leg, again: why there?

All of that said, I have a tat of a stalking tiger on my shoulder blade. The cat because I like cats, and they mean something to me. The shoulder blade because I can hide it easily enough.

I have four rules regarding tats, that I would suggest anybody follow:
1) No names. Maybe your kid. But not the wife or girlfriend. They change too often.
2) Be stone cold sober when you get it done. It hurts more, but you will be less likely to regret your choices. Also, you won't bleed so much.
3) Below the collar line and inside the body frame, so that the tat can be easily hidden. The leg qualifies. Although tats are becoming main stream, it is very hard to get a professional job with your neck & face all done up.
4) Make damn'd sure the person doing your tat knows their stuff about sanitary work conditions. Hepatitis and HIV/AIDS are only 2 of the nasty bugs you can get from a shared needle or ink. Art work ain't worth dying for.

Also, remember that you will be turning your skin into hamburger. It hurts like all get out. You might also ask your artist what the pain level is for a tat on that part of your body. Different body parts, different pain levels.

Later,

edg

1) Agree
2) Agree, (IIRC, alcohol is a vasodilator, so you're blood pressure drops a bit, but your blood doesn't thin so to speak, though alcohol does, again, IIRC, impeed coagulation, so you'll beed longer)
3) Agree, the majority of people with facial tattoo's look like douche's
4) Also agree, however, the risk of contamination is tiny, the virus particles just don't survive in ink long (at all). But aye, cleanliness is very important. If your tattooist doesn't clean his/her gear then they probably aren't that good anyways!

I wouldn't say it hurts much to be honest, there are some area's that'll nip a little. Though I did find it funny, my tattooist used to have a "FAQ" sheet of A4 on the door. The first question being

Q - Will getting a tattoo hurt?
A - Does a bear s**t in the woods?



But aye, think it through

[Big Joe]

It hurts. Bad. Depends on how big, how dark and where.

The more sensitive the area, the worse it hurts. that varies more from person to person than from body part to body part.

[RTO]

I think a walrus would be kind of a weird tattoo. Unless you really like walrus's (Walrye? whats the plural of walrus?) Or a walrus killed your father, then it'd make sense.

At the same time, I'm getting a snail tattoo'd on my leg. Not your average snail, but a snail nonetheless. So I'd say go for it. If you don't think you'll regret it down the road. Put it somewhere that is easy to conceal, though.

[EricF]

Originally Posted by guitar ed

I have four rules regarding tats, that I would suggest anybody follow:
1) No names. Maybe your kid. But not the wife or girlfriend. They change too often.

Funny you mention that...
After the birth of my first daughter over 10 years ago, I mentioned to my wife that I was thinking about getting my daughter's name tatooed on me. My wife's response was, "How about my name?". I told her that my daughter will always be my daughter, but like it or not, there are no guarantees that we'll always be married. Within 2 years, we weren't.

Just within the past few months, I finally got the piece I really wanted that includes my dad's initials and the names of both my daughters. My second/current wife has no problem with fact that her name isn't included.

/derail