GETTING A TATTOO

For no reason whatsoever--which, about 90% of the time, is why I do most things--I decided to write a post about getting a tattoo.

I always hear people telling me they want one, but they're too scared, or just asking me questions about tattoos in general. Yes, I get not everyone is curious about them, and I'm no expert. But I do have 9 tattoos and counting, so I'd say I have some experience (12 if you also count the two that I lasered off and one I covered up).

I remember my very first tattoo...

I was 15. Me and my friend, Celia, were bored out of our minds and decided getting a tattoo sounded fun. Of course, we were both underage so we couldn't just stroll into a legit tattoo shop. We'd have to go the stupid route--getting them done by some ghetto wanna-be gangster at his house. 

Like most teenagers, once I got an idea in my head, I was not stopping until I reached my goal. So I called around (or actually, paged around because that's what everyone did back then) until an older girl at my school named Ann called me back. She had a tattoo, and yeah, it was ugly as sh*t. But for some stupid reason I thought the person she was going to refer me to was different than the person who did hers because on the phone she said, "He's really good!" I mean, unless she never looked in the mirror or was just completely delusional, she'd have to know her tattoo looked like a retarded kid drew on her with a black Sharpie, right?

But nope, that's how dumb I was.

So, Celia and I called our friend A-wei who drove us to Westminster in his old Toyota Cressida with no power steering. We went into the house, greeted by two tatted-up thug guys in wife beaters. And, for some reason I will never understand, I decided to go first. Maybe I just wanted to be the brave, "down" one. So dumb.

Literally, the guy was tattooing me with one hand while drinking and holding a beer in the other.

After Celia saw the outcome, of course she backed out.

I left the house, got into A-wei's car, and just started crying my eyes out like a two-year-old baby thinking WHAT HAVE I DONE TO MYSELF?!!? 

Our older friend Grace was also in the car. She was kind of a tough chick and told A-wei to remember the address in case we ever wanted to get revenge. We never did, but at the time, it made me feel better just to know she cared enough. 

Luckily, years later I got it lasered off and covered it up with something much prettier. 

And I've come a long way since then. Unfortunately, I had to learn from experience and still plan to fix/laser off some of my own. So I'd like to share with you my tips on getting a tattoo. 


THINGS YOU MUST COME TO TERMS WITH BEFORE GETTING A TATTOO

1) The first and most important thing of all--YOU HAVE TO NOT GIVE A CRAP WHAT ANYONE THINKS. Pretty much after getting one (if it's a decent size) people will be judging you for the rest of your life. You will be hearing people left and right going, "Why did you get that? I would never do that to myself," and a billion other negative comments. But you know what? Seriously, for every person who asks, "Why did you do that?" there's a person around the corner that gets it and tells you how pretty and awesome your tattoo is. No joke. Almost without fail, at least a few times a week, strangers approach me and compliment my tattoos. I'd like to be humble and say I get sick of it, but I really don't. It honestly makes my day.

Another thing people always try to remind you of is how ugly it's going to look once you're old. Well, the way I see it, it's gonna look good for at least 20-30 years. And by the time it does look like crap, you're gonna be so old and falling apart and just striving to be healthy that the last thing on your mind is gonna be your ugly tattoo. In fact, you might even look at it and be fond of it, remembering the good times when you were young.  And later, once your tattoo has been on your body for so long, it really becomes a part of you. Kind of like how an old scar just starts to belong. It might be unsightly, but you're so used to seeing it on your arm or leg or wherever that it would be weird if it were suddenly gone.

2) If you're girl, you've gotta know that guys generally aren't fans of girls with big or a lot of tattoos. Sure, something small and cute and girly is okay. But if you go big and bad ass? No bueno. But again, if he's not into tattoos and you are, then that just means he's NOT the one for you. I mean, do you really want to be held back from expressing who you really are just because someone may or may not like you more? 

3) There really isn't such a thing as a perfect tattoo. You will probably nitpick. At first glance, you will always LOVE your new tattoo. But overtime, after staring at it forever, you will start to nitpick all the little imperfections. Or start thinking, "What if I just moved this slightly over here, or changed the color here, etc." It will probably drive some people, who are perfectionists (which I kinda am), crazy. But you've just gotta remember your tattoo is awesome and you're just nitpicking stuff nobody else is even going to notice. (Unless you got a really jacked up tattoo because you didn't read this post! Then you're screwed! lol)

4) There might be times you regret it. Yeah, when you see people with no tattoos at all, and how elegant and normal they look when wearing a dressy gown, there are brief moments when you think, "What if I never got one at all? My body would look really clean." But after a few seconds it passes because in the end, your tattoo is part of who you are. You got it for a reason--whether it was because you thought it was pretty, it represents something meaningful to you, or you just wanted to express yourself somehow--it's YOU. One of my favorite quotes is, "Be yourself; everyone else is already taken." You have to remember you got the tattoo for yourself, not for anyone else. You think Kat Von D gives a f*ck what anyone thinks?

(Yeah, my guess is a big fat NO.)

