The Art of Tattooing (Body Tattoos in general)

Member Name: Stephoohla

Product:	Body Tattoos in general
Date:	23/08/09 (75 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: You end up with a stunning (hopefully) tattoo on you that will be with you through everything

Disadvantages: It does hurt

The concept of tattooing receives a very mixed reaction from society. Whilst tattoos are more accepted now than they were years ago (for example, 50 years ago when only sailors and prisoners/criminals had tattoos).

Tattoos still have an element of rebellion within them, helped by the fact that rock stars and typical 'bad boy' film stars have them.

I got my first tattoo when I was 17, so it was technically illegal, but the place I went was commonly known to not ask for ID, and I had my heart set on getting one. I know it was silly looking back, going to a place who'll tattoo anyone, but at the time I was desperate to get one. My mum would've been dead against it, so I went behind her back and got the tattoo done. I know plenty of people who have done this, enforcing the element of 'rebellion' even more!

My first tattoo was a scorpion on my hip, just above my pubic bone. It's faded a little bit now, but it's still my favorite tattoo. I'm quite into the zodiac, and Scorpio is my star sign, so it will always mean something to me.

I was very nervous my first time. But I'd had advice from a few people, so before I went I made sure I'd eaten a proper meal, drank some Coke so I sugar in my blood, other my blood sugar level could run low because of the adrenaline and I could faint, and made sure I took a bottle of water in with me. I also didn't drink the night before or take any painkillers that day because that makes your blood really thin and makes it difficult to tattoo.

I went into the tattoo studio and went through almost straighaway. I know people generally say 'turn up early' for things like really, but waiting around for a tattoo is horrible, you end up feeling really sick and nervous! The best thing to do is book the tattoo appointment for fairly early in the morning and arrive so you get there dead on time. Hopefully then you can go in straighaway and not have any hanging around.

Tattoo studios can be fairly intimidating if you haven't got many tattoos, but there's no need to worry yourself about looking silly. Hopefully you'll have a nice tattooist who'll put you at ease.

Once I was seated in the chair, the tattooist prepared the gun, needles (watch when he/she does this to make sure they come from a sealed packet rather than just lying around!!) and other equipment. I showed him where I wanted it, and then he took a razor and shaved the area (this is common. Even if you get a tattoo where there might be no hair, such as your back, neck, belly, etc, they'll still shave to make sure there's nothing that can obstruct a needle). He put my design through a machine to make it become a stencil and then he placed it on my skin. I took a look in the mirror, and realised I wanted it over to the left a bit more, so I told him, he washed it off and re-placed it back on. This is a really important part of getting your tattoo - NEVER feel scared of saying you don't like the position, angle or size of your tattoo. Whilst you may feel like a pain in the a*s for ten minutes, this tattoo is going to be on your body for life. So it's GOT to be right. One of the places I went into, the guy kept putting it on wrong, so he had to re-do this procedure four times. I could tell he was getting a bit impatient but I didn't care, I needed it right, and if he wasn't prepared to do it I would've walked out and gone elsewhere.

Once I was happy, I sat down in the chair, and he began. If its your first tattoo, its always a good thing to tell this to your tattooist, then he'll go a bit more gently and stop to make sure you're okay every now and again.

The tattoo gun did hurt. It's a weird feeling of pain though, as even on a small tattoo, they'll be some places where it really hurts, and some places where it'll feel like a tickle. The pain isn't unbearable though, and because of the adrenaline running through you at the thought of getting an awesome tattoo on your skin, you won't be thinking too much about the pain. One tattoo studio I went into had a TV running so I watched TV whilst getting tattooed, and it helped me take my mind off it.

For my first tattoo I took my iPod in with me and listened to that. It definitely helped as I couldn't hear the sound of the gun buzzing away. I took sips of water throughout my tattoo to calm my nerves and to make sure I didn't start feeling faint.

When the tattoo was done, I was allowed to look at it in the mirror, and then the tattooist covered it with kitchen roll stuck to my skin with masking tape. I was told to leave it on for two hours to prevent infection. All studios are different in ways they do this. Some cover it with clingfilm instead of kitchen roll. Some cover it with a bandage. Some don't cover it at all. I'm not sure if there is a right or wrong way to go about this, but so far I've experienced cling film, kitchen roll and completely bare, and I did feel very uncomfortable having NOTHING covering it, as I was really worried it would get something in it.

The prices of tattoos completely vary depending on where you go, but in general, they are all expensive, some places use different types of ink though which is why one place might be cheaper than another. A tattoo is for life, something that will be on your body forever, so price shouldn't at all be an issue when you get tattooed. The complexity of a tattoo will greatly affect the price. I'm not a tattooist, therefore would not be able to price a tattoo, but I'll tell you how much each of mine cost and it might help you out as a rough guide:

My first tattoo, a scorpion. Two inches tall, one inch wide. Completely black, quite a few little lines. Small but fairly complex. Cost me £30.

My second tattoo, the writing "Forgive Me" with a tiny rose head underneath. The Forgive Me is about three inches long, one inch high, in italic font. It's quite thin text, which meant it was tricky as the tattooist had to make sure the lines were dead straight. The rose bud is about 1/2inch x 1/2 inch. The font is all in black, but the rose is red and black. The font alone would've cost me £30, but because that is their lowest price (even for a tiny little tattoo, as it pays for the price of the needles, etc), but the tattooist said if I got something else underneath it wouldn't cost much more. So I asked for the rose, and in total it was £35.

My third tattoo was done by a friend, so it was for free. Same for my fourth tattoo, which was a tribal rose design on my leg. Unfortunately, it faded really quickly and I was disappointed, so I went along to a not-very-well-known tattoo study in town and asked them to re-do it. The design is about 4/5 inches tall, two inches wide. It's made up of a black rose in the centre with black leaves around it. I was charged £50 just to go over it! I was quite shocked at that price but was quite desperate to sort it out so paid it. The guy didn't even do that good of a job so now I'm looking for someone else to go over it too, but I'd get one of my regular tattoo artists to do it rather than a strange tattoo studio.

The last of my tattoos is a 2inch x 2inch butterfly on my back. It's quite gothic and swirly, all black. Cost me £45.

Every place I've gone has gone about tattooing in a different way, so I think the best way to choose a tattoo parlour is word of mouth, and make sure you look at previous tattoos they've done.

I've been to three different tattooists, and even had a friend do one for me in my lounge! They've all felt different as each tattooist has a different way and different techniques.

If you're thinking about getting a tattoo make sure you go somewhere that looks clean and hygienic, and most imporantly uses brand new needles!

Summary: Shop around for a tattoo, go somewhere clean, and it will be worth the pain