Tattoos

Inky, that is gorgeous!

Inky, that is gorgeous!

very very very pretty.
love it

chelley, i have the front of my thigh tattooed from the hip to the knee and it was a cakewalk. in fact getting my legs tattooed is my new favorite because it's so easy to deal with. then again once you've had your chest done nothing really compares. i've heard childbirth isn't even as bad. out of curiosity who's tattooing you at jayne doe?

Lovely work, inky.

lovel inky.

in terms of pain thresholds..
i've had around 20odd hrs of work done, at first i could take a 3-4 hr session.. i thought it was supposed to get easier with the amount of work done, but now no matter what i can't go beyond 2hrs.. its more restlessness than anything else. i find a couple of codeine and a couple of valium does wonders for me in terms of thinking beyond getting tattooed.. yes i know the pain is part of the process and i'm a strong advocate for that.. my rationale is about the length of session rather than pain itself. although the codeine does take the sharpness of being tattooed in some areas away.

@lil - if that's your definition of chubby then we're ALL screwed.

chelley, i have the front of my thigh tattooed from the hip to the knee and it was a cakewalk. in fact getting my legs tattooed is my new favorite because it's so easy to deal with. then again once you've had your chest done nothing really compares. i've heard childbirth isn't even as bad. out of curiosity who's tattooing you at jayne doe?

Thanks for that Riley! I'm hoping it'll be fine, I don't want to have to pussy out halfway through. It's Becca, she did my foot while she was still at Blood Brothers, do you go to Jayne Doe?

@lil - if that's your definition of chubby then we're ALL screwed.

Smooth, very smooth...

Thanks for that Riley! I'm hoping it'll be fine, I don't want to have to pussy out halfway through. It's Becca, she did my foot while she was still at Blood Brothers, do you go to Jayne Doe?

Becca's amazing, been mates with her for a good 15 years now - amazing artist, totally on fire atm.

Thanks for the comments :]

Becca's amazing, been mates with her for a good 15 years now - amazing artist, totally on fire atm.

I know, even in the two years since I got my foot done she's improved tenfold!

Had quite a few more done on my leg since this one a few years ago.
It's Done By John from Volt Bmx Shop.

Smooth, very smooth...

Smoother than a puma cheating at backgammon.

Becca's amazing, been mates with her for a good 15 years now - amazing artist, totally on fire atm.

she's done heaps on a friend of mine over the past year, pretty good with animal work.

awesome portrait done by silvia z, who did my escher sleeve and portrait

Amazing photos

Lovely work on display here :)

Speaking as a tattoo virgin, thinking about getting something small I just wondered if anyone could give me a rough idea of the pain involved getting something done on the inside of my forearm?

Also, any advice for selecting the right shop/artist? Things to watch out for etc? (I'm not London based so generic info I guess).

Pain should't be a deciding factor, pick a spot and sit through it. If you want it then whatever the pain it really shouldn't matter.

If you're in Leeds I know of a few great artists depending on the style you're after.

i want the Welsh flag tattoed across the sole of my feet, one day.

@CasaSteve
Given the skin texture and underlying muscle it's a pretty easy area to get done, might start to sting if you go towards the elbow or inner wrist. Everything is doable, sensation wise, some stuff is just surprising. Some artists are heavy handed some are a little easier.

Do you know what sort of work you're thinking of getting, ie the style. That will affect the artists, and sometimes the shops that might be good. Once you get some shop names from people go in with some photos, source material, images you like, ask which of their artists they think might be most suitable. Speak to the artist, bear in mind that a lot of people come in asking so don't expect a huge amount of their time but you want someone who seems engaged by your ideas, confident in that style. Ask for a ball park figure on time, then check the hourly rate with the receptionist unless the artist volunteers the cost.

Or go out tattoo spotting, find people with the style and standard of work you want and ask where they got them done. Never ask how much it cost, this is incredibly rude.

http://411.bmezine.com/

You can find some tattoo shops near you using that, but please take Inkymitt's advice. Not all shops are fantastic.

Also ask to see their portfolios, it will play a part in the style of your first/new tattoo.

I also google their shop names or artists, if I can find pros and cons.

Thanks for the advice :) I'm still not decided, and what I have in mind is very simple with no particular style. I don't know a lot about tattooing, so some research is definitely in order.

ignore the pain when i had my Dalek done,my calf swelled up the same size as my thigh.
I swore i would never have another after that,
I think i've had about 12 more since :)

Tattoo pain is an experience. That's all I can describe it as really. I often hear people say "it's not as bad as a broken arm" or "it's like someone cutting you with a hot knife" but to be honest it's not going to be something you can truly prepare yourself for, as in my experience it's a different sensation to anything you'll have felt before. It's not the most painful thing ever (far from it) and it's actually pretty easy to deal with once you get your head round the sensation and learn to relax. I'm not the most experienced in these matters but the best advice I could give is have something to eat an hour or so beforehand, go there with an open mind, and relax.

I had my first tattoo at 16 on my upper arm, and all I'll say is smelling salts, heavy breathing and regular 5 minute breaks were involved. And it was only a 1.5 hour sitting. I think my biggest problem with that one was that I freaked out about the whole thing and got myself worked up about it. The fact the guy was a proper scratcher didn't help.

I was kind of shitting myself that I'd have a similar experience when I got my forearms done last month. But to be honest, it was a piece of piss. Sure it was painful (especially close to the inner elbow), but nothing that wasn't easily dealt with. After the first half hour it even became quite enjoyable in a perverted kind of way. Being happy with the work of the artist took a lot of the worry about the process away, and the fact he was a funny bastard and was happy to sit and chat the whole way through also helped take my mind off things. I can't say whether it was the spot I was getting tattooed or whether life experiences in the 19 years between my first tattoo and this one had increased my pain threshold, but I didn't find it that bad. To be honest I'm kicking myself that I used that first experience as a benchmark and waited so long to get more ink.

Musnt forget we all have different high pain threshold.