WHERE TO GET A TATTOO FROM

JUST SAY NO

1) At some dude's house with a home-made tattoo machine = HELL NO!

2) Walking into a random shop you saw on the street and just choosing a flash design (a generic pre-printed design from a book millions of other tattoo shops also have) and gives you a flat rate= FIRM NO!

3) Researching a well-known tattoo shop and getting a piece custom designed for you by an artist where they charge BY THE HOUR = YES!!! SCORE!!!

Good work costs money, but since it's going to be on you for the rest of your life, I'd say it's worth it.


FREE-HAND VS. STENCIL

When I was younger, I always thought free-hand was better. After all, if an artist can free-hand draw a tattoo on you then that proves how bad ass and skilled they are, right? I still think this is true, and I also think it depends on what kind of tattoo you're getting (I have both), but the bad thing about free hand? It's FREE HAND! It's not going to be as detailed, and the lines won't be as straight because there's no guide to help the tattoo artist do their job.

That's why these days I actually prefer stencil. The design is usually drawn on a piece of paper first and, with the help of computers, rulers, and other tools, every line comes out as perfect as can be. Then the artist can just follow the lines once the stencil is placed on the body, and the tattoo usually comes out much more detailed and perfect.

PROS TO FREE-HAND
- Artist has mad talent.
- Because artists don't get a chance to measure your body or actually see where the tattoo will be placed, free-hand allows them to create a design on the spot that matches perfectly to the curves of your body.

CONS TO FREE-HAND
- If the placement isn't perfect, the design must be completely erased and re-drawn, causing the design to be slightly (and even completely) different each time. Very difficult to keep the parts you liked about the first design before it was erased and even harder to keep tweaking the design until it's perfect. It's kind of like a one shot type thing.

PROS TO STENCIL
- Design will be P-E-R-F-E-C-T.
- Design won't change when messing with the placement.
- Easy to fix and change little details to the design without changing the overall piece. The artist will mostly likely have it saved on the computer and can quickly adjust what you like/don't like and have the stencil re-printed.

CONS TO STENCIL
- Sometimes the design may not be as tailored to your body.

But overall, I'd still say the winner is STENCIL!!! ^_^


NEEDLES AND COLORS

FOR NEEDLES
Don't go somewhere where they only use two different needles on you (an outline needle and a shading needle), or worse--just one needle. Different needles are needed to do different things. In general, I'd say three or more and you're in good hands, unless the design is really simple and may only need one. 

The outline needle should also be able to make super thin, sharp, clean lines. Back in the day, maybe because of technology, everyone just got the same semi-thick outline that became thicker and blurrier as the years flew by. This is not the case now. Where before the thickness might've been like 0.7-0.9 pencil lead, these days it can become as thin as 0.3-0.5.

The artist should also double check each freshly new packaged needle with a magnifying glass to make sure the needle is completely straight. Yes, this is what my artist does to make sure nothing gets messed up. And yeah, she's really awesome.

FOR COLORS
Don't go somewhere where they only have one type of black ink. These days, there are many different types of black ink. Some are really thick, used to make really dark outlines. Others are more watery, which comes out a light gray, and there are more in between for all types of shading. Yup, some places just use one type of black ink and use the needle to create the different shades of light and dark, but I think the tattoo will not hold up as well in the long run from this method.

Also, places with all different colors of ink purchased in the bottle are generally better. Now, artists can still mix the primary colors together to make new colors (this is how it used to be done) and it can still come out awesome. I actually have a rose colored this way and it looks beautiful. But unless the artist is really freaking good, the color of the tattoo will probably not be as consistent as pre-made bottled ink. I think some tattoo shops don't buy all the colors to save money, so try to avoid those places.


HOW TO CHOOSE A TATTOO ARTIST

All good artists will have a portfolio. Take the time to look at them, even if you have to visit a billion websites.
Not only will this make you feel comfortable with their level of work, but viewing the different portfolios is crucial in getting to know the artist's style.

What if you want a black and white portrait, but you randomly choose a person who only does new school, colorful cartoon styles? Not the best pick.

Although both are good in their own styles, you wouldn't go to someone who did this...

 ...To get this.

Everybody has a different style, so book an appointment with the artist you think will be the best for that particular tattoo. It may or may not be the same artist for each tattoo idea you have. I think this happens a lot--someone chooses an artist they heard is good, but when the tattoo is said and done, it doesn't come out looking like anything they imagined. Then they blast the artist on Yelp. Sure, the artist probably had some faults, but the client did also in not doing enough research.

In addition, even though it's a tattoo and the artist looks like they live some rock n' roll lifestyle, they should still be PROFESSIONAL. I had one guy show up 20 minutes late to my appointment, stoned out of his mind, and draw my design in, like, five minutes on some crappy ripped up paper. I ended up walking out because I didn't trust him to put something permanent on my body. When I was younger and didn't know any better, I probably would've gone through with it, but not now. 

The artist should never ever ever ever be under the influence. I don't care what it is--drugs, alcohol, prescriptions pills...it's all a no. They should be professional, on time, and already have your design ready for you. Extra points if the design wows you at first sight :)

They should also be willing to spend time with you to make sure the design is perfect, adjusting anything you don't like, and making sure the placement is perfect, even if it means placing and re-placing the stencil a hundred times.

Gloves are also a must. Every time the artist touches something other than your skin (like to drink a bottle of water or taking the gloves off for some reason) they should put a fresh pair of gloves on. If it doesn't feel like a hospital to some degree, like you're about to get your blood drawn, get out. 

Clean tattoo station

They should also wipe away the excess ink while tattooing with fresh, NEW paper towels each time your skin is wiped, not the same old rag throughout the whole process.


YOU'VE DONE ALL THE RESEARCH, NOW WHAT DESIGN SHOULD YOU GET?

Yes, spontaneous tattoos can be fun. A good amount of my earlier ones were spur-of-the moment, but you will probably regret it later. If you're only going to get one or two, it's not a big deal. But any more than that and it's better to have a plan.

For me, I think it's best when tattoos have some sort of cohesiveness to them, instead of just random tattoos placed all over the body with no connection. I'm suffering from that mistake right now. I think tattoos that sort of blend in with your body because of a common color or theme looks the best. Yes, it sucks you can only pick and choose how many cool tattoos you can have, but in the end it looks a lot better. After all, you don't want to end up like the bride who couldn't decide what type of wedding she wanted so she threw in everything but the kitchen sink, which turned into a giant hot mess.

WHAT YOU WANT YOUR TATTOOS TO LOOK LIKE

Christina Perri has a ton of tattoos, but since all of hers are in black and red, it looks like they all match.
Tattoo win.

Amelia Nightmare's tattoos are all colorful and cartoon-like.
Tattoo win.

WHAT YOU DON'T WANT YOUR TATTOOS TO LOOK LIKE

Although both tattoos are done well, Lady Gaga's "Little Monsters" tattoo is placed too close to her other tattoo, and the designs have no relation to each other. Looks like someone didn't plan the placement ahead of time.
Tattoo fail.

This girl just got everything. Some color, some black and white, and a lot of WTF.
Tattoo fail.

Understand that popular placements and tattoo trends change over time. When I was younger, getting black and white gangster tattoos was the thing to do. Dragons, Phoenix, Kanji... Mostly placed on the upper outer arm for guys and upper or lower back for girls. Remember that era?

Remember this, guys? If you see this on someone, you know they grew up listening to Tupac and Biggie.

And who can forget the tribal arm band craze fifteen years ago?

Aren't you glad you didn't do this to yourself?

But these days, people get tattoos in the weirdest and oddest places. In fact,the more creative you can be with the placement, the cooler it is.

I think colors have also come such a long way that I prefer them over black and white tattoos now, at least for girls. Look at what tattoos can look like these days!

I think these days, anything goes. You don't want to follow the trend, and the more unique your tattoo is the better.

If you're still not sure what you want, I'd say first look at pictures of other people's tattoos who got the same design so you have an idea of what you'd want yours to look like. Yes, it's bad etiquette to copy someone else's tattoo, but it's okay to show it to your artist as reference. And trust me, unless you want something seriously unique, chances are people have already gotten the same tattoo. Which is good, actually. Why be the guinea pig when someone else can be?

The other thing I would suggest is printing out a picture of what you want, cutting out the shape, and taping it on the part of your body you're thinking of getting tattooed. That way you can really visualize it on yourself. 

Also know that if you get lettering of any kind, people will forever be asking you what it says. Some people get sick of this and find it annoying (I think I am one of those people). So just be prepared.

So you've picked your design, booked an appointment with a rock star artist, and the day has come for you to make the commitment. When you see your design, if there's anything you don't like, you have to speak up. Yes, you should trust your artist's skill, but you should also trust yourself. If you don't like the way something looks, they would much rather you tell them beforehand instead of having you laser it off later on or covering it up with something else.

I'm not sure about all tattoo artists, but from what I know I believe most of them honestly want the tattoo to come out even better than you do. It's their work, it's their pride. And when they do a bad job, it just breaks them inside. Even on those tattoo reality shows (like Miami Ink, LA Ink, etc.), over and over again, tattoo artists will say the best feeling they get is seeing the shocked look from a super happy client. It's kind of like a standing ovation at the end of an awesome stand-up comedy routine. So don't be scared to "offend" them in any way just because you want to throw in your two cents!


TATTOO ETIQUETTE

- Be nice to your artist :) This should be a given.
- Don't copy someone else's tattoo. I admit, I've been guilty of this, and I don't think I'll do it ever again. You can bring in someone else's tattoo as a reference, but yours should have its own spin.
- Tip your artist. It's a service like getting your hair cut, nails done, or anything else.
- Don't bring an entourage. One person to tag along to hold your hand or something is okay. Anything more is just annoying.
- Turn off your cell phone.
- Bath, and don't be drunk, high, or hungover. Eat something beforehand so you don't faint.


And that about sums it up. What a LONG, useless post for no reason, but I guess if it helps someone then it was worth it. :)